“Hello, Mr. Yale. Is there anything I can do for you?” Reminded by the reviewing panel’s hypocrisy, Darcy sounded rather indifferent. “Our committee has reviewed your proposal again, Ms. Quint, and we believe you could be eligible for funding. “Why don’t you drop by, and we’ll have a talk?” To Darcy’s surprise, Federick was not just fobbing her off. He had audited her business proposal once more. Federick turned out to be serious and responsible with his work. Maybe she got the wrong idea about Federick. He might not be in cahoots with those people. He probably did everything he could so as not to rub the Sunrise Lees the wrong way. “Thank you, Mr. Yale. I will be there right away.” Darcy ended the call with a thrill. “Who is Mr. Yale?” Kaze asked. Darcy replied enthusiastically, “He’s the head of the reviewing committee and a faculty member of the University of South River. He said he looked into our proposal again and believed we have a good chance of getting
“Mr. Yale, you have underestimated me.” Darcy said coldly, “I rather not take dirty money.” She would not agree even if billions were offered to her, much less 10 million dollars. Federick was insulting her to expect she would sleep with him for 10 million dollars. “Can money be dirty?” Seeing that Darcy stood firm on her ground, Fedrick’s patience wore thin. He had toyed with many students over the years. All it took was a little carrot and a stick, and they all came crawling to him. It infuriated him that he could not get through to Darcy. Federick got up and walked to the office door. Click!He locked the door! “What are you trying to do, Federick?” Struck by a thought, Darcy turned white and uttered angrily, “We are in a professional setting where people come and go. You won’t get away with assaulting me.” “So you do know we are in the office of the reviewing committee.” Federick sneered, “Since Quartet Group’s business proposal failed to make the cut
“Mr. Yale is a faculty member of the University of South River. You’re vile to lay your hands on him!” “You are Darcy, the chairman of Quartet Group. It’s a unanimous decision of the committee that your proposal didn’t make it past the preliminary review. I can’t believe you would take up a personal vendetta against Mr. Yale. That’s outrageous of you.” The group was up in arms, criticizing Darcy sternly. “It’s not what you think. Federick threatened me to sleep with him and tried to force himself on me. My husband hit him to save me. It was an act of self-defense,” Darcy jumped in to explain before things could get way more out of hand.However, the group only believed the truth in front of them. No one would take her word for it. “Bullshit! Mr. Yale is a highly respected member of the community. He would never threaten you to sleep with him. Who are you trying to fool?” “I can’t believe you’d try to play the victim and push the blame on Mr. Yale. He can’t speak for himse
Footsteps approached. The chief of police, Don, arrived at the scene with officers in tow. “Chief Braders, arrest these two individuals at once. They waged a personal vendetta against Mr. Yale and slandered us for taking bribes.” Malcolm recognized Don. When the reviewing panel was selected, Don and Johnson the Mayor were there to welcome them. Johnson was courteous to the experts on the committee. Malcolm ordered Don around the moment the latter arrived. Ignoring Malcolm, Don turned to Kaze and Darcy. He was relieved to see them safe and sound. Don nodded at Kaze before facing the group with a stern look. He waved his arm. “Take these experts away for questioning.” The police officers went to apprehend Malcolm and the others. “Why are you arresting us?” “This is an outrage. We are the experts. On what charges are you arresting us?” The dumbfounded experts exclaimed angrily. Kaze and Darcy should be the ones cuffed. “What’s the meaning of this, Chief Brad
“Mine is an old man with one foot in the grave. I can’t be more repulsed.” The group of beautiful women identified each and every expert. Two of them even pointed their fingers at the same person. Malcolm and the others turned flushed in the face. All their secrets were laid bare. Even the most innocent knew what was going on at that point. Malcolm and the other refined-looking experts sought escort services together last night. “Cut the bull crap. Why did you provide services to them if you felt disgusted? It’s always about the money,” Don lectured in annoyance. He then turned to Malcolm’s group and uttered curtly, “Samus Quint arranged the meeting for you after midnight. “We have records of Samus’ bank transactions. He paid more than five thousand dollars for each service. I guess he went for premium escorts.“We also obtained video surveillance of them entering your hotel rooms.“What do you have to say for yourselves?” The other members of the reviewing commit
“You are a prominent businesswoman in the city, Ms. Quint. I’m sure your proposal will make the cut.” Johnson curried her favor. “Thank you, Mayor Brooks.” Darcy was overjoyed and even nodded at Johnson while walking away. Johnson broke out in a cold sweat. The nod was too much of a courtesy to accept. “Mr. Lee, um…” Kaze waved his arm, showing that he did not mind at all. Relieved, Johnson said, “I have looked into six billion dollars approved to the Quints and the Lees. The money has been wired to them. “I got my people on the case to get the money back.” “I see,” Kaze responded. Soon, Johnson got a call. His face turned horrified. “What’s wrong? The money can’t be recovered?” Kaze scowled, but it was not surprising. The Quints might cough the money back out. However, the Sunrise Lees would not honor the wishes of a mayor. “My contact mentioned that the Quints and Lees are at the auction as we speak, buying the top three families’ assets like there’s
“Pipe down, or people might think we are so full of ourselves.” Darcy pinched Kaze, but the joy was written all over her face. She said in haste, “I need to get back to the office. I can’t let the God of War down. I need to make the most out of the one billion dollars.” The support fund was transferred to the corporate account rather swiftly. Darcy was motivated and driven with ambition. She had her eyes set on the top three families’ assets and intended to put in her bids at the auction. Nevertheless, she did not go at it blindly like the Quints and Lees. She put her team in charge of evaluating the value of the businesses. Besides, Darcy did not have massive funds like the Sunrise Lees. She did not want to stretch herself thin. Kaze kept Darcy company in her office, but she did not have time for him. Hence, he left. He exited Clover Center.Snow's Maybach was waiting at the side of the road. She was not the only one waiting by the car. Mathias was there too.
“They are still in a bidding frenzy.“The Quints just asked for a loan, and they are using their newly purchased assets as collateral for a one-billion-dollar loan.“I approved the loan as you have instructed, Mr. Chairman.” Snow was still the chairman of Lilyrose Bank. She could be considered the queen of all the bank systems in Lilyrose. “Master Quint is an idiot. He’s so self-absorbed that he thinks he can play the game like the Sunrise Lees.” Kaze shook his head. He had no qualms about sharing his real opinion about Master Quint behind Darcy’s family’s back. Kaze lost all respect for the old man. “Darcy wants to join the auction. Pick a larger-scale business with good prospects for me, Snow. I want to get it for her.” Kaze added, “The one billion dollars she has isn’t enough.” Knowing Darcy, she would not borrow money blindly just to expand her business. She would not go beyond her risk tolerance. Hence, Kaze decided to buy a firm for her. After much tho
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