The threat Deborah left behind lingered in Agnes’ mind. Rudy’s family turned cocky once in power. They would certainly throw their weight around the family. Darcy did not take her mother’s words seriously. Instead, she frowned. “So, the Hansers acquired the Passion Fragrance District project.” Kaze, upon returning from causing a scene at the housing department, told Darcy the Hansers were plotting to steal Quintessential Group.Fortunately, Kaze got Johnson, the mayor, on his side and foiled the Hansers’ plan. Yet, the Hansers refused to give up and came back with a vengeance. This time, they succeeded. Darcy pulled out her phone to give Logan a call. “Aren’t you under investigation, Darcy? Why are you calling me?” Logan did not want to take Darcy’s call because she was the last person he wanted to see right now. Still, he could not resist the curiosity and surprise, so he took the call. “The case is overturned. Johnson told Ned to testify for me.” Disheartened an
“Since your case is thrown out, you should run the company again, Ms. Quint. We are waiting for you to set things right so that we can come back to work for you.” Fish, the sales manager of the Passion Fragrance District project, expressed the thoughts of many resigned senior executives and employees. Only a handful were fired by Rudy and Samus. Most of them walked out on their own. Following Darcy’s arrest and Rudy’s return to power, they saw no hope in the company. Even though they would get a better job offer for quitting before getting a job lined up, they resigned without hesitation. As Rudy and Samus contributed nothing to the company, the employees would be wasting their time expecting a career with Quintessential Group. Darcy learned from Fish that the Hansers took over the Passion Fragrance District worksite the moment she was taken away into custody. The project manager and chief engineer were replaced by the Hansers’ people. The sales team Fish put togethe
Kaze knew what was on Johnson’s mind. Johnson put his career and everything on the line for Kaze because Kaze was the God of War. Johnson believed he could turn his family’s and his fortune around by getting in Kaze’s good graces. Hence, he worked hard to please Kaze. The moment Darcy was taken into custody, Johnson called Kaze before the latter did so, expressing that he was working to get Darcy out. However, Miru would never believe that story. In fact, Agnes and the rest of the family would think Kaze was just tooting his horn. Kaze was not bothered to explain, and a call from Snow happened to come in. He went out to take the call. “What’s up?” Kaze asked. Snow replied, “Mr. Chairman, I have found records of Liben’s and the others’ misconduct while they were working for Lilyrose Bank. What do you want to do with the information?” Ever since Johnson hired Snow as the chairman of Lilyrose Bank, she got straight to digging dirt on Liben and his friends when they wo
Darcy believed Agnes went too far, so she said angrily, “We didn’t do anything wrong, Mom. Why should Kaze apologize? Besides, Kaze convinced Joy to testify. The case will close soon enough.” “Why are you still defending him?” Agnes snapped back. “The Hansers nearly had you behind bars. It won’t be a bed of roses now that you crossed the top three families. Are you going to make us worry about you? It won’t kill him to apologize for once.” Darcy wanted to argue, but Kaze stopped her. He looked at Miru and said with a smirk, “Set up the meeting, Miru. We’ll see who’s the one apologizing then.” Kaze had enough of Miru. It was time to show the woman what he was made of, so she would quit looking down on him. “Not even a thank-you. Geez.” Miru scoffed. If it were not for Darcy, Kaze’s attitude would have pushed Miru to wash her hands over the matter. She did not take Kaze seriously. The dimwit was just stubborn because of his ego. “Leo, contact Liben, the director of
“I don’t trust you when you say it.” Leo might be intimidating to others, but Kaze felt nothing. “What’s with your attitude when you’re the one asking for help? Do you think I wouldn’t hit you?” Leo grimaced and decided to teach Kaze a lesson. “Who asked for your help?” Kaze side-eyed him. Miru thought she knew better and dragged him along to apologize to Liben. Kaze could not fall out with Miru because she was Darcy’s best friend. However, Kaze did not have to extend the same courtesy to Leo. Leo’s raised hand froze mid-air. All Kaze did was look at him offhandedly, and Leo had chills creeping down his spine. He felt as if a mysterious force was pulling his arm back from launching at Kaze. It was a hair-raising moment for Leo. He had a feeling that he would die if he were to pull the punch. “Stop, Leo. Are you trying to kill him?” Miru yelled. Although she could not stand Kaze, she could not allow Leo to kill Kaze under her watch. As a professional fighter, L
“Kaze, it’s your fault for breaking Liben’s legs and forcing alcohol down his throat that he’s in the ICU for alcohol poisoning. He nearly died.“If Lefteria Group hadn’t tried to talk things out with Liben and the other two, they would never stop until they ruin your family.” Thinking she knew better, Miru tried to talk sense into Kaze. Miru wanted Kaze to drop the ego act for the greater good. However, her disdain did not sit well with Kaze. His pride had no value to her. The lift opened on the sixth floor. “As I said, we won’t know who will be apologizing later.” Kaze did not even look at Miru. He gave his response and walked out of the lift without looking back. “Hmph! Ingrate.” Miru nearly stormed off. She was sick and tired of Kaze, who was a loser. What was wrong with apologizing to save his wife? If it were not for Darcy, Miru could care less whether he died. Leo stared at Kaze’s back and said coldly, “The guy doesn’t respect you, cupcake. I’ll sort him
Liben and the other two were taken into custody, screaming in tears. They had done their share of misconduct while working for Lilyrose Bank which called for jail time. “Kaze, why were Liben and his friends pleading with you when they were arrested?” On the way down, Miru asked Kaze to get an answer. She was still in disbelief although she saw Liben and the others begging Kaze for mercy with her own eyes. “I told Snow to dig into their dirt and arrest them. I call the shots, so of course, they are going to beg me for mercy.” Kaze told her the truth to show Miru what he was made of. “I can’t believe Snow would listen to you.” Miru was even more surprised. She knew Snow was the assistant to the chairman of Perfect World Group. Johnson elected Snow as the chairman of Lilyrose Bank after the resolution of Quintessential Group’s loan crisis. Could Kaze be the elusive chairman of Perfect World Group? Miru refused to believe that fact. Leo scowled at Miru’s reaction.
The Quints were miserable when Darcy took over the company, so they wished Darcy would be kept behind bars forever. “It doesn’t matter whether Darcy comes back. She’s dismissed from office. The employees on her side are fired too. She’s not a threat to us. Our happy days are back with Rudy’s family running the business.” Some saw the positive side of things. Rudy and Samus were incapable. To stay in power, they gave the rest of the family a little something to stop them from complaining to Logan. “It doesn’t harm us that Darcy is clear of charges. Our properties are going up on sale tomorrow. We don’t need bad press to hurt our sales.” “Shouldn’t we celebrate since our sales still shot up even though Darcy is removed from power?” A member of the Quints said, and many echoed his sentiment. Even Logan nodded and beamed. The Quints could see a bright future ahead of them. Noticing Logan’s reaction, Vincent said aloud, “My family’s sales team has an appraisal on the Pass
“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