“Well, someone has to make a sacrifice for the betterment of the family.” Darcy’s family looked up at Rudy in disbelief. It never occurred to them that Rudy could say something so shameless, making such a high-sounding statement in a rather matter-of-fact way. “What the hell is that supposed to mean, Rudy? Does your daughter’s reputation mean more than mine?” Agnes shouted, outraged.“Hmph! Darcy lost her honor the moment she married that loser, Kaze.” “No other eligible bachelors would look in Darcy’s direction even if she divorces Kaze. Deborah is a different story. She had only dated Vincent. Despite the issue with the Hansers, we could say that Deborah had no idea.”“Darcy should sacrifice for the sake of the family,” other family members expressed their opinions. These words cut like a knife. Darcy felt pain like never before. She had witnessed her family’s impudence one too many times. It never crossed her mind that there was no limit to their shamelessness.
The security officer froze, his raised hand paused in the air. “Kaze!” Darcy exclaimed with joy. Color returned to her pale face. The sight of Kaze gave her assurance. “Come to me.” Kaze walked over, ignoring the encircling security detail. He reached his hand out and pulled Darcy behind him. He narrowed his eyes at the Quints, his gaze finally falling on Rudy. “When will you ever learn, Rudy? You and your family are out to get my wife again. No wonder you wouldn’t let me tag along.” Rudy’s face flushed with rage. “Kaze, do you think we are the family we once were? We are now considered elites, and I am the head of the household. We won’t tolerate your brazen attitude,” he yelled. “Ha! Elites? I just took down the three top families.” Kaze scowled. “I will let today slide, and you owe this to my wife’s family. If you take this any further, I will put you back in your place, and you can forget living that dream of yours.” “Who do you think you are, loser!” The
Darcy froze. Color washed off her face. “Rudy, she’s your niece!” Hector turned his wheelchair around and stared at his brother in disbelief. Darcy would be disowned and stripped of the family name. It was the worst punishment to any individual in Arcadia where family mattered most. Even when Kaze was disowned, his family name was not taken away from him. “If she can’t make the necessary sacrifice for the family, then I don’t have a niece like her.” Rudy scoffed. “You better think it through, Hector. If Darcy doesn’t file the report, you, including Darcy and Sky, will no longer carry the family name.” “What about family, Rudy? We are supposed to be a family. That’s ruthless of you!” As tears rolled down his cheeks, Hector yelled desperately, “Dad, come out and say something. I’m your son too!” It was quiet inside the house. “Don’t bother. Grandfather can’t hear you. Even if he can, he will support us!” “If you still want to be a part of the family, you should
Rumor had it that Darcy did not want Mathias to find out and move on from her. Hence, she pushed Deborah out as the scapegoat. The explanation made perfect sense. Now, everybody believed Darcy was the victim of an assault case. However, nobody was sympathetic. They believe she deserved it. “Argh! Rudy and the others are so vile!” Hector spat out blood once more and fell off his wheelchair. He rolled on the ground, feeling the pain in his leg. Nevertheless, the emotional turmoil far outweighed the physical pain. With Agnes passing out, everybody carried her to her room for a rest. All that hubbub worked up to a sweat. Darcy then received a call from Ash. “Ms. Quint, you must have seen the Quints’ statement by now. We have a large number of senior officers and employees handing in their resignations at Sky Ocean Corporation as we speak.” The Quints’ statement rocked the community. Unrest was stirring within Sky Ocean Corporation as well. The company had be
The three thugs were treated like royalty. The eyes of the other gangsters were glued on them. “Haha! Darcy’s skin was super soft. I couldn’t get enough of her. You know what those women look like with filters on TikTok. Well, she doesn’t need a filter.” “Her voice was like ecstasy!” “She’s a wild one in bed.” The three thugs chugged beers and bragged about their night with Darcy. “Fuck! I wish I had your luck. She’s the chairman of Sky Ocean!” “Yeah. If only I could have a night with her.” The other thugs were envious. “Go to hell!” A grimacing voice echoed across the room. Mathias led Kaze into the crowd. He was infuriated to catch these gangsters talking about Darcy. “Who the hell are you, jackass? Are you here looking for trouble?” A thug sprang to his feet and picked up a beer bottle to pound on the edge of the table. Clang! The beer bottle cracked open. The thug flung around the broken bottle and approached Mathias. “Jackass, I dare you to breath
“Mr. Queen, you!” Gold Tooth put his hand over his face in shock and rage before facing the dark corner. The feeling that the voice sounded familiar nagged at him. “Again.” The voice came from the darkness. Smack! It then struck Gold Tooth. He froze. Gold Tooth did not feel the pain when Mathias struck him. He looked in the direction of the voice and moved closer to it. The dim light gave Gold Tooth a better view of the young man sitting on the sofa. Thump! Gold Tooth fell to his knees and scooted forward in a kneeling position. He made his way to Kaze and talked in a way to garner sympathy, “Mr. Lee, it’s me. It’s only been a few days. Have you forgotten me already?” Holy shit! A commotion stirred in the bar. Gold Tooth, a well-known name in the criminal world, had kneeled before a young man. He even fawned over the young man. Gold Tooth found himself in a dilemma. When he and Dan went to Azure Estate to seek Cronus, they messed up the task assig
“Sure.” The three thugs immediately contacted Deborah. Kaze said indifferently, “Nothing to see here. The rest of you should go back to doing whatever you were doing.” The atmosphere at the bar resumed its liveliness. However, the patrons, fueled by curiosity, kept an eye on the dark corner. Soon, Deborah arrived at the bar. Nothing she saw in the bar struck her as odd.She approached the three thugs and handed over a check. “Hand me the phone.” “What’s the rush, darling?” The three thugs did not accept the check. “Take the money and hurry along. What else do you want?” Deborah’s eyes bulged. One of the thugs said cheekily, “We couldn’t forget you since that day.” “That’s right. We want to relive the moment with you, darling.” The other two thugs got up to grab her.“Get lost!” Deborah slapped away their hands and snapped an angry look at them. “Bastards! I can never forget how much you stink! I want to barf just thinking about it.” “Haha! I guess our
Deborah knew what was going on the minute she saw Kaze. She turned and glared at the three thugs. “He was the one who knocked you out the other night, losers. Why are you taking orders from him?” “If I hadn’t knocked them unconscious, they wouldn’t have had a nice time with you, Deborah.“You three should thank me, right?” Kaze said with a chuckle. The three thugs pulled ugly smiles. “Gold Tooth, hand me the phone.” Deborah pointed at Gold Tooth. “If you don’t do as I say, I will have my people eliminate you, old fool. The Quints are not people you can mess with.” Gold Tooth passed the phone to Kaze without hesitation. Deborah went ballistic. “You got a good angle of her.” Kaze tossed the phone back to Gold Tooth. “You have a job before your retirement. Send this video to your men. Tell them to share the video on their TikTok, in WhatsApp groups, other social media platforms, and whatnot.” “Don’t you dare, Kaze! I’ll make you regret it,” Deborah shrieked. “Take i
“Just tell me what you need, Arthur. You wouldn’t be calling unless you have received orders.” Philip was surprised to get a call from Arthur. Though they were acquainted, they had only communicated because of work. “We have just left Rising Sun. Don’t approve the films for now.” Arthur was blunt. “I can do that, but can I ask why?” Philip was caught in a dilemma because he had just promised Jet to release the films. Philip needed to know if the orders to delay came from a high power who could cover his ass. “Since you got a call from me, you should know that there are eyes on Jet. “You should know what you can and cannot say. Otherwise, you never know when you’re going to lose your job.” Arthur threatened. Philip was reluctant. He accepted Jet’s payment, and now he had to go back on his word. Nevertheless, Arthur was part of the Viper’s Den, and his status was rather unique. Arthur provided services to confidential individuals. These individuals were elites among t
A balanced, profitable dynamic had been developed among the ports in Butterworth. Jet spotted his chance in the lucrative port business. He covertly took out some money to invest in a dying port. The port was situated in a more remote area. Some businesspeople favored more accessible ports. This drove shippers away from the dying port. Jet snagged the steal and improved the logistics and facilities around the area. The port was up and running again. Business at the port was decent enough. As the Frosts would run their business through the port, the local economy took off too. It was a good thing. However, Jet set his sights on several residential buildings around the area. He needed space to accommodate containers. The land was required to make business at the port more profitable. This triggered a whole new thing. Jet could spend some money to buy the residents out of their homes. However, the residents preferred to stay put in their long-time homes. No a
“I’ll keep the bank cards for now. I’ll talk to our superiors and give you a decision. Since the man said that the cards are meant for us, they won’t be going anywhere.” Knox had no idea who Kaze was, but he knew Arthur was with the Viper’s Den. Arthur must be someone from high places. Eli soon put the little incident behind him. He got a call from Aloysius yesterday and was made aware of Jet’s plans. The films had been put on hold for far too long, and the people above Eli were anxious to get things moving. Though Eli was surprised by the review board’s visit, everything was still in his control. Eli left the matter at that without reporting the incident to the higher-ups. The flashy, red car sped along the road. Arthur kept looking back at Kaze, eager to find out about the next plan. Arthur brought Kaze out today to witness how Eli and his team operated. As it happened, Eli adopted such a shallow ploy. Arthur was not surprised, though. Eli’s methods were common.
Eli dined offhandedly as if he had taken hold of the group. His words were layered with threat. “What? Are you trying to replace us?” Knox asked in disbelief. “I don’t have that power, but the investor does. I heard that he enjoyed dinner with your superiors. I’m sure the project will get the green light in no time. “Even if you didn’t approach me today, my team and I would have invited you out for a get-together.” Eli knew when to back down, easing the tension in the air. It was another type of reconciliation. Eli needed to go through the review board to get the rights to air the films. The carrot-and-stick approach was the best way forward. Kaze was surprised by the sophistication of Eli’s tactics. Still, he believed he had come to the right place. Sure enough, Jet would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. Surely, he was bound to leave loose ends. Nevertheless, he probably did not care. Arthur cocked his head back to look at Kaze. Kaze grinned, unbothered
The purpose of the visit was to inform Rising Sun that the films did not make the cut. Since Rising Sun would not make the necessary amendments, the project would come to a halt. “Please, don’t. Since we are all here, we should talk it out.” It took Eli quite some effort to get the group to the hotel. Eli had plans to please the crowd, so he could not let them leave just yet. This went beyond getting the green light for the films. Eli needed to make the group happy. “There is nothing more to talk about. We can’t proceed unless you make the changes.” There was no way around it. Since Rising Sun refused to make the right amendments, and Knox had orders about putting a hold on Rising Sun’s films, that was one less problem for Knox to deal with. Eli could not let the group walk out on him. Hence, he quickly sent people in. Several thinly clad women entered, each holding a small bag. Despite the weightlessness, the bag appeared to be carrying something of substance. “You
For that reason, Rising Sun’s film productions were not cleared to be aired. “I told you the reason. The investor supplied us with the scripts, and we were told to base our productions on the scripts. Our hands are tied.”Eli would have made the amendments if he could. He knew where the problem lay. However, the company had to take the investor’s perspective into consideration. In the end, the films were yet to be approved for release. “I guess you won’t get the permission to air them then.” Knox was surprised that Rising Sun would not budge on the matter. Nevertheless, Knox and his team were not there to give the all-clear or talk some sense into Rising Sun. Knox and his team could care less about what Eli had to say. “We’re serious about getting the approval. “I’m sorry that we aren’t a better host for your visit today. Why don’t we move to the nearby hotel for a talk?” With the review board making an appearance, Eli knew there was still hope. If Eli did not grab
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