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Chapter 601
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The Guardian's Returnย ย ย Chapter 602
After handing Rachel the document, Victor was about to leave when Rachel said to him, โThank you for telling me this.โVictor paused but did not turn around, hiding a smile on his face. He felt that Stephen was truly unfortunate to have married such a woman. However, it all worked in his favor.โNo need to thank me. Iโm just doing my part,โ Victor said before making his way out.At night, Stephen finally came home after working the whole day, completely exhausted. All he wanted was to have a few bites, take a shower, and go to sleep.Rachelโs eyes flickered coldly when she saw him return. It was Stephenโs fault that Theo was dead!She suppressed her anger, stood up, and said to Stephen, โI have something to discuss with you.โStephen was surprised. Since their marriage, Rachel had rarely initiated a conversation with him. Even after the scandal, she barely spoke to him, but her attitude toward him had improved vastly.โWhat is it?โRachel walked over and handed him the document
The Guardian's Returnย ย ย Chapter 603
Meanwhile, Victor was secretly laughing to himself. The plan was his idea, but he let Stephen implement it. That way, he could push all the blame onto Stephen in the future.Seeing that no one had any objections and even seemed to admire him, Stephen felt pleased with himself. He could finally show off and be proud!He immediately scrapped the original plan to reforest the area and implemented his own plan, handing over the land to developers. The space available for development was huge, and with Victorโs arrival, many people saw that as a golden opportunity, so the land was quickly snapped up. Stephen easily earned billions of dollars from that. However, the money was not his but Breeze Cityโs. Although it seemed like a large amount of money, it could only be used to fill the deficit caused by previous incidents. To make a real profit, he would have to wait until people began buying the homes.Even so, Stephen was satisfied. Since the river water was already polluted, he decided
The Guardian's Returnย ย ย Chapter 604
If they had not chosen to relocate, they would also have gotten millions in compensation!The frustration and despair among the people were growing.โBreeze City is the grain capital of Riveria. This place grows crops and animals but not humans.โEveryone hoped that the developers would pick their land so they did not have to farm anymore, especially the people near the reserves.When Stephen heard the news, he immediately clarified that no one had received such compensation, but no one believed him.If Victor had not come from Metropolis to save them, the grain contamination crisis would still be unresolved. Even now, plenty of people still had to receive treatment regularly at the hospital.Seeing his plan working, Victor continued to spread the news. He told everyone that the land near the river would be developed into factories, which would impact farmland near the area. In the future, clean grain would be a rarity, and grain prices would continue to drop.The moment the new
The Guardian's Returnย ย ย Chapter 605
Once the meeting ended, Stephen loosened his control over Edwardโs company, letting the latter take full responsibility for the enterprise.After receiving the news, Edward let out a heavy sigh of relief. Lifting the restrictions on him meant that Victor and he could act even more recklessly.Not long after, orders from Victor arrived, telling Edward to use the expanded authority to bring in more investors while also launching the โhealthy and safe grainโ brand. The grain was no different from ordinary grain, but they would advertise it as having undergone strict selection to ensure no problems with it.The slogan โabsolutely safeโ would tempt the people of Breeze City since they had been deceived before and were terrified of eating contaminated grain again. Most importantly, the healthy grain brand was not priced that much higher than ordinary grain, so it fell within an acceptable range for most people.As soon as the brand hit the market, people immediately went into a frenzy, a
The Guardian's Returnย ย ย Chapter 606
After saying that, Victor walked away.In reality, he was not helping Stephen or the people of Breeze City. His only goal was to make money and ruin Stephenโs reputation.The proposal was the final step of his plan. As long as Stephen classified all the farmland as developmental zones, Victorโs plan would be complete.It would be suicide for Stephen!That night, Stephen returned home to Rachel approaching him with the document and saying, โI thought of another plan.โโWhat plan?โ Stephenโs eyes lit up.The previous plan to develop the riverside areas had received unanimous praise. Only several foolish and ignorant people kept causing trouble, trying to get rich without effort.Rachel handed him the document. As he read it, he immediately frowned. The proposal was to convert all the farmland into development zones and establish industrial and residential areas.The plan stated that Breeze City was no longer suitable for farming and urgently needed to change. Industrialization wa
The Guardian's Returnย ย ย Chapter 607
That night, Desmond went home to find Victor already there, chatting with his wife.โMr. Hughes!โ Desmond was very shocked. He never thought that Victor would show up in his house.When Desmond came back, his wife excused herself, knowing she was not privy to their conversation later.โSit, Desmond.โ Victor smiled.Desmond sat down, confused. It was his home, yet someone else was offering him a seat.โWhat brings you here, Mr. Hughes?โ Desmond asked.He could not think of any reason why Victor would approach him.Victor asked, โWhat are your thoughts on the future of Breeze City?โDesmond frowned. โWhat kind of question is that?โโJust tell me honestly,โ said Victor. โAfter Stephenโs arrival and all thatโs happened in Breeze City, do you have any confidence in the cityโs future?โDesmond hesitated. He wanted to say he was confident, but everyone knew what Stephen had done.No city had escaped Stephenโs clutches, and Riveriaโs GDP had plummeted from 15 trillion to less than
The Guardian's Returnย ย ย Chapter 608
Stephen had no idea that his authority was being undermined. As he looked over the reports handed to him by Desmond and Rachel, everything seemed perfect. It eased the tension that had been gnawing at him for a while.As he read the fabricated reports, he felt optimistic about Breeze Cityโs future. He had failed too many times, but Breeze City would be the critical point to turn everything around. He would bring it to new heights, and not just hereโevery city he had touched before would feel the ripple effects of his success.โRiveria will collapse without Ethan? I donโt think so!โTwo weeks later, Stephen noticed something off. Although the reports looked good, the construction in the development zone had not started yet. Furthermore, occasional complaints online stated that they had only received a hundred thousand as compensation for five acres of land.He called Desmond in for questioning.โWork in the development zone is already starting. We just finalized the negotiations wi
The Guardian's Returnย ย ย Chapter 609
It was early evening when he got the call.โThere are indeed many discrepancies in the accounts. The news about farmers receiving only several hundred thousand dollars for a few acres of land is also trueโฆโThe report continued, but at that moment, Stephen could not hear any of it. From the moment he heard the first statement, it felt like he had been struck by lightning.There were discrepancies in the accounts, and the data he read was falsified?Stephen quickly rushed home and ordered Desmondโs arrest.When he arrived home, he saw Rachel sitting on the sofa on the phone with someone. He immediately grabbed the phone to see who she was talking to. However, it was just an ordinary friend of Rachelโs.โWhat are you doing?โ Rachel asked furiously, startled by him suddenly snatching her phone.Stephen held back the urge to slap her.โWhy did you falsify the data?โRachel was confused. โWhat data? What did I falsify?โโThere are serious discrepancies in the data of all the repor
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The Guardian's Returnย ย ย Chapter 920
After everything was settled, the people from HQ went to Ethan again. They apologized to him and begged for his forgiveness.โWeโve dealt with everyone involved in this matter. Are you satisfied with the outcome, Mr. Rivers?โWith that, they lowered their heads to the ground nervously. Their only hope now hinged on Ethanโs 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, โSend someone to help move my stuff down the mountain.โHearing that, everyone was first stunned, and then ecstatic.โOf course!โ 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, โWe respectfully
The Guardian's Returnย ย ย Chapter 919
The day of Rachel and Georgeโs 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 judgeโs 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 Georgeโs faces paled to the point that they looked like corpses.The viewers in the livestream finally saw the full picture.โSo thatโs it! The Quinns and the Lowes conspired!โโThey deserve to die! How could they frame Ethan like that? Are they even human?โโThe death penalty! They deserve the death penalty!โThey 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
The Guardian's Returnย ย ย Chapter 918
They suppressed their disgust and returned home, only to see their parents and wivesโ panicked expressions.โWhat did you do out there?โโSo many people came today, asking for you by name.โHow 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.โItโs nothing,โ 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.โWhat have you done?โ Their parentsโ voices trembled.Seeing that there was no way to hide it anymore, they had no choice but to confess the truth.They los
The Guardian's Returnย ย ย Chapter 917
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.โHow could this be?โNo one expected this outcome. They thought, โSo what if I insulted him? Are they going to punish me for it? Besides, so many people are insulting him. They canโt possibly punish every single person who did it. At most, Iโll post a public apology and promise that Iโll never do it again.โHowever, 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.โWhy are they going this far? Arenโt they afraid of causing unrest?โOf 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
The Guardian's Returnย ย ย Chapter 916
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!โWhere else would she be?โ 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.โYou really have some nerve." The people from HQ sneered. โYou fooled us all completely.โโYouโve been hiding Ethanโs contributions all this time, havenโt you?โโYou two are nothing but disasters to this country! You deserve to die a thousand times over.โGeorge kept his head down while Rachel sobbed. โI was wrongfully accused!โโShut up! Are you still trying to fool us at a time like this? You were wrongfully accused? By who? Sim
The Guardian's Returnย ย ย Chapter 915
They brought this on themselves, forcing themselves into a corner with no way out. โAh!โSimon could not take it anymore. He suddenly ran towards the window, trying to end his life. Fortunately, the officials quickly stopped him. โDonโt be reckless! Think about Stephen. Youโre all he has now!โThat sentence made Simon stop. Now, Stephen and Simon were each otherโs 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, โIโd like to file a report on someone.โTo 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. โShit!โ Someone exclaimed. โI heard Rachel bought a flight ticket overseas. Could she have fled?โThe room was filled with dread. If Rachel ra
The Guardian's Returnย ย ย Chapter 914
Seeing that Stephen was awake, the others rushed to get the doctor. The doctor was astonished as well. Stephenโs sudden awakening was nothing short of a miracle. However, after examining him, the doctorโs expression darkened. Stephen had regained consciousness, but the prognosis was far from hopeful.โHe canโt move,โ the doctor said. โAs of now, heโs paralyzed.โStephen 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. โHe might never be able to leave the bed again.โUpon 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.
The Guardian's Returnย ย ย Chapter 913
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 Simonโs 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
The Guardian's Returnย ย ย Chapter 912
Due to Harrisonโs previous incident, the officials reacted quickly by sending Stephen straight to the hospital.After an emergency rescue, Stephenโs life was saved. However, he paid a heavy price. When the doctor walked out of the emergency room, the officials asked, โHow is he?โโThe situation isnโt looking good,โ the doctor said grimly. โHis body is in a bad state, and due to long-term emotional distress, he suffered a brain hemorrhage from the emotional shock.โHeโs still in a coma, and we canโt say for sure when heโll wake up again. It depends on his will to live.โThe officials drew a sharp breath. โDo you mean he might end up in a coma forever?โThe 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 Harrisonโs desperate pleas to Ethan back in his villa. โIโm willing to trade my life fo
