Kaze knew that Jude and Tulip founded Gwake Corporation together. When Tulip foresaw her tragedy, she gave all her shares to Buffy. The shares that Buffy possessed were the key to taking control of the company. In addition, Buffy was talented and beautiful. One of the Riverbank Seven, Casius, was interested in her, which made her a valuable asset to Jude. Therefore, Kaze chose to believe Hope. Jude made Hope, or Faith, the main suspect in putting Tulip in a coma so that Buffy would listen to his command. “Based on what I know, Tulip Lee is also from the Viper’s Den and she’s close with Alfonso Longwind. Why would Jude do this to her? She never cheated on him and helped him in his work and supported him as a good wife,” Kaze asked with furrowed brows. “Isn’t it obvious?” Hope scoffed. “Tulip is from the Viper’s Den, but so is Jude. Their connections and resources are highly overlapped. As the competition for the chief’s position grows fierce, being a good wife is no long
“I am disappointed in Jude. If he doesn’t care about me and can let me die whenever then I might as well have him dead,” Hope said with gritted teeth. Her eyes were burning with the flames of anger. Kaze finally understood the situation. It all started because of love and jealousy between Hope and Jude. She did not only want him dead, she wanted to ruin everything he had. “The plan that you mentioned, what was that about?” Kaze asked. Hope then looked at the clock on the wall and then switched her gaze back to Kaze. With a gloating smile, she sneered. “Hehe. If everything goes well, your little Buffy is already in Casius’ arms, which means Jude is one step closer to being the branch chief.” Kaze’s expression darkened immediately. …While Kaze was treating Hope’s condition, something else happened at the Gwake family’s mansion. The Gwakes were a reputable family in Riverbank. Not the most powerful or the most famous, at most a second to third-tier family, similar to
Everyone, including Gilfard, the eldest in the room, looked at Buffy coldly. Without getting any warm response, Buffy’s posture remained bowed on the spot. She currently had absolute power over Gwake Corporation with the shares she possessed. She was the chairwoman and the CEO. If her positions in the company were taken into consideration, the seniors of the house would have to show her respect. However, Buffy had already anticipated a challenging time at home, dealing with the senior members of the household. Since there was no response from her seniors, Buffy took a deep breath and then looked at her father. “Father…” Jude refused to speak. She continued, “Since everyone is here today, as you promised, you should give me a satisfying explanation. “How did my mother become comatose? What happened ten years ago? I hope you can tell me everything and provide me with convincing evidence.” Her frosty voice echoed across the hall. “Slam!” Suddenly, a middle-aged man
Following the voice, a dozen suited men appeared at the entrance and swarmed in. The entire living hall was surrounded instantly, blocking every possible exit from within. Buffy was shocked by the sudden intrusion. What shocked her even more was that everyone in the family, including her grandfather, looked calm, as if they had expected this. In the blink of an eye, the atmosphere in the living hall became tense and pressured. Anyone who tried to leave would have to pay a severe price. Buffy turned around immediately. As a matter of fact, the moment she heard the voice, she already knew who it was. Casius, in a black trench coat, swaggered into the living hall. He wore a warm smile, but his frosty eyes pierced Buffy’s heart with a gaze that sent chills down her spine. Casius was like a viper eyeing its prey, ready to strike any moment. Behind Casius were a man and a woman. Buffy recognized the man as Hank, Casius’ secret bodyguard. He was a servant of the Weathe
Casius looked frivolous, his tone sarcastic. However, the ferocity he exuded pressured even the seniors of the house, making them think twice before saying a word. The name of the Riverbank Seven worked like a charm against the ordinary citizens. “Mhmm. Not bad.” Gilfard scrutinized Casius from the main seat and nodded his head subtly. He approved Casius as his grandson-in-law. Casius possessed the power and the courage, and if Buffy could marry a man like him, it would bring decades of glory to the Gwake family. “Casius! Shut your damn mouth! What do you mean by ‘our big day’?” Buffy’s expression was frosty. “Don’t you call my mother your mother-in-law! My father too! They are not your in-laws! I am here because of my mother and I do not need you meddling around! It’s always been Kaze who’s truly helped me! “I don’t need you as a witness! Get out of our house right now!” Seeing Buffy berate Casius fiercely, the woman behind him turned frosty, ready to teach Buffy a l
“Yeah! I’d rather die than marry you!” Buffy’s resolute answer left Casius with no chance. “You think I’m lesser than the live-in husband?” “You are far lesser!” She was firm. “Fine.” Casius nodded. His eyes locked onto Buffy and said, “You’ve rejected me, but I realized, I liked you even more.” A manic blush appeared on his face as he grinned, “Buffy, do you know that I've never been denied anything I’ve wanted since I was young? “The more you reject me, the more I want you! And I will do whatever it takes! “But I am a man who knows my priorities. Since I came here for two things, let's handle the first.“We can talk about our wedding later. Let’s focus on your mother now, Buffy. “Am I right, my dear future father-in-law?” Casius looked at Jude. “A man who knows his priorities. This is how a mature man should behave.” Jude nodded in agreement as he stood. “Since my future son-in-law has spoken, then I will give Buffy a satisfying explanation about her mother
“Hmph! Cease your nonsense!” Gilfard said coldly, “Why would the Heartano family of Geranium show so much respect to a live-in husband? “I think you are teaming up with the outsider, putting up a show for us to see so that you can slowly and quietly transfer the company assets away, ultimately emptying us! “Let me make this straight! No matter what you do, you have to take the shares back and return them to your father! Before you do that, you will have no explanations about your mother! “If you disagree, then I will cease her medical fees and I can do it with one phone call! Then you will have nothing but a dead body!” His tone was fierce and his expression cold and ruthless. Buffy paled. She widened her eyes and screamed, “Grandfather, how could you!” “I am the master of this family before I am your grandfather! I am doing this on behalf of the family’s benefit, so why couldn’t I?!” he argued. He then got up on his feet with Jude’s help. He smiled at Casius and said
“Is our bridal chamber all ready?” After Jude and the other Gwake family members went off, Casius stood straight and firm as he asked his assistant without turning back. The woman behind him, who looked rather fierce and whom Buffy assumed was a replacement for Neely—and she was right—was Madison Fencer. She had previously been Neely’s assistant but was promoted to fill the position after Neely’s death. She was also professionally trained for combat. She looked expressionless as she said plainly, “Sir, the maids of the Gwake family are done decorating the bridal chamber. I’m sure you and Mrs. Weather will have an unforgettable night.” “A bridal chamber?” Buffy was shocked, her face ashened. The Gwake family did everything they could to win Casius’ fondness. They did not only invite him here, they even told the maids to get a bridal chamber ready. Buffy wanted to leave but Madison stood in her way. With a fake smile, she said, “Madam, you must stay here for the night
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.