Feeling the serene and meditative atmosphere in the small court, the anxiety and alarm in Snow faded a lot. The small side court should be a temporary lodging spot for the worshipers when they came to pay respect and it lacked the liveliness and crowd. When Snow was young, she used to accompany her mother to visit different churches and temples. This particular small court was something that her mother would prefer. Could her mother really be here? Creek! The wooden door in front of her opened up. Out came a woman whose hair was tied up high and dressed in black and red traditional Ryokanian wear. She wore a pair of clogs and had a sheathed katana in her hands. When she came over to Snow, she put her hands before her waist and bowed at Snow. “Pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Frost. I am Ali Uehara.” A Ryokanian? Snow frowned. She looked past the woman and realized the wooden door had been shut silently. Her expression shifted but she did not react recklessly. She
Snow breathed a sigh of relief at Ali’s words. She feared that after losing his dignity by collaborating with the Ryokanians, Jet might go so far as to harm her mother. On second thought, Jet’s actions made sense. Snow was in Riverbank, yet Jet could work with the Ryokanians to make an attempt on her life, even making it secretive. However, her mother was still with the Frost family and if anything happened to her, Jet, who had gained power over the entire family, would be the main suspect. At least for now, even with Jet’s influence, he could not simply and openly target an important figure of the family. With that in mind, Snow said, “Thank you for the good news. How about the second question?” “Ms. Frost, you are as curious as a kitten.” Ali chuckled once more and explained, “Let me introduce myself again. I serve the Hara family as a counselor, a servant to Reiko.” Snow was shocked by the revelation. Kaze was wrong this time. After losing a bunch of elite memb
“You should also be aware that Senji and his men, all the elite members of the Refined Blade Clan, were wiped out while trying to save Anzu. “If you want her back, no matter what you do or how many men you send, the odds are slim. So, I can act as a hostage and let you exchange me for her.” Snow made her proposal calmly and firmly. She had been collecting information from the conversation with Ali, hoping to find her value in all this. Now that she finally saw a chance to save herself, she quickly grasped onto it. Snow was confident that, to Kaze, her value outweighed Anzu’s. If the Ryokanians proposed to exchange hostages, Kaze would agree to it without a second thought. However, Ali laughed at Snow’s proposal. “I have to admit that you are a smart one, knowing how to collect information to your advantage, but I am afraid that your proposal won’t work. “We lure you here because we want to divert attention from Bronze Sparrow, so we can send more men to rescue Anzu. A
“Shrill!” Ali drew out her sword, the sound of metal on metal ringing. She said, “You sure think highly of yourself, Ms. Frost. “Chief Commander Krad takes a fancy to you, but do you think he’d cut ties with us over a dead woman?“Trust me. He wouldn’t. “He may be fond of you, but he will always choose himself over anything else. He knows how best to maximize his gains. “All he has is infatuation, but do you think he’d do anything for you? “If he really cares about you, he won’t send his brother to sort his affairs while he focuses on his career. “Once you’re gone, our fair lady will set him up with Ms. Okita. “Chief Commander Krad will know that Ms. Okita is perfect for him.” Snow burst out laughing. “I get it. Ms. Hara must know that due to her ties with other men, she doesn’t deserve Aaron. “But your people want to form an alliance with Aaron through marriage. “I stand in your way, so you want me out. “But don’t you find it funny?“I’m sure there will only b
“What are you trying to do?” Snow had a bad feeling. Ali slipped her right hand into her sleeve and pulled out a tiny glass bottle. Snow focused on the bottle, which housed several pale red pills. Ali said with intrigue, “What I have here is a popular drug in Ryokan in recent years. “It’s known as a Woman’s Moan.“It’s said that even the least receptive woman to men would thirst for them within three minutes of taking three of these pills. “I’ll let Mr. Krad in once you have taken these pills.” Snow, strong in will as she was, grimaced. It clicked in Snow the reason why Ali did not mind her buying time. Ali had other plans in mind. White in the face, Snow asked shakily, “Aiden is here too?” “Mr. Krad should be here any minute now. “He said it’d be a shame just to kill you. “Since you think little of the Krads, he wants to prove you wrong before you die. “Ms. Hara is happy to grant Mr. Krad’s wish. “We’ll make sure to capture the beautiful moment and leak
“Either way, you are an heiress of the Butterworth Frosts. Yet, Kaze didn’t even make a move on you despite you hanging around. “How does that make you feel?” Snow kept a straight face. She understood that Aiden was up to no good. Still, she was hurt. Sensing Snow’s dejection, Aiden smiled and said, “The Frosts are known for keeping their virtues. If my guess is right, you must be a virgin. “You have never experienced the joy of a woman. “Are you sure you want to die carrying the regret?“Let me show you a good time. Call it payback on Kaze before you die. “He didn’t appreciate you. “Right?” As Aiden chattered on, Ali looked at him in admiration. She understood Aiden’s plan. Instead of drugging Snow, Aiden attacked Snow psychologically to make her take off her clothes willingly. Talk about class. “Come on. Go crazy for once. At least it makes your time on earth worthwhile.” Aiden approached Snow with pace, his tone seductive. He smirked in delight upon ca
Aiden recognized Draig due to his recent stunt on the internet. Plus, Draig was the son of a famous martial artist in Uleania. Not caring who Aiden was, Draig put his finger up his nose and said angrily, “I don’t care who you are.“You have one minute to release Ms. Frost unless you want to die.” Draig’s arrogance threw Aiden off from doing things civilly. Aiden grimaced. “Ha. You sure think highly of yourself.” Aiden sneered. “You come from Uleania. You have some nerve to talk smack. Are you looking down on my family, the Westeros Krads?” “The Westeros Krads?” Draig was horrified. He was aware of the family. Still, Draig took a step forward and said coldly, “I don’t care about your family. Snow is my woman. “Hurt her, and I’ll kill you.“Trust me. I will follow through.” Draig’s powerful presence gave Aiden the chills. It dawned on Aiden that he was no match for Draig. Taking a step back, he smirked at Ali. “Ms. Uehara, your people want Snow’s life. “But you h
“Swoosh!”The blade slashed Draig’s back, tearing his suit apart and ripping into his flesh. Draig’s back was a bloody mess. The stench of blood filled the air as Draig made a mad dash. “Argh!” While Draig was strong, he lived a life of privilege to experience such pain. Draig let out a scream and dropped to the ground with a loud thud. “Gash!” With a ruthless face, Ali followed up with a stab in his leg, pinning him to the floor. “Ugh! How dare you! I’m going to kill you!” Draig shrieked shrilly, his expression menacing. He looked more vulnerable than threatening, though. “Bam!” Aiden, who was wary of Draig, took the opportunity to kick him in the face. “Shut up! “You are no longer in control, so drop the attitude.“You’re the son of a famous martial artist. Yet, you don’t know your place. “Do you think we are in Uleania?” Aiden got down on one knee and smacked Draig’s cheek humiliatingly. He said with an amused look, “So Snow is your woman, Mr. Tenby?
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