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
Kefier’s face fell as Welt would not take the hint. “You might want to think before you speak.” Kefier said curtly, “The owner’s two-billion-dollar purchase of Mountain Dew Estate has demonstrated his abundant finances.“The honorable guest is an influencer with millions of followers, not someone you can mess with. You’re just students, so don’t even try.“Know when to quit and cancel the reservation. Otherwise, I have other ways to blacklist you from Mountain Dew Estate.” Exasperated, Kefier adopted a harsh approach toward the students.“That’s outrageous. That’s bullying. We will expose you for what you are.” Rose and the others could burst into tears in rage. They could not tolerate being kicked out in the middle of the night. “Expose me?” Kefier smirked fearlessly. “I doubt you have clout. Once the influencer gets here, he could make a post to promote the resort. Your so-called expose won’t get many views.” Rose and the others were at a loss for what to do. The
Julius grimaced. Given Taz’s age, Julius did not expect a threat from him. Taz needed to be taught a lesson. However, Julius was not in the position to do so. It was no secret that Samson adored his son. Samson silenced and covered up Taz’s misconduct with a female student in college.It was known within Sunrise’s investment community that Samson was ruthless and cold-blooded. Samson once ruined the life of a close partner. Besides, Samson had the support of the Sunrise Lees. Julius, despite holding a high position at Green Lantern Corporation, would think twice before crossing Samson. He forced a laugh and said, “My nephew doesn’t know any better, Taz. I apologize on his behalf.” Welt’s eyes widened. He could not believe Julius would surrender to Taz. Welt shouted peevishly, “He slapped me for no reason, Julius. Why should you apologize to him?” Taz made a dirty look. Julius turned around and gave Welt a slap. Smack!Welt put his hand over his cheek absentl
“Argh! That hurts!” Taz cried in agony with his hand over his face. The turn of events caught everybody off guard. What was going on? What happened to Taz? They looked at Taz in confusion, assuming he was just having a manic episode. Taz looked down and found a dying ember on the ground. He grimaced. “W-Who fucking burned me with a cigarette?” Taz’s outraged voice ripped through the crowd as he sought the culprit. It dawned on the people that Taz was burnt in the face with a cigarette. It explained his earlier agony. They looked up, eager to find the audacious individual who charred Taz’s face. Narrowly escaping Taz's kiss attempt, Rose fled to a safe distance and lifted her head to find a familiar face. “Kaze!” she exclaimed. Rose pouted and said tearfully, “Taz tried to take advantage of me, Kaze!” Approaching the center of the crowd, Kaze shuffled her hair and said in a calm voice, “I saw everything. Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Kaze
“Kaze!” Intimidated by Taz’s sinister face, Rose clung tight to Kaze’s arm. Her body trembled. Kaze patted her back and consoled her, “Don’t be scared. The punk is no threat.” “Who are you calling a punk, bastard?” Exasperated, Taz waved at his minions and shouted menacingly, “Take the bastard on. Beat him up now!” His five minions were vicious.With the scene about to get ugly and violent, Rose and her friends turned as white as a sheet. “Hide, Rose. Kaze won’t be able to defeat all of them,” Bronya shouted at Rose. “No, Kaze is amazing.” Rose stood firm next to Kaze, though looking a little timid. “Get him!” The minions did not hesitate to charge toward Kaze. “It’s time you face the consequences for defying Mr. Hobbs.” The sidekick in the forefront swung his fist at Kaze’s face with a leer. Pulling a blank face, Kaze shielded Rose and kicked the attacker in the chest. “Ugh.” The minion tumbled back with a scream before crashing to the ground. The pain
Taz talked tough and stormed off. “Is that supposed to be a threat?” Kaze narrowed his eyes dangerously at Taz’s back before turning to ask Rose, “How did the guy come onto you?” Rose recounted Taz’s unwanted pursuit of her in school.In the end, she tugged Kaze’s clothes and said worriedly, “I think Taz’s father is influential, Kaze. He might go after you.” Kaze appreciated Rose’s concern.He patted her head and said with a smile, “It’s okay. I won’t go down without a fight.” “Okay.” Rose nodded with glee. “Wow, you were amazing, Kaze!” As Rose’s friends gathered around, Bronya and Mei stared at Kaze with star-studded eyes. The girls, impressed by Kaze’s quick takedown of Taz’s minions, found Kaze quite the hunk. “Thank you, Kaze.” Welt awkwardly thanked Kaze. He had a crush on Rose. When Taz forced his lips on Rose, Welt was heartbroken and frustrated with his helplessness. The fight changed the group’s opinion of Kaze for the better. Julius said, “You
A young woman in office attire shouted. She was Darcy’s old friend, Nancy Braus. Nancy’s power suit hugged her curves. Though her appearance was not as striking as Darcy’s, Nancy had her unique charm. She approached hurriedly with the management team in tow. “Ms. Braus!” Kefier frowned. He was displeased with Nancy for undermining his authority. Kefier had only been on the job for two days, but he had his eyes on Nancy’s position. He believed he would make a better general manager. To replace Nancy at her job, Kefier needed to suck up to Taz and the owner who was about to check into Mountain Dew Estate that night. Kefier went up to explain with a smile, “Ms. Braus, this man hit me and attacked Mr. Hobbs and his friends. I told the employee to call security, and he refused to take my orders. I was only trying to scare—” “Who hit you?” With her patience running thin, Nancy interrupted Kefier. Kefier was smug, thinking Nancy caught wind of the assault on Taz. He
“You’re finally growing up.” Katie was pleased. “Thank you for your guidance, Mom. You need to get one thing straight, though. Don’t force me to do the things that I don’t want to do,” Leah whispered. Marriage was not the path she chose. “Today is just about formalities. You won’t have to commit to anything. We can talk about this later. If you see someone you fancy, you can talk to me.” Katie would not pick a fight with her daughter on an important day like this. She gave Leah some space. At the very least, Katie would not upset Leah right now. Though Leah did not get the answer she was looking for, Katie had backed down a little. Hence, Leah said nothing. As the pair smiled politely from across the room, the crowd grew envious of them. “Even though Katie is a grown adult, she looks young and beautiful for her age.” Jonathan’s breath was taken away. It was no secret that Leah was beautiful, but the mother-and-daughter duo held their own when standing together. Le
Leah was glowing in her princess outfit today. “Thank you, Joey. You’ve worked hard for my birthday party.”Leah was thankful to hear her friends’ well wishes from Joey. “I didn’t do much. Madam Loren is the one doing the heavy lifting.” Joey put in the good word for Katie.“My mother only barks orders. She won’t do things herself,” standing in the elevator, Leah murmured. For that reason, Leah did not have much expectation for her mother. Leah would celebrate her birthday with an intimate party at the villa every year. This year was special and more elaborate. Leah enjoyed putting a look together, but she was no commodity. Most of the attendees were Katie’s business partners or bootlickers. Leah felt like a product up for sale, and she did not even have a say about it. The choice was in the customers’ hands. “Don’t say that. Madam Loren had been keeping an eye on the event planning. Though she wasn’t here, she determined every detail, including the flowers.” Al
Joey did not expect her comment to upset Leah. Leah should not be throwing a tantrum on an important day like this. However, Leah’s mind was elsewhere, to begin with. She merely stayed at the hotel to increase her chances of running into Kaze. Luck was not on her side because Leah did not see Kaze again. Leah felt down, but she was reluctant to leave. Despite feeling annoyed about being pushed around today, Leah could only sit around and wait. Joey’s remark made Leah feel like she was a commodity. Her mood dropped to an all-time low. Leah kept to herself, not keen to carry on with this life. Her life bore no meaning. She was her mother’s mindless puppet. “Why the sudden frown? Not everybody gets to wear such a beautiful gown,” flustered, Joey consoled her. She could not understand Leah’s change of mood. “I’m fine. I just feel uneasy about joining everybody at the event hall.” Leah knew she should not be headstrong, but the words just came out of her mouth. T
“We should make the call for our kids. They’re too young to know much,” Jonathan uttered. “Excuse me while I tend to other guests. You should get inside. We can talk later.” Katie was not keen on pursuing the subject. Joey rose to her feet and led Jonathan and Kody into the event hall. Jonathan kept pressing on, only to find Katie brushing him off. He was upset. However, Katie had the power to ruin his business. Jonathan knew better than to rub her the wrong way. He joined others in the hall. Katie was all decked out to befriend more potential business partners. Leah started getting ready first thing in the morning. She was dolled up nicely too. She looked like an elegant princess in the pink tutu dress. The outfit brought out an adorable side to her. Leah picked out the dress a while back, and it was only one of its kind. The dress was air-shipped to her. The dress was tailored to fit her perfectly. She looked refined with her long, black hair resting behind
“It’s your birthday party tomorrow. You might want to cut down on your drinking. Don’t do anything rash.” Joey could tell that Leah had a problem with her. As Katie’s assistant, Joey had a lot on her plate. However, some things were out of her hands. Joey could not do anything about their mother-daughter problems. Since she could not fix anything, she had to leave them to it. “Pfft.” Leah had been hoping to run into Kaze, but he was nowhere to be found lately. Disappointment washed over Leah, but the only thing she could do was wait. “Is there someone you’re waiting for?” Joey often caught Leah turning to look at the entrance. She would turn around every time an individual walked through the door. “Are you just going to tell on me again?” Leah did not like to be threatened. Most importantly, she did not want Katie to know about this. She was not mean to Joey on purpose. Leah’s words came off harsh because she was feeling down. “I won’t tell on you. I just feel
“But you run the place. I doubt anyone would try anything. The guy just didn’t know any better.” Leah acted like she did not care. In truth, Kaze was standing tall and proud in her head. “Oh, I hope you will give me fewer things to worry about. Put up a few days at home, and you can come back to stay at the hotel after the birthday party.” Katie rejected Leah’s proposal. She could not possibly let her daughter stay elsewhere when she had a home. Leah understood that while her mother seemed easy to talk to, the latter would not budge when her boundaries were crossed. “Got it.” Leah pretended to be compliant. “The housekeeper will go shopping with you to pick out some clothes and jewelry.” Katie was generous to her daughter, especially when she behaved. Freedom was the one thing Katie took from Leah. “I’ll shop around, but I don’t need anyone following me.” Leah did not like being controlled. “Be good now. Your birthday party is around the corner. All eyes are on
“If you won’t listen to reason, I’ll have to send you abroad and leave you to fend for yourself.” Katie would have no choice but to ditch Leah if she became too hard to manage. Leah never thought that her mother would say such a thing. While Katie was a callous mother to her, it never crossed Leah’s mind that Katie would send her away. Leah did not want to leave Arcadia. It would cut her off from the person she wanted to meet. Though it was uncertain whether she could see Kaze again, the odds would be in her favor if she stayed. Leah was defenseless against Katie’s coercion. With Leah falling silent, Katie knew that she was moving in the right direction. “Be a good girl, and I’ll make it worth your while. You’re my daughter. Of course, I love you and want what’s best for you.” Katie backed up a little to ease the tension. “You don’t have to do anything. Just stay with me. There’s still room for discussion if marriage isn’t for you right now.” Katie knew her daught
Katie, taking off in the car, was not in the best mood. The smile on her face quickly vanished as soon as the car was out of sight. “What’s wrong with you today?” Katie questioned. “What do you mean?” Leah talked smack. “I’m sure you know full well why I took you with me.” Katie had conceded, but Leah just would not take her win and leave it at it. The nerve of her to defy. “I did. You’re trying to sell me, aren’t you?” Holding a grudge on the earlier slap, Leah was pretty rude to her mother. “Since you can’t accept the big man from the Viper’s Den, I set you up with a young, handsome man. There’s no pleasing you.“Jet is the whole package. He has the looks and wealth. Is he not good enough for you?” Katie felt put in the spot. Leah was getting more unruly by the day. “I want to live life on my own terms.” Leah voiced her thoughts. She was nobody’s puppet. “Oh, you want to dictate your life. As you can see, everything you have comes from me. You’ll lose eve
“I am just telling the truth. Thank you for your enlightenment, Madam Loren,” Jet said humbly. “It’s getting late. We should be going. My daughter easily gets tired at night. She’s like a little rabbit at home. “If you have any other gathering in the future, remember to bring her alone and let her make some friends.” Katie once again pushed her daughter to the forefront, hoping to matchmake the two of them. “Let’s keep in touch, Leah. If you want to have some fun, just call me. I’ll arrange everything,” Jet said. “Thank you. As for your problem, don’t worry about it. I’ll go ask around,” Katie added. Jet had already achieved his objective, so he stood up and sent them out. After the mother and daughter went into the car and drove off, the humble smile on his face disappeared. Aloysius then came from the side. “Have you prepared the present?” Jet rubbed his stiff cheeks and then lit up a cigarette. “Yes, sir. It’s a set of jewelry.” Aloysius had prepared a presen