“Pietro’s boss? Isn’t that Giovani Beneli?” Miru scoffed and said, “Kaze, do you even know who Giovani Beneli is? That is a big shot with a vast network and influence, even my godfather has to respect him. You are here saying that Giovani Beneli is hosting a feast for you as a token of apology? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” “Miru, if you don’t believe me, you can go up there and see for yourself,” Kaze said calmly but Miru rolled her eyes at him. Henry regained his composure and said with a smile, “I think he saw Giovani’s car at the entrance, that’s why he said so. Fortunately, there are no outsiders here, or else all of us would suffer if it reaches the man’s ears.” Everyone was afraid. “I’ve had enough of your nonsense!” Agnes slammed the table and shouted, “You keep being a retard and it embarrasses us. Get out of my face or I’ll slap you to death!” “Kaze, why don’t you go first? I’ll come home after dinner.” Darcy was embarrassed as well. She got up and dra
Miru was excited to catch a glimpse of someone that prominent as well. “Darcy, let’s go have a look at the elevator later,” Miru said as she tugged on Darcy's sleeve. “I’ll pass. I have to go back with Kaze later…” Darcy was a little tipsy after a few glasses of wine. Miru sighed disappointedly and said, “You are still thinking about that retard? This is a golden opportunity! If we leave a strong impression on those people, your family won’t have to worry about money anymore!” “Then… alright.” A while later, Geoffrey received a call. Everyone got nervous. Was the important person coming down already? Geoffrey put his phone down helplessly. “My father just called and told me the dinner is over. The important person has left.” “How unfortunate. I thought we could get a glimpse of the person…” Everyone sighed. “Darcy, are you done?” Kaze came into the room. “Kaze, what are you doing here? Go away!” Miru was still reeling in the disappointment of not seeing the
Miru scoffed. Henry narrowed his eyes and nodded. He ridiculed, “Sure, Kaze. You can show me how it’s done.” He did not want to waste his time on a retard. With his wealth, if he wanted, Darcy could live like a queen. For all that he cared, he might as well give the chance to Kaze and let him screw things up. With the useless retard as a comparison, Henry had a good chance to stand out.Agnes ignored Kaze completely and asked, “Henry, can you invite Pietro to Darcy’s birthday party? We can thank him for paying us back.” Henry’s smile froze. When he called Pietro earlier, Pietro scolded him and hung up impatiently before he could say anything. He did not expect Pietro to really pay up. He was uncertain if he was able to invite Pietro to Darcy’s party. However, when he saw Kaze looking at him, his heart tightened. He bit the bullet and said, “Agnes, don’t worry. I’ll call Pietro and invite him.” He pulled his phone out and dialed the number. His heart was pounding wildly
What? Did Darcy recover the debt? How? Deborah just told everyone that Pietro was furious because of Kaze and Darcy. Deborah and the others were stunned, including Master Quint who then dug his ears and asked, “You… You really got the money back?” Darcy nodded and gave the man the check and the account book. “Grandfather, this is the check, please have a look.” Master Quint stared at the check for a while before he breathed a sigh of relief. He nodded, “It’s a check from Pietro Beneli.” The rest of the family members felt relieved. It seemed Pietro was not mad at all because Darcy got the money back, which meant the Quint family would be safe and fine. “Hmph! Do you really think it’s you who recovered the debt? Stop dreaming!” Deborah stepped up and shouted, “If not for me, Pietro would never give you two the money! He slapped me! He must have given the money back to compensate me!” The other family members nodded in agreement upon hearing Deborah’s explanation. S
“You keep pretending. How did a retard like you get the money to buy Goddess’ Heart?” Deborah taunted Kaze before showing Darcy her new necklace. “I can’t wait to put this on during my birthday party. I will then wear it to the signing event with Sky High when I get the investment. This is sweet!” Samus flattered, “Deb, you will soon be the brightest woman in Lilyrose! As for someone else, they are not even in the same league!” Everyone was jealous. They thought highly of Vincent for buying an expensive piece of jewelry like the Goddess’ Heart for his girlfriend. How generous! Kaze’s patience ran out. He stepped forward with clenched fists but Darcy held him back. “Kaze, calm down!” “Look at that! Look at the retard! Is he trying to hit me?” Deborah pretended to be scared. “If you hit her, I’ll tell Grandfather to throw you out tomorrow!” “Hmph! A retard trying to beat Deborah?” The other family members stepped up to defend Deborah. Samus raised his phone and thre
Sammy reluctantly accepted the black card. “Mr. Lee, is this our bank’s card? I have never seen it in black.” Deborah and Vincent were done with their business. They overheard Sammy and came back to have a glance at the black card. “Hahaha! Kaze, you useless trash! You are using a fake card?! What a joke!” Deborah laughed out loud. Vincent scoffed and said to Kate, “I can’t look at them anymore. Please throw them out.” “Ah, yes. I’ll…” Kate nodded repeatedly before she glanced at the black card. It stopped her from finishing her sentence and a strange look appeared on her face. She went up and snatched the black card from Kaze’s hand. “Sammy, stay here. I’ll go inform the president.” Kate checked the black card repeatedly before she ran upstairs to the manager's office. Deborah came over and said, “Darcy, do you know using a fake card at a bank is illegal? You two are really trying to get yourself caught.” Darcy was frightened; even her hands and feet turned cold.
Agnes glared at Kaze as she breathed heavily. She ran into the kitchen and came back out with a knife. “Keep talking nonsense! If not for you, we wouldn’t be expelled! I will kill you!” As soon as her words subsided, Agnes swung the knife at Kaze. “Mom, what are you doing!?” Darcy cried in shock, her face turned pale. Hector was frightened as well. He did not expect his wife to do something so dangerous. The knife was swung at him, but Kaze was not afraid at all. With a swift move of his body to the side, the knife missed him and hit the floor at the door. “What the hell?!” A frightened cry came from outside the door. Everyone turned to the entrance and saw Henry, frightened. “Henry? What are you doing here?” Agnes recollected her composure and went up to the man. Henry slowly recovered from his fright. He forced a smile on his face and said, “Agnes, I heard you guys were expelled from the family, so I thought I’d visit with some gifts.” The mood turned serious
Meanwhile at Lily Rose Court, Darcy put on a new dress and makeup, but she still looked poor. “Kaze, I’m done. Let’s go.” Darcy smiled beautifully. Even though Kaze was not able to give her a grand birthday party, she was happy as long as they were together.Kaze nodded with a smile. He tried to hold Darcy’s hand but Agnes appeared and slapped his hand away.Displeased, Agnes said, “Are you really going to dinner with this retard? Henry is hosting a party at a five-star hotel for you. Each table costs one hundred thousand dollars.” As soon as her words subsided, car honks came from outside the house. Agnes relaxed her brows and said, “It must be Henry. Darcy, come on!” When they came down, they saw Henry in a handsome white suit and a large bouquet of roses, leaning against his Maserati. He strode over when he saw Darcy descending. “Darcy, happy birthday. Here’s your present.” Then, he opened a jewelry box to reveal a diamond ring. “Henry, this…” Darcy frowned, se
“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