Miru grunted. She knew that with Albert’s arrival, Kaze gained even more confidence in his bragging and bluffs. Kaze was smart enough to stop impersonating the God of War, or else Albert would probably strangle him alive. Steve was shaking on the ground. He did not take Kaze’s words for granted. From now on, he decided to never use the title ‘Invincible Lee’ anymore. “Who went to the hospital and took the professor?” Kaze went over to the main seat and sat down. “Mr. Lee, it’s my son and his men. I’ll call them in right now!” Steve, with his knees on the ground, turned as Kaze walked past him. Kaze hummed a reply. Soon, the five men whom Sully brought to Lilyrose came in and knelt in a single row. Sully knelt and said, “Mr. Lee, I’ll be honest. I might be rude but I didn’t hurt the professor at all.” “I know. Professor Whiteman is a forgiving person, so let’s just put this aside first. I want to ask you about something else,” Kaze said. What else if not taking P
Hearing Steve surrendering his entire assets without a doubt, many were deeply impressed by his resolution. He surrendered his assets just to avoid a disastrous end because he offended Kaze. “Well, confiscate his assets then.” Kaze did not take the money for himself as he was not interested in Steve’s assets or anything. He then added, “As for your business here in Melrose, I want you to put Miru in charge. You can retire now.” Kaze already had a plan to boost Miru’s power and reputation, so this would be a great chance. In addition, he could save himself and Darcy a lot of trouble. Miru was stunned. She did not expect Kaze to be this bold and force Steve to hand over his power to her. She looked at Albert and realized her cousin was quiet. She grumbled inwardly. Kaze was smart enough to flatter her in front of Albert. No wonder Albert would allow him to steal all the limelight. As for Steve, he was devastated. He did not expect Kaze to force him to depower himsel
Miru again! Kaze was rendered speechless. He called Albert to help and he thought Miru would finally learn, yet the self-righteous woman still thought he was impersonating the God of War. “Forget about it.” Kaze shook his head and then said to Professor Whiteman, “Professor, you can stay here for the time being and I assure you no one will take you away anymore.” He brought the professor back home, which excited the family. They treated the professor like their elders. “Haha! After what happened today, who else would come after me?” Professor Whiteman joked. He did not reject the suggestion. After all, he had been through life and death with Kaze and he was always saved. Darcy and family had a good sleep for the night, but not the extended Quint family. Despair continued to linger in the Quint family’s residence. The acquisition caused a chain of problems and the Dallas Moneylender extorted them for two billion. The entire extended family was being pressured to
Other members of the Quint family admitted their mistake too. To think the high and mighty would genuinely acknowledge their fault to Darcy. Darcy’s eyes welled up. The burden of the past lifted at last as she finally found closure. As the Quints suspected, Darcy had a weak spot for them. Darcy pulled out her phone. “I’ll give Miru a call. Maybe she can get through to Dallas Moneylender.” “Hang on.” Kaze held her hand down. With Kaze threatening to foil their plans again, the Quints gnashed their teeth. “Kaze, Grandfather and the others have admitted their mistake, and they are welcoming us back with open arms,” Darcy told Kaze. “Come with me, babe.” Kaze pulled Darcy to the side and whispered, “Just pretend you can’t do anything for them. Test the waters. If they are genuinely apologetic, I’ll support you in getting the Quints out of the mess. But if they’re only doing it to trick you—” “I’ll go along with it.” Getting the message, Darcy nodded. She pretend
“The Vinlands? That’s the mega-rich family.” “Oh, Tanya’s family. Technically, we are related to the Vinlands.” “The Chrysant Vinlands are wealthier than the Sunrise Lees.” The older members of the Quints were ecstatic. They knew the history between the Quints and the Vinlands. Master Quint was the son-in-law of the Vinlands, taking their family name when marrying Tanya. Tanya, who passed away more than a decade ago, was the heiress of the Vinlands. Subsequently, Tanya had a falling out with her family. She walked away from her family with Master Quint and started a business in Lilyrose. That was how the Quints came to be. Over the years, the Quints and the Vinlands never kept in touch. The young members of the family like Samus had hazy memories of the Vinlands. They only learned the truth from their elders. “Don’t you remember me, Master Quint? I’m Hudson,” the middle-aged man standing before Master Quint said with a pretentious smile.Surprised, Logan exam
“Oh, please, Hudson. Please sort the problem out for us,” the other Quint family members pleaded. Even Master Quint stared fervently at Hudson. So much for the Quints being done for. The Quints were not destined for failure. Hudson showed what he was made of with one phone call. The Quints saw him as their savior. Hudson smiled. “The issues you’re facing are nothing to my family, but our help doesn’t come for free. We have one condition,” he said unhurriedly. “What is it?” Master Quint asked eagerly. He was willing to say yes to anything. With a grin, Hudson responded, “It’s not something major. The Quints are to take my family name.” Everybody, including Master Quint, made faces. A last name change was not something small. The concept of family history was strong in Arcadia. The change of family name was a huge deal. A family’s last name carried both its cultural heritage and bloodline.Since ancient times, only those who either needed a way out, sold t
Hudson was not kidding about making the Quints change their last name. Soon, the Quints, with paperwork in hand, lined up outside city hall to file a last name change petition with the court. Following the procedure, word about the Quints’ request to change their last name got out. The news caused a stir in Lilyrose. The public was skeptical at first. It was highly unlikely that the Quints would change their last name together. Just two days ago, the Quints said Darcy was not worthy of the family name. They disowned her and stripped her family name. That did not happen long ago, and the Quints now ditched the family name themselves. A public servant at city hall snapped a photo of the document and shared it. The public had no reason not to trust a legal form. Everybody exchanged looks when they read the new names on the record. The Quints had become complete jokes. They were the laughingstocks in the community. “Agnes! Hector! Have I got news for you!” Agath
“Grandfather and the rest of them are the worst. The joke’s on them, but they can’t stand to see us doing well for ourselves either.” Darcy put down her phone in frustration. “It’s alright. We don’t have to care. We’re not members of the Vinland family anyway.” Trying not to laugh, Kaze consoled her.The incident was not something to brag about. Darcy’s family quickly put the matter aside. They doubted the Quints’ last name change would affect them. Soon, the Vinlands held a press conference. They announced their commercial expansion into Lilyrose. The Vinlands stated that they would take over Quintessential Group. The family would also resolve and improve the myriad of issues with the online lending platform and delayed payment.Multiple financial issues arose with the assets acquired by the Quints from the top three families.The Quints’ inability to straighten things out made matters worse. The Vinlands’ statement calmed all parties’ fears. Many companies’ pro
“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