“Miru, Leo has shown concrete proof that you’re the mole in Lefteria Group. What do you have to say for yourself?” As Miru got out of the car, Jeremiah raised his sword. Miru took her time to close the door before turning to Jeremiah. “The chief commander of Lilyrose Strategic Department lived next door to Horizon Mirror Mansion, Jeremiah.” She calmly added, “The twenty assassins sent here by Sieg were killed.“You’re not doing yourself any favors by killing me here.” Miru did not want to die. Besides, she refused to take the fall for Leo. That was not the way to leave the world. Miru spilled the information after getting out of the car. She intended to discourage Jeremiah from killing her on the spot. So long as Jeremiah paused on the attack, she would have time to persuade him and clear the air. Jeremiah frowned. He glanced at the gate of Horizon Mirror Mansion and picked up a faint stench of blood in the air. Sure enough, he put down his sword and said with a bl
When Kaze got the call from Agnes, he had just stepped foot into Draco’s residence next door. He was happy. Agnes called him personally to tell him to come home. He thought that Agnes was no longer mad at him. Kaze rushed over from next door. “I’m back, Agnes. Have you eaten? I can cook if you haven’t,” Kaze said cheerfully and greeted Agatha’s family. Alas, Agatha’s family did not give him the time of the day. “We’re not eating anything. You and Darcy are heading to the family court, and I’m going with you.” Agnes took the stairs with a file in hand. She shoved the file in Kaze’s hand. Darcy asked in confusion, “Why are we going to the family court?” Kaze pulled a long face without a word. Agnes’ intention was made clear when he saw their marriage licenses, proof of residency, and forms in the file. He received an update from Snow about Lefteria Group soon after his return to Lilyrose, so he could understand Agnes’ motivation behind it. “What else? It’s time to f
Kaze found it embarrassing to get his assistant involved in a personal affair. Snow had the makings of a great assistant because she did not express an opinion. She said, “Got it, Mr. Chairman.” Kaze’s phone received a call seconds later. It was from Johnson. “Do you want the family court closed to delay time, Mr. Lee?” “That’s right.” “I have an idea. A new law introducing a mandatory waiting period is about to go into effect. It will require a one-month wait after filing for divorce before it can be finalized.“But the new regulation only starts next year. We are months away. Given your influence, you could request the expedited implementation of the new law.”The suggestion sounded reliable to Kaze. The mandatory waiting period could be a good thing for him. He might be able to save himself this time, but Agnes would still insist they get a divorce. The one-month waiting period addressed his problems. Kaze said happily, “Get Draco to contact the God of War Palace.
“What are you trying to say, Kaze?” Kiev scowled. Kaze smiled pretentiously. “My wife and I are filing for divorce. Why the need to rush here when it doesn’t concern you? Are you here to see my wife cry?” “Don’t make that false accusation. I’d never make fun of Darcy.” Kiev glanced at Darcy, who suffered in silence, and denied that fact. “If that isn’t your motive, why are you here?” “I rush over to say something on behalf of Darcy.” Kiev smiled victoriously and said, “May you find happiness in your new life.” He believed those words marked the perfect end to their marriage. “I have something to say to you too, Kiev.” Kaze grinned. “Do tell,” Kiev responded. Either way, Kaze could not stop his marriage from ending today. Kaze said indifferently, “The divorce is not happening.” Kiev was taken aback at first, but he quickly let out a sneer. “Are you kidding me, Kaze? You and Darcy are in the family court now.” He pointed at the counter. “They filed for divo
“Are you alright, Mr. Braders?” With Caesar kneeling for no reason, everybody went to help him up. Kiev said, “Are you unwell from the travel here, Mr. Braders? Why don’t you take a break before getting down to business? The divorce proceedings aren't urgent.” “Um… Uh… Um…” Caesar looked at Kaze in terror and helplessness. Fear got a grip on his throat. “Do you know him, Mr. Braders?” Kiev frowned. The way Caesar looked at Kaze was strange to Kiev. Kiev glanced at Kaze skeptically but could not figure out Caesar’s reaction. Kaze was a nobody, and Kiev had no doubt about it. “Oh, we have met.” Since Kaze would not give Caesar any attention, Caesar did not want to overstep his boundaries and answered vaguely. He broke out in a cold sweat. So they had met before, and that was all that happened. Not reading into the matter, Kiev said, “You can just tell your employees to process the divorce while you take a break, Mr. Braders.” “Erm…” With Kiev clinging to the
“What’s the update?” Caesar was dumbfounded. In matters beyond family law, the country’s administration held ultimate authority.If it was an update to the legislation, the order would not reach Lilyrose family court yet. It could only mean that the update was important and urgent. “The mandatory waiting period for filing a divorce was supposed to be introduced in the new year.” The employee added with a shocked look, “We got word from the administration that the rule will take effect right away.” “A mandatory waiting period? What is that?” Agnes and the others were stunned. “Mrs. Quint, in other words, we don’t process the filing of divorce right away anymore. They can file, but the divorce will only be finalized after a month.” While talking, Caesar stole a glance at Kaze. He could not read anything on Kaze’s face. However, Caesar had his suspicions that the new law came into effect ahead of time because of Kaze. Kaze’s words were the law, literally speaking.
The angry outburst did not come from Kaze. It was Darcy. She jolted to her feet and looked angrily at Kiev. “Kaze is right. Our divorce is none of your business.” Kiev’s jaw dropped in surprise. It never occurred to him that Darcy would yell at him for Kaze’s sake. She was rude for the first time too. Paying Kiev no attention, Darcy turned to Kaze in tears and smiled. She said, “In fact, I don’t need a waiting period. “I don’t need a month to reconsider my decision. I will never divorce Kaze.” Agnes panicked. “Are you trying to get us all killed, Darcy? Do you know who he messed with? How can you be so reckless?” “Just call me reckless, Mom. But I just want to follow my heart.” Darcy looked her mother in the eye and said determinedly, “Kaze is innocent. He knows it, I know it, and you all know it.“But why are we punishing him and pleading with the bad guy for mercy?” Faced with her daughter’s questioning, Agnes hung her head low and murmured, “But Leo will come
“That’s one competition out without breaking a sweat. This calls for a celebration.” Leo handed a wine glass to his subordinate. “Thank you, Leo.” The chauffeur took the glass and sipped before saying with a chuckle, “No need to find it a shame, Leo. Although Miru is dead, her best friend, Darcy, is quite the knockout too. “The woman hasn’t been with a man before even though she married the idiot.” Lust flickered across Leo’s eyes. Although Leo had never met Darcy, he had seen her photo. Darcy was hot, a different type of stunner to Miru. Seeing that Leo was interested, the chauffeur, eager to please him, said with a smile, “If you want to get the girl, now is the chance.“The woman will be yours if you threaten her with her idiot husband’s life.” “No need for that.” Leo waved his arm to refuse. With a grimacing look, he added, “Kaze is an accessory to my godfather’s murder. What will the key members of Lefteria Gang think of me if I let him off the hook just to sl
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.