The switch to business talk allowed Darcy to forget the little conflict from earlier. She said, “But the resistance we see this time isn’t from the city council but from our competitor. “Other than us, the Krads of Westeros are also interested in getting that land. Back at Lilyrose, they contacted me and hinted they were determined to get the land. They even asked me to surrender it.” The Krads? Kaze frowned. Now it seemed like Aiden’s trip to Riverbank was not just about targeting him and Snow together with the Ryokanians. It was understandable since the Krads were expanding. It was unlikely for their family to make such a grand entrance to Riverbank just to work as lap dogs for the Ryokanians; expanding the business and acquiring profits for the family was the true purpose of Aiden’s trip. The fact that the land Sky Ocean Corporation intended to purchase and Snow’s predicament both intertwined with Kaze was purely coincidental. “Hmph. Those so-called big families are
At Sky Ocean Corporation back at Lilyrose, documents or parcels sent by business partners or working contractors must be checked and verified by reception first and foremost. Then, it would be sent to the chairwoman’s office for another round of checking before reaching Darcy’s hands. It was impossible for a parcel from an unknown sender to reach Darcy’s hands directly. However, the office in Riverbank was still new and the employees and receptionists were locally hired, hence they had never received proper training from the security department of the company. It explained the mistake they made. However, it was not entirely the receptionist’s fault since no sane person would send such a gory gift to the company. Darcy quickly regained her composure. She stared at the dead rabbit with the knife in it and anger brewed in her. After a few deep breaths, she said, “It’s okay. I want to see the surveillance camera, and call the police…” Ring! Before she could finish, her phone
“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
“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
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
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.
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
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
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.