Painful screams sounded continuously. In less than a minute, all the security guards were beaten to the ground, curled up, and growling in pain. Everything went silent except for the painful growls. Everyone looked at Kaze in shock, except for Professor Whiteman. He was more of a beast than a man! “Uh…” Birdie was stunned as well. His men were ferocious and could easily scare off people who tried to cause trouble at the hospital. Yet they were like children in front of Kaze. Slap! A heavy slap sent Birdie to the floor, landing on his butt. His head was slightly dizzy as he stared at Kaze blankly. Kaze grabbed him by the hair and said, “Still trying to break me?” “No! No! Not anymore! Please let me go!” Kaze lifted Birdie into the air single-handedly. With his legs kicking and flapping like a bird, Birdie felt like his scalp was being ripped off his skull. “I can let you go.” Kaze then gestured with his lips, pointing at Natasha. “Slap the woman’s face and
“It’s okay now, Darcy. You guys can print a new contract and I’ll sign it here and now. No one is going to intervene now,” Professor Whiteman said. The incident alarmed the professor. It seemed like he could not even trust his own student. He could only trust Kaze, who he had been through life and death with. “Okay. Ash, can you draft up a contract real quick? We’ll choose the right time to make the announcement,” Darcy said. They could not afford to drag this out any longer. The longer it took, the more damage was done to the company. While Professor Whiteman was signing the contract with Sky Ocean Corporation, Samson received the news of Natasha being hospitalized as well. More importantly, the professor was taken away from the commercial set by Kaze. Slam! Samson smashed his favorite mug on the floor and shouted, “Call Vayne immediately!” Vayne was sleeping after having too many drinks at lunch. He was woken up by an abrupt call and made his way to the Lee Solu
“Mr. Tucker, Ms. Quint is busy now. You’ll have to wait a moment to see her,” the receptionist said. Vayne bellowed, “Wait? Did you tell her who I am? I am Professor Whiteman’s student. Sky Ocean Corporation has to go through me to secure the professor’s endorsement!” “Mr. Tucker, the professor also said he doesn't have a student like you,” the receptionist said with a professional smile. “Nonsense!” Vayne did not believe the professor who disowned him. He believed the professor was tricked by Kaze and Darcy. He slammed the counter and bellowed, “Tell Darcy Quint to hand over the professor, or I will call the police and say your company is restricting him! Do you know how serious this is?!” “Mr. Tucker, please do not cause a scene here, or we will sue you for slander. You should know how serious that is too.” The receptionist saw the professor go up with Darcy with smiles and laughter, how could he be confined within the company? “You!” Vayne was fuming! The recepti
Vayne was deeply aggrieved. He quickly thought of reporting another incident. “Then I’m making a report about Kaze Lee, the husband of Sky Ocean Corporation’s chairwoman, hitting Natasha Laxton, the secretary of Lee Solutions. She’s hospitalized now.” “Please hold on, sir. We’ll verify this before we send officers over.” After the call, Vayne waited for the police to arrest Kaze. Then he could bring the professor back to Lee Solutions and sign the contract. However, he received a call from Samson. “You fuck, who told you to call the police? Are you trying to tell everyone that Kaze Lee took the professor away under my watch? Isn’t it embarrassing enough? “Do you know that Kaze is tight with the local police department? They won’t arrest him for whatever he did…” Samson scolded Vayne and told him that not even Natasha dared to press charges on Kaze. “Vayne Tucker, I’m warning you one last time. If the professor doesn’t sign the contract with us by today, I will erase y
A large crowd gathered at the entrance of Sky Ocean Corporation. More than a hundred media outlets were present.The security guards formed a human wall to stop the reporters from entering. “Darcy Quint, please come out. We would like to interview you.” “The chairwoman’s husband beat up Lil Dee, causing him to be hospitalized. Is it true?” “Is Mountain Dew Estate a brothel with pimping service?” The employees who were at the scene to maintain order were questioned by the reporters, yet none of them said a word. “Why aren’t you answering our questions? The company forbids you from talking? They’ll fire you once you speak? Sky Ocean Corporation is said to be affiliated with gangs.” The silence was counter-effective. Some sensitive questions were posed and the employees’ silence turned into a tacit affirmation to those questions.It was obvious that Sky Ocean Corporation was in a tough spot. Someone was trying to crush the company by pressuring them. The sensitive ques
The employee’s update on the situation outside the building killed the joyous mood in the office. Darcy opened the window and was blasted by the loud clamors downstairs. “More than a hundred media outlets are here. This isn’t normal, someone must be fanning the flames.” “Vayne is talking nonsense. Professor Whiteman came of his own free will, yet Vayne made it sound like we abducted him! This is slander!” “Someone is targeting Sky Ocean Corporation!” Ash and the executives were both angry and panicking. Be it the person in the dark or Vayne, both of them were vicious and they aimed to push Sky Ocean Corporation over the edge. “Calm down!” Kaze said loudly. He explained, “This is a good thing. We just signed the contract with the professor and we are going to announce it anyway. Now that someone has more than a hundred media outlets here for us, we don’t even need to contact them ourselves.” Ash and the others were struck with sudden realization. The panic on their fac
“Professor Whiteman!?” “The professor is here!” When the vigorous aged voice echoed in the air, the reporters clamored once more. The reporters were so excited that they almost broke through the security guard’s human wall. Vayne was pushed away from the spotlight and was drowned by the stampede. “Professor, your student said you were abducted by Sky Ocean Corporation, is that true?” Professor Whiteman glared at the reporter and said, “If I was, how am I answering your stupid question here? Are you blind? Should I recommend you to my optometrist friends to get your eyes checked? “And you people! Where is your conscience? Are views and attention more important than the truth?” Professor Whiteman bellowed angrily at the reporters. Like Kaze, the professor did not care what the reporters would write in their articles. He simply disliked the reporters’ poor ethics and scolded them. The reporters were scolded by Kaze and then the professor. Many of them were aggrieved.
Samson shouted into the phone. He had friends working in the media, so he got a first-hand update on what happened at Sky Ocean Corporation. Not only did the professor announce his endorsement of Mountain Dew Estate, but he also exposed the dirty secrets between Vayne and Lee Solutions. Samson could already see the criticism flooding his company, so he quickly warned Vayne to take responsibility and free the company from unnecessary criticism. Vayne was forced to agree. He regretted his actions. If he directly signed the contract with Sky Ocean Corporation, things would not have been exacerbated to this extent. However, there was no turning back for him now. No one cared about Vayne anymore. All the reporters focused on the professor and Sky Ocean Corporation. The news of the professor endorsing Mountain Dew Estate reached the internet and made headlines. As the professor’s first endorsement, Mountain Dew Estate received overwhelming attention. “Darcy, we got grea
“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