After Winnie packed her things, she and Kaze left together with the employees from the finance and legal departments. “Mr. Chairman, this is the factory that we found. The production line is already operational. If we buy this place, we can start production immediately,” Winnie explained to Kaze when they arrived at the factory. The rebuilding of Shangrila Group had to start from scratch. The company focused on biomedical and planned to seize the market share from the top three families. In order to support the company’s development, Kaze even invested a lot via Perfect World Company, and in return, he got quite a share of the company. Perfect World Group was one of the biggest shareholders of Shangrila Group. Winnie originally did not want to complicate it since both companies belonged to Kaze and he was the chairman of both companies. Kaze disagreed. “Shangrila Group belongs to you and James, and Brenda’s in the future. I have nothing to do with it. I am just helping
“Mr. Dalong, this is our chairman. I have to go through him about this purchase.” Winnie would not allow others to diminish Kaze. “Your chairman?” Dale sized up Kaze carefully and scoffed, “The CEO is young and the chairman is also young. What a lively and youthful company!” It was not praise. The contempt on his face showed that he did not take Kaze seriously. “Fine. Let’s sign the contract.” Dale tapped the table with his leather shoe. Winnie frowned. “Mr. Dalong, please show some respect to our chairman!” Dale’s expression turned grim. Right before he could shout, Kaze waved his hand and smiled. “It’s okay. We are here to talk business. I see Mr. Dalong is a straightforward person, so let’s just skip the formality.” “Hear that, Ms. Souffle? Your chairman is much more easygoing. I like talking to people like him, unlike the women who are always obsessed with manners.” Dale cackled and spat a cloud of smoke at Winnie’s face. Winnie covered her nose and took a s
Kaze then slammed the contract on the table. It was so loud that it sounded like a slap on Dale’s face. “Mr. Dalong, you are forcing us to agree with your terms!” Winnie was furious and frightened. That explained why Dale had that many men in the room even though it was just a contract signing process. Without Kaze, she might be coerced into signing the unfair contract. Dale glared at Kaze. He thought Kaze was just a weakling based on his smiley face but the words he said had weight to them. However, no matter how threatening Kaze was, they were just verbal threats. Dale scoffed, “Five hundred million was yesterday’s price. Two billion is today’s price. What’s wrong with it? I can’t change the price? This is a legitimate business deal.” “Five hundred million is already overpriced and you are asking for two billion? Mr. Dalong, you are being ridiculous!” Winnie argued coldly. Dale grunted and leaned back on his chair. “If it’s too expensive for you, then don’t buy it
“Hey, I’m not the one who got your money. Go find that guy who has it.” Dale crossed his legs on his table again, showing no signs of compromising. “Dale Dalong, you are just a shameless prick! You really think we can’t do anything? We’ll sue you!” Winnie was so agitated that she teared up. “Whatever,” Dale scoffed. He was not afraid of taking the legal route. The case would stretch out for more than a year or two and he was not the one in a hurry. “Show them the way out.” Dale signaled his men impatiently. He added, “Hmph. You should have done your homework before coming to me.” His men then surrounded Kaze and Winnie, trying to scare them off. “You heard the boss, piss off!” “Get out now or we’ll break your legs!” Kaze’s gaze turned cold. “Dale Dalong, you are not giving us back the deposit?” “What the fuck is wrong with you, punk?” Dale bellowed. He signaled one of his men and said, “Our little chairman here is trying to be a hero. Bring all our men out and
“What’s up with your perverted look? Never seen a woman before?” Miru shook her hand as she grunted coldly. Dale covered his plump but reddish face and his expression quickly turned grim. “You bitch! You slapped me?!” Infuriated, he shouted, “Do you have any idea who…” Slap! Miru slapped him again and said with a grin, “Do you have any idea who I am?” “Patrick, tell him.” Miru signaled her man without turning around. Miru’s man stepped up and said, “This is the chairwoman of Lefteria Group, Miru Scarlet.” “Chairwoman of Lefteria Group?” Dale’s eyes widened in fear. “You are Miru Scarlet, Alan Cummingham’s goddaughter?” His men were frightened as well. Miru was the goddaughter of the ex-underworld kingpin! Alan just recently got rid of his long-time rival who was a fellow underworld kingpin, Cronus. No one else in Lilyrose dared to mess with Lefteria Group. Miru scoffed. She strutted over to the couch and sat down. She lifted her chin at Kaze and said, “Wel
“Of course!” Miru’s men thought Kaze doubted their capabilities. They wore a proud look and said, “I am the most ferocious interrogator serving Master Cummingham!” “I have more than fifty ways to torture a person without killing them.” “Yeah! Me too!” Kaze then smiled at Dale. “You heard them. Why don’t you give them a chance?” “Mr. Lee! Wait, let’s just talk about this! I’ll speak! I’ll tell you everything!” Dale knelt on the ground, prostrating as he cried. He was already horrified. Kaze was like the devil to him. “It’s Frank! Frank Golding! He said that Shangrila Group is trying to take their market share, so he has to do something to stop it! He wanted to crush Shangrila and prevent Ms. Souffle from purchasing any factory so that your company would end up as a joke!” Dale collapsed under the pressure and blurted out everything Frank instructed him to do. “Frank Golding! That hypocrite! He’s always playing dirty, trying to stop us from getting back on track!” W
The moment the contract was signed, the factory belonged to Shangrila Group. Dale and his men were thrown out of the office. Winnie was delighted that the deal finally went through. She called the office and told her employees to send someone over to inspect the factory before starting production. “Kaze, you’ve done it this time. Now that I have your back, you're acting like a bully,” Miru teased Kaze out of habit as she went over to him. “What do you mean you have my back?” Kaze showed no mercy to the woman. He argued, “I called Alan and he called you. You are just someone that your godfather sends to run errands and take care of things.” And she fit the role well. She came, revealed her identity, beat up Dale, and solved the problem. Quick and simple. “What do you mean by running errands? I’ll rip your mouth off your face if you don’t know how to choose your words!” Miru argued. On second thought, she realized what she did was exactly what Kaze said. She literally
The news of Shangrila Group getting the factory at the price of just one hundred million soon reached the ears of the top three families. The heads of the top three families permitted Frank to target Shangrila Group. Frank called Dale and shouted, “Dale Dalong, you fucking pig! Did you lose your mind? You sold a five hundred million factory off at just one hundred million? Do you remember what I said to you?!” The top three families were gangsters of Lilyrose City, not in the underworld, but openly. Frank had gotten used to ordering Dale and others around. He shouted as soon as the call got through. To his surprise, Dale, who used to be obedient and submissive, shouted back at him. “Frank fucking Golding! I lost money and it was my fucking business! Fuck off! It was you, you little piece of fuck! If I hadn’t listened to you, I would have gotten the five hundred million!” Frank was stunned for a moment. He yelled back angrily, “Dale Dalong, how dare you talk to me like t
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
“No, Ms. Frost. I can do it,” Aloysius said right away. He did not want to miss out on a good opportunity. “I gave you a chance. It’s up to you to seize it.” Snow looked at them with a smile. “I’ll get right to it, Ms. Frost.” The HR manager nodded and took off. He had to prepare the paperwork. Those in upper management were on a higher pay grade with a cut of the shares. Following a termination, the HR manager had to calculate the final pay. There had to be a valid reason for the discharge from duties too. Though things were a little complicated, the HR manager was experienced in this aspect. The only issue was that the staff involved were not the low-ranking employees. They held high positions. Despite his unrest, Aloysius did not wear his heart on his sleeve. He had a good read of the situation. Snow was impartial in carrying out business. Those who contributed to the company would stay while the ones who bled the business dry would be sacked. Anyone would p
Sure enough, the mean would gather around the individual at their fall from grace. It was sad to grasp this reality. “I promise you to have everything in order. Don’t worry. You will get a nice promotion.” Snow knew when to give her employee encouragement. Only then would Aloysius feel motivated to work. Aloysius departed in dejection, but Snow did not mind it at all. He served the wrong person. Snow took on the leadership role the same day Jet left. Since she assumed the responsibilities without much experience, the employees did not take her seriously. The people doing the grunt work felt nothing toward the change of leadership. The upper management may experience shifts, but they were still obliged to finish their usual tasks. The only thing they hoped for was to be paid more for their overtime. Following the change of leadership, some leaders may receive a promotion or be transferred out. The employees at the bottom of the pyramid wondered if they could compet
Despite her unease, Snow trusted that Jet would not have the chance to hurt her. Hence, she put the matter aside. The dynamic shift within the Frosts caught the eye of elite families across the business world. They kicked Jet while he was down. Some even tried to get a piece of the pie. However, most of them stayed on the sidelines, observing. A fallen giant was still a giant. Even if these families were greedy, they had to assess the situation before moving in. These businesspeople were skeptical about Snow taking Jet’s place. They did not know what Snow was made of. Consequently, they tried to approach her. Snow had been kept busy in the office, dealing with the problems left behind by Jet. She worked late into the night every day. While being buried deep in paperwork, Snow refused to meet anyone. She had lived in Butterworth before, so she had peers from school and friends around. Snow’s sudden return caught many off guard. Everyone wanted to get close to he
If Jet had detected the problems early on, he could have prevented things from escalating. Yet now, everything was too late. Jet did not regret his actions, though. “Just sign this, Jet. At this rate, the shares will drop beyond the point of redemption,” Talon said. The Frosts were terrified at the stock market’s dropping numbers. They did not have time to lose. “I will sign the papers. I lost.” Jet did not want to give in just yet. However, he had to comply with the family elders’ pleas. Snow was relieved. The contract was quickly drawn up, and Jet signed the papers to give up the proprietorship. “Relax. I won’t do you wrong.” Snow made a promise. At least, Jet would still have a home to go back to. “Don’t get too cocky. I didn’t lose to you. I lost to Kaze.” Jet knew that he would face much resistance if his rival were Snow. It was a shame that he was up against Kaze, a strong and mysterious man. “Just sign the papers. I will take over the family empire, and
“Don’t project your filth on everyone else.” Snow was angry, but she knew that she had to keep her head cool. By jumping straight to defense mode, Snow would give others the wrong idea. She had been there before. Kaze sat still without a word. He furrowed his brows in annoyance when Jet painted his relationship with Snow dirty. “I’m not here for the drama.” Kaze looked at Talon. The senior members of the Frosts should back down before Kaze did something about it. “Who do you think you are? This is a family meeting. Why are you getting involved?“If you are unrelated to Snow, you shouldn’t be here in the first place.” Jet took out his anger on Kaze. Kaze was not part of the family anyway, so Jet did not have to consider his feelings. “Watch yourself, Jet. He’s a visitor.” Talon was smart enough to read the room. Despite the air of mystery shrouding Kaze, he managed to screw with most of Jet’s business ventures. The Frosts stood to lose more by crossing Kaze. Ta
Following Snow’s lead, Kaze entered a big conference room. The centerpiece of the conference room was a long, solid wood table, drawing out an air of solemnity. Various notable and valuable paintings hung on the wall. The expansive floor-to-ceiling window brought light into the room. Sunlight bounced off the window that displayed a picturesque view outside. “There you are.” Jet had been waiting. With the pair slowly making their way in, Jet could not hide the rage in his eyes. “Long time no see, Jet,” Snow greeted him and pulled a chair for Kaze. “It’ll take a bit of time, Chairman Lee. The senior members of my family are on their way.” Snow contacted the family elders while getting to the venue. Jet had not produced much results lately, and the Frosts were utterly humiliated. Since Jet would soon be replaced, the senior members of the family wanted to be kept in the loop. These family members had their own ideas. However, they would be happy to appoint the lea