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
Frank informed the guild that Shangrila Group was behind the impersonation of the God of War that made the headlines for the past two days. The guild paid close attention to this incident. Soon, a notice was released by the guild. The guild demanded all the offline medical supply distributors in South River to boycott the products manufactured by Shangrila Group. Whoever disobeyed the guild would be punished severely. “Shangrila Group purchased the factory and wanted to start production, but where are they going to sell the products?” Frank grinned when he learned the news. The notice from the guild was effective immediately. Everyone knew Shangrila Group was blacklisted. “Mr. Chairman, Ms. Souffle, we just got a call from Mr. Oliver Ramos, the CEO of Cynotech Medical, South River Branch. He wanted to cancel the meeting for tomorrow.” Sophie, the chairman’s assistant, updated Winnie and Kaze when they came back from the factory. Cynotech Medical was one of the top f
They could not even get out of South River State and Kaze was talking about nationwide sales? The executives were stunned by his words. They neither expressed it with their looks nor their voices, but they thought it was ridiculous. The chairman was either too naive or a complete rookie in the business world and its ecosystem. Shangrila Group had just been rebuilt and they had yet to form their own sales channel or have their sales team. In order to deliver their products to the consumers, the products must be on the racks of different physical stores and the only way to distribute the products was through the distributors, who had the sales channel. Kaze saw through their thoughts. He said calmly, “Why must we rely on the distributors? Our product can be sold online.” “Online?” The executives were surprised by his suggestion. They had never thought about it before because they were thinking in an orthodox way. “Anthony, can the chairman’s suggestion work?” Winnie aske
“The Four Ocean Commerce Guild thought they could kill us off with just one blacklist notice. How childish!” “There are more than a dozen social media platforms online! For example, Mega Dance, the hottest short video platform currently, we can market there and reach the entire nation! We don’t have to worry about the sales anymore!” The despair from being blacklisted faded when they found the solution. The executives were energized. “Let’s call it a day for now.” Kaze waved at them and ended the meeting since it was getting late. “Mr. Chairman, I have something to talk to you about.” Winnie stayed back. She said, “The company still has shortcomings in the biomedical field. I am planning to go south for a bit after James’ death anniversary. “I am going to look for talents and specialists in the field to join us in the R&D department.” After the Taylor Swan incident, Shangrila Group was turned down by multiple famous medical research teams, despite a handsome reward.
The video was clear, unlike the blurry surveillance footage. Someone at the party must have recorded the whole thing. It did not seem like Ryan was faking it, especially when his leg was hit by the baseball bat. Kaze could confirm that it was all a misunderstanding. Winnie misunderstood Ryan as the one who betrayed James. However, Zach, Aster, and Shelly obviously turned on James. Based on the video, Frank must have threatened James using Ryan and his team. That explained why James was forced to jump off the building. He took his own life because he wanted to protect the employees that he viewed as family. He was not a coward that the world claimed! James died a bitter death. Other than Ryan, others celebrated his death. Judging by their reaction, Frank must have bought them out long ago. “The lab achieved a major breakthrough that day and hosted a barbeque party on the rooftop. Frank invited James but I didn’t go because I was not feeling well. “I didn’t know Rya
The woman was Ryan’s wife, Rei. She scolded Ryan when she saw him talking to others. Ryan shrugged and said, “Rei, this is Winnie Souffle from Shangrila Group…” “I don’t care what souffle or pancake! If they are not here to see a doctor or buy medicine, tell them to… Wait, what? What did you say?” Rei widened her eyes at Winnie. “Winnie White you mean? James White’s wife?” Winnie smiled. “It’s Souffle now. Hi, Rei. I’m here on behalf of Shangrila Group to invite Ryan back to the company as the technical supervisor for the lab…” “Oh no you don’t!” Rei shouted and stopped Winnie before she could finish. “You just want the patent that Ryan has!” Rei’s arms akimbo as she glared at Winnie. “Don’t even think about it!” Winnie frowned. “Rei, the patents belonged to Ryan. Even if we were to use it, we would pay him accordingly, but a part of it belongs to our lab and it’s only natural for us to take it back.” “Winnie is right.” Ryan nodded. “What did you say?!” Rei slap
“He’s the chairman of Shangrila Group?” Upon hearing Winnie, not only Zach, Aster, and Shelly were shocked, but even Ryan looked at Kaze in surprise. No one expected that the young man who kept a low profile behind Winnie was the chairman who single-handedly brought Shangrila Group back to life. “Ryan, the chairman is here to welcome you back,” Winnie said. She wanted to use this chance to persuade Ryan back to oversee the lab. “Hmph! Chairman? So what? We are now working for the top three families!” “The top three families are kings in Lilyrose! They even got rid of Shangrila Group two years ago, and they can do it again now!” “As a matter of fact, Frank alone was more than enough to destroy you and your little chairman, let alone the top three families combined!” Zach, Aster, and Shelly mocked Winnie and Kaze after the initial surprise. The three of them were recruited by the top three families but they were never part of the core team. They had no idea that durin
“Get him!” Zach ordered Aster and Shelly. The three of them jumped on Ryan, punching and kicking him for the patents. Being crippled, Ryan was not capable of fighting back. He hugged his head and curled up his body on the ground, grunting in pain. The three of them were his students once, yet they turned on him. “Good one! Beat him to death! Useless piece of shit! If you gave the patents to the top three families, I would have lived a better life for the past two years, not being poor!” What devastated Ryan even more was his wife, Rei, cheering on his assaulters instead of helping him. “Hand it over!” “No!” Ryan refused to loosen his lips even though he was beaten up. Shelly was infuriated. She lifted her foot wearing the heel and aimed at Ryan’s crotch. Slap! Suddenly, a slap landed on her face and sent her to the ground. “What the fuck? You slapped me?!” She screamed as she covered her face. Slap! Slap! Kaze ignored the woman and slapped Zach and Aster t
“What do you want?” The call quickly connected, and Everett’s annoyed voice came on. Everett never had the patience for his airhead of a son. Due to Duncan’s recent involvement with Kaze, Everett was humiliated, and he still had not let things go. Duncan looked at Kaze, and the latter took the phone and said indifferently, “How are you, Mr. Techman?” “Who are you? Wait, Kaze?” On the other end of the line, Everett was flustered. However, his experience dealing with challenges anchored him down, and he said curtly, “Why do you have Duncan’s phone, Kaze?” “You should ask your son what he did.” Kaze took the phone away from his ear and gestured for Duncan to talk. “Dad, this is on me…” Duncan sobbingly recounted the whole thing. “Bastard!” Everett blew up. “Why did you get involved? Didn’t you learn your lesson?” Everett came down hard on Duncan. However, Kaze frustratedly interrupted them. “That’s enough, Mr. Techman. Don’t play dumb.“I don’t care if you kne
“What are you doing?” Marilyn rose to her feet and shouted in a panic. “Are you trying to get yourself killed, boy?” Duncan’s security team charged ahead. They were newly hired, so they had not met Kaze before. Kaze had crippled the prior security team. “Stay away!” Duncan shouted to stop his bodyguards. Lying on the floor, he looked at Kaze and said with a sad face, “What are you doing, Kaze? I didn’t upset you today.” “Thud!” Kaze kicked him. “Did you not? Is that why you set Sasha up? “You have some nerve.” Darcy witnessed Kaze’s violence without a word. She believed Duncan deserved it after what he did. Duncan shivered. He knew that Kaze had seen through his plans, and there was nothing he could do or say to get himself out of the mess. Kaze drew close and put his foot on Duncan’s chest. He asked curtly, “Am I doubting your integrity?”“N-No.” Duncan stammered, “I have no integrity. I’m a scumbag. I’m a nobody in your presence.” “Can I call Marlboro
Despite Duncan’s sad state, no one dared to look down on him. Duncan’s family owned Marlboro after all. However, the crowd was curious as to how Duncan got himself all beat up. Who would lay a finger on Duncan in all of Riverbank anyway? “How are you feeling, Mr. Techman?” Marilyn greeted Duncan with a smile and sucked up to him. “Cut the crap!” Duncan waved his hand annoyedly. “Where’s Sasha?” “She’s there.” Following the direction of Marilyn’s pointed finger, Duncan quickly saw Darcy standing with Sasha. Darcy’s beauty took Duncan’s breath away. However, the only thing on his mind was revenge now. Duncan immediately turned to Sasha. “Do you still remember me, Ms. Spoon?” Sasha looked at Duncan in surprise. “Oh, it’s you, Mr. Techman.” “Heh. That’s right.”Sasha was all Duncan focused on. He laughed cryptically. “I’m only in this state because of you, Ms. Spoon. “Who’s the guy who has your back? Get his ass here!” Duncan was eager to ruin Sasha and get
“Mr. Techman’s family runs Marlboro. He’s only helping Ms. Spoon because he took pity on her. “Besides, it won’t reflect well on the business if we don’t sort things out. “Mr. Techman doesn’t mind the money, so Ms. Spoon can take her time in paying him back. “Ms. Spoon has the look and attitude to work in sales at Marlboro after she finishes school too. “Of course, we offer a good salary too.” Marilyn turned to Sasha. “Ms. Spoon, you can write the IOU now. You’re lucky that Mr. Techman took notice of the situation. “Mr. Techman doesn’t usually have time to care about these matters.” Sasha looked at Marilyn and said shyly, “I’ll only follow Kaze’s lead.” Marilyn grimaced, and her gaze fell on Kaze. “What do you want to do about this, Mr. Lee? “Normally, Mr. Techman won’t bother with these trivial matters.” Kaze looked hesitant. “Why don’t you call Mr. Techman here, so we can talk face-to-face?“I just don’t feel comfortable unless that happens.” Marilyn put on a s
“I’m sure a big man like Mr. Techman won’t expect us to cover our losses.” Marilyn took out her phone to make a call. She then said, “I’ve asked Mr. Techman. He said that though Ms. Spoon caused the vase to fall, you are partly responsible for not taking safety precautions. “The responsibility should be shared, and Ms. Spoon only has to pay a million and five hundred thousand dollars.“How does that sound?” Chloe looked reluctant. “Huh? Just a million and a half? We’re taking half the loss.” “What? Doesn’t Mr. Techman’s words mean anything to you?” Marilyn pulled a long face. Chloe shuddered and said with a nod, “Of course. A million and a half, it is. I expect cash.” Marilyn turned to Kaze. “You heard it, Mr. Lee. They have dropped the price to half because of Mr. Techman.” “Huh? It’s still a million and a half. I don’t think we can afford it.” Kaze looked distressed. “Can’t Mr. Techman be so kind and let us off the hook from paying? I’ll be eternally grateful.” D
“No.” Kaze’s reply threw Darcy for a loop. She said in shock, “So the vase is real?” “It’s a counterfeit.” Kaze murmured, “I lied about the modern markings to scare them, but it doesn’t mean that the vase is authentic. “I’m pretty sure this is a scam. “The manager of Marlboro is in on it with the couple too.” Darcy’s eyes widened. “Ms. Angus is in on it too? This can’t be right. Sasha doesn’t appear wealthy. Why would they target Sasha?” “That’s right.” Kaze fell into contemplation. “They pulled off a big one, only to pick a girl who can’t afford the money.“I’m curious about who is behind this. What is this person after? “Babe, get Pamela on the case. Who owns Marlboro?” Darcy texted Pamela right away. Marilyn approached and said, “You are friends with Ms. Spoon, right, Mr. Lee?” “That’s right.” Kaze said with a pretentious smile, “So how much do we have to pay?” “I’m sorry.” Marilyn said with a wry smile, “I’ve tried my best to persuade Chloe and Ron
“Please trust our professionalism, Mr. Lee. “Given our reputation as the biggest antiques trader in Riverbank and the South River State, we cannot allow any sort of mistake.” Kaze chuckled as Marilyn dropped the pretense. “Even if a mistake does happen in Marlboro, you will sweep it under the rug to protect the mall’s reputation.”Kaze smiled pretentiously. “Is that what you’re trying to say?”Raising a brow, Marilyn took a step forward and said solemnly, “Let me make this clear to you again, Mr. Lee. This sort of mistake will never happen in Marlboro.”“Fine. I’ll take your word for it.”Kaze grinned and said, “Even if the vase is worth three million dollars, we should check the surveillance tape. “Did Sasha really cause the vase to fall, or was this fall pinned on her? “Can we do that?” Marilyn stared at Kaze with a straight face before beaming. “You have made a reasonable request. “Go and retrieve the surveillance footage.” She waved her arm at one of her people
Marilyn looked at the clamoring crowd who suspected that the couple were scammers. She raised her voice and said, “Don’t worry. As a business, Marlboro is committed to impartiality.“We will handle the matter fairly.” The chatter faded as the crowd was curious about the approach Marilyn would take for a fair resolution. Marilyn called upon all the witnessing staff members and asked solemnly, “What happened?” The staff members recounted the event. Marilyn then turned to the plump woman and said coldly, “Your husband started the fight, and the man here simply retaliated with a slap. “Fred and his team jumped to conclusions. They deserved the beating. “You shouldn’t be hung up about your husband being slapped. The question is whether the man would like to pursue legal action.” “I…” The plump woman grimaced, reluctant to let things go. However, she appeared terrified of Marilyn. Her lips quivered in a moment of silence. Marilyn turned her attention to Kaze and grinned.
The crowd nodded in agreement. “That’s right. The couple must be scammers, picking on the girl because she doesn’t know her stuff.” “Security! Where’s security?” “Why isn’t someone from the mall taking care of this?” The crowd believed the couple were scammers. “Please give way.” Soon, several security officers arrived on the scene, and the leader glanced at the plump woman. Getting the message from the woman, the security leader approached Kaze and said menacingly, “Boy, are you up to something? Ron and his wife are long-time customers here. I have never seen you around before, though.“You’re something else to assault a customer here. Do you know who owns the place?” The security leader pointed at the door. “Get out, or I’ll make you!” Kaze asked, “Are you in on it too?” The security leader narrowed his eyes. “What did you say? I dare you to say it again.” “I said that you’re in on it too.” Kaze pointed at the middle-aged couple while eyeing the security lead