“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
Logan never thought Vincent would admit to it. He snarled. It did not matter to Logan that Darcy was possibly framed. Logan was more concerned if the Hansers had ulterior motives against the Quints. Not wanting her fiancé to get in trouble, Deborah jumped in. “You have us to blame, Grandpa. We didn’t want Darcy running the business, so we sought help from the Hansers to remove Darcy from the company.” “That’s right You saw it, Dad. Darcy didn’t care about your opinion when she was CEO. This was the only way to get rid of her.” Bracing himself, Rudy stepped forward. He was afraid the anger would drive Logan to change his mind. Vincent was quick to explain, saying that he was just trying to help Rudy, his father-in-law, get into power. He squashed any possibility that the Hansers had any ulterior motives. Logan scoffed unhappily because he was kept in the dark. At the same time, he felt relieved. All was good so long as the Hansers were not up to something. With t
Jimmy Tulen called Logan. He was Logan’s fishing buddy who worked as a notary public. Logan was stunned. “What did you say, Jim? We have not sold the complex.” “Who are you trying to fool, Logan?” Jimmy added, “You moved your real estate company’s assets to a Sunrise company, and my firm was the witness of the transfer.” Logan shuddered and got out of bed. He rushed out of the bedroom and called Rudy over. “Rudy, go and check if our real estate company is transferred.” Startled, the other family members came and asked what was going on. Soon, Rudy returned in a fluster, his hands shaking while holding the phone. “Dad, I asked about it, and all the assets, including the complex, under our real estate company have been sold to Quartet Group in Sunrise for 100 million dollars.” Shit!With the bombshell dropped, sleep was the last thing on the Quints’ mind. The group had invested over a billion dollars into the Passion Fragrance District project, and it was now sold
Logan shouted menacingly. The Quints gave the Hansers full access to operate the Passion Fragrance District project. Two billion dollars was transferred to the real estate books. Rudy’s family had been the driving force behind those decisions. Logan glared at his eldest son, tempted to rip him apart with his bare hands. Rudy knew he was in big trouble. Getting on his knees, he said tremblingly, “Dad, the Hansers booked the Dynasty Hotel to have the engagement party, and they have sent invitations to many families. They aren’t going anywhere.“We will meet them at the hotel tomorrow and ask for the complex and money back, or we’ll expose them. They will be utterly humiliated.” At this point, there was nothing much they could do. Logan went along with the suggestion. “Fine. We will all go to the Dynasty Hotel tomorrow and make the Hansers pay back everything and more.” The Quints spent the rest of the night in turmoil. The next day soon arrived. It was lively at t
The Quints’ hearts sank when they saw Vincent smirk. “Here comes the old birthday boy.” The Quints exchanged looks, wondering the meaning behind Vincent’s words. Cheers burst out in the hall. Liam, the head of the Hanser household, appeared with a ruddy glow, surrounded by many. “You are only 70 once, so I wanted to have a party at the Dynasty Hotel. Thank you all for coming…” What? It was the birthday celebration of Liam, the head of the Hansers. The Quints were stunned. Samus grabbed Vincent by the collar and yelled, “You better explain yourself, Vincent. You were supposed to get engaged to my sister. Why is it a birthday celebration now?” The commotion caught Liam’s attention. After learning the situation, he said peevishly, “My grandson can’t possibly get engaged to a member of the Quint family. What engagement are you talking about? That’s ridiculous. Vincent, show them the invitation we sent out.” The Quints quickly saw the invitation sent to the guests.
With Logan passed out on the street, the Quints were a mess. They tried pinching his nose and calling the ambulance to take him to the emergency room. After a bustle, Logan finally regained consciousness. He seemed lost, though. Lying in bed, Logan stared at the ceiling without a word. It was bright outside, but the mood in the ward was gloomy. Following Logan’s fainting spell, the family felt like their world had crumbled. The Quints were toasted this time. Rudy’s family, especially, took the news the hardest. Deborah, often conceited, sat there in a daze. When Darcy’s family arrived at the ward, they saw the Quints looking dejected as if drained of life. “Is Logan alright?” Agnes wheeled Hector toward Logan, only to be shocked by his condition. If the ECG monitor had not shown Logan’s heart rate, Agnes would have thought he was a goner. Logan finally showed some signs of life. Catching Darcy’s family by the corner of his eye, Logan shouted, “What are you d
“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