“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
“Mr. Mayor, this is slander!” Miya looked shocked. She did not want Kent to pin such an accusation on her. Other than St. Mary Hospital, she already had quite a few businesses in Riverbank, some including Heartano’s family business. If Kent were to sanction her, it would impact her business greatly, similar to how Kaze attacked the share prices of the Heartano family previously. The share price could bounce back even if it plummeted but the actual businesses would suffer a lot more from the sanction and it would take a lot more resources to recover. “Mrs. Heartano, why the strong reaction? I’m just saying. I am an honorable person and I always go by the law. “I just want to tell you that you do not need to question Kaze’s position as a special consultant of the city council, which you do not have the right to do so either. “And, if you were wondering, Kaze actually just became our special consultant like a minute ago, when I said so. Is there a problem?” Kent said powerfu
Miya’s expression shifted at Kent’s words. She thought by mentioning the shareholders of St. Mary Hospital, it would deter and intimidate Kent but it was wishful thinking. Kent stood by Kaze’s side firmly and resolved to stand against the powerful forces behind the hospital. Clap! Clap! Clap! Suddenly, Genesis clapped her hands. “I have to say, Mr. Mayor, you are really a mayor who loves your citizens.” A fake smile appeared on her face as she continued, “But no matter what you say, you won’t stop me from arresting Kaze Lee. “So what if he’s the special consultant of the city council? Tiger’s Cave now suspects that he is closely related to the explosion that happened yesterday. He might even be the one who caused it! “I’d like to see who else is going to stop me from taking him away.” She unlocked the safety on the gun. All her agents did the same. Genesis was also determined to bring Kaze in and unlocking the safety on her gun was a sign of her resolve. Kent wa
With the secret out in the open, the housekeeper dropped his attitude. He pointed at the basement not too far away. “My employer is in there.” The housekeeper grimaced and kept his head down. Kaze laughed. Unaware of his impending doom, Perry was still living it up. It was absurd. Perry was playing with fire by hurting Leah. “About time you wise up.” Arthur smiled and patted the housekeeper’s face. He opened the door to the basement. Kaze walked to the bar counter and picked up the best bottle of champagne there. He fiddled with the bottle before carrying it to the basement. The other Viper’s Den members followed him. Kaze took a stride down the steps, to the basement. The noisy music was blasting before they reached the entry. Kaze was filled with a mix of emotions. Nevertheless, he said nothing. He opened the door and walked in. The light in the basement was bright, making everything perfectly clear. However, the people inside were not bothered by the
“You know him. It’s Perry Duncan, Leah’s ex-boyfriend.” Snow did not see the point of hiding the truth, so she laid everything out. “Leah must be feeling foul because she was unaware that she was being stalked. By the time she realized what was going on, she was taken into a vehicle. “We spotted the vehicle they departed in from the surveillance footage. They headed to the mountain up north.” Snow had a general idea of the location. “I got Arthur on the job. He’s putting up a team from the Viper’s Den.” Snow was uncertain of Kaze’s stance toward Leah, but now that she was made aware of the situation, the least she could do was help. Katie belonged to the Viper’s Den, so Snow was lending a hand to a friend in business. “Thank you. Please save my daughter.” Katie was nervous. The Viper’s Den was the people she could count on. “Arthur is good, but he’s slow. I’ll do it,” Kaze said. The whole thing was unrelated to him. Kaze was well within his right to stand on the si
Even so, Elsie was out to get Leah. Elsie could pick up on Perry’s delight when she took a swing at Leah. Poor Elsie was just trying to survive by catering to others. People like her learned to pick up social cues and read body language to please customers for money in return. Their income would double if their customers were happy. Leah was the obstacle. If the women could not get rid of her, they would lose their profit. They had no hard feelings for Leah, but they stood on opposing ends. “You should be fawning over Mr. Duncan, not begging me,” Elsie said while grabbing Leah’s hair to pull her up. Leah snatched Elsie’s wrist to try and break free. “Let me go. I never did anything to you.” Leah was no doormat. She did not want to cross these people or get involved with them. She still hoped that by waiting here, her prince would arrive to save her. However, all she got was a cruel beating, and she had enough. “This isn’t my fault. Blame Mr. Duncan for your cir
Leah had not had it easy these recent days. However, she had learned to be submissive and give in. It never occurred to her that Perry would do this to her. After repeated beatings, she quickly wised up. “Mr. Duncan, why is this disgusting person here? She’s an eyesore.” Dressed in a red number, a woman with wavy hair sat next to Perry. She clung to Perry intimately. She spoke in a sultry and mesmerizing voice. “Oh, she’s just a bitch. “She got on my nerves, so I punished her. I’ll dump her once I’m bored with her.” Perry had the time of his life getting back at Leah. He got a kick out of it. However, he did not feel that it was enough. Every time he looked at his injured hand, his resentment toward Leah grew. “How did she upset you, Mr. Duncan?” Another lady extended her arms to knead Perry’s shoulders while gently murmuring into his ear. With women gathering and fussing over him, Perry felt his ego thoroughly stroked. He was thrilled. “Well, she doesn’t kno
Katie thought about everybody. Kaze was the odd one out, so he had to be the suspect. It made sense that Leah would elope with Kaze. “There must be some sort of misunderstanding. We can talk it out. Don’t do anything reckless.” Snow stopped Katie from doing anything extreme. “How could there be a misunderstanding? There can be no one else but him.” Katie was stubborn. “We can help with your daughter’s disappearance. You won’t get anywhere by picking on him.” Snow tried her best to defend Kaze. She would not let Kaze be hurt on her watch. Eager to find her daughter, Katie believed her suspicion to be the truth, and Kaze must have stashed her daughter somewhere. “I don’t have time to waste, but no one could’ve taken Leah away.” Katie was naїvely convinced that Kaze was behind it. Kaze had only just learned about Leah’s disappearance. It was quite late for Katie to finally look into the matter. “I didn’t take your daughter, but we can dig deeper into this.” Leah w
The blue gem necklace around Snow’s neck brought out her elegance and class. Snow was educated well. She carried herself with ease at the social event. She exchanged pleasantries with business partners and greeted them all. Snow shared a few drinks with several prominent families. Aloysius and her secretary stayed with her and drank on her behalf.The party was a success. Kaze held a glass of wine to sip in a corner. Snow’s brilliance was the assurance he needed. He did not have to worry about her leading the Frosts now. “I guess I was worried about nothing. I didn’t even have to be here. She has gotten everything covered.” Kaze was concerned about Snow because she had always been his assistant. He was apprehensive that Snow would have no control over her staff after her promotion. He even asked the Viper’s Den to lend a hand. Nevertheless, Snow did not let him down. She had done a great job. Kaze drank wine and enjoyed the music. Soon, men and women entered the
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