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
“Hm.” Kaze nodded indifferently. He disapproved of Zenny. Kaze once rescued Brenda from being trafficked. Yet, Zenny made a false accusation about him. Kaze turned to Don for help, and Don was the reason Zenny lost his cushy job from pulling strings at the Traffic Department. Zenny had been unemployed since. Later, Zenny and his mother, Lyla, got into several rows with Kaze. Zenny’s family and Kaze went way back but not in a good way. Benedict, Zenny’s father, was a superior at Lilyrose Wholeness Medical Center. The medical incident five years ago was an elaborate plot to frame Agnes, and Benedict played a role in the conspiracy. Benedict was held in detention, waiting for trial now. Knowing that Kaze was not keen to see him, Zenny made a quick exit after saying hello. “Don’t let Zenny come here anymore. I suspect he might have something to do with Brenda’s abduction.” Kaze’s intention was not to talk bad about Zenny. Zenny’s behavior was rather suspicious b
The woman talking was Lyn Bluenid. She was part of the group of youngsters. Even though her companion knocked Brenda over, Lyn lashed out at Brenda and Winnie instead.“I’m sorry. My child didn’t mean to. She was bumped into. I’m so sorry.” Despite her rage, Winnie did not want to cause any trouble and apologized. “Your words mean nothing. Do you know the cost of Yume’s dress? It was 200 thousand dollars! Don’t try to run away from this. It’s not over.” Lyn glared at Winnie and Brenda. Her gaze darted back to the woman, catching the creamy smudge on her dress. Lyn reached for a napkin and attempted to wipe the stain off Yume’s dress. “Are you alright, Yume? Do you want the brat to compensate you?” the other men and women asked. Like a beacon in the crowd, the woman’s radiant presence drew everyone’s attention.Her long, beautiful hair framed her face. The strappy, long dress exposed her shoulders and complimented her flawless skin. She was slender in build, her w
“Hear that? 200 thousand dollars means squat, but your brat ruined Yume’s mood.” Lyn glared at Winnie. She asked with a smirk, “Why don’t I slap the general manager of whatchamacallit to make you feel better, Yume?” Yume would not even look at Winnie. “I heard that your late husband was close to Darcy’s family?” Winnie was taken aback by the question. She later nodded. Yume gave Lyn a nod and stopped talking. “Alright. Yume has agreed to move past the matter if I get to slap you.” Reading Yume’s mind, Lyn told Winnie. Eek. The onlookers gasped sharply. Yume’s group was a cocky bunch. Lyn wanted to get physical with Winnie just because Brenda accidentally ruined a dress. As the general manager of Shangrila Group, Winnie was a respectable figure in Lilyrose. If the offending party did not come from power or wealth, the consequences might be worse for all they knew. “Just forget it, Ms. Vinland. The child didn’t do it on purpose. She’s a good kid. She got
Kaze watched as the senior citizens took off. The place was quiet as usual, and many things in the unit were left uncollected. “Mr. Lee, does this arrangement work?” Arthur awaited Kaze’s orders. “It will do for now.” After being out for the day, Kaze had seen some stuff. Business was all about making money, but some lines should not be crossed. As long as things remained within reason, there would not be scrutiny or blame. It was astounding the lengths Jet would go to. “The area will be demolished after a while. I want all of the Frosts’ projects on hold. Don’t approve any of them.” One word from Kaze could shake the very foundation of the Frosts’ business. “Alright. My team is on it. “But the Frosts will ask questions and find out who is behind this.” Arthur looked at Kaze worriedly. “They can’t find anything.” No one would know who Kaze was without his permission. It probably never crossed Jet’s mind that Snow had a powerful friend. Otherwise, he woul
Kaze was confused. Surely, the authorities would not disregard human lives and demolish the place by force. “Well, we tried to relocate them, but they refused our services. If they are still not on board, they will be sent to the retirement home tonight.” That was all Pax knew. The retirement home was just another place for the senior citizens to await death. “Is there nothing else you can do? So you signed the contract without thinking about the consequences? Karma will get back at you.” Pax’s shamelessness shocked Arthur. Pax mentioned that he would put the demolition on hold. It had not been long, and now the rights to the land were handed over. “It’s out of my hands. Jet went to my superiors to seal the deal. We are not allowed to intervene. “We had been figuring out ways to reach reconciliation for these senior citizens, but Jet was determined to make them pay.” It was the best Pax could do. He was just an employee, working to make a living. He did not have a say
“I want to see the person in charge of the demolition project now.” It was not a matter of time before the area was bulldozed, but Kaze hoped to delay it. Generally, it would take a large amount of capital to launch a project. Any delay would cause massive losses. Jet had several projects that had been put on hold, and it was a heavy blow to him. If Jet could not fix things quickly enough, all his money tied to the projects would be gone. He would be forced to ditch some projects to cut his losses. “I’ll get him here right now.” Arthur went out to make phone calls. He believed Kaze did the right thing as the senior citizens had nowhere to turn to. The senior citizens could only survive with some help. “Thank you, young man. Why are you helping us?” The senior citizens were old, but they could tell that Kaze genuinely wanted them to be okay. “I don’t think it’s right to bully you.” Kaze looked at the senior citizens earnestly, feeling sorry for them. Jet lack
“We agreed on relocation because we would get a place to stay. “But these people were unreasonable. We were offered only one-third of what everyone else got.” The senior citizens were going to swallow their losses. They just needed the money to live their last days, and they did not have family, to begin with. Later, the same people had their eyes on their money and tried to put them up at an old folks’ home. The senior citizens refused to relocate and finally chose to protect themselves by contacting the media. These people sure left the senior citizens to die. Kaze was sympathetic to the senior citizens. He went back with them to a unit on the ground floor. The place was bare, with several beds placed together. The senior citizens must be sleeping in the same room. There was little to eat, only some water and dry provisions.The old residents did not have much savings. It was good enough that they had something to eat. “Have a cup of water, boy. We don’t have any
“Are you one of those people from the pier? Are you trying to get us to leave?” A grizzled-haired man looked at Kaze warily. “I was just passing by when I saw you struggling with the buckets. I came to help you.” Kaze explained patiently. He could understand why their guards were up. They must have been lied to many times before. “Are you here to help?” “Yes, I am. My companion has gone to get you some water. He’ll be back soon. There’s no need for you to fetch water,” Kaze said kindly. “We’ll pay you.” The senior citizens exchanged glances before accepting Kaze’s gesture. They could not handle the weight of the heavy buckets. “The building here is about to be demolished. Why are you still living here?” Pretending to be in the dark, Kaze asked. “This is our home. Someone is trying to take this land away.” The grizzled-haired man was upset. “What? I thought no one could demolish the building unless they had the residents’ permission.” “You’re right, but there
“Jet sure is bold to ensure business. Isn’t he afraid of shooting himself in the foot?” Kaze had never met a man like Jet. “He has done a lot to get to the top. His ruthless methods got him a lot of money. A lot of people are happy to support him.” Arthur was impressed with Jet’s tactics. However, his approach was too cruel for his liking. “Let’s head to the residential building.” Kaze just wanted to check out the area. He was happy to help when needed. The flashy, red sports car was eye-catching. However, the flamboyant car was uncommon in these places. Most workers would express their amazement, but they would not ask questions. The car pulled up outside a soon-to-be abandoned building. It looked desolate. The power lines and infrastructure were not visible either. Kaze knew that was one of the Frosts’ methods. Sometimes, nothing, not even demolition, was required. The goal was to get the residents out. All Jet needed to do was cut the water and electricity.
“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.