The demolition project was also met with new problems. The elderly who stayed in the area refused to speak, and no matter how much they were offered, they refused to move. The project was stuck once again. The initial investment was too great for Jet to completely abandon it. On top of that, since the Frost family was facing difficulties, no one was willing to take over the project no matter how much they lowered the price. Jet eagerly needed a successful project to prove himself, yet all the projects were halted once more. He started to doubt himself as he entered an eternal loop of dilemma. Due to the other lingering problems, the island project became crucial and must succeed no matter what. The confidentiality of the project prevented unexpected changes, allowing them to be at ease for now. “This project must work. It must be kept a secret until it is ready.” Jet had matured significantly over the course of the ordeal, but with time slipping away and no quick retu
“Divulge everything here and we will arrange for you to leave on the earliest flight.” Kaze agreed to send Zane abroad to start a new life. “Thank you, Mr. Lee.” Zane had invested a lot of effort in the project and he too had a heavy heart leaving it behind but he knew staying would put his life in danger, so he had to leave. “I hope you can carry out the final task perfectly.” Kaze then hopped into the boat and left. Zane saw Kaze off with an anxious gaze. However, when he saw the money in his account, he quickly got over his guilt. No matter how hard he worked, he could never make so much money in his entire life. Zane simply took a shortcut to reach his goal. He initially thought he would feel sorry and blame himself for having no dignity but the numbers in his bank account wiped the thoughts away. Meanwhile, Lorry was still working hard on the project and was unaware that his colleague had betrayed the company. He continued to patrol the island in the cart eve
“Calm down, Boss. I know it was Zane who betrayed us, but I believe someone bribed him to expose the entire project.” Aloysius lowered his head in guilt. It was his negligence that allowed the leak to happen. They had made extensive preparations to prevent leaks on the project but they missed out on the possibility that one of them would turn on the entire company. “What should we do now? I am waiting for this project to make a profit but it’s ruined before we can even make it work. I am also in debt to the Viper’s Den.” Jet’s eyes were emotionless, his face was blank, as if he had reached the edge of a breakdown. Aloysius was dismayed as well but there was only so much he could do. “Boss, don’t give up just yet. There might still be a way,” he said, hoping to cheer his boss up. If Jet gave up, the company would be over. “The shareholders came yesterday and asked about whether the projects are progressing. They were already anxious and some of them wanted out. “I told
Right after Jet collapsed, Aloysius called an ambulance and sent him to the hospital. He acted quickly without any hesitation. In the past few weeks, many things happened and they had allowed Aloysius to grow into a mature person, thus making him more skilled and experienced in handling difficult matters. Kaze was the one behind everything that had happened to Jet. He got the news when Jet was admitted to the hospital. “Mr. Lee, you’ve done it again. You practically foresaw this!” Arthur praised as he leaned back on the couch. Kaze was calm and not concerned about the matter. “Is Zane Canon out of the country?” he asked. When he visited the island yesterday, he saw how beautiful the place was. The project was promising and held a lot of potential. Unfortunately, since it was Jet’s idea and due to various circumstances, it had to be leaked and ruined. However, it was entirely possible to redevelop the island once more and attract youngsters to visit. As long as the
“Oh, Jet? Good morning. Where are you now?” Snow’s voice was delightful. She was not affected by Jet’s insulting words. “It was you all along. You! How could I forget about you!” Jet thought by sending May out of Butterworth, the mother and daughter would lose their right to be the heir to the family. He did not expect them to target him from the shadows. He also did not expect that he would lose before he found out about the truth. “Come on, Jet. Let’s talk nicely. You should be honored that my boss is after you.” Snow’s tone was provocative and scornful. She knew what kind of person Jet was and knew exactly what words could stab his heart like a knife. “You bitch! You are fucking dead! Do you know how much money I’ve lost because of you?! How much the family has lost?! It was all because of you! “You get back here right away! I’ll make you kneel and beg for mercy!” Jet was carried away by anger and forgot all the problems he had to face. He blurted out his words w
“We’re doomed.” Despite the lingering unwillingness, Jet had started to accept his total defeat.There was no way for him to come back now. “What? No. We still have a chance. The projects can still be restarted, we can still make a comeback!” Aloysius thought about the island project and it could be restarted with some funds. “No matter what we do, he will stop us. No projects can be cleared.” Jet finally accepted his fate and knew the danger he was facing. If Kaze wanted them to lose, they could never win, and neither could they resist or challenge absolute power. “So we are just going to accept our fate like that? It’s unfair. We’ve done so many things and we are going to just give up?” Aloysius said, his tone saddened. They worked day and night for the project, for the company, yet now Jet wanted to give up just like that. Even Aloysius felt bitter. He did not want to give up just because of some obstacles. “But we’ve tried. There’s nothing else we can do.” Je
Katie decided to send her daughter to test Kaze. No matter who Kaze really was, it should be anything but a common man. She recently found out that Kaze had beaten up Jet due to some conflict. The news was contained until Jet’s business ran into the wall and people started to take advantage of him by releasing some of his embarrassing news. Katie got a hold of the news and it made her certain that Kaze was not an ordinary man. “I understand. I’ll tell Leah.” Joey had no idea why her boss would change her mind all of a sudden but Leah was fond of Kaze and the girl would be thrilled if she knew about this. “Tell her right now. Tell her to dress nicely and ask Kaze Lee out for lunch or dinner.” Katie eagerly wanted to see this done. “I’ll go talk to Leah now.” Joey sighed and went out to carry out the task. She was just an employee, not someone with actual power, working for her boss. Leah had been staying indoors recently because she did not want her mother interfer
“It’s for your own good. Besides, Kaze is a good person—he’s chivalrous, he helped you on your birthday and it’s only appropriate if you bring him to lunch,” Joey said. Leah pursed her lips and softened her attitude. “Yeah. He’s kind to me.” She turned around and continued to pick her outfit. She thought of wearing a dress but she could not make up her mind. “This dress is nice. It’s pure and snowy white.” “Nope. It’s too plain.” “What about this? This black one looks elegant.” Joey picked a black strapless dress with the laces at the chest; it was beautiful. The sewing patterns looked delicate as well. However, Leah was not fond of it. Her entire closet was full of beautiful dresses and exquisite accessories yet none seemed to her liking. “There’s nothing I could wear here!” Leah plopped down on the couch and grumbled. There were rows of expensive clothes in her closet yet she felt like there was nothing she could wear. “Why don’t you go get something new?
“I have pointed you in a direction. If you still can’t trust your team, you can go to the Viper’s Den.“There’s one thing, though. Don’t rely too heavily on the Viper’s Den, or your company will be left without secrets.” Kaze’s suggestion gave Snow assurance. She considered tapping into the Viper’s Den’s resources. However, Kaze warned her against excessive dependence. “Why did you say that, Chairman Lee? Will the Viper’s Den stab me in the back?” Surely, the Viper’s Den took orders from Kaze. The Viper’s Den would always be an ally so long as Kaze was the branch leader. “I just don’t want you to put too much faith in others. You find loyalty by developing your own team. Those who revere me will never trust you completely.” Kaze analyzed the situation. Snow ate her supper and looked at Kaze in confusion. “You can only count on the people you win over. You can’t trust anyone else, and that includes me.” Kaze would never hurt Snow. However, he hoped that she would fin
“As you said, all is in the past. What’s the point of dwelling on it?” Leah perked up. Such was life, but it took her too long to understand the harsh reality. She guessed things were just not meant to be. “I’ll think about what to get Kaze. Rest well. We’ll visit him in a few days.” Taking the matter seriously, Katie wanted to get gifts ready ahead of time to thank Kaze. “Alright. I’ll see what I can do too. I want to be in touch with the outside world. I don’t care what they have to say. This is not my fault. I won’t blame myself.” Leah wanted her phone back to contact her former friends. Ultimately, she needed to move forward instead of backward. She had to face and fight back the rumors with courage. It was the crucial step to kick trauma in the face. The abduction was kept hush-hush for the most part, but Katie’s frantic search for her daughter at the cocktail party did not go unnoticed. Hearing about the incident, the influential people were keen to find out
“When did Kaze start setting it all up? I get the feeling that everybody played into his hands right from the start, and he had controlled every step of the way.” Leah realized that Kaze was an amazing man. Nothing could go past his eyes. “I don’t know.” Katie feared someone like Kaze. She would not be caught dead near him. Even when grasping the situation, Katie dared not look into Kaze for fear she would be targeted. Katie was careful not to show her face around Kaze. For all she knew, Kaze might get back at her. “But he came to Butterworth alone. We met at the train station, and he helped me out of a bad situation.” Leah felt warm and cozy inside just remembering the events. They did not know each other then. Kaze was kind to help a stranger out. From then on, Kaze could do no wrong in Leah’s eyes. Leah befriended him and found him nice. Her interest in him grew. They also got along well. Her memories of Kaze were sweet. Anyone could hurt her in the world, but
Even though Katie was the CEO of the Northborn Group, many eyed her position. There were too many vying to replace her. Without dedicating herself to her work, Katie risked falling from grace. Katie had been too eager to find success to give her daughter the best life. Leah could not understand the pain Katie had to go through. “I understand it now. I explained the nature of my relationship with Kaze to you, but you just wouldn’t get it.” Leah stubbornly expressed herself in hopes her mother would understand. “I just couldn’t get it through my head that you have grown up. You make an easy target since you just graduated and have not stepped into the real world.” Katie would not always be there for Leah. Hence, Katie did her best to get rid of potential danger. Her overprotectiveness triggered Leah’s defiance. It was Katie’s fault for not realizing it sooner. “I’m not angry with you. I didn’t understand a mother’s good intentions, but I understand now. I will listen to
Leah’s face beamed, but her mother’s words threw her into a daze. In the end, she tried to squeeze a smile to assure her mother. However, Leah could not muster a smile. Those days lingered with her like a recurring bad dream. Whenever she recalled the incident, she felt trapped in that nightmare again. Leah wanted to let those memories fade away, but she just could not do it. She would get startled awake late at night and trace the scars across her skin. During moments like this, she resented Perry. Leah was rather cheerful during the day as if the past was behind her. However, it was simply a way for her to escape the pain. By the way Leah was behaving, Katie instantly regretted the question. She should not have probed. Even if they avoided the elephant in the room, they could pretend like nothing ever happened. Nevertheless, the act of asking brought up unsettling times for Leah. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have asked.” Katie gently held Leah, hoping to cast
When the ambulance door closed shut, Leah wailed once more. The reality of her rescue finally sank in, and she grasped that it was not just a dream. It was a pity that she did not have much time with Kaze. She longed to spend more time with him. “Don’t cry, young lady. You’ll get better soon enough. Don’t worry about the scars on your face. I can administer medicine to help you,” the doctor said while wiping her tears. “Thank you. I’m finally out of the hell hole.” Leah’s worst nightmare would be to be trapped in there forever. Kaze watched as the ambulance disappeared into the night. He then turned to face the villa. “Apprehend everybody in there. Perry should be punished for his crimes.” Kaze had not intended to go after the Duncans, but the family had crossed the line this time. Leah was an adorable and vulnerable woman. She was abused beyond recognition. It never occurred to Kaze that the Duncans could be so cruel. “Perry has passed out in there. Where should
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