“But this time around, it will be longer than two hours. Fifteen days, not a second less,” Kaze said indifferently, showing no respect for Miya and her men. “Tsk. You?” Miya’s men looked battered but they looked at Kaze like he was an idiot, scoffing. Had Kaze lost his mind or his vision? Miya came back with a temper and it was obvious that she gained powerful support this time. Was it not obvious enough? “Kaze Lee, stop talking nonsense.” Miya stepped forward and pointed at Kaze, her shiny black nails gleaming. “I’m telling you, you’re dead this time! You should be worrying about yourself instead of trying to get me locked up. Why don’t you ask the police chief here to lock me up again, see if he dares? “I can tell you that the moment you tore Mr. Yaphet’s letter in front of everyone, you were already dead. In fact, not only you, your family, your friends, people related to you—all of them would die horribly!” Miya gritted her teeth as she glared at Kaze, a hint of
“You know the Tiger’s Cave? One of the four agencies that served the country with special authority, specializing in heavy crimes and prison…“Director Weather isn’t just the person in charge of the Tiger’s Cave in Riverbank, she’s also from the Weather family! The same Weather family Casius belonged to, and he’s one of the Riverbank Seven you offended!” After a brief introduction of Genesis, Miya scoffed, “Kaze Lee, I brought Director Weather here to uphold justice. I’d like to see if the Riverbank Police Department will side with a criminal and lock me up or not.” She also shot a disdainful gaze at Welson. She assumed Welson wanted to gain a good impression from Cole, so he helped Kaze lock her up. Now, she was no longer afraid with powerful support on her side. Welson might be the police chief but Genesis was the director of Tiger’s Cave Riverbank Office, with her authority equaled to a director of the police station. If the police could intervene, so could she. If it
“Mrs. Heartano, I called the police on you because it was the right thing to do. It was also in line with the official procedure, or else you won’t be released after two hours. “Believe me, if I really want to use my connections to crush you, you wouldn’t even make it out alive, yet you were released and here you are, talking nonsense.” Miya and her men reacted with disdain and disbelief. “Enough with your nonsense, Kaze Lee.” Genesis refused to waste time listening to Kaze. She interrupted him, stepped up, and peered down at him, saying, “Hunter is an old friend and so is Miya. If you disrespect Hunter, and bully Miya, then you will be going up against me. “More importantly, the dust explosion last night happened at a mansion near the suburbs, and my cousin lost a dozen of his men. “Based on all the evidence we have, it shows that you are the mastermind. You did it because you snatched Casius’ fiance, Buffy, and he found out about it, so you wanted to silence him. “Don’t
The men and women looked up to Genesis as their leader. One word from her and they would attack Kaze without the slightest hesitation. Inside the spacious office, Kaze was the only one not affected by the agents of Tiger’s Cave. He said indifferently, “Genesis, right? Based on how you conduct things, if I didn’t know better, I would think you were some street thug. “You really think just because you are with the Tiger’s Cave, that allows you to do anything you want in Riverbank?” “Is it not enough?” Genesis smirked. “What’s the matter? Are you questioning my authority? You think this is a bluff? “I guess it’s understandable. I heard you were quite close with Hannah Delmore of the Viper’s Den and she regarded you highly. Why don’t you call her and ask her to save you? “The Tiger’s Cave is responsible for solving heavy crimes and arresting you is actually within my jurisdiction. In fact, Hannah won’t be able to do anything, even if you got someone who has a higher rank than
Miya had scruples when she brought her men to the Otter family. She called Bob, but he was just a gangster in Golden Ray. She called Alfonso, but his influence started to weaken since he was no longer in power. Today, however, she was no longer restrained or afraid of anyone, because she had Genesis on her side—the director who held the power to decide a person’s life or death. If anyone defied her, she could pull out a gun to end that person’s life. Miya continued to provoke Kaze. She wanted to see if the arrogant Kaze had the nerve to slap her in front of Genesis. Her men smirked and crossed their arms, looking at Kaze scornfully. “Kaze Lee, do it! What’s the matter?” “Mrs. Heartano let you slap her, don’t tell me you don’t have the balls!” “You were arrogant before, right? How can you be a coward now?” The men kept provoking Kaze, as if doing so could help them unleash their grievances and vent their emotions.“You really want me to slap you?” Kaze looked at Miy
Miya blacked out and her head fell onto the floor, but her eyes remained wide open, staring at Kaze grudgingly. Genesis was left speechless as well. She had never seen such a shameless and rude person before. “Kaze Lee, I have to give it to your arrogance. You impress me, but I’m also upset that you’ve used your arrogance on me. “You should know that as director of the Tiger’s Cave office here in Riverbank, I can legally take lives. Now that you’ve hurt someone right in front of my eyes, I can take you back to the Tiger’s Cave. “If you resist, don’t blame me for getting rough.” As she spoke, she pulled out her gun from the holster. She had to admit that Kaze was the most persistent opponent she had met to date. She had assumed that a few words and some intimidation would be enough to handle the bumpkin live-in husband, but things turned out completely differently. Kaze was fearless even when facing her, a high-ranking agent of the Tiger’s Cave. No wonder he had the ne
Hamlin found Genesis’ sarcasm masked by flattery funny. He simply said, “Genesis, I am just spewing facts, it has nothing to do with my identity or my position.” “Nothing to do with your identity?” Genesis scoffed, “Do you even believe the words that are coming out of your mouth? If it’s not your identity, do you think I would spare a glance at you now given how poor your family was in the past? “Hamlin, you might have made it now and become Kent Synder’s secretary, and I admit that you have a bright future, but a secretary is as far as you can go. “You think you’re the mayor? No! You are just responsible for writing reports, making tea, and arranging the mayor’s schedule. “Since when interfering with the Tiger’s Cave operation is a part of your responsibility? Besides, does a secretary have enough power to do that?” She looked at Hamlin scornfully, showing no respect to him despite them being distant relatives. Hamlin came from a neglected branch of the Weather family. T
Miya looked nervous. Kent stepping out to defend Kaze caught her off guard as it was beyond her expectations. However, after a glance at Genesis, she quickly calmed down. Kent might be the mayor of Riverbank holding incredible power and authority that allowed him to interfere and speak up on any matter within the city, but the Tiger’s Cave was an independent agency with its own authority. The four major agencies were established many years ago to act as supervisors, overseeing the local authorities and balancing the power within the cabinet or any government entity. In short, Kent had no authority over Genesis and could not do anything about her. What reason could he possibly have to stop Genesis from taking Kaze away? Genesis was clear about that as well. After the initial shock, she quickly regained her composure. “Mr. Mayor, I’ve been hearing a lot about you lately.” She wore a fake smile and continued, “I wonder what you mean by that, Mr. Mayor?” “What do I mean
Aloysius looked at the business venture at hand with a mix of emotions. Jet was supposed to make a comeback with the project, but the defeat was a huge slap to his face. “Can I ask whether Kaze was behind this?” Aloysius braced himself to ask the question. Even though Aloysius had an inkling, he feared receiving confirmation of his suspicion. “Chairman Lee helped me. If Jet hadn’t hurt my mother, I wouldn’t have rushed back to take his place. “He did this to himself,” Snow said blatantly. “How did you know about the island project? We have been discreet about it.” Aloysius was eager to find out. The question would burn on his mind unless he got some answers. “You can’t keep anything from the Viper’s Den, but this is the end of the matter. If you’re interested in the project, I can put you in charge of it.” Snow could not be bothered to explain herself. Aloysius played it smart. He had been carrying out Snow’s orders without a hitch. Snow was happy to honor her prom
“Tell them that the company is expecting funding, and all the projects will be launched in a few days. Everything will be back on track. It’s a good thing that the higher management is gone. We will be opening the positions for internal employees to apply.” Snow got the right solution to handle the situation. She had to give these employees hope to gain their dedication in return. Aloysius was surprised. “Who would pour money in when our finances are in a mess?” Having worked with Jet, Aloysius had a good understanding of the company’s ins and outs. Several business ventures were up in the air, and the company was bleeding money. Even with a relaunch, these projects would not bring in much of a profit. Most importantly, the relaunch had to be backed up by some funding. The business got a loan from the Viper’s Den. If payment was not made in time, the company’s shares would be used to make up for the loss. The whole thing spelled trouble. Snow just joined the company.
“This is the financial report you submitted today. Any intern can do a better job than you.” Snow mocked Jack. She was disappointed in his performance. A finance director who could not even get his basics right should not be working in finance in the first place. “Who do you think you are, doing this to us?” The others are only out to save their own asses. They did not sympathize with Jack. “I’m sure you are well aware of what you have done.” “You’re on your phone all day at work. You put your daily expenses on the company card, and we’re talking about tens of thousands of dollars a month. You only bought stuff for your personal use. “Let’s not forget about you. Your so-called business trips are to take your mistress out for expensive hotel stays and vacations.” Snow looked at each one of them while detailing their deeds. She shamed them in public, utterly humiliating them. “Why were these allowed before? Why are you stopping these practices now? If you can change
“No, Ms. Frost. I can do it,” Aloysius said right away. He did not want to miss out on a good opportunity. “I gave you a chance. It’s up to you to seize it.” Snow looked at them with a smile. “I’ll get right to it, Ms. Frost.” The HR manager nodded and took off. He had to prepare the paperwork. Those in upper management were on a higher pay grade with a cut of the shares. Following a termination, the HR manager had to calculate the final pay. There had to be a valid reason for the discharge from duties too. Though things were a little complicated, the HR manager was experienced in this aspect. The only issue was that the staff involved were not the low-ranking employees. They held high positions. Despite his unrest, Aloysius did not wear his heart on his sleeve. He had a good read of the situation. Snow was impartial in carrying out business. Those who contributed to the company would stay while the ones who bled the business dry would be sacked. Anyone would p
Sure enough, the mean would gather around the individual at their fall from grace. It was sad to grasp this reality. “I promise you to have everything in order. Don’t worry. You will get a nice promotion.” Snow knew when to give her employee encouragement. Only then would Aloysius feel motivated to work. Aloysius departed in dejection, but Snow did not mind it at all. He served the wrong person. Snow took on the leadership role the same day Jet left. Since she assumed the responsibilities without much experience, the employees did not take her seriously. The people doing the grunt work felt nothing toward the change of leadership. The upper management may experience shifts, but they were still obliged to finish their usual tasks. The only thing they hoped for was to be paid more for their overtime. Following the change of leadership, some leaders may receive a promotion or be transferred out. The employees at the bottom of the pyramid wondered if they could compet
Despite her unease, Snow trusted that Jet would not have the chance to hurt her. Hence, she put the matter aside. The dynamic shift within the Frosts caught the eye of elite families across the business world. They kicked Jet while he was down. Some even tried to get a piece of the pie. However, most of them stayed on the sidelines, observing. A fallen giant was still a giant. Even if these families were greedy, they had to assess the situation before moving in. These businesspeople were skeptical about Snow taking Jet’s place. They did not know what Snow was made of. Consequently, they tried to approach her. Snow had been kept busy in the office, dealing with the problems left behind by Jet. She worked late into the night every day. While being buried deep in paperwork, Snow refused to meet anyone. She had lived in Butterworth before, so she had peers from school and friends around. Snow’s sudden return caught many off guard. Everyone wanted to get close to he
If Jet had detected the problems early on, he could have prevented things from escalating. Yet now, everything was too late. Jet did not regret his actions, though. “Just sign this, Jet. At this rate, the shares will drop beyond the point of redemption,” Talon said. The Frosts were terrified at the stock market’s dropping numbers. They did not have time to lose. “I will sign the papers. I lost.” Jet did not want to give in just yet. However, he had to comply with the family elders’ pleas. Snow was relieved. The contract was quickly drawn up, and Jet signed the papers to give up the proprietorship. “Relax. I won’t do you wrong.” Snow made a promise. At least, Jet would still have a home to go back to. “Don’t get too cocky. I didn’t lose to you. I lost to Kaze.” Jet knew that he would face much resistance if his rival were Snow. It was a shame that he was up against Kaze, a strong and mysterious man. “Just sign the papers. I will take over the family empire, and
“Don’t project your filth on everyone else.” Snow was angry, but she knew that she had to keep her head cool. By jumping straight to defense mode, Snow would give others the wrong idea. She had been there before. Kaze sat still without a word. He furrowed his brows in annoyance when Jet painted his relationship with Snow dirty. “I’m not here for the drama.” Kaze looked at Talon. The senior members of the Frosts should back down before Kaze did something about it. “Who do you think you are? This is a family meeting. Why are you getting involved?“If you are unrelated to Snow, you shouldn’t be here in the first place.” Jet took out his anger on Kaze. Kaze was not part of the family anyway, so Jet did not have to consider his feelings. “Watch yourself, Jet. He’s a visitor.” Talon was smart enough to read the room. Despite the air of mystery shrouding Kaze, he managed to screw with most of Jet’s business ventures. The Frosts stood to lose more by crossing Kaze. Ta
Following Snow’s lead, Kaze entered a big conference room. The centerpiece of the conference room was a long, solid wood table, drawing out an air of solemnity. Various notable and valuable paintings hung on the wall. The expansive floor-to-ceiling window brought light into the room. Sunlight bounced off the window that displayed a picturesque view outside. “There you are.” Jet had been waiting. With the pair slowly making their way in, Jet could not hide the rage in his eyes. “Long time no see, Jet,” Snow greeted him and pulled a chair for Kaze. “It’ll take a bit of time, Chairman Lee. The senior members of my family are on their way.” Snow contacted the family elders while getting to the venue. Jet had not produced much results lately, and the Frosts were utterly humiliated. Since Jet would soon be replaced, the senior members of the family wanted to be kept in the loop. These family members had their own ideas. However, they would be happy to appoint the lea