“I’m so sorry, Mr. Lee. “I was fooled by Deborah’s and Wendell’s video and thought you stole my documents.” Cameron and the others approached Kaze. “Yeah. It was all a misunderstanding. We apologize, Mr. Lee.” The other company representatives expressed embarrassedly. “It’s okay. I didn’t take any of that to heart.” Kaze smiled and added indifferently, “Please pack your things and leave Mountain Dew Estate right away. We won’t be accepting business from you anymore.” “What are you doing, Mr. Lee?” At first, the group thought that all was forgiven with Kaze. To their dismay, he started kicking them out of the resort. The auction was about to begin. Yet, Kaze showed them the door. In other words, he was stopping them from attending the auction. “Don’t you understand the words coming out of my mouth?” Kaze grimaced. “I told you to get out!” “So what if you bought Mountain Dew Estate, Kaze? It was only two billion dollars. We all run billion-dollar corporations to
“River North Corporation and other companies are out as well. I heard they messed with the wrong person from Mountain Dew Estate. I believe it is the new owner. They are all thrown out already.” “Who is the new owner of the estate? Is he that powerful?” “Who cares, it’s none of our business. The auction is more important now.” The tumultuous crowd was silenced all of a sudden as several people walked inside. Narian was in the lead, followed by his assistant and others. “Mr. Narian Lee, you’re finally here! The Sunrise Lees had a harvest this time!” A group of people went up to Narian, flattering him with sugar-coated words. “Nonsense. We are the Lee family from the capital and we are rich! Lilyrose is just a small city! Who is capable of fighting us here? Who has the nerve to compete against us?” Narian spewed nothing but arrogance the moment his lips moved. He looked down on the people who surrounded them, showing no respect for them. Despite being looked down on,
Narian then walked away with arrogant cackles. Darcy became worried. She had a feeling that Narian would target her during the auction later. “Don’t worry, Darcy. He’s just a clown. He won’t be able to make fun of anyone soon,” Kaze said. Darcy simply hummed a reply. “My entrepreneur friends, let us begin the auction today!” The auctioneer’s voice came from the podium. The floor was silenced immediately. “The first property on our auction list today is Genting Limited, starting with twenty million with each increase no less than one hundred thousand…” The first on the list was the company that Quarter Group aimed for. Genting Limited was not a big company but its business would complement Quartet Group’s shortcomings. Darcy could merge the companies if she could get it. She did some research with her team about Genting Limited and believed they had a good chance to win the bidding. Many bidders were from big companies and they had their eyes on bigger or same sc
“Genting Limited, sold to Lee Corporation!” The mallet was slammed on the podium. The auction continued. Several smaller companies were put on auction, which were all Quartet Group’s targets, yet every single one of them was won by Narian with one extra dollar. With Lee Corporation on their back, Quartet Group could not even win a single bid! After the first round of auction, the attendees were given five minutes of break. Narian strode over with a condescending manner and grinned. “Darcy, I told you I’ll show you what a powerful man is so that you can make up your mind to leave this useless trash here. Now you see what I can do. Hahaha!” “Narian Lee, don’t get ahead of yourself!” Darcy was fuming, but helpless. She could not compete against the Lee family’s wealth. “It seems like you haven’t made up your mind, Darcy. I’ve decided.” Narian grinned widely and continued, “I will block every bid that you place and with that, I will make you remember what I am capable o
“We’re going home! I’m not staying to let Narian make a fool out of all of us!” Darcy said angrily. She attended the auction for nothing. Quartet Group was not able to win any bids. “Don’t worry. He won’t be talking for long. I said I will bid Sky Ocean Corporation for you.” Kaze tried to hold her back and bring her back to the seat. “Are you going or not? If not, I’m going.” Darcy shook his hand off and strode away. She was angry because she felt helpless in front of Narian. “Mr. Lee, are we leaving?” Riley asked carefully. She knew how powerful Kaze was. Kaze was the owner of Clover Center, where Quartet Group’s office was located. After observing Darcy for a while, Riley realized that she did not know how rich or powerful her husband was. “Leave? Not until I smack Narian in the face,” Kaze said angrily. “Now, let the bidding begin,” the auctioneer said. “Three billion.” Narian’s assistant made the first bid. “Three billion, going once.” Narian then lo
Narian’s brows twitched as his eyes widened. His assistant could even hear him grinding his teeth out of anger. Everyone else on the floor gasped. Kaze was messing with Narian the wrong way! All of them shot a sympathetic gaze at Kaze because getting Narian mad would result in nothing. With the Lee family’s wealth and influence in the capital, there was no way Kaze was his match. Instead, Narian would hold a grudge and it would not end well for Kaze. “3.1 billion!” Narian raised the sign and pushed the bidding price higher. He then shouted at Kaze, “Come on, trash! Go on!” “Go on.” Kaze waved at Riley without even looking at Narian. “3.1 billion and one dollar!” Riley said. “Four billion!” Narian was fuming already. Everyone on the floor was shocked. Due to Kaze’s annoying bidding strategy, Narian got so angry that he increased ten million in his bidding price. “Trash! I’ve put in another ten million but I will make Shangrila Group and Quartet Group pa
“Let’s talk about the other procedures when we go back. I have to go find my wife.” Kaze stood up as all eyes were on him. He stretched and wanted to leave the auction and what he said left everyone speechless. He spent five billion to purchase Sky Ocean Corporation and he looked like he had just bought a toy. “Oh, right.” At the exit, Kaze suddenly turned around and pointed at Narian. He had never taken Narian seriously throughout the entire auction except now. He said, “Useless.” He then walked away without turning back. He was not loud at all but he spoke clearly. Compared to Narian’s shouting earlier, Kaze’s nonchalant demeanor felt more powerful and indubitable. “HUH? What the fuck? He called me useless?! Why? Based on what?!” Narian was furious, even his expression turned ugly. The entire floor was filled with his furious shouts. He was called useless by Kaze, the one who everyone called a useless trash. Aggrieved, Narian almost teared up due to his
“Don’t worry, it’s going to be fine. Just stay in the car.” Kaze tapped Darcy’s hand and then got out of the car. He then leaned against the car and waited. The four men were slightly surprised. They thought Kaze would lock the door and call for help, but he got out of the car instead. The men approached him. They dragged the baseball bats along the asphalt road, causing irritating screeches. “Who sent you?” Kaze asked. Even though his first thought was Narian, there were a number of people who got into a conflict with him in Mountain Dew Estate. “You should know who did you mess with,” said one of the men. “Someone wanted us to break your legs. You want to do it yourself, or we have to do it with our bats?” One of the men then handed Kaze the baseball bat, looking at him with a contemptuous grin. Kaze saw their bulging muscles. The men were obviously trained, which explained their boldness. “I’ll do it myself.” Kaze reached out to the baseball bat. Swoosh
Arthur chuckled, his smile carrying a touch of sleaziness. “Oh, I see.” A realization dawned on Kaze. “Are you with quality control?” Several individuals in dark blue suits approached. The men and women carried files and documents. Kaze nodded without a word. “We are just here to announce the results. We shouldn’t be long.” Arthur came forward to engage with them. The group was likely given the heads-up as they had the right number of people. They swaggered into Rising Sun’s building. The general manager straightened up his tie in a fluster and walked out. None of the film productions made the cut yet, and the delay was costing the company money by the day. At this rate, the project would go down under. Eli, the general manager, rushed to the entrance upon learning the news. The review team was there to do one final check. The films would get the green light if the board found that everything was up to par. The head office would stop putting pressure on
Given Kaze’s status, Alfonso knew better than to have him waiting under the hot sun. Of course, he would send his people to be on standby for Kaze’s arrival. Peter only came to the rescue when Kaze was pestered by some street gang. Alfonso’s omission of Kaze’s identity led to this hiccup. Kaze did not care one bit about the incident. Heck, he did not even bring it up. Arthur straightened his back nervously, becoming even more cautious behind the wheel. “You knew, but why didn’t you say anything, Mr. Lee? You didn’t even tell on us.” Arthur could not understand why. However, he had more respect for the man. “I didn’t see a point. You’ll learn what happens when you displease me, so I won’t bother telling you now.” Kaze was mild-mannered as ever. He spoke softly without a hint of anger. All the more Arthur revered him. “Mr. Lee, we didn’t do our jobs right. We didn’t know who you were.“But my duty is to protect you in the dark. “We saw you getting out of the train
“Rising Sun is a media company. Several of their films are about to be released. They are trying to get them approved to air due to some censorship issues.” Arthur took out a document. “Are there any issues with the films? Why aren’t they approved yet?” Kaze asked curiously. Kaze had no idea. “There are some issues. They aren’t fit to be aired. “Typically, there aren’t a lot of restrictions for film productions so long as the themes aren’t sensitive topics. “But these films featured altered history. The company has been asked multiple times to make revisions, but the films still don’t make the cut.” The Viper’s Den’s members were not privy to the information. The Frosts were insignificant. Kaze was after the Frosts. Otherwise, the Viper’s Den would not waste its resources on a mere film production company. Jet’s investment of nearly ten million bucks in Rising Sun caught the Viper’s Den’s attention. The delayed approval of the films would be catastrophic to the in
“It’s quite a bustle even when it’s late at night.” Kaze looked down from above and saw the bright lights. A street in the distance was brightly lit with many people working into the night. “The majority of people would do many things to make a living.” Arthur rarely observed these sights. “Thank you. Keep me in the loop of any progress. I’m curious as to what you’d do.” Kaze did not see a need to get involved with the minor stuff. He delegated the tasks to his people. “If you have time, why don’t you go out and have a bit of fun, Mr. Lee?” Arthur asked. The reason for Kaze’s trip was to deal with Jet. Kaze would get some satisfaction from upsetting Jet. “I don’t want to attract attention.” The last thing Kaze wanted was to blow his cover. From Kaze’s question, Arthur knew that Kaze was interested. “No. We can give you a whole new identity.” Arthur knew what to do. “I’ll leave you to it, but don’t take it too far,” Kaze replied. Still, Kaze was intrigued a
Katie was narrow-minded to spit out the unpleasant things. Her words would never harm Kaze. Kaze took the private elevator back to the penthouse for a rest. He had more important things to do. He needed to keep tabs on the Frosts. Leah’s business was none of Kaze’s concern. Sure, Leah was in a state, being manipulated by her mother and all. However, it was a family matter at the end of the day. Kaze had no rhyme or reason to get involved. Kaze soon put the whole thing behind him. Arthur was already there at the penthouse. As Kaze entered the room, Arthur jolted up from the couch. “Mr. Lee, this is the document you requested. It should have detailed information to give you a clearer idea of the situation.” Arthur put the papers in front of Kaze and grabbed him a bottle of water. Feeling hot from his walk back, Kaze took a sip and held the document up for a look. “I got to give it to the Frosts. They sure work in the shadows.” Kaze grinned. A strong opponent p
“Despite everything I’ve said, you still won’t listen! Kaze is a liar! He befriended you with a motive. Yet, you trust him. He’s a good friend to you? What do you take me for?” Katie could not put up with her daughter’s defiance. Leah must obey her because that was what a good daughter would do. “I see you as my mother. What about you? Am I a daughter to you?” Leah did not want to ask such a distressing question. However, there was no way around it. She was escaping reality. Still, she had to swallow the truth, however cruel. “What are you talking about? I wouldn’t raise you if I didn’t consider you my daughter.” Katie worked hard to keep a level head. The last thing she wanted was the whole thing to blow up into a bigger fight. She had a lot to do for the upcoming party. There was no time to lose in keeping her daughter happy. Besides, Leah was no longer a child. Yet, she was so defiant and rebellious. “Why do you plan on giving me away if I’m supposed to be your d
Katie proudly made the statement, convinced that she had done a lot for her daughter. It was only right for Leah to be grateful and understand her sacrifice. To Katie’s surprise, Leah chuckled. “What else have you done for me? You never showed me any attention. You don’t know what I like. You have no idea what I want.” Leah finally saw her mother as the person she was. This side of Katie was terrifying. “What more do you want? Am I not supposed to work? Should I be spending every waking minute of the day with you?” Katie understood Leah’s needs. However, there was no way she could make it happen. It was not easy for a woman to take hold in the Northborn Group, much less secure a high position there. Katie went through great pains to get where she was today. Alas, Leah could not understand where she was coming from. “I’m not asking you to be with me every day. I’ve tried my best to do everything you asked of me, but you can’t even be there for me during my birthdays.
“Everything I do, I do for you. Get this straight. The guy approached you because of what I could bring to the table.” Katie was pissed by her daughter’s defiance which was becoming worse with age. “I know the kind of person he is. Without Kaze’s help, I wouldn’t have escaped. Where were you then? You’re in no position to say that. “Even if there’s something he’s after, what would he want from me? I have nothing to offer.” Leah did not believe a word Katie said. Clearly, Katie was out to get Kaze. “He’s nothing but a poor kid. Why are you blowing this out of proportion? I’ve clearly stated what needed to be done. Why are you still being stubborn?”Katie believed she had not raised her daughter right. Leah turned out pretty naïve. “I told you. He has no ulterior motive. He doesn’t know who I am. He doesn’t have any other intentions. I approached him, not the other way around.” Leah kicked herself for pulling a reckless stunt. All she did was give Kaze more problems. Kat
Leah hated her mother being unreasonable. “Don’t get the wrong idea. I fed you, I gave you clothes, I put a roof over your head, I gave you life! The least you could do is to listen to me!” Katie did not expect her daughter to go so far as to defy her. Kaze remained silent, knowing that no matter what he said, it would be meaningless to someone unwilling to listen. “Kaze, I’m sorry. It was my fault that you are in this mess. I’m a jinx…” Leah blamed herself for getting Kaze in trouble with her mother. If not because of her, he would never encounter her mother. “Shut it! Why are you apologizing!? He approached you with purpose and you can’t even see that? He’s not worthy of your time!” Katie was livid. She felt her daughter was blinded by emotions, incapable of making the right decision. And to make matters worse, the girl even apologized to Kaze—what nonsense! A poor man without any background was no match for her daughter and her status. He approached the girl becaus