Kaze did not offer any words of comfort after Leah poured her heart out. He did not echo her sentiment about her mother. He always seemed composed, never interfering too much or making judgments about anybody’s affairs.Leah found it odd that Kaze was different from the friends she knew.“Why are you so cool about it? Aren’t you curious about me and my mother?” Many people would pay close attention whenever Leah brought the subject up. They would ask a few curious questions. Though Leah felt uneasy talking about it, she loved the attention. Leah was expected to be independent, growing up. Despite keeping her grades up as her mother wished, Leah had few genuine friends. However, her complaints always got her a lot of attention from her friends. Leah thought this was the case with everybody. Now that she was ignored, she began to see the bigger picture. Perhaps these people approached her for a reason, and the reason did not come with the best of intentions. Leah was gr
“You don’t have to keep things inside. Just be direct. Since your mother doesn’t have time, just be straightforward with her, and speak your mind.” Kaze felt irritated, just waiting there. “When is your mother coming? Have you called her?” Once the girl was picked up by her mother, Kaze could leave. “I couldn’t get through to her, but I called her assistant. They are on the way.” It was common that Katie’s phone was unreachable. Leah did not feel too sad about it. She could get in touch with Katie’s assistant anyway. “At least she makes time to pick you up.” Kaze could tell that Leah was rebellious to get her mother’s attention. Hence, he said something to ease the tension between the mother and daughter. “Do you think so? She might be here to pick up a client. “I’m always the one to make compromises. I don’t believe that she’s coming all this way to pick me up.” Leah was skeptical of her mother’s commitment to her. “Just wait and see. If she is here just for yo
The tall man struck the bat on the ground multiple times, producing heavy clunks with each hit. His friends in front of him smirked with their arms crossed. “This girl is quite the looker but she’s not too bright.” “Yeah. She must be dumb to ditch a rich guy for a poor bastard.” Leah was nervous. She had always lived under her mother’s protection and had never experienced the wickedness of society before. She would visit the club with friends from time to time and had a few close encounters with conflicts but was never part of it due to the excessive protection. This would be her first time getting into trouble. The man seemed to be after her specifically. Yet when she heard the man’s friend, she realized something was off. “Who are you working for?” Understanding her mother’s influence and status in Butterworth, Leah gained the confidence to stand up once more. Even if the men were gangsters, they would have to be respectful to the Northborn Group and its CEO. Le
Kaze remained standing on the spot with his luggage, watching as the men approached him with a blank face. “Are you that useless? You push the girl forward to take all the heat? You are quite tall yourself, not that bad looking, but why are you that useless?” The tall man, Keeble, was surprised. As the situation unfolded, any man with a sense of humanity would step up to protect the girl—saving the damsel in distress. Yet Kaze remained unfazed, like a rock as if he was not part of the confrontation. Keeble and his men were notorious gangsters. Their fists could solve most problems quickly. Their swiftness and ruthlessness allowed them to make a name for themselves in the underworld. People would always come to them with requests similar to this and they could use it to make good money. Despite their experience in handling similar situations, this was the first time they had encountered such a setback. It was Perry’s order to deal with Kaze and use it to intimidate Leah,
It was exactly what Keeble wanted. First, verbal humiliation. Then, when Kaze ran out of patience, Keeble and his men would beat him up. Since they were close to a hospital, Kaze would survive the beating but it would be a lesson that he would carry for life. “My mother is the CEO of the Northborn Group. If you so much as touch him, I will make you pay.” Leah initially did not want to reveal her identity but she had no choice. Keeble and his men forced her with their intimidation. If she could not stop them, Kaze might be dragged into a whirlpool of trouble because of her. “This is none of your business. Why don’t you step aside and let us deal with him.” Keeble looked at Leah, surprised by her background. Whether or not she was telling the truth, he dared not mess with the Northborn Group and had decided to let her go. “He is my friend. If I walk, he walks; if you hurt him, I’ll call for help.” Leah noticed her words had power over Keeble. She tried to bring Kaze a
Everything happened quickly. When Keeble’s bat hit the ground, he noticed his target was missing. “Keeble! What happened?!” “What?! How did he get there so fast?” “Keeble! Can’t you aim properly?!” His friends were surprised by the sudden twist in the outcome but were not overly concerned. “It seems like he’s professionally trained. No wonder he just stands there the whole time. Turns out he’s quite fast.” Keeble knew what happened. The moment the bat was swung down, Kaze already predicted the trajectory and reacted accordingly, allowing him to dodge the hit easily. The swift reaction clearly indicated Kaze was powerful. “I don’t want trouble, but if you people chose to be persistent, I wouldn’t mind teaching you a lesson but I’m sure you won’t be able to handle the consequences.” Kaze had been holding back but Keeble and his men continued to annoy him, grinding his patience off. “I thought you can’t speak. Why didn’t you say anything at first?” Keeble scoffed.
When the man saw the confrontation, he frowned and quickly strode over. “Isn’t it Peter from the Viper’s Den? Of what do I owe the visit?” The moment Keeble turned around, he saw someone he used to respect. It was a surprise that Peter appeared at such a critical moment. He wondered if Peter was just passing by or came here to pick up someone. “What are you people doing?” Peter had been tasked with picking up Kaze and should have arrived earlier, but he got caught in terrible traffic. When he finally arrived, he saw that the person he was supposed to pick up was surrounded. Although he did not know much about Kaze’s background, his boss had given him the order, and that was reason enough to treat Kaze with respect. “Mr. Lee, sorry I am late,” he apologized as soon as he went up to Kaze. Kaze simply nodded and did not blame him for being late. “He’s with you?” Even if Keeble was a fool, he should have noticed by now that he had just messed with someone that he shou
“We didn’t do anything. Why?” Keeble aspired to become a gangster boss one day and if he were humiliated here and now, his dream might come to an abrupt end. He might not even be able to stay in the underworld anymore. “So you guys can bully Kaze and we cannot take revenge?” Leah said, her tone upset. She was determined to avenge Kaze. Keeble wanted to argue. He even looked at Peter, seeking clarification. Peter had agreed to let him and his men go, so why would the girl hold them back? “This has nothing to do with me. If she’s okay, of course, I can let you go,” Peter said. He did not want to overly expose his intention, so it would be best to be no part of the conflict. Kaze wanted to steer away from trouble but Keeble was the one who started it and simply letting them go might send the wrong message to others. “If you guys are bold enough to come here for trouble, then you should know how to handle the situation when it backfires.” Kaze was not the type of person w
Leah hopped off the chair and approached Kaze. “It’s me. You helped me on the train today.” Leah held Kaze’s arm in glee. She thought they would never meet again. Leah did not even get his number, so she could not get in touch with him. By sheer luck, they ran into each other tonight. “It’s you.” Kaze thought the girl was quite a character. To think he would bump into her at the hotel. “Aren’t you upset with me? My mother was harsh today.” Though Leah was glad to see Kaze, Kaze’s friendly attitude shocked her. She assumed he would be mad, but he did not seem to care in the slightest. “Your mother and you are two separate people. Her behavior is not on you.” Kaze would not take out his anger toward Katie on Leah. They were mother and daughter, but they were their own persons. Katie’s statement did not represent Leah. “You’re such a great guy. I thought you’d be upset. A lot of people distanced themselves from me because of my mother. “But you don’t.” Leah was
Kaze had to do everything himself. The walk along the path offered a nice view of the hotel’s garden in the back. Even at night, the streetlight illuminated the path and highlighted the lush greens. Not in a hurry to fill his belly, Kaze entered the garden. He planned to wander around and come for a swim tomorrow. The hotel was packed with guests, and no one knew who he was. Kaze could indulge himself a little. Kaze walked along the path and admired the blossoming flowers. Even at night, Kaze was impressed with the view. He looked up at the sky. The starry stars covered the night sky. It was not something he could see every day. Stars were rare in a concrete jungle. The clear weather tonight probably welcomed a myriad of stars. “The scenery here is great,” Kaze commented. He took a detour around the garden to head back to the lobby.On his way to the lobby, he saw a girl sitting in the gazebo. It was late. Yet, someone found time to rest in a gazebo. Kaze w
Joey believed that there was a chance to turn things around since nothing was set in stone yet. Most importantly, the high-ranking member of the Viper’s Den did not show any respect to Katie. Perhaps the VIP thought little of Katie. Even if Katie tried to curry his favor, she likely would not succeed. It was just hypothetical, though. If the VIP were interested in Leah’s hand-in-marriage, the whole thing would be a done deal. It would not matter if the VIP were married or promised to another woman. Leah would become a pawn. Leah relaxed. So long as there was room for changes, Leah would put in the effort. If the VIP were after her looks, Leah would give up her appearance in exchange for her freedom. Her mother may be very upset, but no one had the right to decide her happiness. Leah would not make such a drastic decision unless she had to. She could not back down now. Joey patted Leah’s shoulder to offer comfort. “Don’t worry too much about it. Your mother loves y
“I know that you have a lot on your plate too. I won’t keep you. I’ll be fine.” Leah had always been considerate. She would not get in Joey’s way when the latter was busy. “Enjoy the food here. Give me a call when you’re leaving. Don’t wander around. We are expecting a lot of guests at the hotel.” Just as Joey got up to leave, Katie’s instructions came to mind. She was at a loss for words. In the end, Joey sat back down and took a sip of wine. “What’s the matter? Is something wrong, Joey?” Leah felt uneasy. “We are hosting a few heirs at the hotel today, and they are interested in your hand-in-marriage.” There was no hiding. Biting the bullet, Joey let it all out. “I’m not ready for marriage now. I just broke up with Perry. I don’t want to dive straight into another.” Leah declined. She did not want to be tied down yet. “It’s not your choice to make.” Despite putting it subtly, Joey conveyed Katie’s message loud and clear. “My mother sent you. “What does
Katie had her scary decisive moments. Though Joey’s heart went out to Leah, she understood the role she played. Joey must not act on her feelings if she wanted to keep her job. The job gave her financial independence. She needed to focus on the assigned tasks and keep her emotions in tow. Joey took out her phone to call Leah. She invited Leah to the hotel to sample the party food. Leah’s birthday party was just around the corner. The menu was based on Leah’s food preferences. However, Leah should have a say. After Katie left the villa, Leah chose to wander off. She strolled in the nearby mall for a change of scenery. Leah was around the block when Joey called. She was happy to see Joey. Taking her by the arm, Leah walked into a lounge. “You have no idea what my mom did, Joey. Kaze took care of Perry for me, but Mom wasn’t the least bit grateful. She tore Kaze a new one.” Leah would only behave like a child in Joey’s presence. “I heard about the incident. Madam
Katie did not approve of these families, but she did feel honored. It was the fruit of her labor for many years. “Things are messy at the Frost household now.” In Katie's plan, Joey knew that Katie would not agree for their children to meet. Some had made attempts for their sons to meet with Leah in a private setting. It was a subtle shot at a marriage proposal. Only, Katie had high standards. These families were not good enough for her. “Jet sure is heartless to hurt his family. He’s a good-looking guy and a leader. It’s a shame that he’s ruthless.” Katie had considered working together with the Frosts, but after learning certain things, she dropped the idea. Her purpose was to get to greater heights through her daughter’s marriage. A person like Jet did not act on emotions. Even if Jet was interested in Leah, the marriage would be purely business. Leah would have no influence over Jet. Katie would stand to gain nothing. So, the marriage should not happen. Ka
Katie, the CEO of the Northborn Group, wanted to climb to the top. However, she never had the chance. The Northborn Hotel’s penthouse was occupied by someone from the Viper’s Den. Katie would not get another chance like this again. It was the perfect opportunity for Katie to make it to the top. “But don’t you want to reconsider this, Madam Loren? Ms. Lyfe is still young.” Joey did not have to heart to put Leah through it. “I know what you’re saying, but she’s my daughter. I’m doing this for her own good.“You’ve seen the kind of men we’ve dealt with. “Look at yourself. Why aren’t you married yet? You know that men can’t be trusted. We have to stand on higher ground to find better men.” Katie glanced at Joey. She had her reasons to do so. “But Ms. Lyfe is still young. She won’t understand where you’re coming from.” It was not Joey’s place to give her input. However, Joey could not sit by and do nothing. Leah grew up before Joey’s eyes. Not long since Joey took u
“Just let Alfonso know if you need his help. You don’t have to talk specifically about this to him. I’m just going after Jet,” lying on the deck chair, Kaze uttered nonchalantly. He did not care who would be in the know. His priority was finishing the job. Despite having his qualms, Arthur said nothing else. His primary task was to protect the VIP in the shadows. Everyone working in the core operations of the Viper’s Den was strong enough to fend for their own. They did not need Arthur’s protection. Kaze was clearly a trained fighter whose abilities were far superior to Arthur’s. The street gang would not stand a chance against him if Kaze were to fight. Arthur knew why Kaze did not retaliate against the street gang. It was all to see if Alfonso had his best interests at heart. This led to Arthur showing his face. Arthur realized that Kaze was unlike the hot-tempered superiors from before. Kaze was approachable, but it was not easy to get along with him. Without a w
Kaze nodded. He was not asking for much. “Keep tabs on these firms. Don’t be hasty. Just take your time,” Kaze uttered casually. “I got it. Are we not going to do anything?” Arthur thought Kaze’s approach was merciful. They should be making a stir to move forward. After all, Jet sent his people to abduct Kaze. Arthur believed it was only right that they fought back. “We are. Get our people to get in touch with the owner of the gaming company. We should coach talents in developing games.“This is a serious business rivalry.” Kaze understood that mobile game companies had high initial costs. The employees of gaming companies would be very protective of their data while trying to recoup their investment. It would be very easy for the Viper’s Den to retrieve this information. “Are you trying to recruit the employees, Mr. Lee?” Arthur was surprised. However, it would pull a rug from under Jet. He would be livid. “Just approach the owner and see if they’ll bite,” Kaze sa