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
Crack! Before the man could finish, Kaze stomped on his leg. “Aaaargh!” The man screamed in pain once more. Kill him and abduct Darcy. Kaze knew exactly what Narian was trying to achieve. “Narian, you bastard!” Back in the car, Darcy, who was mortified, shouted angrily, “Kaze, let’s call the police.” “I’m afraid he will be released after one day he’s arrested.” Kaze denied her suggestion. He looked at the man on the ground. “Call Narian and tell him the job is done. Tell him to come over.” The man was still suffering from a broken leg but he dared not defy Kaze anymore. He endured the pain and made a call to Narian. “Sir, it’s done.” “You got Darcy already? Great! Nicely done. I’m on my way.” Narian hung up the phone with an evil laugh. A while later, a motorcade consisting of expensive cars came down from the estate. Narian came out of his car and went over to the scene. He realized only one of his men remained conscious and everyone was injured. He
Narian was mortified when he heard Kaze’s frosty and merciless voice. He was frightened and his eyes were teary. The arrogant and rude young master of the Lees was gone and was replaced by a frightened boy. “Kaze, the Lee family will come after you! You have no idea how powerful we have become! No one can save you!” he shouted his lungs out. “Do you know why I didn’t push you over the cliff?” Kaze’s words stopped Narian’s crying immediately. Narian could tell from Kaze’s calm tone that it was not just a bluff. Kaze would really kill him if he continued to scream. “That’s because I want the Lee family to see what happened to you, and I want every one of them to know, including that old geezer, George. If all of you don’t come to Lilyrose and apologize to my wife within a month, they will end up just like you.” Kaze then turned around and went back to his car. The car then drove off from everyone’s frightened gaze. “Kaze, you are being too fierce just now,” Darcy said
“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