No one expected Lil Dee to be so blunt as to bring up Kaze’s touchy subject. The clamoring pub fell silent. Lil Dee’s team, Taz, and his sidekicks looked at Kaze curiously. Most of them held Kaze in contempt. Not wanting to put Kaze in the spot, Nancy said angrily, “Please show Mr. Lee some respect. He’s our owner, Lil Dee.” “Ha!” Lil Dee snorted and sneered. “So what? Can’t I be honest with the owner? It’s no secret that Mr. Lee took his wife’s family name. Was I wrong?” While Lil Dee was right, he did not have to lay bare Kaze’s privacy. Nancy was disgusted with Lil Dee. The influencer, who was famed for his charity work and humility in public, acted high and mighty behind closed doors. “Lil Dee, Mr. Lee represents Sky Ocean Corporation.” Nancy stressed to remind Lil Dee that they were equal partners. Given Kaze’s position as a Sky Ocean Corporation representative, any personal attacks would be considered inappropriate.However, Nancy’s words insulted Li
“Mr. Lee, you’re the man.” Lil Dee clapped his hands with a smile. While his words praised Kaze, his eyes betrayed a glint of disdain.When Kaze stepped forward, Lil Dee thought the loser was going to confront him. Instead, Kaze wimped out and told everybody to carry on drinking. Chuckles filled the pub. Lil Dee’s team, Taz, and his sidekicks snickered contemptuously. Taz joined Lil Dee in the applause and taunted, “Tsk, tsk. Rose, wasn’t Kaze acting tough earlier? Why is he a coward now?“He gulped down the whole bottle like it’s water.” The way Taz saw it, Kaze was brutal to attack him because he was the owner of Mountain Dew Estate. However, Kaze’s wife gave him that role. Kaze backed down when he came across Lil Dee, an important partner to his wife. “Shut up, Taz. Mind your own business!” Rose teared up, feeling angry with Taz and sorry for Kaze. She yanked him. “Stop drinking, Kaze. You can’t handle that much alcohol.” Bronya, Mei, Welt, and the others pe
“Don’t just stand there, Mr. Lee. Hurry up and pick the good ones for us.” As Kaze stood still, Lil Dee urged him annoyedly, treating Kaze as a pimp. It was more than just a verbal insult. If Kaze were to grant Lil Dee’s wish, the public would tear into him and label him as a hustler. Nancy stood up for Kaze. “I’m sorry, Lil Dee, but we don’t provide that kind of service—” “Hmph!” A scoff interrupted Nancy from finishing her sentence. One of Taz’s minions, a local, sneered. “Who are you bluffing, Ms. Braus? It’s widely known that Mountain Dew Estate is a brothel. “Most people traveling outside the city head to Mountain Dew Estate. It’s said that the resort even hired foreigners to cater to guests. You’re withholding on Lil Dee by not giving him the full five-star service.” The sidekick was telling the truth. Guests who could afford a stay at Mountain Dew Estate had access to money. Some wealthy men would bring along their female companions to the resort. It was cl
Nancy turned pale. Lil Dee could drop out of the deal with Sky Ocean Corporation if Nancy would not sleep with him. Revamping the image of Mountain Dew Estate was Sky Ocean Corporation’s key objective following its acquisition.Nancy was grateful to Darcy for giving her an opportunity to run the resort. She did not want to be the reason the partnership was in ruins. However, she was unwilling to sleep with Lil Dee. Nancy looked at Kaze in dread, eager to know where he stood. Lil Dee inched closer to Kaze. “Have you made up your mind, Mr. Lee? I don’t like to repeat myself.” “I’ve made myself clear, Lil Dee. Go back and take a cold shower to calm yourself down. You’re playing with fire.” Kaze’s gaze was aloof. “Hmph!” Lil Dee scoffed in disdain. “Don’t hog the good stuff, Lil Dee. Don’t forget about me.” Taz stepped forward, tempted to give Lil Dee a standing ovation for the brilliant idea. Once Kaze’s wife realized Kaze had pimped out his employee, she would g
Fortunately, the wall was covered with a soft cushion for noise isolation, which saved Taz from several broken bones, but he was not in a good shape either. “Ughh!” Lil Dee landed on the couch with his body crouched. His stomach rumbled which caused him to throw up as much as he had drunk earlier. What suffered more than his body was his pride. He did not expect Kaze would hit him. If the news got out, he would lose face. “Get him! Get him!” He shouted as he curled on the couch. He disregarded anything else and simply wanted Kaze dead to vent his anger. “Aaarh!” The bodyguards that jumped on Kaze were all knocked down to the floor, twisting and twirling in pain. The tough-looking bodyguards were like children in front of Kaze. “Kaze! How dare you hit Lil Dee?! Do you know how many followers he had?!” Taz shouted. He was not angry but excited. He knew that once Kaze hit Lil Dee, Kaze would have to face the wrath of Lil Dee’s fans, so he continued to fan the flames.
“I hope you can keep your word.” Kaze then deleted the recording before Lil Dee. He did not care if Lil Dee was lying. If the man wanted to get back at him, even without the recording, he could easily squash Lil Dee regardless of how many fans or followers he got online. The recording was merely a tool to discourage him. Lil Dee breathed a sigh of relief when the recording was deleted. He relied on his fans to make a living and cherished his reputation more than his life. He would do anything to stop the recording from being leaked. “Lil Dee, I hope this little misunderstanding won’t affect our collaboration. We should continue drinking and talk about how to work together, am I right?” Kaze dragged Lil Dee to the couch and poured him a glass of wine with a smile. “Here, a toast.” Lil Dee felt extremely aggrieved. He was just beaten up by the man before his eyes and now he was forced to drink with him. He dared not reject Kaze either. If he did, he would not be drinkin
Ash worked for the Butterworth Queens. She was a capable woman and even without Darcy, she was able to single-handedly run the company perfectly. She was experienced and smart and rarely lost her composure like this. Darcy’s heart skipped a beat. “What happened, Ash?” “Lil Dee’s team just emailed us to terminate the contract. They will be ceasing all forms of cooperation with Sky Ocean Corporation.” Ash’s words shocked everyone in the meeting room, causing an uproar among the executives. Sky Ocean Corporation signed a five-year contract with Lil Dee. He had to promote Mountain Dew Estate for five years and the company would pay him two hundred million. Lil Dee was one of the most famous influencers in the country and Sky Ocean Corporation was just a slightly bigger company in Lilyrose. To show their sincerity, the company already gave Lil Dee tens of millions as a sign-up bonus. Now that Lil Dee wanted to terminate the contract, aside from losing money, it would disru
Darcy was forced to side with reasons this time. She said, “Alyssa, I’m sorry for what happened. I’ll talk to Kaze to find out what happened and I will call you back.” Alyssa scoffed. “You can take all the time you want. Lil Dee has decided to terminate the contract. You will be receiving our lawyer’s letter soon.” The call ended on an abrupt note. “Ms. Quint, what happened?” Ash and the other executives looked at Darcy eagerly, hoping to learn the truth as well. After a slight hesitation, Darcy decided to be honest with the executives. Even if she tried to cover for Kaze, it would soon reach the public’s ears. The executives were baffled after learning what happened. The chairwoman devoted her effort and time to rebrand Mountain Dew Estate, yet her husband beat up the ambassador the company hired. Now that the ambassador had terminated the contract, the company would also be sued. Kaze caused more trouble for the company with his recklessness. All the executive
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.