It was a long night. The next morning, Buffy gave Kaze a call, informing him that she would be taking on her role at Gwake Corporation on the same day. She would be holding a meeting with the senior members. Kaze would have to assume his role too. He was the executive vice president. It was only right for him to show his face. Nevertheless, Kaze had let Buffy know beforehand that his position as the executive vice president was temporary. He would not be running the company. He was used to taking a hands-off approach anyway. Buffy had no problems with that. Kaze was a loyal ally to Buffy.Ironically, Kaze was more reliable than her family members working within the company.Gwake Corporation’s headquarters was the tower building located in the heart of Riverbank. The meeting would commence at 10 A.M. sharp, but the room was packed with senior members early on. Most of them were members of the Gwakes and Krads, and they held key positions in the company. “Ms. Gwake a
“Clap… Clap…”The applause was thin and scattered, and it was only when everyone else had finished that the man across from Kaze finally bothered to give a few half-hearted claps.Buffy frowned. These senior executives clearly had no respect for their new president. Still, Buffy held it together and said, “Today is my first day as the president. I’ll cut to the chase. “I hope we can all stay united and support me just as you have supported the previous president. “Gwake Corporation has encountered some trouble lately, but I trust I can overcome these problems and bring the company to greater heights. “I can promise that you will be pleased with the year-end bonuses. “I’d like to introduce to you our newly appointed executive vice president, Kaze Lee.” Buffy reached her hand toward Kaze. He did not even get scattered applause. A heavy silence fell over the room, broken only by the insistent crackling of the cigarette smoked by the man across from Kaze.With a grimace, B
“Buffy, do you think this company, with its multimillion-dollar daily operation and thousands of employees on the payroll, is a playground for your little plaything? “You better tell the boy to leave now. “If the business declines because of you, don’t expect the shareholders or the rest of us to support you.” Naix slammed the table, his voice booming through the meeting room. He was blatantly cocky, having no regard for the newly appointed president. Unfazed by Naix’s outburst, Kaze simply reviewed the files on Gwake Corporation’s senior executives. Naix was too arrogant to take Buffy seriously because of his high position and powerful connections. From his last name, Naix must be linked to Faith. Soon, Kaze came across Naix’s file. Sure enough, Naix was Faith’s nephew, albeit he was just a distant relative of the Krads. It was clear that Naix was one of Faith’s inside people to seize control of Gwake Corporation. Most importantly, he was the most senior vice pre
“Please watch your manners, Naix. We are in a meeting, not some private get-together.“You are free to leave if you don’t want to be here. I won’t stop you even if you want to resign from the company.” Buffy had anticipated the confrontation before assuming her position at Gwake Corporation. She knew that she needed to show aggression in such situations. It was important not to yield to Naix’s intimidation. Otherwise, she would suffer a humiliating defeat on her first day as the president. It would be extremely difficult for her to consolidate her power and carry out her plans for the business. “Are you telling me to pack my things, Buffy?” With a smirk, Naix rose to his feet and leaned forward against the table before puffing a cloud of smoke at Buffy. “Do you think I just sit around and do nothing in this place? “What’s wrong with a bit of socializing and networking? “I negotiated a deal with St. Mary’s over drinks just a few days ago, securing the procurement righ
Naix said with a wry smile, “As things have turned out this way, I’m afraid the deal with St. Mary’s can’t go through. “We’ve been generating buzz about our upcoming partnership with St. Mary’s, and many other private hospitals have expressed interest in working with us.“Since the partnership with St. Mary’s is off the table, I guess any other potential partnerships will fall through as well. “Most importantly, the damage to our reputation from this false information will be severe. It’s a huge loss that money can’t buy.”Many senior executives looked visibly upset. Naix had promised them riches a moment ago, and now their hopes were dashed. The disappointment was too much to bear. “Are you firing Mr. Krad, who has contributed a lot to the company, on your first day on the job, Ms. Gwake?” “You have gone too far. Even if you’re the chairman’s daughter, you can’t just do whatever you want and disregard everybody else’s interests.” “You don’t own Gwake Corporation. You c
When Faith was the president of Gwake Corporation, she was not very hands-on. However, she leveraged the Krads’ connections to befriend the Geranium Heartanos. Hence, Faith assigned her nephew, Naix, to be the liaison with the Geranium Heartanos while restricting others within the company from contacting them. Faith and Naix wanted to keep the connection to the Heartanos to themselves. Naix claimed that a deal had been reached with St. Mary’s. As such, he could make the deal go away too. If that were to happen, Gwake Corporation would face its initial investment and risk losing its reputation. Naix got one thing right. Money could not buy back a reputation once lost. He even twisted Buffy’s words, saying that she wanted to fire him. Buffy would bear the brunt if Gwake Corporation were to lose its partnership with St. Mary’s. She might even be forced to resign on her very first day as the president because of this deal. Kaze suspected that Jude might have set Buffy up
“Is the deal with St. Mary’s enough to show your true colors? “You can’t even do anything right. I can’t believe you’d shift the blame onto the new president.“And you call yourselves veterans and senior executives. Anyone on the street can do your job better than you.“You’re all losers.” Kaze’s outburst took everybody by surprise, especially since he had been holding his tongue.The crowd was caught off guard. Even Buffy did not see it coming. She did not think Kaze would be so blunt as to point fingers at the senior executives.“Bastard!” Enraged, Naix slammed the table and stood up. He leaned forward intimidatingly and shouted furiously, “Who do you think you are? You have no right to speak here.“You are a newbie. You don’t know anything. How dare you raise your voice. “You better get out of here at the count of three. “One…” Kaze cut Naix off with a slap. “Smack!” Naix took the hit. Despite his large build, Naix was knocked off his chair and landed on the
Naix drew distance from Kaze, moving away from him, and then covered his face, shouting, “You little bastard! What the hell is this? “If not because of you and Buffy, St. Mary’s would not have stopped collaborating with Gwake Corporation! “You shifted the responsibility and you hit me? Do you have a death wish?!” His teeth gritted, staring at Kaze with a vicious gaze. Ever since he joined Gwake Corporation, thanks to his relationship with Faith, he had been acting like a tyrant, disregarding others and forcing everyone to obey him. Yet Kaze slapped him multiple times in front of all the senior executives, turning his face into a swollen apple. It was a humiliation that he could not accept! “Because of us?” Kaze smirked and said, “Today is our first day here. We haven’t done anything and you’re telling me that we screwed up the deal with St. Mary’s and there’s no coming back from that? “Naix Krad, was it? You said you’re the most qualified to be promoted to the executi
The other three experts of the Quints scoffed as they stared at Darcy. Darcy might be more beautiful than them but she would have to lose one of her legs. A beautiful cripple would be an interesting scene for them to enjoy. “What?! One of Darcy’s legs?!” Hector and Agnes were shocked by Dark’s words. Sky stepped up to express his dissatisfaction, saying, “What did Darcy do wrong? Why are you people punishing her? “Even if Darcy did something wrong, breaking one of her legs is too much! Are you people savages? How can you set up such an inhuman punishment in the family—” “Slap!” Before he could finish, Dark darted forward and slapped Sky in the face. “Ignorant boy! Who do you think you are, talking to me like that? Are you deaf? I have already announced Darcy Quint’s punishment! Do you not understand English? “Savage? Who are you calling savage? As the branch head of the Quints, Darcy colluded with outsiders to harm the head of the family. Breaking one of her legs i
The group of five strode into the living room. Looking at Dark, who exuded the same ominous aura as her daughter, Shadow, Agnes, who had been advising Kaze on how to negotiate with Phoenix, shuddered and shrank back in fear. The anger on her face was quickly replaced by a timid and flattering smile. “Madam Dark? What brings you here? Welcome to our humble abode!” Dark served Phoenix, so every member of the Quints in the South River State showed her the same respect as the elder of the family. After showing a flattering smile at Dark, Agnes turned around to her husband with furrowed brows and bellowed, “Hector, what are you doing there? Go prepare tea for our guests! “Madam Dark basically grew up with Madam Quint, they are as close as sisters! If we don’t serve her properly, we might not be able to make a stand in Riverbank anymore!” She then turned back to Dark and said respectfully, “Madam Dark, ladies, this way, please. Have a seat and we’ll prepare the best tea we have
“You’re finally getting brighter,” Hector said with a soft sigh. When Darcy became the branch head of the Quints, Agnes was the happiest because she thought the family had hit the jackpot. She foolishly thought her family’s status would surge, which fueled her arrogance along the way. Now, after what had happened, she finally woke up and saw the truth. “What else do you know other than mocking me in my face?” Agnes glared at her husband. Hector said helplessly, “I just want you to see things clearer and if your demands are too much, Madam Phoenix might not agree to them. She might even forfeit the negotiation. “After all, Sky Ocean Corporation belongs to Darcy and it’s her blood and sweat, not Madam Quint’s. So, even if the company goes bankrupt, she has nothing to lose.” Agnes pondered for a moment and realized her husband’s words made sense. Fear caught up to her immediately. She quickly said, “Kaze, then let’s not make so many demands. Let’s just appoint Darcy as the
Though it was infuriating that Kaze cost Darcy her job at Sky Ocean Corporation, Hector was willing to give Kaze another chance for some reason. He was curious whether Kaze was telling the truth. Hector had been taking the calls since yesterday while keeping Agnes out of the loop. “Kaze was right.” Hector looked at Kaze with a mix of emotions, and there was one thing he did not understand. “I just don’t get how he got Perfect World Group and Mayor Synder to follow through with his instructions.” It was a debt and project worth tens of billions.Even if Kaze had ties to Perfect World Group and Kent, it was a big personal favor to ask. Hector could not figure it out. Agnes’ jaw opened, and she glanced at Kaze before tugging at him. “Have a seat, Kaze. Have you had breakfast? Come. Do you want milk with your cereal?” She was always quick to adapt to the situation. Her attitude toward Kaze took a 180 turn. Agnes was not one to reflect on herself. She did not care what Ka
Phoenix uttered indignantly, “That’s fresh coming from Kent. “Didn’t you tell them that you were there on my behalf?“I’m a senior member of the Ridgesouth Quints. Can’t they just hand the rights to use the land to us?” Dark said resentfully, “According to the Riverbank council, they only answer to Darcy, not the Ridgesouth Quints.” “Oh, brilliant. Just brilliant.” Phoenix smirked furiously. “Kent has no respect for me. The Westeros Synders will pay for this!“What’s the situation like in Lilyrose? What does Perfect World Group have to say about this? Don’t tell me only Darcy can handle the business deals?” Dark grimaced hard. “Ma’am, when I said that I was representing you, I wasn’t even allowed into the premises.” …Humiliated, Phoenix froze. As tension rose, Phoenix jolted to her feet exasperatedly and slammed the table. “That’s pushing it!” With Phoenix seething in rage, some family members had ideas of their own. Phoenix had been acting high and mighty, looki
“The family of ingrates!“They have some nerve to threaten and manipulate me.”Phoenix was livid. She, a senior member of the Ridgesouth Quints, had always been superior and the center of attention. No one would defy her. Phoenix believed Hector’s family would not rebel against her. However, Kaze and Darcy had been nothing but a menace since her arrival in Riverbank. Kaze even put her behind bars for a few hours. Phoenix had never been so humiliated. She had had enough. The other family members in the South River State kept to themselves, not wanting to be at the firing end. Phoenix had dragged two family members out to the corridor to punish them for saying something she did not like. They could still hear the echoes of the slapping sound. Anxiety washed over the ward. Joan and her family were desperate. With Phoenix’s help, Joan finally seized Sky Ocean Corporation for her own, only to be blindsided by Perfect World Group and the Riverbank council. The corpora
Robin fell into contemplation before uttering, “I know what to do. “Bring me Ms. Delmore’s trusty sword.” A member retrieved Hannah’s sword and handed it to her respectfully. “Come on.” Kaze turned on his heel and left River Watcher Inn together with Hannah and Collier. As Kaze disappeared from the building, Robin sighed. “I didn’t expect the Chief to appoint a moocher to be the branch leader.” Robin knew that the revelation of Kaze’s identity would be a total shocker. Kaze took Hannah and Collier to Herbal Spring and wrote them a prescription. Hannah suffered internal injuries from Robin’s attack, and Collier sustained mental trauma from Robin’s music. Though the injuries were not serious, they were not in the best shape. Recovery would take time. Medicine could only do so much. While waiting for the medicine, Collier glanced at his phone and said, “The story is out, Kaze. Siberian attempted to kill Robin, and the Roads died protecting him.“There is nothing abou
Kaze smiled pretentiously. “Are you still trying to recruit me, Chief Hill?”Robin hung his head low in shame and replied, “I wouldn’t dare.” It finally dawned on him why Kaze would not accept his offer. Kaze even kept things hush-hush to spare him the embarrassment. However, Robin mistook Kaze’s intention as arrogance. It was true. Robin was unfit to engage in a fight with Kaze. Kaze was more powerful in strength and rank. “Rise,” Kaze uttered indifferently, not putting the blame on Robin. Robin was taken aback, but he quickly responded, “Thank you for overlooking my mistakes.” He rose to his feet. The members of the execution hall stayed in position, their faces pale. They were scared. Just minutes ago, they taunted and mocked Kaze. They had insulted the branch leader. If only there was a hole in the ground they could sink into. “Slap yourselves ten times before you can get up.” Kaze directed the comment at the execution hall members. He pointed at the
Silence filled the air on the ninth floor of River Watcher Inn. Robin stood frozen, his discolored face carrying a look of shock. The clamoring members of the execution hall looked at Kaze with their jaws dropped too. They did not see how Kaze did it. However, they picked up on the vanishing flicker. Robin’s reaction was all the answer they needed. Kaze delivered a blow when Robin attacked. Kaze clearly deterred Robin from launching another attack. Um… It was impossible. The outcome left emotions running high. While Robin killed Siberian with ease, he was no match for Kaze. Robin looked Kaze dead in the eye, his eyes unreadable. He felt that he was a tiny step away from death when Kaze struck him. It had been many years since Robin was consumed by that feeling. Robin knew from experience what it meant. Kaze could kill him if he wanted to. Robin would end up lifeless just like Siberian. Robin cocked his head back stiffly and glanced at the dagger that sank