“I see.”Kaze nodded. He knew Welson, the police chief of Riverbank. As Lock and Welson shared some similarities, Kaze suspected their relationship. It never occurred to Kaze that Lock was one of the Yaphets. Lock waved his hand unhappily. “I’m not a member of the Yaphets. Don’t show off. I don’t deserve to be a part of the family. I’m a Yemen now.”“What’s the matter? Are things not going well with you and the Yaphets?” Kaze asked with a frown. Lock replied with a wry smile, “Things are worse than you think. My relationship with the Yaphets is similar to yours with the Lees.“You can say that the Yaphets disowned me. I looked out for you not just purely out of affection. “I felt for you because we were in the same situation.” Kaze said with a smile, “Don’t say that. Regardless of your reasons, I could feel the love and care from you.” Lock nodded with relief and uttered, “The Yaphets have always looked down on me because of my failures.” “Ha! We have suffered a lot
Lock’s expression was complicated and wry. “As expected, only my older brother cares enough to come. The other members don’t think we’re good enough. They find it beneath themselves to attend our parties.” Even so, Lock and his family went up to give a warm welcome. The car door opened, and a stern-looking middle-aged man with a square jaw stepped out. It appeared that the man drove himself there. Kaze looked at the middle-aged man with a raised brow. The man turned out to be an old friend. He was Welson, Riverbank’s deputy mayor and police chief.“Welcome, Welson.” Lock reached his hand out. Welson did not respond to the handshake. Instead, he scoffed. “Well, aren’t you eager to buy a villa and throw a party after making a bit of money? I heard that a real mixed bag of people attended. “You’re old enough to know better. Can’t you act more like a member of the family?” Faced with his brother’s criticism, Lock smiled apologetically. “You’re right, Welson, but Cyan bo
Following Welson’s arrival, Kaze’s stature rose in the eyes of the partygoers. Once again, Kaze could not care less. The world may not have high hopes for him, but he would remain unfazed. His experiences had equipped him to remain unperturbed in the face of change.Welson did not stick around for long. He had tea with Kaze before taking off. He was a public servant, so it was inappropriate for him to attend a private get-together with a mix of characters. “Kaze, Mayor Synder thinks highly of you. Thank goodness you are here. Otherwise, Welson wouldn’t play nice,” once Welson was gone, Ryna said in glee.She could not stand Kaze before, but tonight, Kaze was a star. Of all the Yaphet family members, Welson was the kindest to Lock’s family, even attending his niece’s party.It went to show how unpopular Lock’s family must be with the rest of the Yaphet family members. Ryna was overjoyed that Kaze brought honor back to Lock’s family. “You’re amazing, Kaze. You appear t
Though the representatives from the Viper’s Den were insignificant, Lock saw them as influential. These people represented the Viper’s Den, and that alone was enough. Hannah must have followed through with Kaze’s instruction to look after Lock’s business through these people. These VIPs did not seem to take Kaze seriously, though. After a round of introductions, they passed off some casual compliments.While disappointed, Lock was not overly concerned. He was just giving Kaze an opportunity, but Kaze would have to be the one to seize the chance and befriend the Viper’s Den. Lock was not against Kaze climbing the social ladder. One VIP said, “You sure are lucky, Lock.“With Ms. Delmore’s recent appointment, she’s looking to clean house and bring in her own people. Your company is listed as a partner for the South River State Branch.“Do you know that Ms. Delmore and Mr. Ettinger personally approved your company as a partner?” The other VIPs looked at Lock enviously. “
The VIP who made the first comment teased, “You have no idea what you have going for you, Lock. Tsk, tsk.“We have a little something. Do you know why Ms. Delmore won instead of Mr. Gwake?”“Was it not because Ms. Delmore was stronger?” Lock replied. Given his position, Lock would not receive firsthand information about the power struggle. All he picked up on was rumors. The person pursed his lips. “Ms. Delmore is strong, but so is Mr. Gwake. Heck, Mr. Gwake has more experience than Ms. Delmore and Mr. Ettinger combined.“Mr. Gwake has the support of Casius, one of the Riverbank Seven, and Casius is backed by Ryokanians. The Ryokanians have a strong presence in Riverbank.“Ms. Delmore, on the other hand, was kicked out of the Viper’s Den West State Branch. Mr. Ettinger is losing his family influence since the sudden death of the previous branch chief. “Ms. Delmore and Mr. Ettinger couldn’t possibly fight against Mr. Gwake without help.” Kaze nodded to himself. Though thes
Ryna looked at Cyan excitedly. “Cyan, I can't believe you know the branch leader. Why didn’t you tell me?” “The branch leader? I-I don’t. I’ve never met him.” Cyan was thrilled but more so confused. “Think again. Take your time. You must have met him somewhere. Mr. Fisher is right. You went viral out of the blue.“He must like you to pour resources into you. “Only the branch leader can afford these resources.” Ryna’s cheeks turned rosy with thrill.The Viper’s Den West State Branch leader was quite a big deal. Hannah, the South River State Branch chief, was already beyond Lock’s family’s reach. However, the South River State Branch chief was a nobody next to the West State Branch leader. This huge figure took a fancy to her daughter. Most importantly, the branch leader did not try to romance Cyan by force. Instead, he poured a lot of investment into Cyan to support her growth.This was dedication. It was sincerity. The branch leader had shown the Yemens how muc
Cyan and Ryna were lost in their delusions. Kaze’s remark could not bring them back to reality. Ryna refuted. “Tell me why the branch leader poured so many resources into helping Cyan and our family. Does he have nothing better to do?” Upon learning that the branch leader could be her future son-in-law, Ryna faced Kaze with a different attitude once again. Though she was not mean like before, Ryna did not think Kaze mattered much. Kaze said, “What if it was only a favor?” “A favor?” Ryna rolled her eyes and said, “A few hundred million dollars just to return a favor. Make it make sense. “The branch leader clearly has a thing for Cyan. He wants to be with her.“That’s right. This must be it.” With Ryna hung up on her thoughts, Kaze felt the need to make her move on. He said, “To tell you the truth, I am Sponge.”“What? You’re Sponge? You gave Cyan several million dollars?” Ryna and Cyan’s eyes widened. Lock said with a frown, “Why did you do that, Kaze?” “I did
“First of all, I did not suck up to Kent.” Kaze said indifferently, “What if I tell you that I am the West State Branch leader?” Silence weighed heavy in the reception room. Tension rose. “What?” Lock’s family was stunned. Tuck and the others looked at Kaze in disbelief. It did not take long for Lock to get a grip. He smiled embarrassedly at Tuck and the others. “Haha. Kaze loves to joke around. Please don’t mind him.” He sternly criticized Kaze. “This is not the time and place for jokes, Kaze. “You can’t make that kind of claim.” Lock did not want to give Tuck and his friends something to talk about. Hence, he chose to sweep the matter under the rug. Even Lock had doubts that Kaze was the West State Branch leader, much less the others. “This is not funny, Kaze.” Ryna said with a grimace, “You should know that the branch leader is one in a million.“Not anyone can be a branch leader. “I must admit that I was wrong about you before. You are better than we a
Aloysius came to have lunch and he picked up a piece of information during his meal. He wondered if it was real. When he first heard it, he thought it was ridiculous, but on second thought, it somehow made sense. Katie usually looked like a caring but overprotective mother but who would know for sure that she would not do something so outrageous? Once a person was driven by benefits and gains, sentiments and emotions ought to be sacrificed. “She’s ruthless but only a woman with her personality is fit to be the CEO of the Northborn Group,” Jet said with an approving nod. When a person discarded all sentiments and emotions, he or she would be invincible. “Are we attending the party?” “Of course we are. I still have to find the mastermind.” Jet refused to just step back. Someone ought to pay for halting his business ventures. “I understand. I’ll prepare a gift.” Aloysius nodded and turned around to leave the room. Jet remained in his seat, sipping on his glass of win
Jet did not look worried. His companions were confused. Anyone else in Jet’s position would panic. Each day the business ventures were on hold, and he faced continuous losses.However, Jet remained composed. It proved that Jet was competent to face problems. Despite the obstacles, Jet was able to overcome it in no time. “I see. Do tell if you need any help. We are happy to lend a hand.” “Yeah. I’m sure the problems will go away soon enough.” The group uttered, not taking the incident to heart. Seeing that the group was gullible, Jet was relieved. After dinner, Jet sent his drunk guests away. Jet grimaced. “None of them know anything. Those who do won’t see me.” Jet was curious as to who he had upset to deserve the attack. There was still wiggle room in regard to his business ventures, and Jet could still afford the wait. Nevertheless, it was frustrating to be targeted. “Is there anything you need, sir?” Aloysius asked. “Keep an eye on these people. Check
“We are happy to have dinner with you, but it’s only been a few days since we last saw you.” Though confused, the group took their seats. Jet invited them out to see if they knew anything about the mastermind behind the halted projects. However, the group behaved no differently from before. “Friends should always stay connected. I’m looking to take on a few business ventures. I was wondering if any of you are interested.” Jet was not in the mood to start new business dealings. He was simply trying to extract information from the group. Jet’s business ventures were stalled, and if the group had an inkling, they would not do business with him.If they were in the dark, they would jump at the opportunity to close the deal. They could not possibly say no, especially since they had been begging for Jet to throw a lifeline. “What kind of business are we talking about?” “Yeah. Can we be a part of it?” “I’ve been wanting to do business with you, Jet. It’s a pity we never
Aloysius entered the room. He was in a sorry state with a bandage on his head. “Mr. Lyfe can’t make it today, sir.” “Didn’t he say he was coming?” Jet asked without a second thought. “Mr. Lyfe’s son is apparently pursuing Leah.“Katie is planning to throw her daughter a birthday party here.” It was old news. The Frosts had always received an invitation to the celebration. “Katie sure put a lot of thought into the party. She must be trying to reach out to more powerful people.” Jet saw through Katie’s little plan. “What do we do now, sir? These people are saying they can’t make it now.” Aloysius had long understood that he would lose friends when he lost power. However, things had not progressed to that state yet. Yet, Jet’s previous business partners ignored him. “The Frosts are still in power. Where are they getting their intel from?” Jet could not put up with the humiliation. “What do we do now, sir?” Aloysius did not expect these people to be so disrespect
Tens of thousands in assets were lost as every second passed. Jet, as powerful as he was, could not let that happen. “Look into any prominent figures who have come to Butterworth lately.” Driven by fury, Jet had no qualms about attacking his people. Jet would compensate him with money anyway. Aloysius was used to the treatment. He kept his mouth shut and cleared up the mess before taking off. Jet’s nerves were on edge. After all, he had never encountered such a situation before. It was a mystery as to who would resent him so much as to take action. After much thought, Jet gave his previous business partners a call. He either could not get through to them or was transferred to their assistants. As it turned out, he could not reach anyone. Jet realized that he may have upset the wrong person. Otherwise, this would not happen in the first place. “That’s strange. I’ve been staying in Butterworth. I doubt I have upset anyone.” Jet just could not figure it out.
“Just lay all the bad news on me.” Jet started getting some ideas, seeing that the situation was rather unique. “The other important business dealings are halted indefinitely. I can’t get hold of the higher-ups.” Something did not add up, but Aloysius could not figure it out. This was the reason why he had to see Jet right away. “Have you investigated? Who is behind this?” It was clear to Jet that someone was out to get him, and the person targeted his business ventures. “We have run some checks. It’s a peculiar situation. It looks like someone is pushing this forward, but we can’t figure out who this person is.” Aloysius had been with the company for a long time. He knew a lot of people. Yet, he had never run into a case like this before. Despite the investigation, Aloysius could not find anything. “What’s the situation like?” Jet asked, holding back his rage. It was strange, indeed. However, there had to be some sort of trace. Who would attack the Frosts, th
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