“Give me back my company! And, you will also help me get my men out!” the South Regent said to Nolan. Nolan refused to help, but when he saw the phone in the South Regent’s hand, he had no other choice but to agree. “Fine, but you have to give me the phone,” he said in a low voice. The South Regent chuckled. “I know what you’re thinking. I can’t give you the phone.” Nolan said through gritted teeth, “Are you going to hold on to it and use it against me at any time?” The South Regent pushed the phone back to Ethan, saying, “Lord Rivers, I’ll have to trouble you to hold on to that for now.” Then, he turned back to Nolan and said, “Now that Lord Rivers has the phone, is there anything else you’d like to say?” Nolan fell silent. With Ethan holding onto the evidence, there was nothing he could say. The South Regent could no longer threaten him, but it also meant he had to hold on to his promise. The South Regent smiled at Nolan’s silence and said, “It’s a deal.” Nolan want
Trade his and his family’s lives for Stephen’s? It was not worth it at all! Nolan wanted to save Stephen so that his family could thrive in the future. If Stephen lived but not his family, everything would be meaningless. It was then that Nolan finally realized Ethan was never going to save Stephen. “Fine. I’ll be taking my leave. Please excuse me,” he said after a sigh. Just as he got up and wanted to leave, the South Regent held back his urge to laugh and asked, “Are you not staying for dinner?” Nolan glared at him and then walked away. He had lost all his appetite. He had to go back to keep an eye on Stephen, preventing him from doing anything stupid. Watching Nolan walk away with a sulky face, the South Regent laughed even louder. After that, the South Regent, Jeremy, Andy, and Marcus stayed back and had dinner with Ethan. It was around 8 p.m. when they made their way down the mountain. Ethan assured them the guards would not stop them if they took the main road.M
Stephen had been having nightmares. In his sleep, he found himself back in the room where Jeremy was executed. However, the person lying in the bed kept changing. Sometimes it was Snow or George, and other times he was Julius. All Stephen could do was watch as each one of them died in front of him, and the one giving the execution order was him.He saw their faces clearly in the last moments—full of regret, disappointment, and despair. He wanted to look away, but he could not. Once the drugs wore off, he woke up with his forehead glistening with sweat. The ward was quiet. Slowly, he sat himself up. That was when he noticed someone beside him. He turned to look and was shocked by what he saw. It was Jeremy, dead and covered in blood and mud, crawling towards him. Panicked, Stephen fell off the bed and crashed onto the floor. The sound startled Rachel awake, and she looked up to see Stephen on the floor. “What happened?” She quickly went up to him, trying to help him. “Don’t c
Nolan nodded. “I guess you can say that.” He had met Jeremy at Ethan’s place and learned that Jeremy’s plan was Ethan’s suggestion. Hence, in a way, Ethan was also responsible for what happened to Stephen. The psychologist looked troubled. “What’s wrong?” Simon asked, his brows furrowed. The psychologist looked confident when he arrived, but now he seemed hesitant, like he had something to say but was holding back.“Sigh.” The psychologist sighed and got up. He explained, “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do.” Ethan's name was known not only to him but his entire profession. Three years ago, patients affected by Ethan started to pop up like a virus in the psychology field. Despite multiple attempts, the patients could not be saved and tragically took their own life. Worse yet, several psychologists were also affected, and it took a team of psychologists to save them from further influence. Since then, Ethan’s name had become taboo among them. No one wanted to take
At that moment, Nolan pulled up some information on Dr. Steel online. Then, he passed Simon his phone and said, “This is Dr. Ganter Steel.” Simon had a look and was shocked by the information. Dr. Steel was a prominent figure in the field of therapy and was currently serving as the director of a famous hospital. Seeing Austin’s credentials put Simon at ease about trusting Austin. As the prized protege of Dr. Ganter Steel, Austin must have exceptional skills. Curious, he also did a quick search on Austin’s background. After reading a few results, he understood why the psychologist said Austin was a little unconventional. Apparently, Austin had worked closely with his mentor regarding a condition called ‘Imaginary Love’. His way of treating the condition was special because he would make his patients confront the very situations that had triggered their issues in the first place. It was cruel at first, but his therapy sessions worked. After his little research on Austin and D
“Sigh.” After the sigh, Nolan said, “They’re dead. Jeremy’s family wasn’t that wealthy. His mother was sick and needed the money for surgery, so Stephen gave him money and had Jeremy work for him. “However, the surgery failed, and his mother died. Jeremy held a simple funeral for his mother on that day and then came back to Stephen. “Stephen thought he saved Jeremy’s mother with the money, so he kept mentioning it, hoping to keep a leash on Jeremy. “It was only after he executed Jeremy that he found out Jeremy’s mother had died a long time ago.”Austin knew there was more story behind it. He pulled a chair to sit down and propped his forehead on his hand, his lips pursed. The situation sounded challenging just hearing about it. In fact, even his mentor might not have seen something like that before, let alone himself. “That’s not all.” At that moment, Rachel returned to the ward. “He didn’t become like this overnight. He has been through a lot in the past.” “What?” Aus
Austin was stunned. He turned to Rachel, and cold sweat trickled down his forehead. For the first time, he was truly afraid. There was more than one problem here! He took a deep breath and said, “Would you mind elaborating?” Rachel slightly lowered her head. “I lived under the same roof with him for three years, but when he found out I had to marry Stephen, he left me. “On the day of the wedding, I went to him in my wedding dress, but he refused to take me away. I want him back in my life.” She told Austin about her history with Ethan, but most were false. She was the one who betrayed Ethan, but she said Ethan left her. Austin found himself in a difficult spot again. He knew Rachel was married to the man inside the room, on the bed, and be it the man’s status or background, almost no other men in Riveria could beat him. As for Ethan, he only knew the man from what he had read online. Ethan was a criminal whose actions had caused chaos and destruction. The man should be exec
George said, “I know what happened. I also feel terrible for Jeremy’s loss, but I know you never wanted it to happen. “He sacrificed himself for Hill City, and I’m sure he wouldn’t want to see you like that—broken and devastated. If you feel guilty about it, the least you can do is keep this city safe. Besides…” George then moved to the side, allowing Stephen to look at Rachel, Nolan, Austin, the doctors, and the nurses. “You have them. These people care about you. You’re never alone.” As soon as his words settled in, Simon walked in. Stephen started weeping when he saw the people around him. “You’re up?” Simon said excitedly, “I have good news for you. I’ve got a lot of letters for you, and one of them is from Snow.” Stephen’s eyes widened. “Where is it?” George shifted uncomfortably, while the light in Rachel’s eyes dimmed. She could not understand why she, coming from a well-respected and prominent background, was not enough for Stephen. Why was Snow, just an ordinar
After everything was settled, the people from HQ went to Ethan again. They apologized to him and begged for his forgiveness.“We’ve dealt with everyone involved in this matter. Are you satisfied with the outcome, Mr. Rivers?”With that, they lowered their heads to the ground nervously. Their only hope now hinged on Ethan’s 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, “Send someone to help move my stuff down the mountain.”Hearing that, everyone was first stunned, and then ecstatic.“Of course!” 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, “We respectfully
The day of Rachel and George’s 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 judge’s 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 George’s faces paled to the point that they looked like corpses.The viewers in the livestream finally saw the full picture.“So that’s it! The Quinns and the Lowes conspired!”“They deserve to die! How could they frame Ethan like that? Are they even human?”“The death penalty! They deserve the death penalty!”They 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 wives’ panicked expressions.“What did you do out there?”“So many people came today, asking for you by name.”How 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.“It’s nothing,” 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.“What have you done?” Their parents’ 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.“How could this be?”No one expected this outcome. They thought, ‘So what if I insulted him? Are they going to punish me for it? Besides, so many people are insulting him. They can’t possibly punish every single person who did it. At most, I’ll post a public apology and promise that I’ll never do it again.’However, 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.“Why are they going this far? Aren’t they afraid of causing unrest?”Of 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!“Where else would she be?” 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.“You really have some nerve." The people from HQ sneered. “You fooled us all completely.”“You’ve been hiding Ethan’s contributions all this time, haven’t you?”“You two are nothing but disasters to this country! You deserve to die a thousand times over.”George kept his head down while Rachel sobbed. “I was wrongfully accused!”“Shut 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. “Ah!”Simon could not take it anymore. He suddenly ran towards the window, trying to end his life. Fortunately, the officials quickly stopped him. “Don’t be reckless! Think about Stephen. You’re all he has now!”That sentence made Simon stop. Now, Stephen and Simon were each other’s 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, “I’d like to file a report on someone.”To 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. “Shit!” Someone exclaimed. “I heard Rachel bought a flight ticket overseas. Could she have fled?”The 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. Stephen’s sudden awakening was nothing short of a miracle. However, after examining him, the doctor’s expression darkened. Stephen had regained consciousness, but the prognosis was far from hopeful.“He can’t move,” the doctor said. “As of now, he’s paralyzed.”Stephen 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. “He might never be able to leave the bed again.”Upon 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 Simon’s 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 Harrison’s previous incident, the officials reacted quickly by sending Stephen straight to the hospital.After an emergency rescue, Stephen’s life was saved. However, he paid a heavy price. When the doctor walked out of the emergency room, the officials asked, “How is he?”“The situation isn’t looking good,” the doctor said grimly. “His body is in a bad state, and due to long-term emotional distress, he suffered a brain hemorrhage from the emotional shock.“He’s still in a coma, and we can’t say for sure when he’ll wake up again. It depends on his will to live.”The officials drew a sharp breath. “Do you mean he might end up in a coma forever?”The 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 Harrison’s desperate pleas to Ethan back in his villa. “I’m willing to trade my life fo