“Aiden? You are back already?” Reiko sipped wine as she asked without turning around, “Have you brought Kaze Lee’s body back? That bastard ruined our plan one time after another. If I don’t see his dead body with my own eyes, I might not be able to sleep at night.” Killing Kaze was a suggestion made by Aiden after his release from the state police department. However, Aiden did not carry out the plan by himself. Instead, he informed Reiko and so the plan was formed. To Reiko, Kaze’s death was not a necessity, but he had repeatedly disrupted their plans. If eliminating Kaze could help Aiden vent his grievances, then it would be worth the effort. Aiden stared at Reiko’s bare back but he no longer had any feelings for her. After what happened the other day, he started to see Reiko as a woman of power, someone that he could not afford to mess with. He ought to steer away from her or he would not even notice it when she devoured him alive. He took a deep breath and said, “I
“He then told Conan Queen to bring Anzu to Bronze Sparrow. Snow and her new mysterious bodyguard also went into the place. “Kaze Lee has been inside there since then, and I am certain. Most importantly, Bronze Sparrow is the home base for the new kingpin in Riverbank, Miru Scarlet. She’s the best friend of Kaze Lee’s wife since they were in Lilyrose. “When the other members of the dojo got into a conflict with Kaze Lee at Bronze Sparrow, it was Miru who stepped up and defended him. “After Kaze Lee went inside, all of Miru’s men went off. I thought he asked Miru to send her men after us, so I increased the security at the Dojo. “I also believed it was a good chance to take out Kaze for good, so I requested you to send Senji and his men. “I saw them storm in but no one came out. Half an hour later, a few dumpster trucks arrived.” Reiko could not help but frown when she heard Aiden. “Dumpster trucks?” Aiden’s expression turned pale. “Yeah. I saw the dumpster trucks enter the
“W-Why?” Aiden lost his confidence in front of Reiko. He was shocked when he heard Reiko mention targeting Snow. He asked, “My brother is into her.” “That’s right. It’s because your brother is into her that she has to die.” Reiko opened her palm, watching as the broken glass slipped through the seams of her fingers. She explained coldly, “The woman whom the young master of the Krad family, the chief commander of the South River Strategic Department, likes, has lowered herself to serve a live-in husband as a nameless follower. “If the news got out, not only the Krad family would be embarrassed, but I also believe Chief Commander Krad would feel insulted. There are things he wanted to do but could not. “Aiden, your brother is your senior and as the younger sibling, you should know how to share the burden.” She spoke with an alluring tone, providing Aiden with a reason to execute her plan. She made it sound like Aiden would be betraying his brother if he did not agree or e
Reiko curled her lips as she explained. Even Aiden had to admit that her proposal was extremely tempting. As a core member of the Refined Blade Clan and having the full support of Sanwell Finances, her words held massive weight. If the Krad family could strengthen their relationship with Ryokan, then it would mean having extremely powerful foreign support. As for patriotism, that was not within Aiden’s consideration from the start. However, Aiden dared not simply agree to let Reiko matchmake Anzu with Aaron, his brother. “Reiko, if Anzu held such a prestigious position, why would she be under Siberian’s command in the first place, serving as a secret killer?” A quick thought later, he further explained, “I am not judging or suspecting Anzu, but I just have to get this clear. You know my brother has a high standard for women. Many women from different powerful families tried to ask him out, but he never showed any interest. “Snow was the only one good enough to capture h
Reiko nodded at the humble Aiden, showing her approval. Aiden asked, “But Anzu is captured. How are we going to rescue her from Kaze Lee?” Senji and his men, almost fifty of them, were wiped out. It was impossible to ask Kaze to hand over Anzu without a fight. In fact, Aiden could only hope that Kaze had not killed Anze in a fit of rage. Reiko said, “We need to use Snow Frost to make it happen. Both their men and Anzu are in Bronze Sparrow, along with a formidable figure guarding Snow. If I’m not mistaken, he’s the same man who recently started as her bodyguard. “That’s why we have to lure her out.” She narrowed her eyes and nonchalantly continued, “We have to find a reason for Snow to leave Bronze Sparrow alone. And then, we will lure Kaze Lee over. “Given his cautious personality, he would surely bring the powerful bodyguard along. Then, Bronze Sparrow would be guardless and we could send our men there to rescue Anzu. “When Kaze arrives, Snow would already be dead a
When Kaze first arrived at Riverbank and visited Lock at his family gathering, Wesley presented the family with a few boxes of blood bird’s nest, which the family cherished and appreciated. Now, Ryna swept the boxes to the ground and bellowed, “Get out! No one wants your stupid gift! We can afford it ourselves! Compensate the value loss of our house? How are you going to do that? “Are you going to give us your villa at Wyomspring?” She shouted at the top of her lungs as she was irritated by Kaze’s words. Kaze crouched down to pick up the presents and calmly said, “The villa was given to me by the mayor, I can’t just simply give it away. But, if you want, I can rent it to you for a long-term stay.” “Long-term stay?” Ryna got even more furious. “Kaze Lee, so this is the compensation you are talking about? Are you looking down on us? Who wants your stupid villa? Get out! Don’t let me see you again!” She slammed the gate in his face and went off. Cyan was not as angry as he
“Snow? Emerald Bull Palace?” Cyan only recovered after Kaze got into the car. Her expression shifted a few times before she ran over to stop him from closing the car. “Something happened to Snow?” “Yeah. Take your hand off, I’m heading there now.” Kaze already started the car. Bump! Cyan quickly opened the back door and got into the rear seat. “I am going with you!” Kaze did not have time to ponder what Cyan had in mind. He simply said, “Sit tight.” Vroom! The Ferrari that Sky treated like a baby sped off with a loud roar. Cyan was shocked by the sudden acceleration. She screamed, “Slow down! You really think speeding can save Snow in time? Who do you think you are?!” Kaze did not reply and he did not slow down either. If anything happened to Snow, going after the killers would no longer be meaningful. His priority was to stop the worst from happening. Cyan was shocked at first but when she realized Kaze was a really good driver and the car sped off smoothly,
Cyan blurted out strings of words, but Kaze barely reacted, not even a frown. His eyes were fixated on the road as he continued to speed through the traffic. His mind was calculating the fastest route to get to Emerald Bull Palace. As for Cyan’s words, he did not even listen to them. Cyan was annoyed that Kaze ignored her. She grunted coldly and said, “Kaze, stop wasting your energy. When you get to Emerald Bull Palace, it’s already too late. I have already texted Draig and he already replied. He’s been training there for the past two days. “You should know that Draig is the best candidate to save Snow because he can do it with just one call. If I were you, I wouldn’t go there and ruin things for them. They are made for each other. “Besides, when you offended that Ryokanian back at our place, Draig was beaten and he didn't hold you responsible. You should know that if not for me, convincing Draig not to hurt you because it would leave a bad impression on Snow, he would neve
Aloysius looked at the business venture at hand with a mix of emotions. Jet was supposed to make a comeback with the project, but the defeat was a huge slap to his face. “Can I ask whether Kaze was behind this?” Aloysius braced himself to ask the question. Even though Aloysius had an inkling, he feared receiving confirmation of his suspicion. “Chairman Lee helped me. If Jet hadn’t hurt my mother, I wouldn’t have rushed back to take his place. “He did this to himself,” Snow said blatantly. “How did you know about the island project? We have been discreet about it.” Aloysius was eager to find out. The question would burn on his mind unless he got some answers. “You can’t keep anything from the Viper’s Den, but this is the end of the matter. If you’re interested in the project, I can put you in charge of it.” Snow could not be bothered to explain herself. Aloysius played it smart. He had been carrying out Snow’s orders without a hitch. Snow was happy to honor her prom
“Tell them that the company is expecting funding, and all the projects will be launched in a few days. Everything will be back on track. It’s a good thing that the higher management is gone. We will be opening the positions for internal employees to apply.” Snow got the right solution to handle the situation. She had to give these employees hope to gain their dedication in return. Aloysius was surprised. “Who would pour money in when our finances are in a mess?” Having worked with Jet, Aloysius had a good understanding of the company’s ins and outs. Several business ventures were up in the air, and the company was bleeding money. Even with a relaunch, these projects would not bring in much of a profit. Most importantly, the relaunch had to be backed up by some funding. The business got a loan from the Viper’s Den. If payment was not made in time, the company’s shares would be used to make up for the loss. The whole thing spelled trouble. Snow just joined the company.
“This is the financial report you submitted today. Any intern can do a better job than you.” Snow mocked Jack. She was disappointed in his performance. A finance director who could not even get his basics right should not be working in finance in the first place. “Who do you think you are, doing this to us?” The others are only out to save their own asses. They did not sympathize with Jack. “I’m sure you are well aware of what you have done.” “You’re on your phone all day at work. You put your daily expenses on the company card, and we’re talking about tens of thousands of dollars a month. You only bought stuff for your personal use. “Let’s not forget about you. Your so-called business trips are to take your mistress out for expensive hotel stays and vacations.” Snow looked at each one of them while detailing their deeds. She shamed them in public, utterly humiliating them. “Why were these allowed before? Why are you stopping these practices now? If you can change
“No, Ms. Frost. I can do it,” Aloysius said right away. He did not want to miss out on a good opportunity. “I gave you a chance. It’s up to you to seize it.” Snow looked at them with a smile. “I’ll get right to it, Ms. Frost.” The HR manager nodded and took off. He had to prepare the paperwork. Those in upper management were on a higher pay grade with a cut of the shares. Following a termination, the HR manager had to calculate the final pay. There had to be a valid reason for the discharge from duties too. Though things were a little complicated, the HR manager was experienced in this aspect. The only issue was that the staff involved were not the low-ranking employees. They held high positions. Despite his unrest, Aloysius did not wear his heart on his sleeve. He had a good read of the situation. Snow was impartial in carrying out business. Those who contributed to the company would stay while the ones who bled the business dry would be sacked. Anyone would p
Sure enough, the mean would gather around the individual at their fall from grace. It was sad to grasp this reality. “I promise you to have everything in order. Don’t worry. You will get a nice promotion.” Snow knew when to give her employee encouragement. Only then would Aloysius feel motivated to work. Aloysius departed in dejection, but Snow did not mind it at all. He served the wrong person. Snow took on the leadership role the same day Jet left. Since she assumed the responsibilities without much experience, the employees did not take her seriously. The people doing the grunt work felt nothing toward the change of leadership. The upper management may experience shifts, but they were still obliged to finish their usual tasks. The only thing they hoped for was to be paid more for their overtime. Following the change of leadership, some leaders may receive a promotion or be transferred out. The employees at the bottom of the pyramid wondered if they could compet
Despite her unease, Snow trusted that Jet would not have the chance to hurt her. Hence, she put the matter aside. The dynamic shift within the Frosts caught the eye of elite families across the business world. They kicked Jet while he was down. Some even tried to get a piece of the pie. However, most of them stayed on the sidelines, observing. A fallen giant was still a giant. Even if these families were greedy, they had to assess the situation before moving in. These businesspeople were skeptical about Snow taking Jet’s place. They did not know what Snow was made of. Consequently, they tried to approach her. Snow had been kept busy in the office, dealing with the problems left behind by Jet. She worked late into the night every day. While being buried deep in paperwork, Snow refused to meet anyone. She had lived in Butterworth before, so she had peers from school and friends around. Snow’s sudden return caught many off guard. Everyone wanted to get close to he
If Jet had detected the problems early on, he could have prevented things from escalating. Yet now, everything was too late. Jet did not regret his actions, though. “Just sign this, Jet. At this rate, the shares will drop beyond the point of redemption,” Talon said. The Frosts were terrified at the stock market’s dropping numbers. They did not have time to lose. “I will sign the papers. I lost.” Jet did not want to give in just yet. However, he had to comply with the family elders’ pleas. Snow was relieved. The contract was quickly drawn up, and Jet signed the papers to give up the proprietorship. “Relax. I won’t do you wrong.” Snow made a promise. At least, Jet would still have a home to go back to. “Don’t get too cocky. I didn’t lose to you. I lost to Kaze.” Jet knew that he would face much resistance if his rival were Snow. It was a shame that he was up against Kaze, a strong and mysterious man. “Just sign the papers. I will take over the family empire, and
“Don’t project your filth on everyone else.” Snow was angry, but she knew that she had to keep her head cool. By jumping straight to defense mode, Snow would give others the wrong idea. She had been there before. Kaze sat still without a word. He furrowed his brows in annoyance when Jet painted his relationship with Snow dirty. “I’m not here for the drama.” Kaze looked at Talon. The senior members of the Frosts should back down before Kaze did something about it. “Who do you think you are? This is a family meeting. Why are you getting involved?“If you are unrelated to Snow, you shouldn’t be here in the first place.” Jet took out his anger on Kaze. Kaze was not part of the family anyway, so Jet did not have to consider his feelings. “Watch yourself, Jet. He’s a visitor.” Talon was smart enough to read the room. Despite the air of mystery shrouding Kaze, he managed to screw with most of Jet’s business ventures. The Frosts stood to lose more by crossing Kaze. Ta
Following Snow’s lead, Kaze entered a big conference room. The centerpiece of the conference room was a long, solid wood table, drawing out an air of solemnity. Various notable and valuable paintings hung on the wall. The expansive floor-to-ceiling window brought light into the room. Sunlight bounced off the window that displayed a picturesque view outside. “There you are.” Jet had been waiting. With the pair slowly making their way in, Jet could not hide the rage in his eyes. “Long time no see, Jet,” Snow greeted him and pulled a chair for Kaze. “It’ll take a bit of time, Chairman Lee. The senior members of my family are on their way.” Snow contacted the family elders while getting to the venue. Jet had not produced much results lately, and the Frosts were utterly humiliated. Since Jet would soon be replaced, the senior members of the family wanted to be kept in the loop. These family members had their own ideas. However, they would be happy to appoint the lea