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
“From the moment Kaze took me back to his villa, he had never forced me against my will. He respects me. “If you are one-tenth of the man that he is, I might give you a chance.” Buffy looked at Casius with contempt and disgust. Casius simply listened but he did not take her words seriously. However, when Buffy talked about Kaze and compared them, the grin on his face disappeared. His lips started twitching and his eyes turned icy cold. Slap! Without any explanation, he slapped Buffy’s face again. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as her face swelled. The daughter of the Gwake family was being humiliated and attacked in her family mansion, yet no one came to her rescue. Buffy endured the pain and said coldly, “Casius, get the hell out or I will call the police! This is the Gwake mansion, not your playground!” “The Gwake mansion?” Casius scoffed, “Buffy, I never thought you were this naive, this stupid. Don’t you understand? Your father needed my support t
“Strip naked and wash yourself.” Casius walked up to Buffy while wiping his fingers with a paper towel. He peered down at her, speaking in a disgusting yet maniacal tone, “If you don’t know what’s good for you, I think I might beat you to death. “A woman like you shouldn’t end up dead. You are still young and beautiful. More importantly, your mother is still in rehabilitation. Are you going to leave her helpless and alone in this world?” Buffy glared at Casius with utmost hatred. She initially did not take his words seriously but when he mentioned her mother, her body shook and chills ran down her spine. Her bedridden mother, Tulip, was her biggest weakness. She acted as a good daughter in front of her father for so many years, behaved like a good girl in front of Faith, or Hope, and endured the injustice and grievances—all because she wanted to help her mother recover. Yet Casius used her mother against her. Despair consumed her from within. She could die without a s
The Weathers were a powerful family with a long history. They had been in power for decades and were deeply rooted in Riverbank. Countless people had benefited from their connections with the Weathers. Yet Kaze claimed he could wipe out the entire family. It was utter nonsense! He must have thought he could do whatever he wanted just because he was slightly stronger physically. He must have lost his mind! “You bastard! Who do you think you are, disrespecting Mr. Weather like that?!” Madison stepped up, pointed at Kaze, and shouted, “Who gave you the gall to barge in here and attack our men?” “You and your family will die because of what you just did!” Hank, Casius’ usually silent personal bodyguard, spoke up as he subtly moved closer to Casius. His gaze turned sinister as he stared at Kaze. “Don’t waste time with him. Break his arms and legs. If he’s here now, he must be here for that woman. We’ll make him kneel and watch how Mr. Weather ravages her!” The other s
Ugh! Buffy was utterly horrified by the gory and bloody scene. She bent over and threw up. Casius was having tea when one of his men shot Kaze. Before he knew it, a part of his man’s brain was floating in his tea and his smile froze.Kaze, on the other hand, had stepped away before the brain splatter. His white shirt was spared from the blood and brains. The two dead bodies in the living hall silenced everyone. “Casius, are these your so-called experts?” Only Kaze remained relaxed in the room. “No wonder Hunter Yaphet looked down on you and South Stormborn can kill your assistant that easily. “It seems like you got carried away by the title given to you by some trust fund babies. “Now, do you think I am qualified to kill you and wipe out your family?” His casual tone left Casius, Madison, and Hank stunned; their expressions turned as white as a sheet. Casius had been alive for thirty years and his proudest achievement was being one of the Riverbank Seven—the most eli
“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