A group of good-looking young men, probably around fifteen of them, came in. They were followed by another group of people who were either bodyguards, assistants, or businessmen with briefcases. “Who is Winston Carter? We are here to purchase Golden Edge!” The leader of the group scanned everyone in the meeting room condescendingly. His words screamed of confidence and arrogance. Winston was surprised. Based on their looks, he knew the young men were people with a strong background. He went up to them and asked politely, “I’m Winston Carter. Who might you be?” “Harry Lokeman from the Lokeman family from Takeno City,” the young man said. Everyone in the meeting room was surprised by his introduction. Takeno was just south of Lilyrose and both cities were interconnected, so everyone in the room had heard of the Lokeman family. The Takeno Lokemans were wealthy and powerful. They had a long history and a resourceful network, rivaling that of the Chrysant Vinlands. Had
“Can you shut up? I’m not talking to you.” Harry glared at Winnie fiercely and condescendingly. He then looked at Winston. “I’m asking you one more time, are you selling it to us?” “Mr. Carter, don’t let them scare you. They won’t force you…” Winnie tried to convince Winston but before she could finish, Winston had a change of heart. “I’ll sell it to you!” Like how he spoke to Kaze, he nodded and flattered. “Thank you everyone for showing interest in Golden Edge. It’s an honor for the mall and myself!” A few of the young men nodded in approval; the others did not react as if it was expected. Winnie did not expect Winston to turn on her so easily. Angered, she said, “Mr. Carter, this isn’t right. We have agreed on the deal and we are signing the contract. How can you turn your back on us now and sell Golden Edge to them?” She felt cheated. A while ago, she thought Winston was a decent man but she was proved wrong when he agreed to sell Golden Edge to them. “Ms. S
The young man’s expression shifted. He grunted and decided not to speak anymore. They were all Yume’s admirers, so they were enemies of each other rather than good friends. They teamed up this time because Yume was slapped and humiliated. They decided to go after Kaze. Winnie walked out of the room. Before she walked further away, she overheard the young men’s conversation. “There are so many of us here. Isn’t it an overkill? Either one of us can easily deal with that stupid guy.” “Call Yume. I’d like to see if that stupid guy dares to slap her in front of us.” “Of course, he doesn’t have the nerves. I did a background check on him. He’s just a son-in-law of some second-tier family. He’s good at bluffing and managed to bring Shangrila Group back from the dead. Quite capable, but not enough compared to us.” Winston was furious when he heard them. He did not know Kaze was the son-in-law of the Quints. Kaze was notorious for impersonating people with higher power and
“Kaze, they are all here because of you! They are coming after you! You are dead already!” Landon gloated. Rose and Sky panicked when they heard the news. Rose even teared up. “Kaze, what are we going to do? Darcy is at the hospital with Uncle Hector, should we call her back and ask her for help?” Rose wanted to call Darcy for help. “It’s no big deal. Why trouble Darcy?” Kaze stopped Rose. He had gotten a call from Winnie earlier and was not bothered at all. He wanted Winnie to continue with the purchase but the news snowballed out of hand. Now he had to go to Golden Edge to solve the problem himself. “I’ll go to Golden Edge to meet these so-called young masters.” Kaze got up and walked out. “He’s still trying to act cool and doesn't even want to call Darcy. He’s afraid that if she finds out about the mess he made, she will divorce him. I believe he’s going to apologize and kneel to the young masters!” Landon grumbled. Sky glared at the boy. “Landon, one more word f
“Kaze, don’t! You’ll die!” Sky and Rose were horrified. “No? If you are not going to do it, why are you still here? Go back and wait for your death!” Winston grinned and added, “If you want to go in and see the young masters, you will have to stand here under the sun and finish all the ice cream!” Rose and Sky got even more nervous. They strongly believed Kaze would agree to the unreasonable demands. Yume’s admirers were all powerful and influential. Each of them represented a wealthy family or a large company. Kaze must have known how serious the problem was, so he had to see them and apologize to them. “Why are you standing there? There’s still a refrigerator of ice cream for you to eat!” Winston grabbed an ice cream and gave it to Kaze. “Winston Carter, you weren’t like this when you talked to me yesterday.” Kaze did not take the ice cream and simply looked at the man calmly. Winston’s expression turned grim. He was infuriated when Kaze talked about yesterd
After the top three families were stripped of their power and status, the respective family heads, who could shake the city up with just a sneeze, retired from the scene. It had just been a few days since then but they looked ten years older. They looked dispirited and less energetic than before. They stood before Kaze with lowered heads and reverence. Kaze looked at them. “The three of you really did it this time. I confiscated all of your assets but you three still hid something from me.” Thump! All three family heads knelt immediately, shuddering in fear. Sky, Rose, and Landon were stunned when they saw them on their knees. Why would the three family heads be so afraid of Kaze? “Mr. Lee, we are terribly sorry! We didn’t mean to keep it from you.” “With previous experience from Quintessential Group and Shangrila Group, all three of us were afraid of our families being wiped out, so we set up an escrow for Golden Edge a year ago.” Quintessential Group was annexed and
“Stop thinking about the luxurious life. If you help me buy Golden Edge, I’ll let you live a normal life. Get up,” Kaze said. The top three families were no longer in power but they were not completely out of the game. Whether they could make a comeback depended on the young ones. “Mr. Lee! Thank you for your kindness and generosity! We will do whatever we can!” The three family heads bowed repeatedly as tears and snot smeared their faces. Compared to their current situation, living a normal life was considered a blessing already. …“Winston, has Kaze started eating?” When Winston came into the meeting room, Harry, who was also eating ice cream, asked about Kaze. All fifteen young masters, Yume, Juno, and her friends who came by later, were having ice creams in an air-conditioned environment whereas Kaze had to finish a refrigerator of ice cream under the harsh sun. They were enjoying themselves while Kaze was suffering. “He’s eating, he’s eating. He wants to come
Harry and the other young masters’ laughter froze. Lyn and Juno’s smiles froze. Yume’s grin froze. Even Winston’s flattering smile froze. They all spent three billion in acquiring Golden Edge, which was considered a huge acquisition that would spark discussions in the investment world. Yet someone laughed at them for crowdfunding. What kind of crowdfunding could get three billion? All of them were upset by what they heard. They turned to the door with furious glares, wondering who had the nerve to challenge them and laugh at them. “Kaze Lee?!” Yume narrowed her eyes fiercely. If not for her admirers, which she had to maintain her image in front of them, she would have jumped on Kaze and bit his face off. “Kaze Lee! How dare you appear in front of us?!” Lyn and Juno were furious as well. “Kaze Lee?” Harry and the others reacted coldly. He then asked Winston, “Hey, you! I thought you said he’s eating ice cream outside. Why is he here?” “Kaze Lee?! How di
“Gone too far?” Phoenix said furiously, “Do you want to get it too, boy?” “Shut up, Kaze!” Not wanting the situation to escalate, Agnes charged over and said ingratiatingly, “I’m sorry, Madam Quint. We didn’t do a good job raising Sky. He simply didn’t think straight in the heat of the moment.”“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry!” Darcy apologized as well. “I’ll wipe the blood off you, Madam Quint. We don’t want to get your hands dirty.” Joan pulled out a tissue and cleaned Phoenix’s hands fawningly while uttering sarcastically, “You have no idea, Madam Quint. Some people have the money. They just don’t want to spend it.“As far as I know, our little leader is living in a villa worth several hundred million dollars in Riverbank. The villa was a gift from Mayor Synder too.“They didn’t give a bracelet that was only worth half a million because they have no money. They simply do not care enough for you, Madam Quint. “They’re just trying to fob you off since you’re only an old
“We from Chrysant City have given Madam Quint a bullet-proof Lincoln stretch from Uleania. The Lincoln will be Madam Quint’s ride in Riverbank,” a middle-aged man with glasses said smugly.Kaze glanced at the Lincoln stretch not too far away, understanding the value of the car. “Madam Quint can’t be staying in the hotel throughout her trip. We, the branch in Takeno City, are a family in politics, so we lack funding. Still, we borrowed a villa from a major corporation to accommodate Madam Quint,” a representative of the Takeno Quints said with a chuckle. The Takeno Quints talked about borrowing. Their primary focus was on politics, so they could not be honest about their net worth. However, every branch of the Quints presented Phoenix with expensive gifts. Each gift was worth at least five million dollars. The five-hundred-thousand-dollar bracelet from Darcy’s family seemed modest in comparison. Sure enough, Phoenix grew upset and raised her free arm to slap the gift box
Even Darcy did not think Phoenix would deny her. It was true that Darcy was supposed to gather all family branches in Riverbank. She would have to discipline the unruly and unite the rest. Her goal was to consolidate the family’s power and resources under her control. It was a clear and comprehensive strategy. Darcy had not anticipated such a response from her first meeting with Phoenix. It was harsh. Phoenix completely dismissed her. Darcy, though accepting fault, felt hurt. Agnes felt like her world was crumbling down. If Darcy was stripped of her leadership role, the family would go back to when things were bad. Ever since Darcy became the family head in the South River State, Agnes was treated like royalty everywhere she went. She was addicted to the privileges. Agnes never wanted to go back to those days when people would look down on her.“Darcy, where’s the gift you got for Madam Quint? Hurry up and apologize to her.” Agnes grabbed Darcy hastily. A
“You should know that Madam Quint loves flowers, and you came empty-handed. No flowers, no gifts.” “You talk about respect for Madam Quint. It’s all talk. What have you done for her?” “You are hicks from a small place like Lilyrose. Where are your manners? You’re lucky to become the head of the South River Quints, but you will always lack refinement.” “I’m starting to worry about this leader taking us to new heights. I guess we can consider ourselves lucky if she doesn’t bring us down.” “Yeah! She was late and came empty-handed. This tells us all we need to know about this family.” Taking Joan’s lead, the other family members lay into Darcy’s family thick and hard. “That’s enough!” Before Kaze said anything, Sky had a go at these people. “You tried to set my sister up, and now you’re putting the blame on us!“Only you had information of Madam Quint’s flight. You only let us know half an hour before the plane touched down. “Why didn’t we come earlier to wait in the airp
Kaze narrowed his eyes at the woman and drew close. “You’re a member of the South River Quints. Should you stand by your leader instead of stirring the pot and causing the scene? “Does family even mean anything to you? “Are you defying the family? “Who are you to disrespect Madam Quint and the family?” The woman staggered back with each question, her face draining of color.“I… You…” Flustered, she glared at Kaze. Still, she was at a loss in the face of Kaze’s questioning. “I assure you, Madam Quint. My daughter, Joan, doesn’t mean any disrespect.” A grizzled-haired middle-aged man with glasses came forward with an ashen face. “She was just trying to defend your honor, Madam Quint. She’s upset because someone disrespected you and arrived late.” This person was manipulative. While sticking up for his daughter, he also took the opportunity to belittle Darcy. “Doesn’t mean any disrespect?” Kaze snapped back, “Madam Quint hasn’t said a thing, but a nobody came out
It appeared Kaze and Darcy were not the only ones who got their hands on the special pass straight to the hangar. Five groups stood in close proximity, yet a clear divide was evident between them.Interestingly, that was as many branches as the Quints had in Ridgesouth.The smallest cluster belonged to Hector, Agnes, and Sky. They kept their heads down, hiding their distress. It looked like they were insulted. As Darcy and Kaze got out of the car, all eyes turned to them, and many sneered. “Can you even drive, Kaze? Look at the time! Are you expecting Madam Quint to wait for you? You have the nerve to show your face when you’re already late!” Agnes tore into Kaze. She threw Kaze under the bus in hopes of deflecting Phoenix’s anger from Darcy. Having seen through Agnes, Kaze did not make a fuss and explained, “Sorry, when we received word, Madam Quint’s plane was touching down in half an hour. “What? Are you blaming us for informing you late?” A tall and pretty woman
With Sasha putting the blame on herself, Kaze shook his head. He was not pointing fingers. “You can accept the pay from Herbal Spring.” Kaze said, “You’re not living at Herbal Spring for free. Your aunt is paying for you. Once you get into college, you can make more money to repay her.”“Really?” Sasha was skeptical. Besides boarding and lodging at Herbal Spring, Sasha was also taking medicine for her health. After working there for a while, Sasha had a general idea of things. Sasha’s medicine was expensive, and the medical bill was beyond the budget of most families. Kaze said, “You can ask Darcy if you don’t believe me. Your aunt even asked me if she had paid enough money when I was heading out this morning.” Despite knowing it was a lie, Darcy nodded. “Sasha, Kaze is right. Don’t feel burdened.” Sasha was naïve and gullible. Darcy’s statement gave Sasha the push. Since Kaze and Darcy were rich, Sasha assumed that her aunt must earn a lot. Her aunt could afford
Everett understood that Kaze would make a big deal out of the Golden Road at tomorrow’s auction. Of course, it was none of Everett’s business. He had no qualms about turning his back on Aiden. As one of the four underworld kingpins, Everett would give the Krads their due respect, but he did not owe Aiden anything. Aiden was an individual. He did not represent the Krads as a whole. “So that’s decided.” Kaze then said, “That reminds me. Have your people pick out a nice bracelet. I’m looking at the five-hundred-thousand-dollar range.”“Oh, consider it a gift from me. Just inform Marilyn.” Everett was quick to offer a gift. Kaze did not appreciate the gesture though. Everett was a cunning man. His generosity may seem like an olive branch. However, Kaze knew that given the chance, Everett would make him pay. Everett would never have the chance though. Kaze would fight back, and the consequences could be fatal. “Mr. Lee, Ms. Quint, are you happy with this bracelet
“I reckon that the stone might be important to someone within the Krads.“Aiden volunteered to take care of the business in Riverbank and go up against your wife. He’s not just here to suck up to his chief commander brother but to prove to the Krads that he’s better than the rest of the competition.“If he can gain that somebody’s favor, this can be bigger than his achievements in business.” Everett adopted the requirement analysis. Though Everett had no idea why the Golden Toad was important to the Krads, he understood Aiden’s needs. By grasping an individual’s core requirement, he was able to deduce something that was closer to the truth. “Has Aiden lost his head?” Kaze uttered in confusion, “He could’ve just gotten the thing from you at a better rate. Why is he getting to buy it from an auction?” Everett mentioned that the Golden Toad was worth tens of millions of dollars, but no more than a hundred million dollars. Aiden could have made a private deal with Everett.