Kaze adopted a hands-off approach to his job, leaving the company in the employees’ hands. The employees were remunerated fairly with extra perks for their work. Putting trust in his staff, Kaze handed them the reins. Despite his experience in running a business, Kaze was still surprised to discover the Frosts’ assets.The Frosts dabbled in various industries while identifying the lucrative sections. Most of the time, the family would choose to partner with smaller enterprises, providing them with opportunities while securing the lion's share of the profits. They sure were manipulative. After careful observation, Kaze fixated on some of these smaller companies. “These subsidiaries don’t stand out, but they are heading in the right direction.” Kaze could see through Jet’s plan. Arthur prepared a comprehensive document, giving Kaze insights into the Frosts’ assets. The annual tax records and day-to-day business dealings were included in the file. The data differenti
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
“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
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
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 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
“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
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
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