Kiefer took the news the hardest. He knew more than anyone else what the group was made of. These people could stand against international criminals and hold their own. With the group of fighters on his side, Kiefer believed that he was invincible in Riverbank. However, reality proved him wrong. Kaze crushed the dozen fighters like bugs. Kiefer grimaced hard. Kaze wiped his hand clean gracefully before approaching Kiefer. Kiefer snapped out of his daze and backed away while shouting sternly, “What are you trying to do, Lee? You’re asking for it to hurt my people on my turf!” Kaze grinned and patted Kiefer’s sweat-drenched face. “Your turf? When has Riverbank become your turf?“To be frank with you, I’ll still harm you even if you’re in your family’s territory in Geranium City.“You are naïve to think that your little group can restrain me. “If I had time today, I’d have given you the chance to call for backup. “Today’s a bit different. I’ve got a bet going about a
Kaze looked at Rayes as if he was an idiot. It was easy to read Rayes. Kaze said indifferently, “Get out of the way!”Rayes gritted his teeth and said, “You better apologize to Mr. Heartano, Lee. You’re not going anywhere until you—” “Smack!” Kaze interrupted him with a slap. Knocked back, Rayes coughed up blood and crashed into a table. The table was smashed to bits. The crowd’s blood ran cold. The brutality of Kaze smashing a dozen fighters’ heads with wine bottles paled in comparison to this.“Since you want to show your allegiance, I can let you have your way.” Kaze took off with Buffy. … Out of the Royal Familia Hotel, Kaze and Buffy went for their lunch and returned to Gwake Corporation. “Now that we’ve burnt bridges with Kiefer, are we still running for St. Mary’s agency, Kaze?” Buffy uttered in distress. After pouring Kaze a drink, Buffy sat down and rubbed her throbbing head. She did not blame Kaze for upsetting Kiefer. Kaze had a wager with Naix, to begin
With that in mind, Kaze curled his lips. He was curious about the shareholders and senior executives’ expressions once the clock struck three. “Wham!” Naix slammed the table and came down hard on Kaze, his finger up his nose. “You ruined the deal for us. You have the nerve and audacity to smile.” He turned to Jude and the others. “Mr. Chairman and board, he is our newly appointed executive vice president. Ms. Gwake appointed him against everybody’s opinion. “Mr. Lee is something else. In this morning’s meeting, he assured me that he would have St. Mary’s agency by the end of the day. “For the interest of the company, I learned that Mr. Heartano will be at a luncheon at the Royal Familia Hotel and got my hands on two invitations to get Mr. Lee and Ms. Gwake in. “But what did they do? “You can’t believe what they have done at the Royal Familia Hotel.“Just because Mr. Heartano made a harmless joke to Ms. Gwake, Lee broke his wrist and injured his dozen bodyguards. “He ev
“I agree.” “Naix has a point. It’s time to get these pests out of Gwake Corporation.” “Gwake Corporation is not a place for cronyism.” The senior executives and board took to Naix’s side. Since Kaze broke Kiefer’s wrist, Gwake Corporation should address the situation. The first thing to do was fire Buffy and Kaze, to show Gwake Corporation’s stance. The termination should be done quickly without any delay. Kiefer was connected to the Geranium Heartanos, whose members were shareholders of St. Mary’s. Besides, the senior executives and board of directors were looking out for their interests. The motive behind Kaze’s assault did not matter. They could care less about what Kiefer did. The fact was Kaze and Buffy’s behaviors had harmed their interests and exposed them to retaliation from the Heartanos. Buffy and Kaze should be their fall guys. “I’d like to say a few words.” Jude, who had kept to himself thus far, raised his hand to silence the crowd. The Viper’s
Buffy nodded. “It’s true, but—” “Wham!” Jude slammed the table, cutting her off. “I don’t want to listen to excuses. I just want to know whether you did it. “Since you admitted to it, there’s nothing more to be said.“Both of you are fired.” Jude grabbed the termination slips to slap on Buffy’s face. Naix and the senior executives smiled gloatingly. Buffy was fired less than 24 hours after assuming her role as president. She broke the record for the shortest tenure as president at Gwake Corporation. Color drained from Buffy’s face. She did not expect Jude to be heartless, not even giving her a chance to explain. Jude simply sacked her and Kaze without a second thought. “You have come prepared, Mr. Gwake. I bet you have these termination letters ready ahead of our appointments.” As Buffy’s heart sank, Kaze stood up and flipped through the termination slip before uttering nonchalantly, “You have great foresight, Mr. Gwake. You counted on us to make a mistake that wi
Flipping out, Jude hissed through clenched teeth. “I can’t believe you would be so violent in my face, Kaze.” “What? When have I ever held back on you?” Kaze snapped back, nearly pushing Jude over the edge. Jude was wise to quiet down. His position as chairman would be compromised if Kaze were to reveal that Jude had suffered twice at his hands. “Dad?“Didn’t Mr. Gwake say that the workplace is no place for a personal relationship between a father and a daughter?“Let’s talk on a professional level.” Kaze said icily, “The question goes to you, Chairman Gwake. Buffy was still the president of Gwake Corporation when conducting business at the Royal Familia Hotel. Was she not the face of Gwake Corporation?“Kiefer publicly insulted her, demanding sexual favors in exchange for the contract.“Isn’t that a direct insult to Gwake Corporation?“Are you telling me that Gwake Corporation’s president should sleep with the client to get the business deal? “In that case, I have t
“Don’t try to change the subject, Lee!” Staying far away, Naix held his cheeks and snapped a malicious look at Kaze. He said, “Mr. Heartano is a ladies’ man. He’s always surrounded by beautiful women. “He simply fell in love with Ms. Gwake at first sight and flirted a little. It was just a joke.“Ms. Gwake was there for business. Couldn’t she take a joke? “It’s common in business and social settings. “You, on the other hand, were vile to attack Mr. Heartano over a harmless remark. “You’re more criminal than the Geranium Heartanos, the crime family, Kaze. “Couldn’t you stop Kaze, Buffy? Haven’t you thought about the consequences? “This situation could have been handled more discreetly, but your actions escalated the matter unnecessarily. It seems you haven’t given much thought to the potential consequences for Gwake Corporation. “As a result of your actions, Gwake Corporation has lost the business deal, and now, we stand to face the Geranium Heartanos’ retaliation. “T
“Please sit, Naix.” Jude pulled himself together and gestured toward Naix before uttering solemnly, “It’s quite clear what happened.” “Since you are new to the position, the board and I thought that you should have a bit of time to get on your feet. We didn’t want to criticize and deter you from getting the job done. “But I must say that you have let me down in the way you have conducted yourself.“The board and I believe that you are not qualified to assume the role. “I hope you can understand where we are coming from. Please don’t make things difficult for us as they already are or jeopardize the interests of all the executives and employees.”“Have I made myself clear?”Jude could not stress himself enough. Buffy made a wry face. It never occurred to her that Jude would go so far as to make her resign. He acted like everything was her fault. Jude seemed to think that Buffy should take the humiliation if it meant getting the business deal. Though Buffy had long kno
While Pamela struggled to make sense of the situation, Kaze led Darcy out of the office. After walking out of the main entrance, Kaze brought Darcy to the riverside beside the building for a stroll. He wanted to let her relax her mind and body. Their driver was tailing them. Darcy never tried strolling by the riverside to relax but she followed Kaze anyway. “Feeling better now?” Kaze asked with a smile as the wind caressed their faces. With two billion credited into the company account, they could pay the bank immediately. More importantly, it also cleared up the rumor about Sky Ocean Corporation having financial problems. “I feel better now. I even believe that you can help me pay ten billion tomorrow,” Darcy said with a sweet smile. “But, I think you owe me an explanation about how you get the money. Is Perfect World Group that rich?” Darcy knew Kaze was more than met the eye. He was not the useless trash that others claimed him to be. He easily got two billion in
Pamela bowed at Kaze and begged him, saying, “Even if you ignore me and won’t do it, what about Ms. Quint? Have you considered her? Must you make her lose everything before you are satisfied?” Kaze glanced at the women coldly and bellowed, “Can you shut up? I have been putting up with your nonsense until now because you are Darcy’s employee. One more word of nonsense and I will make you leave immediately.” He had had it with the woman’s negative thoughts. “You…” Pamela was frustrated. She did not expect the useless trash who always bragged about what he could do to scold her. Darcy put on a strict look and said, “Pamela, Kaze’s words are my words. I am willing to give him a chance to try and that means I have already made up my mind. “You are my assistant. You can provide me with suggestions but after the decision is made, you just have to carry it out, not question me. “From the moment you saw Kaze, you’ve been disrespecting him and I didn’t even say anything about that.
Before this, Pamela was all fired up and was ready to face any challenges from the Krad family. Yet after she witnessed what Aiden did in just one day, her confidence was shattered. She felt inferior and weak in front of Aiden. Kaze, on the other hand, should look into the mirror instead of speaking like a clown, claiming that he could deal with Aiden. Slam! Darcy slammed the table, her expression darkened. “Shut up!” Pamela looked at Darcy, frightened. She had never seen her boss this angry, not even when Aiden threatened her on the phone. Darcy was protective of her useless husband and it surprised Pamela. “Darcy, calm down. You don’t need to worry about all that. Just take some rest.” Kaze calmed her down and seated her back on the chair. He said gently, “As for the auction, leave it to me.” Pamela rolled her eyes once more. She still assumed Kaze was useless and wanted to act like he had the power. Why would he ask Darcy to rest instead of urging her to make
Darcy rubbed her swelling temples. “We still have to get five billion…” “Not just five billion.” Pamela wore a bitter look and continued, “Five billion is just enough for us to participate in the auction. In order to win the auction, we at least need another fifteen billion. “Ten billion is enough for us to win the auction, and the other five billion is the funds prepared for the suppliers and to maintain the basic operation of the company…” Pamela was right. It was not practical to empty out the company’s account. “Based on the current situation, we believe the Krad family has falsified all kinds of financial problems to damage our company’s image, causing the banks to withhold our loan applications. “We cannot cut our expenses now but have to increase it. The suppliers demand us to clear the payment fully and immediately, or else it practically admits to the public that we are having financial problems…” She sounded helpless as she read out the report to Darcy. Kaze w
It was Pamela’s voice. Darcy woke up instantly. She quickly tidied her shirt and then said, “Come in.” “Ms. Quint, we got bad news from the bank.” Pamela came clacking in with her heels and she looked ashen. “The banks that we worked with just called and informed us that we did not pass the verifications for the loan. Without the loan, we won’t even have ten billion.” Despite the company having a healthy cash flow, it was impossible for them to keep that much cash in the bank account without making any investments. Therefore, it was necessary to make loans to bid for the land in Seven Stars District. They had applied for the loan through multiple banks and after the procedures, they were one step away from getting the loan, yet all the banks turned on them at once. It must be Aiden. Their working partners turned on them, the banks ceased their loan applications, and all those happened within half an hour. Aiden was fierce and ruthless with his methods. Darcy did not e
Kaze did not mind Pamela’s contempt. He walked past her and went over to Darcy, asking, “I heard someone sent you a dead rabbit. Are you okay?” “It’s from the Krad family. It’s just a little child’s play, I’m not frightened.” Darcy shook her head. She glanced at the thermal flask in Kaze’s hands and asked, “What’s that?” “I asked Herbal Spring to make you some soup and they just delivered it here. It’s good for your skin, eases the stress, and energizes you.” Kaze opened the thermal flask and chuckled. “On the way back here, I touched your face and it felt dry…” “You’re asking for it!” Darcy playfully punched him. Kaze grinned as he poured the soup out into a bowl and said, “It’s Aiden Krad’s little trick right? I was thinking about how to deal with him, and now he’s after you. He’s the one asking for it.” Pft! Pamela overheard Kaze on her way out and she was deeply amused. Her scoff contained disdain and mockery. Deal with Aiden? Kaze must have lost his mind.
Aiden did not want to spend billions on that piece of land but it did not mean he did not have the money. Moreover, he had the support of the Ryokanians. Even if Aiden did not play dirty and waited until Darcy attended the auction, Pamela worried that the pressure would still crush Darcy in the end. If the worst-case scenario happened, then Sky Ocean Corporation would have offended the Krad family and the Ryokanians together with no benefits to reap. It would be a total loss. Pamela leaned toward withdrawing from the auction after carefully weighing the pros and cons. “The auction hasn’t started yet. I won’t give up.” Darcy did not want to surrender. She said calmly, “We’ll do our best and let fate decide. Even if we lost in the end, they would have to pay billions for the land. I’d take that as a consolation prize. “If we give up like that, then we won’t be able to achieve anything in the future.” She was not driven by her emotions and decided to go against the current
“Aiden Krad is too quick…” Darcy frowned, slightly taken aback by the news. The working partners bailing on her company all at once was anything but normal. She knew it must be Aiden pulling the strings. However, it was too quick. The call ended mere minutes ago and the working partners had already withdrawn from the projects. Darcy noticed that Aiden was more than met the eye. He might have called and sent a threatening gift, both seemingly child’s play, but he must have prepared a lot of things in the back. As long as Darcy insisted on her decision, Aiden would keep coming at her. Aiden was raised like a noble prince. Even if he was nothing stellar in his circle, he was one of the best compared to the ordinary. Not one of them in the upper circle was kind people. Pamela saw the exhaustion on Darcy’s face. She poured a glass of water for Darcy and grumbled, “Aiden Krad is cheap. He’s nothing like a noble young master from a big family. This should have been a fair
“Haven’t I explained enough, Ms. Quint?” Aiden chuckled softly and added, “I think you should really consider my words. Having an ally is better than having another enemy. “It’s up to you whether you want to see me as an ally or an enemy. I know you’ve just joined the Ridgesouth Quints and haven’t been able to secure your position there. I heard they are sending an elder here to inspect your work. “I believe you need an ally more than you need an enemy. An ally might not be able to assist you but an enemy can surely ruin your plans.” He was well informed. Darcy was just notified about the upcoming inspection, yet Aiden already knew about it. He also made it clear that even though he might not be able to help, he was capable of ruining things, big time. “If that’s your answer, then we’ll see about it.” Darcy was angered. Her expression turned cold as she said, “I can tell you I have twenty billion ready for the upcoming auction. If you have more money than I do, then a c