The mayor led Stephen to the car and headed to the first shelter.In the car, the mayor asked quietly, “How much money and supplies did you bring this time?”Stephen smiled. “10 million, and some canned food, tents, and so on.”The mayor instantly fell silent.Only 10 million and stuff like canned food and tents? If those supplies were from someone else, the people would be grateful and appreciative. However, they were from Stephen!Whose was responsible for the downfall of Seaside City? It was Stephen! Seaside City would not be in this situation if he had not arrested Howard. His reckless move had caused Seaside City’s GDP to plummet by 1.2 trillion.With the city crippled, stabilizing it and restoring its infrastructure would cost billions, but he only brought 10 billion. It was the same as injuring someone and only handing over a dollar when the treatment could cost tens of thousands. What was worse was that Stephen’s family was rich, and Stephen himself held a high position.
“I believe that as long as we work together, we’ll surely overcome this crisis! Dennis Lewis can’t knock us down, and Howard Green can’t defeat us either. The final victory will be ours...”After his speech, Stephen raised his fist into the air. Applause roared from both the audience in the livestream and the hall.The audience cheered for Stephen while many in the hall were moved. Stephen’s words deeply resonated with them; even if they had complaints, they had put them aside. Now, they were filled with hope for the future.“How can there be someone so dedicated in this world? I’m going to cry.”“I have to say, Stephen is a real man.”“Although Seaside City has encountered some issues, with Stephen around, everything will be resolved.”“Seaside City will rise again!”The internet was filled with high praise for Stephen.By then, the reporters had also approached with their prepared questions.“The issues in Seaside City aren’t exactly trivial. Do you really have the confidenc
The mayor sighed.In his eyes, Stephen was like a child who had stumbled and was wailing on the ground, attracting countless people to care for him.On the other hand, Ethan stood before the crowd, using his body to shield them from harm. No matter how injured he was, no one ever asked if he was okay. Only a handful of people knew the truth.Now, the people whom he had protected were publicly condemning him, wishing for his death, and demanding that he be executed immediately. It seemed the people who cared for Ethan the most were not the people he protected but his enemies, and the people who hated him the most were not his enemies but the people he protected!The fact that the person who made Riveria prosper was in prison while the one who destroyed North Hill City and Seaside City was applauded on stage was absurd to the mayor.On the podium, the thunderous applause and the crowd’s admiring eyes filled Stephen with satisfaction.“I won this time, Ethan.”Although he had destr
Simon grabbed a phone and yelled into it. “Smash those loudspeakers now! Cut the livestream too!”“Bam!”A gunshot rang out, and Howard’s voice was abruptly cut off. Then, a group of people rushed into the vehicle, yanked open the doors, and dragged everyone inside out. The livestream suddenly went dark, and Howard’s voice disappeared. He did not get the chance to finish what he was saying, but his words had reached the ears of everyone present and the audience watching online.“Stephen has abandoned Seaside City?”“So has Stephen known everything happening in Seaside City all along?”“Wait, if we piece everything together, that means Seaside City is in this situation because of Stephen!”That realization left everyone shaken. Before they could process what they had just heard, someone online made a shocking discovery.“Look at this video. Stephen has visited Crestwood before!”A mysterious video surfaced online. It was a recording of Stephen leading a team into Crestwood.
Then, he pushed the reporters aside and left.After Stephen left in a hurry, the scene erupted into chaos.“Is he going to abandon Seaside City? Abandon us?”“Was everything he said just a lie?”“Why didn’t he answer the question?”Everyone was doubtful. The moment Stephen left, he hurriedly pulled out his phone to call Simon.Simon had been watching the broadcast, so he knew everything that had happened and even found the situation tricky.Howard had made two major moves. The first was bribing someone to go to the scene and play the recording. Since the scene was broadcast live, many people heard it, and that alone was causing enough trouble.The second was him uploading a video online. The video contained a conversation between Stephen and Dennis, proving that Stephen knew about the situation in Seaside City all along.That video shattered their plan to use a scapegoat! It could even backfire on them and make the consequences more severe!Even though the video was quickly
At the thought of getting Ethan’s help, Stephen instantly perked up.However, after thinking about how the people from the government headquarters had contacted Ethan before for help, Stephen grew disappointed again. “Will he really help?”He was not confident. “Maybe I should just forget about it.”Putting aside whether or not Ethan would help, he felt embarrassed simply asking Ethan for help.He was part of the Quinns, a prominent and influential family from Metropolis, whereas Ethan was just an orphan raised by someone unknown, with no power and background. He was just an ordinary person.If it was revealed that he went to Ethan for help, he would become a laughingstock.“Let’s think of something else. As the saying goes, where there’s a will, there’s a way. There must be something I can do.”Stephen unlocked his phone.Online, the situation between Howard and Stephen was still trending. Many were feeling guilty about Howard. Howard had protected Seaside City for three yea
Stephen wiped the sweat from his forehead, swallowing hard. The situation was way worse than he had expected.Discussions about him were everywhere online, demanding him to come forward and tell the truth.“No. This can’t go on. I have to ask Ethan for help!”Stephen was frightened. He thought he could find a way to solve the problem, but after reading the comments online, he gave up on that idea.He quickly took out his phone and called Simon.The call soon connected.“Dad, I have an idea.” Stephen said, “I’m thinking of asking Ethan for help.”“Ethan?” Simon frowned. “Why Ethan?”Soon, it clicked. The situation started because of Ethan and Howard, so it could be easily resolved if Ethan intervened. The easiest way would be for Ethan to have Howard say that everything was false and was just lies that Dennis and he orchestrated. That way, Stephen would be completely off the hook. Since Howard would never return to the country anyway, there would be no consequences for him.“
All Stephen could do was have his bodyguards chase away the reporters as he quickly boarded his flight.It was dark when he returned to Riveria, and as soon as he stepped out of the airport, he saw Rachel waiting for him outside. Instead of saying anything, he quickly got into the car.When he walked over, he could feel many people watching him. Even from several dozen meters away, he thought he could hear them pointing at him.Stephen did not dare to linger.“Let’s go home.”With that, Rachel drove him back to the villa. Once home, Stephen finally let out a long breath.Rachel handed him a glass of water and asked, “Are you okay, darling?”“I’m fine.”Although that was what Stephen said, he felt bitter inside.George, who was also there, asked, “What’s your plan now?”He, too, felt helpless about the situation in Seaside City. To fix those issues would require a lot of effort.At that moment, he could not help but miss Ethan again. Nothing like that ever happened when Eth