After descending the mountain, Stephen wanted to go home for a visit. However, at the thought of Rachelâs attitude toward him, he sighed, deciding otherwise. The problem in Hill City was still unresolved, and Rachel was still cold toward him. What was the point of going home?âLetâs return to Hill City.â With that, he left with Nolan. In the plane, Stephen looked at Nolan, who was resting with his eyes closed. There was a nagging feeling of distrust in his mind. Although Ethan did not answer his question, the hitmanâs words when he turned himself echoed in his mind. Before he could uncover the truth, Stephen could not fully trust Nolan, and that doubt was precisely what the South Regent wanted. With doubt came opportunities, just as how Juliusâ death was caused by Stephen and Georgeâs suspicions of Julius. Night had fallen by the time Stephen returned to his residence in Hill City. After a full day of travel, he felt tired but found himself wide awake as he lay in bed. Clo
He lay back on the bed but still could not fall asleep. Stephenâs eyes were wide open as memories of his classmates flooded his mind. After all these years, it seemed like none of them were doing particularly well. âSigh.â Stephen sighed, got out of bed, and took a melatonin pill. He returned to bed and thought of something while waiting for the pill to take effect. âI donât have enough people around me.âJulius was dead, George was jailed, Rachel hated him, and he still did not know whether Nolan was his ally or enemy. âI need a helper.â Stephen understood. âI need to have someone I can trust!âIf he had someone loyal who truly had his back, many problems would not feel so overwhelming. His burden would be lighter too!âWho would be suitable for this role?â Stephenâs first thought was to reach out to his friends back in the capital. However, due to Riveriaâs recent situation and the incident with Andy, there was no way those prestigious families would spare anyone to help h
In the evening, Stephen met Jeremy. Jeremy was thinner than he had been during their school days. His clothes were worn, and the most striking thing was how exhausted he appeared. Despite only being in his twenties, his hair had turned grey. Anyone who did not know better might have mistaken him for a man in his fifties.âStephen, Iâm here.â Jeremy walked to him and immediately knelt in front of Stephen. âThank you for your help.âStephen motioned for him to stand up. âStephen, whatever you need, just say the word. Iâll do it, even if it costs me my life.â Jeremy looked deadly serious, his resolve unwavering. Stephen was pleased with his reaction. It was exactly what he had hoped for. âI need you to secretly investigate two companies for me.âThey were the South Regent and the Spencersâ companies. Jeremy understood immediately. Stephen tried giving him more money, just in case anything went wrong later. However, Jeremy rejected it, stating there were still leftovers from t
Jeremy did not say a word. He had made up his mind that he would not betray Stephen, even at the cost of his life. Stephen extended a helping hand when he needed it the most. Although his mother could not be saved in the end, it at least allowed her to pass away with dignity. He looked at the South Regent with an unwavering gaze, not a trace of fear in his eyes. The South Regent had seen that look before. A long time ago, he had the same look in his eyes, but the person he looked at back then was Ethan. Then, Ethan defeated him time and time again, shattering his pride and resolve. The South Regent chuckled. âYou remind me of myself in the past. But even if you refuse to say whoâs behind you, I can guess it. Itâs Stephen, isnât it?âJeremy was shocked. He did not expect the South Regent to get it on the first guess. Seeing his reaction, the South Regent confirmed his suspicion and knew what Stephenâs plan was. Stephen must have hired the man to infiltrate his company, search
The people about to storm up with their metal pipes and machetes all hid their weapons behind their backs and carefully backed away. The others who had stepped out of their cars acted as if nothing had happened and got back into their cars. Even the pedestrians instinctively took a few steps back. The South Regent was confused, not understanding what had just happened. He slowly looked at Ethanâs hand outside the car window to see Ethan holding a black handgun.âGive me a minute,â Ethan said as he opened the car door. Gun in hand, he stepped out slowly, and the tension among the crowd grew even thicker. No one dared to say a word. Ethan walked to the roadside and picked up the bread from the ground, gently brushing off the dust. The woman held her child as she looked at Ethan nervously. âThe world will not stop for anyone. We need to stop it ourselves,â Ethan said as he handed the bread to the woman. The woman dared not take it, fearing those around her would scold her.â
The South Regent had seen through Jeremyâs intentions and even knew about Stephen. However, instead of showing anger, he openly let Jeremy go and even warned him about the Spencers.He also mentioned a nameâEthan Rivers.Jeremy looked at the driver and asked, âMister, do you know who Ethan Rivers is?ââLord Rivers? Of course,â the driver replied in a language Jeremy understood. âEveryone knows Lord Rivers.ââWhy? Isnât he from Riveria?âThe driver laughed. âHe brought peace to Riveria. Itâs chaos personified here, so everyone is hoping that heâll return and save them.ââI see...â Jeremy thought about it, then asked, âBut Riveria isnât really that peaceful now.ââYeah, thatâs because Lord Rivers has been missing for some time.âJeremy was shocked. âMissing? What happened?ââWe donât know the details.â The driver was also helpless.Jeremy had no further questions. The next day, he returned to Riveria and received a call from Stephen as soon as he arrived.âWhy did you go missi
âI tricked him to his death?â Stephen said coldly, âWatch your words. I saved his mother. Heâs helping me because he wants to repay me.âThe South Regent guffawed. He realized that Stephen must not know that Jeremyâs mother had already passed away. However, that had nothing to do with him, so he could not be bothered to say a thing.âYouâd better tell him to be careful. Heâll die a horrible death if the Spencers find out.ââNonsense.â Stephen said, âWho would dare kill my people?ââDonât say I didnât warn you,â the South Regent said indifferently. âIf thereâs nothing else, Iâm hanging up now.ââWait.â Stephen had not asked what he wanted to yet. âDid you try to bribe him?ââYes, but you are lucky to have such a loyal man. He refused me.âStephen felt a hint of satisfaction when he was called lucky. It seemed like the South Regent failed to bribe Jeremy after all. A weight was lifted off his chest.Stephen hung up the call and sent a message to Jeremy, reminding him to be carefu
Ethan walked over and sat on a chair under a tree, then glanced at the stone stool beside him. âHave a seat.âJeremy snapped back to his senses and quickly walked over. âI have some things to ask you, Lord Rivers.âEthan said calmly, âEveryone who comes to find me has something they want to ask.ââI heard from the South Regent that you once brought three years of peace to Riveria, and many people abroad still hope for your return. However, why are so many netizens cursing you?ââThey have different pieces of information, so they view issues from different perspectives,â said Ethan. âOf course, in most cases, itâs because people donât think things through.âJeremy almost laughed at the words. He had mentally prepared himself before coming, thinking that Ethan might be someone very serious. However, it seemed Ethan was much more interesting than he expected.âSince you once brought peace to Riveria, you must know the South Regent and the Spencers. Can you tell me who the good guy i
After everything was settled, the people from HQ went to Ethan again. They apologized to him and begged for his forgiveness.âWeâve dealt with everyone involved in this matter. Are you satisfied with the outcome, Mr. Rivers?âWith that, they lowered their heads to the ground nervously. Their only hope now hinged on Ethanâs response.They did not dare to ask for much. All they hoped for was that Ethan would not leave the country.Ethan glanced at them calmly and said, âSend someone to help move my stuff down the mountain.âHearing that, everyone was first stunned, and then ecstatic.âOf course!â they replied in unison.They understood what Ethan meant. He was staying! Although it was not his complete forgiveness, he was willing to give them another chance.They were all overjoyed. As long as Ethan did not leave, there was plenty of time to slowly make amends.They took out their phones and made arrangements to help Ethan move.After the call ended, they said, âWe respectfully
The day of Rachel and Georgeâs trial came.The livestream began at 10 a.m., and hundreds of thousands of viewers joined instantly.Rachel and George slowly walked into the courtroom in handcuffs.Bang! The judgeâs gavel fell, and the room went silent.It was not a lawsuit. It was a trial to expose the sins of Rachel and George.The judge read out their crimes one by one, until Rachel and Georgeâs faces paled to the point that they looked like corpses.The viewers in the livestream finally saw the full picture.âSo thatâs it! The Quinns and the Lowes conspired!ââThey deserve to die! How could they frame Ethan like that? Are they even human?ââThe death penalty! They deserve the death penalty!âThey were all furious.Many people had lost their families as a result of supporting Stephen and scolding Ethan. After watching the livestream, they realized just how deeply they had been wrong.They were accomplices to the Quinns and the Lowes' crimes in framing Ethan!Their current
They suppressed their disgust and returned home, only to see their parents and wivesâ panicked expressions.âWhat did you do out there?ââSo many people came today, asking for you by name.âHow were they supposed to answer those questions? They could not just say that they had insulted Ethan online.If they did, their parents would beat them to death before anyone else could.âItâs nothing,â they replied stiffly. They had no choice but to hide the truth. After all, they could not say that they had insulted Ethan, or that they had lost their jobs.However, the next second, their parents received text messages. After their parents glanced at their phones, their expressions instantly changed.It was a message from the bank, stating that their child had been listed as a defaulter and urging them to repay the loan immediately.âWhat have you done?â Their parentsâ voices trembled.Seeing that there was no way to hide it anymore, they had no choice but to confess the truth.They los
Seeing that message, they immediately felt as if their world had ended.Because they had insulted Ethan, they lost their jobs, were blacklisted, and could not find work again.âHow could this be?âNo one expected this outcome. They thought, âSo what if I insulted him? Are they going to punish me for it? Besides, so many people are insulting him. They canât possibly punish every single person who did it. At most, Iâll post a public apology and promise that Iâll never do it again.âHowever, now they were all fired. Everyone who had insulted Ethan had been dismissed from their jobs.It seemed like there were several tens of thousands of people involved! It was hard to imagine just how many people had lost their jobs in real life.âWhy are they going this far? Arenât they afraid of causing unrest?âOf course, HQ had considered that. However, they knew what was more serious.If Ethan went abroad and cooperated with foreign countries, the consequences would not be limited to a few pe
George thought that Rachel had already escaped abroad, so he was not afraid when he arrived.Now, when he saw Rachel there as well, he completely panicked.This was not what he had expected!âWhere else would she be?â someone from HQ asked.George looked nervous and stammered, unable to say a word.With Rachel caught and him being brought here, it was clear that HQ already knew the truth. Coupled with his fear of Ethan and his helplessness in the face of reality, he no longer had the strength to make up any excuses.He had resigned himself to fate.âYou really have some nerve." The people from HQ sneered. âYou fooled us all completely.ââYouâve been hiding Ethanâs contributions all this time, havenât you?ââYou two are nothing but disasters to this country! You deserve to die a thousand times over.âGeorge kept his head down while Rachel sobbed. âI was wrongfully accused!ââShut up! Are you still trying to fool us at a time like this? You were wrongfully accused? By who? Sim
They brought this on themselves, forcing themselves into a corner with no way out. âAh!âSimon could not take it anymore. He suddenly ran towards the window, trying to end his life. Fortunately, the officials quickly stopped him. âDonât be reckless! Think about Stephen. Youâre all he has now!âThat sentence made Simon stop. Now, Stephen and Simon were each otherâs support and burden. Simon slumped on the ground weakly. Right now, they both wanted to die, but neither of them had the courage to follow through. All they could do was live on in pain. After a long silence, Simon said, âIâd like to file a report on someone.âTo obtain some kind of reward and survive a little longer, Simon decided to turn in George and Rachel. When the officials heard him, they were stunned. They did not expect Rachel to be involved in framing Ethan. âShit!â Someone exclaimed. âI heard Rachel bought a flight ticket overseas. Could she have fled?âThe room was filled with dread. If Rachel ra
Seeing that Stephen was awake, the others rushed to get the doctor. The doctor was astonished as well. Stephenâs sudden awakening was nothing short of a miracle. However, after examining him, the doctorâs expression darkened. Stephen had regained consciousness, but the prognosis was far from hopeful.âHe canât move,â the doctor said. âAs of now, heâs paralyzed.âStephen could open his eyes, but the rest of his body was unresponsive. He could not move his limbs or his neck and mouth. The only part he could move freely was his eye. Even his breathing was dependent entirely on medical equipment. âHe might never be able to leave the bed again.âUpon hearing that, Stephen closed his eyes in despair, tears continuously rolling down his cheeks. He had fought so hard to wake up, only to realize he had missed his final chance to meet Snow and Lily. Worse yet, he also lost the ability to move. From now on, he would be confined to the bed and hooked up to machines just to stay alive.
His father died a miserable death, his son was in a coma, and the Quinn family was shattered, leaving only Simon behind to finally realize all his mistakes. However, it was too late. Harrison could not come back to life, the Quinn family could not be whole again, and Stephen could not recover. Simon would forever be haunted by pain, despair, and regret for the rest of his life. At that moment, in complete darkness, Stephen heard Simonâs voice. He was conscious but failed to open his eyes or speak; he could not move a muscle. He wanted so badly to sit up and tell Simon that it was not solely his fault. They were all wrong, and this was their retribution!Just then, two women walked into the ward. When the officials saw them, their eyes widened in shock. For a second, no one even breathed. They were Snow and Lily!The officials thought they were seeing ghosts. Those women were supposed to be dead. Why were they there? Snow and Lily noticed their shocked gazes and offered them
Due to Harrisonâs previous incident, the officials reacted quickly by sending Stephen straight to the hospital.After an emergency rescue, Stephenâs life was saved. However, he paid a heavy price. When the doctor walked out of the emergency room, the officials asked, âHow is he?ââThe situation isnât looking good,â the doctor said grimly. âHis body is in a bad state, and due to long-term emotional distress, he suffered a brain hemorrhage from the emotional shock.âHeâs still in a coma, and we canât say for sure when heâll wake up again. It depends on his will to live.âThe officials drew a sharp breath. âDo you mean he might end up in a coma forever?âThe doctor nodded. No one saw coming that Stephen would fall into a coma, with little chance of ever waking up again. However, it also meant he did not have to die anymore. He would be alive but confined to a bed. Suddenly, they thought of Harrisonâs desperate pleas to Ethan back in his villa. âIâm willing to trade my life fo