Kaze did not want unnecessary trouble. Now that the group knew of his residence in Lilyrose, they might pop by for a visit. When his cover was nearly blown, the Quints could sell a seat for millions. The likelihood of the group approaching to befriend Kaze was high. Hence, Kaze put the word out there. “Don’t worry, Sir. Mum’s the word,” Loid said with a nod. Shocked, the other family heads swore up and down that they would breathe a word about him. Thump! Once Loid and his party were gone, Winston fell to his knees. He sprawled across the floor and crawled to Kaze on his knees. “I was wrong, Kaze. I should’ve known better. I was a snob. I deserved to be punished,” Winston wailed while slapping his own face. The loud commotion startled Winnie and the others. They came over to the office and caught sight of the unbelievable scene. Shangrila Group employees, Winnie included, widened their eyes. What was going on? A minute ago, Winston was cocky and vowed to crush
Out of the dozen young masters, Harry was most persistent in pursuing Yume. He was most earnest and eager to seek justice for Yume in Lilyrose. Knowing how Harry felt, Yume took Harry’s affection for granted. She never minced her words in Harry’s presence. Once the call connected, she grilled him gruesomely. Her group of suitors left Lilyrose without informing her. “I have a family emergency. I need to get home quickly, Yume.” Harry was in the car, on his way back to Takeno City. Yume was not having it. “What can be more important than standing up for me and finishing Kaze off?” “I really do have an emergency, Yume. A word of advice—you should stay away from the Go… Kaze.” Harry gave her the heads-up. Now that Harry knew who Kaze was, there was no chance Yume could get even with him. “What’s the meaning of this, Harry? Kaze slapped me right in front of you! I can’t believe you would take his side,” Yume shrieked angrily. Harry uttered, “Don’t say that about him. H
“I want the bastard’s wife to kneel and grovel before me,” Yume said coldly as rage consumed her. Even Lyn and the others shuddered in fear. They had never seen Yume hold such a huge grudge against an individual. “Yume, Darcy’s the chairwoman of two major corporations. I heard that your father values her talent. He wants her to embrace the Vinlands and take care of your family business in the future. Aren’t you afraid that you might tick your father off?” Juno said worriedly. Although they were friends with Yume, Hudson appeared intimidating to them. Even their fathers trembled in the presence of Hudson. “My dad’s just lying to her.” Yume scoffed and revealed the truth. “My dad wants to trick Darcy into changing her last name. Once she becomes a Vinland, she would have to hand over her assets, and we will gain control over her.” Juno and the others felt chills down their spines. Hudson was long known for his scheming, but Yume’s minions were witnessing it for the fi
Yume’s domineering tyranny came unexpectedly. She slapped the female employee in public. “W-Why did you attack me?” The female employee put her hand over her swollen cheek and glared at Yume. Smack! Yume struck again. “Who do you think you are? I’m a member of the prestigious Vinland family. So what if I hit you?” “Being in a prestigious family doesn’t give you a right to attack anybody.” The female staff member covered her face and wailed. The other employees were frightened. Word had gone around of the Vinlands’ takeover of the city. They had felt nothing before. However, Yume just went into full-on tyrant mode.“So what if you’re a Vinland? It doesn’t give you the right to hit anybody.” “That’s right. Call security. Get this crazy, assaulting woman out of here. Call the cops too. We can’t let her attack our colleague.” The few employees were furious. Startled by the commotion, Quartet Group’s security personnel rushed over. “Regardless of the reason,
“And you are?” Darcy frowned. Master Quint said, “That’s the daughter of your grandmother’s brother, Yume. She’s your distant aunt.” Darcy’s eyes burned with rage. Yume was so arrogant. When nothing went her way, Yume ordered her men to break Lucas’ rib. However, Yume belonged to the prestigious Vinland family. Darcy drew a deep breath to calm herself before speaking solemnly to her employees in the back, “Dial the emergency line now. Lucas and the others need medical care now.” Yume did not stop Darcy. Instead, she looked Darcy in the eye and said, “I need a word with you, Darcy.” “What do you want?” Darcy swallowed her anger and asked. The grimace on Darcy’s face did not sit well with Yume. Yume’s eyes grew stern. “I’m your aunt, Darcy. Watch your tone when you speak with me.” “You came to my workplace for no reason and ordered your people to break my employee’s rib. What tone are you expecting?” Darcy’s tone was strained with tension. While she had her mis
“Ah!” The security officer let out a heart-wrenching cry. “Stop, you animal!” the employees of Quartet Group shouted angrily.Yume burst out laughing. “Darcy, as the chairwoman of the company, you won’t want all your employees to get broken ribs, right?” Her gaze fell on the security officers on the ground and the other employees. Archie approached the next security guard. With tears in her eyes, Darcy shouted in rage, “Tell him to stop, and I’ll go with you.” “Now that’s a good chairwoman.” Yume clapped and said, “Take her with us.” “Ms. Quint, don’t give them anything.” The employees panicked. “Take them to the hospital for immediate treatment now.” Darcy wiped her tears off and walked out. “Come on.” Yume left with a smirk. Lyn, Juno, and the others followed in the back. Master Quint and the other former Quint family members tagged along apprehensively. The employees of Quartet Group were left to dwell in their angst. “What do we do? The woman is wic
“Darcy, Hudson said that you will take over the Vinlands’ business once you become part of the family.” Master Quint tried to convince Darcy earnestly. “Hudson is now in charge of Quintessential Group. You’re so naïve.” Darcy said committedly, “Stop trying to talk me into it. It’s pointless. I’m a Quint and will always be.” “Darcy, you…” Master Quint panicked. “Get out of the way, loser.” Yume pushed Master Quint away, pointed at Darcy, and said sternly, “You are so disrespectful, Darcy. Your grandfather asked you to change your last name, but you defied him.” She raised her voice. The commotion caught the attention of many onlookers. “Oh, that’s Darcy. She’s the chairwoman of Quartet Group and Sky Ocean Corporation.” “What happened? Is she changing her last name too?” “Didn’t you hear? Her grandfather wanted her to change her last name, but she refused.” “Fuck. That family is just a pain in the neck. They could just drop their own last name, but why did they ha
Swoosh! As the whip cracked, everybody could not bear to watch and closed their eyes.Darcy shivered, her skin going numb. She soon found it strange. She felt no pain. She opened her eyes and saw an arm, its grip clutched to the whip, stretching across her eyes. “Kaze!” Darcy cried. Her tone said it all. Her pent-up emotions opened the floodgate of her tears. “Kaze!” Yume gritted her teeth and said maliciously, “How dare you show your face.” “I didn’t think you’d keep digging your grave.” Kaze’s tone was icy. “You’re the one digging your grave. Now, let go!” Yume screamed while tugging the whip, but her strap remained tight in Kaze’s grip. Kaze gave a yank, and the whip handle tore out of Yume’s grasp. “Ah!” Squealing from the burning sensation in her palms, Yume threw the whip aside. A bloody cut ran through her soft palm. Kaze grabbed the handle of the whip and looked at the two men restraining Darcy. “Let her go.” Archie smirked in disdain. “Who
“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