“No!” Kaze was not happy with Agatha’s tone, so he declined instantly. Agatha was the one staying in his house but she acted like she was the owner. She always ordered him around as if he were a servant. “What is with that attitude?” Agatha widened her eyes and continued, “You are not even the CEO yet and you are talking to me like that? Look at you, what do you think you are capable of? Nothing! If not for Darcy’s BFF, making you a nominal CEO, you are still a driver at Shangrila Group.” Kaze was speechless. He declined her request and she came up with a ton of reasons to make fun of him. He looked at Agatha and forced a smile on his face. “Aunt Agatha, I am paid to be a driver at Shangrila but I am driving for free now. So, I get to say no.” He did not reveal his identity as chairman. Even if he did, the truth would not be able to overcome the prejudice in Agatha’s heart. Agatha was fuming. She pointed at Kaze and said, “You want money for driving your own famil
“An experienced driver with that much mileage?” Agatha was curious. She tried looking around but no one in the family matched the criteria. Then it must be a driver Kaze got externally. She got angry and said, “Kaze, you good-for-nothing trash! You can’t even afford to eat the other day and now you are wasting money to hire a driver?” She simply assumed Kaze was trying to save face by hiring a driver instead of driving Rose around. “I hired a driver? If you say so,” Kaze said with a smile. Agatha then went to Agnes and said, “Look at your son-in-law! He’s useless and a big spender!” She was annoyed and insisted that he drove today. “Kaze, don’t you dare hire another person to drive!” Agnes poked him in the arm. Kaze smiled and said, “I didn’t spend any money. It’s free.” “Free? Who are you kidding?” Agatha said. Then, she heard heavy breathing from the door and saw her husband running into the house. Surprised, she asked, “Nelson? What are you doing here? I
Nelson decided to put his grievance aside and bring the car around. Then, Darcy came back from work and saw Kaze and Rose with luggage, seemingly going out for a trip. “Where are you guys going?” “Rose had some friends organizing a camp or gathering at Mountain Dew.” Kaze did not find interest in accompanying some kids, so he invited his wife over. “Why don’t you join us, Darcy? We can continue where we left off the other day at Mountain Dew Estate.” Darcy saw Kaze’s wink and understood immediately. She instantly blushed. The last time she was at Mountain Dew Estate, she was drugged by Deborah and slept the entire night. She left in a hurry the next day due to work, so she did not get to enjoy the place with Kaze. “I’m not going.” Darcy looked at Kaze and said meaningfully, “I want to rest well at night. I have an important meeting tomorrow.” Kaze rubbed his nose and smiled awkwardly. The last time he was at Mountain Dew Estate, he made love to Darcy. Since it h
“Hi, Kaze.” Rose’s friends greeted him, with a casual attitude, somewhat perfunctory, and even sized him up curiously. Before Rose came to Lilyrose, her friends heard about her complaining about Kaze. Even though Rose had completely changed her mind about Kaze after spending some time with him, her friends remained prejudiced. They even looked down on Kaze. Mei said with a smile, “Kaze, you must be here to drive us around. Appreciate it.” “Yeah, we’ll pay you for the service,” Welt added. They knew Kaze married Darcy and he was never taken seriously. They also knew that his mother-in-law always scolded and beat him. There was once when they video-called Rose and they heard Agnes scolding Kaze in the back and threatening to throw him out of the house. Bronya spread the news in her circle and it sparked a heated discussion. Having no position in the family was terrible. Welt offered to pay Kaze for his service out of goodwill. He felt bad and pitied Kaze, and so did
Welt sounded courteous but the contempt underneath was obvious. He even asked Kaze to bring Nelson packs of cigarettes but did not offer Kaze anything. “Welt, what are you doing? You think you are at home? If you are thirsty, go get something to drink yourself.” Rose stepped in and defended Kaze. Welt came from a wealthy family and Rose simply thought he was acting like a spoiled young master. Welt’s expression turned gloomy. He had always liked Rose and he was the one who suggested the trip. However, Rose talked back to him because of Kaze, which further lowered his impression of Kaze. As the atmosphere grew tense, Bronya intervened, “Rose, come on. Welt is just trying to be nice and he blurted out without much thought. Don’t mind him.” “Yeah. We are all inside the car already except Kaze, so Welt is just asking out of convenience.” Bronya and Gepard defended Welt. Rose pursed her lips and stared at Welt quietly. “It’s okay. I can go get a pack of cigarettes and
“Alright, since Welt prepared everything, I don’t need to worry. You guys have fun and stay safe. I’ll be going then. “Kaze, you better keep them safe as well.” Nelson shot a warning gaze at Kaze before he drove off. He had decided to use every connection he had to inform the discipline department to stop answering Kaze’s requests. The sky had turned dark, so Welt said, “Let’s go check in first. We’ll put our luggage in the room before we have dinner.” When they entered the lobby, another group of youngsters came over. “Hey, isn’t that Rose? You guys are here as well?” They strutted in with a proud demeanor and their luggage was being carried by the bellboy. The leader of the group was the one who called out to Rose and he was staring at her eagerly. “Taz?” Rose’s expression shifted. She instinctively turned around to look for Kaze but she just remembered that he excused himself to the washroom. Taz was the son of Samson Hobbs. He was her senior when they studied
Welt sounded stern and he called Taz a fool in front of Rose. Taz was a proud person. The moment Welt stepped in, his smiley face was replaced by a gloomy look. “You little punk, who do you think you are talking to?” Slap! Taz slapped Welt on the face. Welt did not expect the sudden slap. The force of the slap sent him to the floor. “Welt!” “Taz! Why did you hit him?!” Rose and her friends were shocked and quickly went over to Welt. “Let go of me!” Welt was equally prideful. He pushed his friends away and shouted at Taz, “You hit me?!” “Talk shit, get hit.” Taz raised his hands and prepared to throw a punch. Welt was frightened and quickly moved away. “Haha! Stupid punk! Taz can hit anyone he wants. Stop bullshitting in front of us!” “Yeah! I think this punk likes Rose as well. The last one who tried to snatch Taz’s date was hospitalized with a broken leg.” The youngsters around Taz scoffed and sneered at Welt. Welt was embarrassed and angry at the sam
“Rose, if you are not having dinner with me tonight, then you and your friends won’t be checking in to Mountain Dew Estate!” Since Rose had openly rejected him, Taz revealed his true nature and threatened her. Rose and her friends were agitated. Taz was being a jerk. His fondness for Rose was merely his wishful thinking and now that Rose had rejected him, he tried to coerce her into submission. Rose shouted angrily, “Taz, you are a jerk! I won’t go to dinner with you!” Taz’s expression turned heavier. He grunted and said, “It’s dark now and Mountain Dew Estate is the only resort here. I’d like to see where you guys are going to spend the night.” “Why don’t you come to stay in our room?” Taz’s friends continued to tease her. “Yeah. Good idea, we can make a lot of love and maybe a baby or two.” “Rose is still a student. What if she has to bring her baby to class in the future?” They harassed her openly. Rose was flushed with anger. Her friends felt bad either but th
“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