Kiefer could not hide the resentment in his tone. If it was not for Naix, Kiefer would not have lost both arms and pleaded for mercy on his knees in public. He and his mother would never live this down. Kiefer wanted to tear Naix apart if he could. Miya stared at Naix vilely, her tone brash as she said, “Mr. Lee, my little shit has admitted to his fault, but don’t spare this man.” Naix grew pale, his hands shaking. Buffy turned ashen, caught off guard by the turn of events. Naix offered Kiefer a night with her in exchange for the agency contract. He could not be more vile Jude scowled and said coldly, “Please back that statement with evidence, Mrs. Heartano. Slandering the executives of Gwake Corporation without any proof is unacceptable, even if we’re on the verge of a partnership with St. Mary’s.” Kaze raised his brow at Jude’s righteous speech. Buffy’s heart sank. Based on Naix’s behavior before and after the incident, anyone would have guessed that Kiefer was
“Don’t play the video. I don’t want to hear your disgusting conversation!” Buffy shouted angrily, her face grimacing and her body shaking. She was relieved that Kaze went with her to Kiefer’s drinking party today. Otherwise, she would not have the will to live if Kiefer got away with it.Buffy looked at Naix with an ashen face and hissed through clenched teeth. “You’re a monster, Naix!” The senior executives of Gwake Corporation were stunned. Some were outraged by Naix’s behavior. The audacity of Naix shocked others. As the vice president, Naix proposed to trade a night with his boss in exchange for the agency rights and claimed all the credit for himself. It was absurd of him to come up with the idea, to begin with. “Do you even have a heart, Naix? How could you do such a thing for your personal gain?” “You’re a monster!” “You claimed to work toward the benefit of the company, but you were only doing it for yourself. I can’t believe you tried to ruin Ms. Gwake t
“Don’t worry. I won’t let anyone harm you.“I promise that it won’t happen again.” As Jude apologized profusely, Buffy shuddered. Kaze looked at Jude with a pretentious smile. He knew right from the start that Naix acted on orders to single him and Buffy out. The orders either came from Jude or Faith. Since Jude silenced Naix, the answer was clear. Jude chuckled dryly at Buffy’s indifference before turning to Kaze. He said emotionally, “You always surprise me, Kaze. “I have always known that you were amazing. I see why my daughter, despite her high standards, is into you.“I didn’t expect you to be the owner of St. Mary’s. That’s a shocker.“Since you’ve acquired the agency right for Gwake Corporation, rest assured that the board and I appreciate your hard work—” “Hold it right there.” Kaze interrupted Jude’s long speech and glanced at Miya. “Miya, are the agency rights signed to Gwake Corporation?” “No, Mr. Lee.” Miya said respectfully, “The signing party for th
“What are you trying to say?” Jude’s heart sank as he had a bad feeling. “Let me refresh your memory, Mr. Chairman.” Kaze said indifferently, “You and I made a wager in the meeting room. “If Kiefer showed up outside Gwake Corporation on his knees and presented the agency right, you’d step down and pass the torch to Buffy. “It’s time to honor the bet, Mr. Chairman. I should correct myself. Buffy should be the chairwoman now. “You are competing to become the Viper’s Den South River State Branch chief anyway. “I trust you will see the bet through, right? “You can’t get anyone to trust you if you break the promise. How are we supposed to trust you to run the South River State Branch?“Am I right, Mr. Gwake?” Kaze smiled pretentiously while putting Jude in the spot. Furrowing her brows, Buffy understood that Kaze planned to strip Jude of his glory and titles. Jude would be left with nothing. Even if Jude were to hand over the chairman position, Kaze would not let hi
No one came forward. Faced with Jude’s grim eyes, the board either looked away or put their heads down. Most of them shied away from Jude’s gaze. It was clear that Jude had lost his influence in the company. The fact was written in ink the moment Buffy secured the exclusive agency rights. A handful of directors felt uneasy about the situation as Jude had been in power for too long. They needed time to adapt to change. Jude grimaced hard. Kaze chuckled. “Seeing that nobody stepped forward, everybody must be in support of Buffy becoming the chairwoman. So that’s decided then. “I expect the minutes to be documented right away. The assistant should get everybody to sign as proof of today’s decision at the next board meeting,” Kaze said while waving his arm. Soon, the assistant of the president’s office drafted the minutes, and the board bit the bullet to put their names on the document. The board even bowed to Buffy. After the board, the senior executives followed suit.
“The senior members of the Gwake family will make things right for Mom and me.“So… Maybe you shouldn’t go, Kaze.“It’s a bad idea to air dirty laundry anyway.” Buffy looked away, avoiding eye contact with Kaze. Kaze was taken aback at first, but he quickly understood. Buffy had a good idea about the truth behind her mother’s coma. She may not know the specifics, but she had her suspicions. Hence, Buffy did not want Kaze to know the truth. It was all that was left of her dignity. She could not bear the thought of being exposed to Kaze. With that in mind, Kaze nodded. “Alright. You can head on to your family home. Dayton will go with you. You can call me if you need me for anything.” “Sure.” Buffy nodded and said, “I need to ask you of one thing, Kaze. Dad has lost power over Gwake Corporation. As you said, he won’t become the South River State Branch chief. He will lose everything. “He will be devastated if Faith can’t be saved. “I hope you can help Faith to the
“So you’re in?” Rose asked excitedly, her tone relieved. She did not get along with many of the young family members because she could not stand their behaviors. They were too pretentious. These family members lacked substance. All they cared about was showing off. Since Bella had urged the younger members to stand as one, Nelson and Agatha called to make sure Rose would go. Given Hanses’ rising influence within the family and invite, Rose felt compelled to attend too. She hoped Kaze would go with her. Having Kaze around would put her at ease. “Okay.” Kaze gave a nod. Understanding Rose’s reservations, Kaze patted her head with a smile and asked, “When and where?” “It’s at Buckridge Lounge at eight tonight,” Rose said happily. Thrilled, she went to get dressed and doll up.The Otter girls loved to dress for the occasion. Rose did not want to be outshined. Kaze simply smiled. He did not mind stuff like that. All he would do for the gathering was take a shower and sl
Rose and Kaze walked over and saw a huge group sitting in the booth. Of the group, Kaze only recognized Maxine and Patrick. The rest were unfamiliar faces. The men and women of the group were dressed to the nines, their clothes suggesting their wealth and power.As the group walked on eggshells around Patrick and Maxine, the couple must hold a higher position of authority. “Maxine, Patrick.” Rose said hello and asked curiously, “Where is Hanses? I have not seen him.” She was closest to Hanses among the young family members. “Oh, Hanses has a night drill with the Flying Dragons. He was called away when he just arrived. Max went to drop him off.” Maxine explained before glancing at Kaze. She said with a frown, “Where’s Darcy, Rose? Why isn’t she here?”“Are you talking about the chairwoman of Sky Ocean Corporation who has just been accepted back to your family, Maxine? She’s the head of the Ridgesouth Quints in the South River State.” Those sitting in the booth and all
“I have pointed you in a direction. If you still can’t trust your team, you can go to the Viper’s Den.“There’s one thing, though. Don’t rely too heavily on the Viper’s Den, or your company will be left without secrets.” Kaze’s suggestion gave Snow assurance. She considered tapping into the Viper’s Den’s resources. However, Kaze warned her against excessive dependence. “Why did you say that, Chairman Lee? Will the Viper’s Den stab me in the back?” Surely, the Viper’s Den took orders from Kaze. The Viper’s Den would always be an ally so long as Kaze was the branch leader. “I just don’t want you to put too much faith in others. You find loyalty by developing your own team. Those who revere me will never trust you completely.” Kaze analyzed the situation. Snow ate her supper and looked at Kaze in confusion. “You can only count on the people you win over. You can’t trust anyone else, and that includes me.” Kaze would never hurt Snow. However, he hoped that she would fin
“As you said, all is in the past. What’s the point of dwelling on it?” Leah perked up. Such was life, but it took her too long to understand the harsh reality. She guessed things were just not meant to be. “I’ll think about what to get Kaze. Rest well. We’ll visit him in a few days.” Taking the matter seriously, Katie wanted to get gifts ready ahead of time to thank Kaze. “Alright. I’ll see what I can do too. I want to be in touch with the outside world. I don’t care what they have to say. This is not my fault. I won’t blame myself.” Leah wanted her phone back to contact her former friends. Ultimately, she needed to move forward instead of backward. She had to face and fight back the rumors with courage. It was the crucial step to kick trauma in the face. The abduction was kept hush-hush for the most part, but Katie’s frantic search for her daughter at the cocktail party did not go unnoticed. Hearing about the incident, the influential people were keen to find out
“When did Kaze start setting it all up? I get the feeling that everybody played into his hands right from the start, and he had controlled every step of the way.” Leah realized that Kaze was an amazing man. Nothing could go past his eyes. “I don’t know.” Katie feared someone like Kaze. She would not be caught dead near him. Even when grasping the situation, Katie dared not look into Kaze for fear she would be targeted. Katie was careful not to show her face around Kaze. For all she knew, Kaze might get back at her. “But he came to Butterworth alone. We met at the train station, and he helped me out of a bad situation.” Leah felt warm and cozy inside just remembering the events. They did not know each other then. Kaze was kind to help a stranger out. From then on, Kaze could do no wrong in Leah’s eyes. Leah befriended him and found him nice. Her interest in him grew. They also got along well. Her memories of Kaze were sweet. Anyone could hurt her in the world, but
Even though Katie was the CEO of the Northborn Group, many eyed her position. There were too many vying to replace her. Without dedicating herself to her work, Katie risked falling from grace. Katie had been too eager to find success to give her daughter the best life. Leah could not understand the pain Katie had to go through. “I understand it now. I explained the nature of my relationship with Kaze to you, but you just wouldn’t get it.” Leah stubbornly expressed herself in hopes her mother would understand. “I just couldn’t get it through my head that you have grown up. You make an easy target since you just graduated and have not stepped into the real world.” Katie would not always be there for Leah. Hence, Katie did her best to get rid of potential danger. Her overprotectiveness triggered Leah’s defiance. It was Katie’s fault for not realizing it sooner. “I’m not angry with you. I didn’t understand a mother’s good intentions, but I understand now. I will listen to
Leah’s face beamed, but her mother’s words threw her into a daze. In the end, she tried to squeeze a smile to assure her mother. However, Leah could not muster a smile. Those days lingered with her like a recurring bad dream. Whenever she recalled the incident, she felt trapped in that nightmare again. Leah wanted to let those memories fade away, but she just could not do it. She would get startled awake late at night and trace the scars across her skin. During moments like this, she resented Perry. Leah was rather cheerful during the day as if the past was behind her. However, it was simply a way for her to escape the pain. By the way Leah was behaving, Katie instantly regretted the question. She should not have probed. Even if they avoided the elephant in the room, they could pretend like nothing ever happened. Nevertheless, the act of asking brought up unsettling times for Leah. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have asked.” Katie gently held Leah, hoping to cast
When the ambulance door closed shut, Leah wailed once more. The reality of her rescue finally sank in, and she grasped that it was not just a dream. It was a pity that she did not have much time with Kaze. She longed to spend more time with him. “Don’t cry, young lady. You’ll get better soon enough. Don’t worry about the scars on your face. I can administer medicine to help you,” the doctor said while wiping her tears. “Thank you. I’m finally out of the hell hole.” Leah’s worst nightmare would be to be trapped in there forever. Kaze watched as the ambulance disappeared into the night. He then turned to face the villa. “Apprehend everybody in there. Perry should be punished for his crimes.” Kaze had not intended to go after the Duncans, but the family had crossed the line this time. Leah was an adorable and vulnerable woman. She was abused beyond recognition. It never occurred to Kaze that the Duncans could be so cruel. “Perry has passed out in there. Where should
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