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.
“Tsk. I heard Buffy is still a virgin. Not even Casius, one of the Riverbank Seven, manages to get into her pants. If Kiefer can claim her virginity, that’d be a real steal!” “Yeah! Claiming virginity from a woman like her? It’s even luckier than winning the jackpot!” “Buffy, if you are not experienced in sex, we can give you a tip or two.” Tiffany and the other young women in the room sneered at Buffy, laughing at her. They looked trampy compared to Buffy, so they gloated at her when Kiefer insulted her. Buffy’s face darkened when she heard Tiffany and the others, her eyes gleamed with icy sharpness. “Hoho? It seems like someone got Buffy angry.” Kiefer allowed Tiffany and the others to insult Buffy, trying to blunt her pride. He then grinned wickedly and said, “We haven’t even started and you can’t take it already? “Don’t you know the rules around here? If you want to do business with me, you have to sacrifice something, at least pay a price. You are already here and
Kaze was ruthless and did not hold back at all. Kiefer was the youngest son of the Geranium Heartanos. He came to Riverbank, representing his family and the power behind them. It was the reason young women sacrificed their bodies for a chance of getting hospital rights. As Kaze snapped Kiefer’s wrist, he basically cut off all possibilities of him obtaining the rights to St. Mary Hospital. He would be delusional if he still believed he could succeed. “Aaaargh! You fuck!” Kiefer’s men helped him up and he had to rely on them to be on his feet. He glared at Kaze with a vicious look and shouted, “You fuck! You snapped my wrist!? I don’t care who the fuck you are, you are fucking dead! “Not only you! Your entire family will be obliterated! You should know the consequences of attacking a member of the Heartano family!” In the past two days, the young and wealthy had surrounded Kiefer, flattering him. His confidence swelled and he had the illusion that everyone in Riverbank mu
Rayes was already terrified after Kiefer beat him up, so he was eager to solve the conflict before it snowballed out of control. Buffy bellowed, “Rayes, how could you! It’s Kiefer who has insulted me and tried to force me against my will. Kaze snapped his wrist because he got it coming! “You didn’t help at all. Kaze did what’s right and now you are blaming him? Stay out of my business with Kaze. If you still see me as a friend, shut your mouth!” Had Rayes not stood up for her when Kiefer insulted her the first time, she would have forsaken their friendship.“Even if Kiefer insulted you, he shouldn’t have snapped Kiefer’s wrist!” Tiffany then came over to Kiefer and pulled her phone out. “I’ll call the police to arrest you right now!” “No! Don’t call the police, that would be too easy on them,” Kiefer said through gritted teeth, slowly regaining his senses. Tiffany had a look at Kiefer’s twisted hand and it shocked her. “Kiefer, you should get to the hospital. I’ll deal wit
Kiefer’s men clamored, threatening to teach Kaze a lesson. “Kiefer, we don’t know this bastard at all! Crush him however you want, we support you!” As the others clamored angrily, Naix and his executives were shocked and paled, they quickly stepped away, afraid to be caught in the crossfire. Rayes stepped back as well. “Kiefer, I brought Buffy to you but this bastard chose to come along. I don’t know him!” Seeing her friend turn against her, a sense of disappointment flashed in Buffy’s eyes. Nevertheless, she bit the bullet and stepped up in front of Kaze. She said, “Kiefer, let’s talk.” “Fuck off bitch!” Jealousy consumed Kiefer when Buffy stepped up to defend Kaze. Since he had been training under the best fighters in his family from a young age, he was able to thrust the broken bottle at Buffy. However, before Tiffany and the others could cheer on him, Kaze appeared before Buffy and kicked the incoming attack away. Bang! The broken bottle did not even get close
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