Alyssa scoffed. “You can go back and tell Ms. Quint to turn her husband in. This is your fault. Shouldn’t you be aware of that already by now?” Ash kept quiet. She could tell Darcy would rather risk losing the company than send her husband to jail. “You can leave now, Ms. Lester. Before Kaze Lee kneels in front of us, we will not be having any conversation with you.” Alyssa gestured for Ash to leave the place. Ash returned to the office with a bitter look. Darcy and the executives were still in the meeting room, waiting for her to come back. “Lil Dee is firm on this. Unless Kaze kneels and apologizes, they aren’t going to continue the cooperation.” Ash told them about her meeting with Alyssa. Dayton then said, “Ms. Quint, we must make Kaze apologize to Lil Dee, we still can turn this around. If this snowballs out of hand, our company is going to lose even more.” “Dayton is right. Kaze hit Lil Dee yet Lil Did didn’t call the police on him. He’s trying to save our faces
Kaze thought only the executives wanted him to apologize and he was not concerned at all. Now that Ash had joined them. Ash was the acting CEO who ran the company when Darcy was not around. She was practically the brain of the company. If this continued, Darcy’s position would surely be challenged or worse, abdicated. Whether Ash was intentional or not, Kaze could not allow it to continue. He made a call to Mathias immediately. “Brother, what is it?” Mathias’ humble voice came from the phone. Kaze said coldly, “Come here and take care of your manager. If not, I’ll do it for you.” Mathias was shaking when he heard Kaze. Before he could even figure out what happened, he nodded and said, “Right away! I’ll be there!” Only after the call, Mathias got a second to wrap his head around the situation. Manager? Did Kaze mean Ash? Ash was acting against Kaze? Mathias was irritated. He left the hotel room that he was in and went to Sky Ocean Corporation. Meanwhile at
Ash did not overthink about it. She simply thought Mathias was angry because he found out about Lil Dee terminating the contract with Sky Ocean Corporation. She put the phone down and then looked at Dayton and the others. “Mathias is coming. Let’s go down and welcome him.” Dayton and the others exchanged a delightful gaze. They did not expect Mathias to come so soon. They quickly followed Ash downstairs to wait for Mathias. At the lobby, Mathias strode in with a stern look. “Mathias.” “Young Master Mathias!” Ash and the others bowed and welcomed him. Mathias nodded at them and asked, “I heard that something happened to the company?” “Yes. Ms. Quint’s husband hit Lil Dee, the ambassador we hired for Mountain Dew Estate. He terminated the contract and threatened to sue us. I tried to negotiate with them but they wanted Kaze to apologize to them…” Ash briefly told Mathias what happened. “He must be having a death wish!” Mathias’ expression turned grim. He was a
Ash frowned. She had no idea what caused Mathias’ anger. She stepped in and said, “Mathias, this is too much. Dayton is quite capable…” “Shut up!” Mathias glared at her. Ash was unhappy with his attitude. She served the Queens for many years yet Mathias was being rude to her. “Mathias, Sky Ocean Corporation belongs to the Queens. If Ms. Quint continues to act this way, it will hurt the company’s profit. Understandably, the executives were unhappy with her decisions…” Ash mentioned the Queen family to remind Mathias not to protect Darcy. Slap! Ash was slapped in the face. Mathias shook his head and laughed. “You know nothing! Sky Ocean Corporation doesn’t belong to the Queens! It’s Darcy Quint’s! We are just the nominal owner! Even if Darcy lost everything in the company, you have no right to speak to her like that!” Ash was stunned. Sky Ocean Corporation belonged to Darcy? The Queens were just the nominal owner and were working for Darcy? It shocked her. She w
“Sky Ocean Corporation? I’ve never heard of it. Who are they? Lil Dee donated millions to charity! I support him!” “How dare that bastard hit Lil Dee?! What nonsense?! Call the police on him!” Different social media were being flooded by similar comments. Since Lil Dee donated a lot of money to charity before, many netizens supported him. Some so-called insiders even said that when Lil Dee and his team arrived at Mountain Dew Estate, the staff there offered to pimp him. Lil Dee was a morally righteous person so when he turned down the offer, he was beaten up. Darcy was shaking with anger when she saw the news and comments. It was Lil Dee who requested Kaze to pimp him and when he was rejected, he tried to coerce Nancy to sleep with him. Yet the truth was distorted by his PR team. “I bet that so-called insider is Lil Dee’s PR officer. They don’t want to be seen as passive, so they accuse us first, which escalates the situation. Then, when we reveal the truth, no one be
South River Station was one of the highest-rated television stations in the country and it had an insane viewership count. To promote Mountain Dew Estate, Sky Ocean Corporation worked with the television station to broadcast their advertisement video during prime time. Fifteen seconds of video cost around a million, per broadcast. Now that the news of Kaze hitting Lil Dee had gone out, South River Station pulled the advertisement. “Ms. Quint, the person in charge also said that the contract clearly states that if we are at fault for causing the advertisement to be pulled, the TV station won’t be liable for anything…” Ash’s expression turned bitter. Sky Ocean Corporation and South River Station signed a contract to broadcast the advertisement for one hundred prime time slots. Now that the contract was breached, a hundred million in advertisement fees went down the drain. Before everyone could recover from the shock, Ash’s phone continued to ring. “Every other social me
“I have seen your picture and goddamn you are pretty. Hehe…” Lil Dee’s perverted chuckles sounded creepy on the loudspeaker. “Desmond Litman, stop dreaming! It’s not happening!” Darcy shouted. She really wanted to hang up the phone. Lil Dee scoffed. “If you don’t want to, then there’s nothing left for us to talk about. I’d like to see without me, who can bring Mountain Dew Estate back to life? I hope you won’t come begging me later.” Darcy clenched her teeth tightly. She no longer had hopes to revive Mountain Dew Estate. Kaze then went over to Darcy’s desk and said to the phone, “Desmond Litman, don’t think too much of yourself. I can simply find someone else to replace you and revive Mountain Dew Estate. I hope you won’t come begging me later as well.” Kaze was furious that Lil Dee insulted Darcy over the phone. The office was quiet. No one expected Kaze to continue arguing with Lil Dee after what had happened. “Kaze Lee?” Lil Dee clenched his teeth and said angril
“When Professor Whiteman and his team came back from the foreign battlefield, they were welcomed like heroes. Many big companies tried to invite him to endorse their products or services but he rejected all the offers.” Ash hoped that Professor Whiteman could be their ambassador but she knew it was impossible. Professor Whiteman was a scholar and a doctor, nothing else. He did not need the extra money from endorsements and he disliked being distracted by not his profession. Darcy shook her head as well. “Kaze, stop dreaming. Professor Whiteman might be a friend of the family but this is the company’s matter. Now that the company is in a tough situation, I am too embarrassed to ask Professor Whiteman.” Ash and the others did not know that Darcy’s family was friends with the professor. They revered and respected her even more knowing her background. However, as Darcy said, this was a company matter, not a private affair. Professor Whiteman would never say yes. “Don’t worry.
“I have pointed you in a direction. If you still can’t trust your team, you can go to the Viper’s Den.“There’s one thing, though. Don’t rely too heavily on the Viper’s Den, or your company will be left without secrets.” Kaze’s suggestion gave Snow assurance. She considered tapping into the Viper’s Den’s resources. However, Kaze warned her against excessive dependence. “Why did you say that, Chairman Lee? Will the Viper’s Den stab me in the back?” Surely, the Viper’s Den took orders from Kaze. The Viper’s Den would always be an ally so long as Kaze was the branch leader. “I just don’t want you to put too much faith in others. You find loyalty by developing your own team. Those who revere me will never trust you completely.” Kaze analyzed the situation. Snow ate her supper and looked at Kaze in confusion. “You can only count on the people you win over. You can’t trust anyone else, and that includes me.” Kaze would never hurt Snow. However, he hoped that she would fin
“As you said, all is in the past. What’s the point of dwelling on it?” Leah perked up. Such was life, but it took her too long to understand the harsh reality. She guessed things were just not meant to be. “I’ll think about what to get Kaze. Rest well. We’ll visit him in a few days.” Taking the matter seriously, Katie wanted to get gifts ready ahead of time to thank Kaze. “Alright. I’ll see what I can do too. I want to be in touch with the outside world. I don’t care what they have to say. This is not my fault. I won’t blame myself.” Leah wanted her phone back to contact her former friends. Ultimately, she needed to move forward instead of backward. She had to face and fight back the rumors with courage. It was the crucial step to kick trauma in the face. The abduction was kept hush-hush for the most part, but Katie’s frantic search for her daughter at the cocktail party did not go unnoticed. Hearing about the incident, the influential people were keen to find out
“When did Kaze start setting it all up? I get the feeling that everybody played into his hands right from the start, and he had controlled every step of the way.” Leah realized that Kaze was an amazing man. Nothing could go past his eyes. “I don’t know.” Katie feared someone like Kaze. She would not be caught dead near him. Even when grasping the situation, Katie dared not look into Kaze for fear she would be targeted. Katie was careful not to show her face around Kaze. For all she knew, Kaze might get back at her. “But he came to Butterworth alone. We met at the train station, and he helped me out of a bad situation.” Leah felt warm and cozy inside just remembering the events. They did not know each other then. Kaze was kind to help a stranger out. From then on, Kaze could do no wrong in Leah’s eyes. Leah befriended him and found him nice. Her interest in him grew. They also got along well. Her memories of Kaze were sweet. Anyone could hurt her in the world, but
Even though Katie was the CEO of the Northborn Group, many eyed her position. There were too many vying to replace her. Without dedicating herself to her work, Katie risked falling from grace. Katie had been too eager to find success to give her daughter the best life. Leah could not understand the pain Katie had to go through. “I understand it now. I explained the nature of my relationship with Kaze to you, but you just wouldn’t get it.” Leah stubbornly expressed herself in hopes her mother would understand. “I just couldn’t get it through my head that you have grown up. You make an easy target since you just graduated and have not stepped into the real world.” Katie would not always be there for Leah. Hence, Katie did her best to get rid of potential danger. Her overprotectiveness triggered Leah’s defiance. It was Katie’s fault for not realizing it sooner. “I’m not angry with you. I didn’t understand a mother’s good intentions, but I understand now. I will listen to
Leah’s face beamed, but her mother’s words threw her into a daze. In the end, she tried to squeeze a smile to assure her mother. However, Leah could not muster a smile. Those days lingered with her like a recurring bad dream. Whenever she recalled the incident, she felt trapped in that nightmare again. Leah wanted to let those memories fade away, but she just could not do it. She would get startled awake late at night and trace the scars across her skin. During moments like this, she resented Perry. Leah was rather cheerful during the day as if the past was behind her. However, it was simply a way for her to escape the pain. By the way Leah was behaving, Katie instantly regretted the question. She should not have probed. Even if they avoided the elephant in the room, they could pretend like nothing ever happened. Nevertheless, the act of asking brought up unsettling times for Leah. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have asked.” Katie gently held Leah, hoping to cast
When the ambulance door closed shut, Leah wailed once more. The reality of her rescue finally sank in, and she grasped that it was not just a dream. It was a pity that she did not have much time with Kaze. She longed to spend more time with him. “Don’t cry, young lady. You’ll get better soon enough. Don’t worry about the scars on your face. I can administer medicine to help you,” the doctor said while wiping her tears. “Thank you. I’m finally out of the hell hole.” Leah’s worst nightmare would be to be trapped in there forever. Kaze watched as the ambulance disappeared into the night. He then turned to face the villa. “Apprehend everybody in there. Perry should be punished for his crimes.” Kaze had not intended to go after the Duncans, but the family had crossed the line this time. Leah was an adorable and vulnerable woman. She was abused beyond recognition. It never occurred to Kaze that the Duncans could be so cruel. “Perry has passed out in there. Where should
With the secret out in the open, the housekeeper dropped his attitude. He pointed at the basement not too far away. “My employer is in there.” The housekeeper grimaced and kept his head down. Kaze laughed. Unaware of his impending doom, Perry was still living it up. It was absurd. Perry was playing with fire by hurting Leah. “About time you wise up.” Arthur smiled and patted the housekeeper’s face. He opened the door to the basement. Kaze walked to the bar counter and picked up the best bottle of champagne there. He fiddled with the bottle before carrying it to the basement. The other Viper’s Den members followed him. Kaze took a stride down the steps, to the basement. The noisy music was blasting before they reached the entry. Kaze was filled with a mix of emotions. Nevertheless, he said nothing. He opened the door and walked in. The light in the basement was bright, making everything perfectly clear. However, the people inside were not bothered by the
“You know him. It’s Perry Duncan, Leah’s ex-boyfriend.” Snow did not see the point of hiding the truth, so she laid everything out. “Leah must be feeling foul because she was unaware that she was being stalked. By the time she realized what was going on, she was taken into a vehicle. “We spotted the vehicle they departed in from the surveillance footage. They headed to the mountain up north.” Snow had a general idea of the location. “I got Arthur on the job. He’s putting up a team from the Viper’s Den.” Snow was uncertain of Kaze’s stance toward Leah, but now that she was made aware of the situation, the least she could do was help. Katie belonged to the Viper’s Den, so Snow was lending a hand to a friend in business. “Thank you. Please save my daughter.” Katie was nervous. The Viper’s Den was the people she could count on. “Arthur is good, but he’s slow. I’ll do it,” Kaze said. The whole thing was unrelated to him. Kaze was well within his right to stand on the si
Even so, Elsie was out to get Leah. Elsie could pick up on Perry’s delight when she took a swing at Leah. Poor Elsie was just trying to survive by catering to others. People like her learned to pick up social cues and read body language to please customers for money in return. Their income would double if their customers were happy. Leah was the obstacle. If the women could not get rid of her, they would lose their profit. They had no hard feelings for Leah, but they stood on opposing ends. “You should be fawning over Mr. Duncan, not begging me,” Elsie said while grabbing Leah’s hair to pull her up. Leah snatched Elsie’s wrist to try and break free. “Let me go. I never did anything to you.” Leah was no doormat. She did not want to cross these people or get involved with them. She still hoped that by waiting here, her prince would arrive to save her. However, all she got was a cruel beating, and she had enough. “This isn’t my fault. Blame Mr. Duncan for your cir