“I would like to apologize to you, on behalf of the strategic department, for the trouble we have brought to your company.” After explaining, Koga saluted Darcy. Darcy said, “No need to apologize. It’s our duty to cooperate with the drill. The prevention exercise is beneficial to the citizens.” “Thank you for your understanding, Ms. Quint. We might perform more drills in this office building in the future, so we hope to get your permission to build a helicopter landing on the rooftop.“I hope you can have your employees keep the drill a secret as well.” Koga covered his bases. That way, they would respond right away whenever Darcy met with trouble. Today was a false alarm. Still, considering Kaze’s identity, no one could guarantee Darcy’s safety. Not finding it an issue, Darcy agreed to Koga’s proposal. “Please carry on working and keep what happened to yourselves. “The company will invite experts to conduct a lecture on the matter. I hope you will take this seriou
“Agatha, Darcy and Kaze have been together for a while. You know our situation. I couldn’t share much with you.” Agnes left out the part where Darcy and Kaze were married. Her relationship with her family was estranged. Nevertheless, Agnes dreaded the awkwardness of lunch if she had to tell her sister’s family she had not invited them to Darcy’s and Kaze’s wedding. She would have to save the news until later. “Oh. Kaze, was it? I’m Darcy’s aunt.” Agatha checked Kaze out with an awkward look on her face. She was going to introduce a man to her niece. In fact, Agatha had brought the man with them. It was the other young man in the room. “Hello, Nelson, Agatha, Landon, Rose. Nice to meet you all.” Kaze said hello to Agatha’s family. Darcy had let him know their names before they arrived at the hotel. Nelson Oceanid worked at the strategic department and was a man of few words. He simply nodded in response. Rose and Landon were around Sky’s age, and Landon was the yo
Kaze could tell that Kiev had a crush on Darcy. Still, he said nothing. His wife was exceptional, so it was only natural she would have many suitors. Kiev would not be the first or the last. Kaze could not possibly shoo each and every rival away. He would not resort to violence unless dirty tactics were involved like in Henry’s and Eliot’s case. Kaze would not be distressed over Kiev. Kiev was not a cause for concern to him. “I brought you a little something, Hector and Agnes.” Kiev carried a few bags over. Agnes waved her arms. “Oh, you shouldn’t have.” They were aware of Kiev’s feelings for Darcy. However, Darcy was already married to Kaze. Kiev might be an outstanding man, but he and their daughter were not meant to be. Hector and Agnes could not possibly accept his gifts. Noticing their reservations, Kiev smiled. “The gifts are nothing big or expensive. Don’t think too much about it. It’s common courtesy to present gifts as we are meeting for the first tim
The moment the box was opened, the item inside drew everybody’s attention. A pink rose blossomed in Kiev’s hand, unleashing an eye-catching pink sparkle. The object everyone saw was not a real rose but a diamond.The diamond’s natural pink glow was further enhanced by its exceptional cut, making it even more vibrant and dazzling.That was the reason why everybody mistook it for a pink rose at first glance. The women in the private lounge were mesmerized by the diamond. It was a beautiful rock, and diamonds were women’s best friend. “Rose, what’s the pink rose?” Agatha asked her daughter excitedly. Rose replied with a thrill, “That’s the name of the diamond necklace. A female celebrity lost the bid to get the Pink Rose at an auction a few days ago, and the incident went viral online.“Sources said that the Pink Rose was sold to a mysterious young and rich man for 10 million dollars. I can’t believe the man was you, Kiev.” Everybody looked at Kiev in surprise. Kiev spen
Poof!It sounded like something blew up in Kaze’s hand. Kaze opened his palm. The 10-carat pink diamond was shattered into shards. As Kaze spread his fingers apart, the remnants of the diamond sprinkled on the ground. Everybody in the room stared at Kaze in horror. Did he just crush a diamond with his bare hand? How did he do it? A diamond was the toughest known rock in the world. That was an impossible feat. Unless the diamond was a fake as Kaze said. Kiev was speechless. He stared at Kaze without a word. He knew better than anybody about the authenticity of the Pink Rose. The Pink Rose’s certificate of authenticity was kept in his home, so the necklace could not have possibly been a knockoff. However, Kaze had crushed the Pink Rose. Even if the diamond was real, others would assume it was a fake now. Anyone else would have gone ballistic by now but not Kiev. Keeping his cool, Kiev told Kaze with a smile, “It was my oversight. I was captivated by the fake Pink
Rose had a closer look. She bolted up from the chair and reacted stronger than when she saw the Pink Rose. “Oh my god! Is that the Goddess’ Heart?!” “Rose, is it something famous?” Agatha was intrigued by her daughter’s strong reaction. “The Goddess’ Heart was on display at a massive exhibition at Sunrise City and it has already attracted a lot of attention. Everyone was amazed by its beauty. “The designer is the world-famous Master Greta De Fontaine. She called this her masterpiece and can never replicate another one. “After that, the Goddess’ Heart hasn’t shown itself anymore. Some said the chairwoman of Sixth Eye Jewelry Group, the Queen of Jewelry, Jasmine Sundar, has it in her collection and no matter how much people offer her, she’s not selling it.” Rose was thrilled. Her voice sharpened and even started to blabber nonsense. “Don’t tell me it’s on Darcy’s neck now!” Her voice surprised everyone in the room and they all turned to Kaze. A diamond necklace of tens
Kaze was rendered speechless. His silly wife denied his identity as Perfect World Group’s chairman, but he did not correct her. He did not care about what other people thought of him, only Darcy’s feelings mattered. She could think whatever she wanted. Besides, the identity of Perfect World Group’s chairman did not affect their relationship. Darcy never looked down on him before. Her explanation sparked speculation. Psychiatric ward? Mental disability? Kiev looked at Kaze strangely. “Aunt Agnes, what is this about? Kaze was in the psychiatric ward?” “Kaze got into some conflict with his family and got locked up there for a few years. He’s fine but everyone in the city thought he had a mental disability. People still laugh at us now.” Now that Kaze had a promising future, Agnes was proud of him and she was no longer embarrassed to tell others about his past. Unlike before, she would be silenced and embarrassed whenever people asked about her son-in-law. She giggled a
Behind Miru was a group of men, all looking ferocious. Their bulging muscles were an obvious sign that they were experts in fighting. They all glared at Kaze the moment they barged into the room. Tension rose as they stared at each other. Darcy and the others felt pressured that they had a hard time breathing. “What? What are you talking about? Kaze killed your godfather? The chairman of Lefteria Group, Alan Cummingham?” Darcy blurted out instinctively. Kaze murdered Alan? Impossible. He was not capable of killing someone. The others exchanged a baffled look. Slam! Miru slammed some pictures on the table. Darcy went through the pictures briefly but still could not understand. “These pictures are the footage from the surveillance cameras of Lefteria Building.” Miru continued, “Around 10.30 in the morning, Kaze led the security guards on a routine security check around the building. Halfway through the security check, Kaze went into my godfather’s private office
Kaze watched as the senior citizens took off. The place was quiet as usual, and many things in the unit were left uncollected. “Mr. Lee, does this arrangement work?” Arthur awaited Kaze’s orders. “It will do for now.” After being out for the day, Kaze had seen some stuff. Business was all about making money, but some lines should not be crossed. As long as things remained within reason, there would not be scrutiny or blame. It was astounding the lengths Jet would go to. “The area will be demolished after a while. I want all of the Frosts’ projects on hold. Don’t approve any of them.” One word from Kaze could shake the very foundation of the Frosts’ business. “Alright. My team is on it. “But the Frosts will ask questions and find out who is behind this.” Arthur looked at Kaze worriedly. “They can’t find anything.” No one would know who Kaze was without his permission. It probably never crossed Jet’s mind that Snow had a powerful friend. Otherwise, he woul
Kaze was confused. Surely, the authorities would not disregard human lives and demolish the place by force. “Well, we tried to relocate them, but they refused our services. If they are still not on board, they will be sent to the retirement home tonight.” That was all Pax knew. The retirement home was just another place for the senior citizens to await death. “Is there nothing else you can do? So you signed the contract without thinking about the consequences? Karma will get back at you.” Pax’s shamelessness shocked Arthur. Pax mentioned that he would put the demolition on hold. It had not been long, and now the rights to the land were handed over. “It’s out of my hands. Jet went to my superiors to seal the deal. We are not allowed to intervene. “We had been figuring out ways to reach reconciliation for these senior citizens, but Jet was determined to make them pay.” It was the best Pax could do. He was just an employee, working to make a living. He did not have a say
“I want to see the person in charge of the demolition project now.” It was not a matter of time before the area was bulldozed, but Kaze hoped to delay it. Generally, it would take a large amount of capital to launch a project. Any delay would cause massive losses. Jet had several projects that had been put on hold, and it was a heavy blow to him. If Jet could not fix things quickly enough, all his money tied to the projects would be gone. He would be forced to ditch some projects to cut his losses. “I’ll get him here right now.” Arthur went out to make phone calls. He believed Kaze did the right thing as the senior citizens had nowhere to turn to. The senior citizens could only survive with some help. “Thank you, young man. Why are you helping us?” The senior citizens were old, but they could tell that Kaze genuinely wanted them to be okay. “I don’t think it’s right to bully you.” Kaze looked at the senior citizens earnestly, feeling sorry for them. Jet lack
“We agreed on relocation because we would get a place to stay. “But these people were unreasonable. We were offered only one-third of what everyone else got.” The senior citizens were going to swallow their losses. They just needed the money to live their last days, and they did not have family, to begin with. Later, the same people had their eyes on their money and tried to put them up at an old folks’ home. The senior citizens refused to relocate and finally chose to protect themselves by contacting the media. These people sure left the senior citizens to die. Kaze was sympathetic to the senior citizens. He went back with them to a unit on the ground floor. The place was bare, with several beds placed together. The senior citizens must be sleeping in the same room. There was little to eat, only some water and dry provisions.The old residents did not have much savings. It was good enough that they had something to eat. “Have a cup of water, boy. We don’t have any
“Are you one of those people from the pier? Are you trying to get us to leave?” A grizzled-haired man looked at Kaze warily. “I was just passing by when I saw you struggling with the buckets. I came to help you.” Kaze explained patiently. He could understand why their guards were up. They must have been lied to many times before. “Are you here to help?” “Yes, I am. My companion has gone to get you some water. He’ll be back soon. There’s no need for you to fetch water,” Kaze said kindly. “We’ll pay you.” The senior citizens exchanged glances before accepting Kaze’s gesture. They could not handle the weight of the heavy buckets. “The building here is about to be demolished. Why are you still living here?” Pretending to be in the dark, Kaze asked. “This is our home. Someone is trying to take this land away.” The grizzled-haired man was upset. “What? I thought no one could demolish the building unless they had the residents’ permission.” “You’re right, but there
“Jet sure is bold to ensure business. Isn’t he afraid of shooting himself in the foot?” Kaze had never met a man like Jet. “He has done a lot to get to the top. His ruthless methods got him a lot of money. A lot of people are happy to support him.” Arthur was impressed with Jet’s tactics. However, his approach was too cruel for his liking. “Let’s head to the residential building.” Kaze just wanted to check out the area. He was happy to help when needed. The flashy, red sports car was eye-catching. However, the flamboyant car was uncommon in these places. Most workers would express their amazement, but they would not ask questions. The car pulled up outside a soon-to-be abandoned building. It looked desolate. The power lines and infrastructure were not visible either. Kaze knew that was one of the Frosts’ methods. Sometimes, nothing, not even demolition, was required. The goal was to get the residents out. All Jet needed to do was cut the water and electricity.
“Just tell me what you need, Arthur. You wouldn’t be calling unless you have received orders.” Philip was surprised to get a call from Arthur. Though they were acquainted, they had only communicated because of work. “We have just left Rising Sun. Don’t approve the films for now.” Arthur was blunt. “I can do that, but can I ask why?” Philip was caught in a dilemma because he had just promised Jet to release the films. Philip needed to know if the orders to delay came from a high power who could cover his ass. “Since you got a call from me, you should know that there are eyes on Jet. “You should know what you can and cannot say. Otherwise, you never know when you’re going to lose your job.” Arthur threatened. Philip was reluctant. He accepted Jet’s payment, and now he had to go back on his word. Nevertheless, Arthur was part of the Viper’s Den, and his status was rather unique. Arthur provided services to confidential individuals. These individuals were elites among t
A balanced, profitable dynamic had been developed among the ports in Butterworth. Jet spotted his chance in the lucrative port business. He covertly took out some money to invest in a dying port. The port was situated in a more remote area. Some businesspeople favored more accessible ports. This drove shippers away from the dying port. Jet snagged the steal and improved the logistics and facilities around the area. The port was up and running again. Business at the port was decent enough. As the Frosts would run their business through the port, the local economy took off too. It was a good thing. However, Jet set his sights on several residential buildings around the area. He needed space to accommodate containers. The land was required to make business at the port more profitable. This triggered a whole new thing. Jet could spend some money to buy the residents out of their homes. However, the residents preferred to stay put in their long-time homes. No a
“I’ll keep the bank cards for now. I’ll talk to our superiors and give you a decision. Since the man said that the cards are meant for us, they won’t be going anywhere.” Knox had no idea who Kaze was, but he knew Arthur was with the Viper’s Den. Arthur must be someone from high places. Eli soon put the little incident behind him. He got a call from Aloysius yesterday and was made aware of Jet’s plans. The films had been put on hold for far too long, and the people above Eli were anxious to get things moving. Though Eli was surprised by the review board’s visit, everything was still in his control. Eli left the matter at that without reporting the incident to the higher-ups. The flashy, red car sped along the road. Arthur kept looking back at Kaze, eager to find out about the next plan. Arthur brought Kaze out today to witness how Eli and his team operated. As it happened, Eli adopted such a shallow ploy. Arthur was not surprised, though. Eli’s methods were common.