Many had not met Hunter before. Perhaps they only knew him by reputation. However, Casius, Jet, and South were pretty well known among the Riverbank Seven. Their fame extended far beyond Riverbank and the South River State, reaching the neighboring states. Hunter, who commanded the respect of these brilliant young men, was certainly no Average Joe. The guests from out of state stared at Hunter with intrigue. Some even looked cautious. Kaze raised a brow. It explained why Hunter expressed his intention to Darcy so openly. The mysterious one out of the Riverbank Seven had the right stuff. If Kaze remembered correctly, he had crossed paths with the man before. They once had a showdown, just not in person. Kaze came out on top of the fight. Madam Hacks of the Hackses, one of the top four families in Geranium City, sought Hunter’s help to put the squeeze on Kaze. Hunter did not show up. All he did was give Madam Hacks a writing to present to Kaze. The incident was
“You and Darcy were married. Heck, you even took Darcy’s family name. “I learned that no one took much of you when you were in Lilyrose. “Even then, Darcy did not dump you. She stuck by you regardless of what others thought of you. “Despite what was going on, she had her own battles to fight in her career.“She dropped you out of her life because of your cheating. It’s only less than 24 hours, and you’re here riling her up with these other women. “Do you think your behavior is appropriate?” Hunter spoke composedly, but his words packed a punch. He painted Kaze as an ungrateful and petty jerk. Instead of feeling blessed to have Darcy in his life, Kaze wanted to get back at her. This kind of guy got no respect anywhere. Many guests nodded, seeing that Hunter had a point. Kaze seemed badass before. Now, Kaze was the very person everybody wanted to avoid. Hunter, on the other hand, earned considerable approval from the crowd. Not wanting to waste time with Hunter,
“Tsk!” Many guests scoffed. Kaze was just dumped. Yet, he threatened Hunter with death. He sure did not know his place. Darcy was furious. “Are you a serial killer, Kaze? Do you think killing Madam Quint and Joan makes you invincible? Do you think you can do whatever you want?“Mind your own business. I know the type of person Mr. Yaphet is more than you. “Who are you to lecture him?” Hunter said tenderly, “Don’t be mad, Darcy. Though Kaze has no right to tell me what to do, I think he has a valid point.” He turned to Kaze and grinned. “Don’t worry, Kaze. I’ve always conducted myself with integrity. I find it beneath me to play games, especially with the ones I love.“I will be a gentleman in courting Darcy until she accepts me. “As for you, Darcy is right. Don’t talk as if you can take another one’s life so easily. “We live in a society with rules. Don’t get yourself in trouble. “I believe Darcy is too kind to see you go down the wrong path even though you’re s
Some people gave Hunter props for being generous to win the lady while seizing the right opportunity. While Darcy was thrown off the loop by Snow and Buffy’s love confession toward Kaze, Hunter presented her with a diamond. Any woman would have fallen for Hunter in a heartbeat. Kaze narrowed his eyes. Hunter was playing with fire to present Darcy with a diamond right in his face. Kaze went up and snatched the pink diamond for a look. He said, “Why are you confusing my wife with a dupe, Mr. Yaphet? “I have never heard about this pink diamond.“It looks like a pink knockout you get out of a gumball machine.” Hunter furrowed his brows. “Bastard! This doesn’t belong to you!” “Don’t stain the Maiden’s Heart with your dirty hands.” “Who do you think you are to question its authenticity? It has been appraised.” Before Hunter could say anything, his companions jumped at Kaze’s throat. Darcy uttered in displeasure, “Cut it out, Kaze. Mr. Yaphet isn’t that kind of person
Draig sat on a couch in a corner and eagerly waited for Kaze to fall flat on his face, only to be dumbfounded. He tensed up and looked at Kaze in shock when the latter crushed the diamond. Jesus. It took great strength to pull that off. Draig wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. The Maiden’s Heart, the toughest diamond from the south, was worth ten million dollars, and Kaze pulverized it in one grip. Even Draig could not do so. He questioned the authenticity of the diamond. Hunter grimaced and looked at Kaze in shock and wariness. As a fighter, he knew better than anyone that it took a lot to grind the diamond. He was on the losing end during his last fight with Kaze. However, Hunter reserved his strength, so he did not think Kaze was strong. He had a better idea of Kaze’s competence now. Kaze tightened his grip and crushed the diamond into powder right before everybody’s eyes. “Fuu—”Kaze blew the powder off his palm and clapped his hands. He
Darcy lost her judgment to rage, and Kaze could not be more disappointed. Unable to stand it anymore, Buffy said coldly, “Ms. Quint, if Kaze has no shame, I must say that you don’t have a good eye. “Anyone but you can mock Mr. Lee, Ms. Quint.” Snow jumped in. “Mr. Lee has done a lot for you, from Lilyrose to Riverbank. “Who came forward to save you when Aiden put a squeeze on Sky Ocean Corporation that nearly bankrupted the company? “Was it Mr. Yaphet who gave you a ten-million-dollar diamond? “It was Mr. Lee. He gathered tens of millions from Perfect World Group to close the financial gap and help you acquire the piece of land. “I don’t know how you are together at home, but I have heard things. “Your mother has it out for Mr. Lee. Still, he puts up with her yelling and criticism.“You should know that things would have escalated if Mr. Lee hadn’t kept his composure.“Just think about it. Who was Mr. Lee doing all this for?” As Darcy grew upset, Snow showed no sig
There was drama before the celebration even started. No one saw Darcy tearing up when Kaze disappeared out of there. She blinked rapidly, forcing the tears back in. While stepping outside the hall, Kaze, Snow, and Buffy ran into Hannah. With Kaze leaving with these two women, Hannah, clearly surprised, asked, “What’s this, Kaze?” “I’m sorry. I can’t attend the celebration,” Kaze replied. Though Kaze kept a straight face, Hannah could tell from Buffy and Snow’s angry faces that something big had happened before her arrival. Hence, Kaze was eager to leave before the party started. Hannah said, “Well, I’ll cancel the celebration. The celebration doesn’t mean anything if you’re not here.” There was no point in having a party when Kaze was not happy. “You should carry on.” Kaze waved his hand to interrupt her. “You have guests. Don’t let them come here for nothing. The Viper’s Den doesn’t need more enemies.” Hannah helplessly nodded. Once Kaze was gone, Hannah summon
Cyan would not stop badmouthing Kaze. She was still frustrated from the time Buffy had slapped her in public. Darcy showed up and put Kaze in the spot. With Hunter’s help, Darcy drove Kaze away. Cyan felt better after witnessing the drama. Darcy seemed alright in Cyan’s books now. Cyan believed she and Darcy stood on a united front. “Oh…” Darcy fobbed Cyan off. The sight of Kaze leaving with Snow and Buffy did not sit well with her. “Here comes Ms. Delmore.” Hannah, all decked out, entered the hall. “Sorry to keep you all waiting.” Hannah walked ahead. Cutting to the chase, she said, “Welcome to my celebration. I must apologize for any inconvenience. We can now proceed to take our seats in the banquet hall.” The guests took their seats. Hunter and Darcy were seated in the front. Draig and Cyan were in the seat behind. Cyan was not pleased with the seating arrangement. “Ms. Delmore, we heard that the Viper’s Den West State branch leader is attending the celeb
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
Leah had not had it easy these recent days. However, she had learned to be submissive and give in. It never occurred to her that Perry would do this to her. After repeated beatings, she quickly wised up. “Mr. Duncan, why is this disgusting person here? She’s an eyesore.” Dressed in a red number, a woman with wavy hair sat next to Perry. She clung to Perry intimately. She spoke in a sultry and mesmerizing voice. “Oh, she’s just a bitch. “She got on my nerves, so I punished her. I’ll dump her once I’m bored with her.” Perry had the time of his life getting back at Leah. He got a kick out of it. However, he did not feel that it was enough. Every time he looked at his injured hand, his resentment toward Leah grew. “How did she upset you, Mr. Duncan?” Another lady extended her arms to knead Perry’s shoulders while gently murmuring into his ear. With women gathering and fussing over him, Perry felt his ego thoroughly stroked. He was thrilled. “Well, she doesn’t kno
Katie thought about everybody. Kaze was the odd one out, so he had to be the suspect. It made sense that Leah would elope with Kaze. “There must be some sort of misunderstanding. We can talk it out. Don’t do anything reckless.” Snow stopped Katie from doing anything extreme. “How could there be a misunderstanding? There can be no one else but him.” Katie was stubborn. “We can help with your daughter’s disappearance. You won’t get anywhere by picking on him.” Snow tried her best to defend Kaze. She would not let Kaze be hurt on her watch. Eager to find her daughter, Katie believed her suspicion to be the truth, and Kaze must have stashed her daughter somewhere. “I don’t have time to waste, but no one could’ve taken Leah away.” Katie was naїvely convinced that Kaze was behind it. Kaze had only just learned about Leah’s disappearance. It was quite late for Katie to finally look into the matter. “I didn’t take your daughter, but we can dig deeper into this.” Leah w
The blue gem necklace around Snow’s neck brought out her elegance and class. Snow was educated well. She carried herself with ease at the social event. She exchanged pleasantries with business partners and greeted them all. Snow shared a few drinks with several prominent families. Aloysius and her secretary stayed with her and drank on her behalf.The party was a success. Kaze held a glass of wine to sip in a corner. Snow’s brilliance was the assurance he needed. He did not have to worry about her leading the Frosts now. “I guess I was worried about nothing. I didn’t even have to be here. She has gotten everything covered.” Kaze was concerned about Snow because she had always been his assistant. He was apprehensive that Snow would have no control over her staff after her promotion. He even asked the Viper’s Den to lend a hand. Nevertheless, Snow did not let him down. She had done a great job. Kaze drank wine and enjoyed the music. Soon, men and women entered the
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