Some things were not meant to be compared. If a man could marry a woman like Darcy, the man must be successful in some way. No wonder Buffy made a statement in front of her friends that she wanted to date Kaze. Listening to the comment, she had mixed feelings. She actually did not want to mention Darcy but neither did she want others to look down on Kaze, so she revealed his marriage. “Hoho, it seems like you’re really close with your friend, Buffy.” While everyone was looking at Kaze with newfound respect, wondering how they could make his acquaintance, Rayes, whose expression darkened, scoffed. Buffy was taken aback. “What do you mean, Rayes?” Rayes explained, “My family business, the Shure Group, used to work with the Sky Ocean Corporation in Lilyrose. I knew Darcy Quint from back then. “My father even introduced me to her and he was impressed by how capable she was. He said if she’s still single, he would support me in chasing her, making her the daughter-in-law o
Kaze knew what Buffy was trying to achieve, so he quickly intervened and stopped her. He knew Buffy had developed feelings for him but like she said, he was a married man; he could no longer provide for other women. If so, he should stay away and not hurt the poor lady. “Buffy, it seems like you are attending this party with Kaze for a reason, right?” Rayes was delighted and he asked Buffy. If Buffy was not here to brag about her new boyfriend, then she must be here with Kaze for another reason. It had been a while since Buffy attended any social gatherings, and now that she suddenly showed up with Kaze, there must be something she wanted to achieve. Buffy was displeased by Rayes’ arrogant attitude but he had been her friend for many years. She patiently said, “Yeah. Gwake Corporation is seeking to work with St. Mary Hospital. Kiefer is holding the party here, so I came, hoping to meet him later to talk about a potential deal.” Everyone was struck with realization.
“Rayes, Kaze is here with me. Of course, I have to bring him with me,” Buffy said with a hint of displeasure. Rayes pursed his lips. “I don’t want to sound like I’m nagging. I know you want to bring him out so he can meet people but you have to depend on the occasion. “Look at him! How can you bring him to an important party like this? While you are here to ask Kiefer for a favor? Come on.” “What’s wrong with him…” Buffy was agitated. Just as she wanted to argue, Kaze put down his plate of food and said with a smile, “It’s okay. I’m done anyway. It’s better to work on a full stomach, right?” Rayes cast a disdainful glance at Kaze. Seeing Buffy’s determination to bring Kaze along, he didn’t dare risk angering her. Reluctantly, he nodded and said, “Fine, he can come, but he’d better keep his mouth shut and just watch. Got it?” After giving Kaze a warning, Rayes brought them to a room behind the banquet hall. “We are here to see Kiefer.” Rayes seemed to be quite chummy wit
“Naix, if being shameless is what it takes to be the vice president, then you will be the most suitable candidate,” Buffy said, her tone upset. She was upset by Naix’s shamelessness. Naix said he could get the rights to St. Mary Hospital at the meeting and used it to threaten her and the executives. Yet now he shamelessly said Tiffany was the most likely recipient, and he expected Buffy and Kaze to take it from her. Naix was not bothered by the criticism. He smiled and said, “Ms. Gwake, you don’t need to tell me all that. Even if you mocked my parents or my ancestors, I won’t lose anything. “And you, Kaze Lee, if you have the nerve, go snatch the chance away from the Blue family, make sure you get the rights. “Tiffany went to Geranium City for this and now Kiefer is there. Why don’t you consider selling ass as well? If one isn’t enough, make it two. As long as you can get the rights, I’ll crawl out of the company without complaining. “If you can’t, I will be the one watch
Buffy frowned and said with displeasure, “What does this have to do with Kaze? I called Naix cheap as well.” “Buffy, you can’t keep defending him.” Rayes looked serious as he explained, “You can call Naix cheap because you are his superior. Kaze is no one, yet he treats the guy terribly. “If not because of you, he’s not even qualified to be here. He doesn't know his place and he speaks recklessly. He’s not helping and is making things worse.” Buffy was displeased by how Rayes belittled Kaze again and again. “Rayes, if you don’t want to help, just say it…” Buffy wanted to reject Rayes but then Kaze tapped her shoulder and said, “It’s okay, Buffy. Rayes sounds like he’s super capable. Why not let him help us deal with Kiefer Heartano? If he insists on helping, let’s just let him try.” Rayes was displeased because Buffy almost argued with him because of the useless live-in husband. He mistook Kaze’s words as raising the white flag and Kaze trying to curry favor with him.
Kiefer smiled and raised his hand. A glass of champagne was delivered to him. As he cocked his head backward to drain the champagne, his eyes remained glued to Buffy’s long legs and snowy white neck. He even clicked his tongue in satisfaction, clearly pleased by the sight before his eyes. “Ms. Gwake, have you heard of the saying, ‘The gifts of fate come with a price.’ “Do you know what I mean? Us working on St. Mary Hospital is totally possible—I just have to give the word. But I wonder, how much are you prepared to pay?” He narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Buffy like she was prey. Everyone in the room instantly understood his meaning. Kiefer was into Buffy and he wanted to get under her dress. “Ms. Gwake, say something. Mr. Heartano is ready to work with you, you just have to name your price.” “You have to show some sincerity.” Naix and the other executives sneered at her, gloating openly. If Buffy accepted Kiefer’s offer for the sake of the rights, then he woul
Kiefer’s grin showed confidence, especially when he spotted anger on Buffy’s face, it aroused him even more. Buffy instinctively took a step back and said coldly, “Mr. Heartano, there are people here, mind your words.” “Mind my words? What does that mean? Am I not talking about the deal? The terms you offered, I don’t like them and I don’t care. So, I made my own, it’s that simple. “Am I being rude? Aren’t you here to talk about working with St. Mary Hospital, making a lot of money? Money makes the world go round, so don’t tell me to mind my words!” He spoke arrogantly, not afraid of making Buffy mad or scaring her away. He knew she came here to ask him for a favor. He already found out about Buffy’s situation from Naix, so he was confident that he could control the woman. Even though he heard that Buffy’s fiancé was one of the Riverbank Seven, a powerful man, he believed nothing would happen even if he devoured her. It was Buffy who came to him, not the other way around.
Kiefer laughed. “Rayes, are you teaching me how to do things?” “Not to that extent.” Rayes put his hand around Kiefer’s shoulders and said with a smile, “I am just asking you not to give Buffy a hard time and give her the rights. You do this for me, I’ll show…” Thump! Before he could finish, Kiefer elbowed him in the chest. “Ugh!” Rayes groaned in pain but before he could respond, Kiefer slapped him in the face. Kiefer had been trained by the strongest fighters in his family since childhood. While he wasn’t a top-tier expert, his strength was far above average. Rayes was a tall man but the slap managed to send him to the floor. “What is the meaning of this, Kiefer?!” He covered his face as he glared at Kiefer, his eyes burning with rage and confusion. A moment ago, he was like the closest friend to Kiefer but before he knew it, he got elbowed in the chest. Bang! Kiefer raised his leg and delivered a powerful kick to Rayes’ face, slamming his head to the floor.
Kaze watched as the senior citizens took off. The place was quiet as usual, and many things in the unit were left uncollected. “Mr. Lee, does this arrangement work?” Arthur awaited Kaze’s orders. “It will do for now.” After being out for the day, Kaze had seen some stuff. Business was all about making money, but some lines should not be crossed. As long as things remained within reason, there would not be scrutiny or blame. It was astounding the lengths Jet would go to. “The area will be demolished after a while. I want all of the Frosts’ projects on hold. Don’t approve any of them.” One word from Kaze could shake the very foundation of the Frosts’ business. “Alright. My team is on it. “But the Frosts will ask questions and find out who is behind this.” Arthur looked at Kaze worriedly. “They can’t find anything.” No one would know who Kaze was without his permission. It probably never crossed Jet’s mind that Snow had a powerful friend. Otherwise, he woul
Kaze was confused. Surely, the authorities would not disregard human lives and demolish the place by force. “Well, we tried to relocate them, but they refused our services. If they are still not on board, they will be sent to the retirement home tonight.” That was all Pax knew. The retirement home was just another place for the senior citizens to await death. “Is there nothing else you can do? So you signed the contract without thinking about the consequences? Karma will get back at you.” Pax’s shamelessness shocked Arthur. Pax mentioned that he would put the demolition on hold. It had not been long, and now the rights to the land were handed over. “It’s out of my hands. Jet went to my superiors to seal the deal. We are not allowed to intervene. “We had been figuring out ways to reach reconciliation for these senior citizens, but Jet was determined to make them pay.” It was the best Pax could do. He was just an employee, working to make a living. He did not have a say
“I want to see the person in charge of the demolition project now.” It was not a matter of time before the area was bulldozed, but Kaze hoped to delay it. Generally, it would take a large amount of capital to launch a project. Any delay would cause massive losses. Jet had several projects that had been put on hold, and it was a heavy blow to him. If Jet could not fix things quickly enough, all his money tied to the projects would be gone. He would be forced to ditch some projects to cut his losses. “I’ll get him here right now.” Arthur went out to make phone calls. He believed Kaze did the right thing as the senior citizens had nowhere to turn to. The senior citizens could only survive with some help. “Thank you, young man. Why are you helping us?” The senior citizens were old, but they could tell that Kaze genuinely wanted them to be okay. “I don’t think it’s right to bully you.” Kaze looked at the senior citizens earnestly, feeling sorry for them. Jet lack
“We agreed on relocation because we would get a place to stay. “But these people were unreasonable. We were offered only one-third of what everyone else got.” The senior citizens were going to swallow their losses. They just needed the money to live their last days, and they did not have family, to begin with. Later, the same people had their eyes on their money and tried to put them up at an old folks’ home. The senior citizens refused to relocate and finally chose to protect themselves by contacting the media. These people sure left the senior citizens to die. Kaze was sympathetic to the senior citizens. He went back with them to a unit on the ground floor. The place was bare, with several beds placed together. The senior citizens must be sleeping in the same room. There was little to eat, only some water and dry provisions.The old residents did not have much savings. It was good enough that they had something to eat. “Have a cup of water, boy. We don’t have any
“Are you one of those people from the pier? Are you trying to get us to leave?” A grizzled-haired man looked at Kaze warily. “I was just passing by when I saw you struggling with the buckets. I came to help you.” Kaze explained patiently. He could understand why their guards were up. They must have been lied to many times before. “Are you here to help?” “Yes, I am. My companion has gone to get you some water. He’ll be back soon. There’s no need for you to fetch water,” Kaze said kindly. “We’ll pay you.” The senior citizens exchanged glances before accepting Kaze’s gesture. They could not handle the weight of the heavy buckets. “The building here is about to be demolished. Why are you still living here?” Pretending to be in the dark, Kaze asked. “This is our home. Someone is trying to take this land away.” The grizzled-haired man was upset. “What? I thought no one could demolish the building unless they had the residents’ permission.” “You’re right, but there
“Jet sure is bold to ensure business. Isn’t he afraid of shooting himself in the foot?” Kaze had never met a man like Jet. “He has done a lot to get to the top. His ruthless methods got him a lot of money. A lot of people are happy to support him.” Arthur was impressed with Jet’s tactics. However, his approach was too cruel for his liking. “Let’s head to the residential building.” Kaze just wanted to check out the area. He was happy to help when needed. The flashy, red sports car was eye-catching. However, the flamboyant car was uncommon in these places. Most workers would express their amazement, but they would not ask questions. The car pulled up outside a soon-to-be abandoned building. It looked desolate. The power lines and infrastructure were not visible either. Kaze knew that was one of the Frosts’ methods. Sometimes, nothing, not even demolition, was required. The goal was to get the residents out. All Jet needed to do was cut the water and electricity.
“Just tell me what you need, Arthur. You wouldn’t be calling unless you have received orders.” Philip was surprised to get a call from Arthur. Though they were acquainted, they had only communicated because of work. “We have just left Rising Sun. Don’t approve the films for now.” Arthur was blunt. “I can do that, but can I ask why?” Philip was caught in a dilemma because he had just promised Jet to release the films. Philip needed to know if the orders to delay came from a high power who could cover his ass. “Since you got a call from me, you should know that there are eyes on Jet. “You should know what you can and cannot say. Otherwise, you never know when you’re going to lose your job.” Arthur threatened. Philip was reluctant. He accepted Jet’s payment, and now he had to go back on his word. Nevertheless, Arthur was part of the Viper’s Den, and his status was rather unique. Arthur provided services to confidential individuals. These individuals were elites among t
A balanced, profitable dynamic had been developed among the ports in Butterworth. Jet spotted his chance in the lucrative port business. He covertly took out some money to invest in a dying port. The port was situated in a more remote area. Some businesspeople favored more accessible ports. This drove shippers away from the dying port. Jet snagged the steal and improved the logistics and facilities around the area. The port was up and running again. Business at the port was decent enough. As the Frosts would run their business through the port, the local economy took off too. It was a good thing. However, Jet set his sights on several residential buildings around the area. He needed space to accommodate containers. The land was required to make business at the port more profitable. This triggered a whole new thing. Jet could spend some money to buy the residents out of their homes. However, the residents preferred to stay put in their long-time homes. No a
“I’ll keep the bank cards for now. I’ll talk to our superiors and give you a decision. Since the man said that the cards are meant for us, they won’t be going anywhere.” Knox had no idea who Kaze was, but he knew Arthur was with the Viper’s Den. Arthur must be someone from high places. Eli soon put the little incident behind him. He got a call from Aloysius yesterday and was made aware of Jet’s plans. The films had been put on hold for far too long, and the people above Eli were anxious to get things moving. Though Eli was surprised by the review board’s visit, everything was still in his control. Eli left the matter at that without reporting the incident to the higher-ups. The flashy, red car sped along the road. Arthur kept looking back at Kaze, eager to find out about the next plan. Arthur brought Kaze out today to witness how Eli and his team operated. As it happened, Eli adopted such a shallow ploy. Arthur was not surprised, though. Eli’s methods were common.