“What?” Liam was shocked by the startling news.“Mr. Rivers, are you joking?” Liam found it hard to believe.Ethan chuckled. “You’ll soon find out if I am.”Then, he finished his breakfast and left.By noon, Stephen’s office was already filled with officials who had previously worked with Ethan. Even the lieutenant governor, Zane, was present. He had his arms crossed, looking visibly angry. Anyone could tell it was best not to provoke him at the moment.When the others saw Zane’s mood, they became curious. “What’s going on?”Noting everyone had arrived, Stephen said, “I know all of you have a good relationship with Ethan Rivers, but I have some news. Ethan has been arrested for embezzlement and bribery.”Except for Zane and Liam, that announcement shocked everyone present.“Ethan embezzled and took bribes?”“That can’t be!”“Is there some kind of mistake?”They had all seen Ethan’s work over the years. He was always hands-on with everything. He was even the first to arriv
“Who does he think he is? The king?”Many of them did not know Ethan well, so they started believing Stephen, thinking that Ethan really was corrupt. Satisfied with their reactions, Stephen said, “Follow me.”Then, he glanced at Zane, adding, “Now, I’ll take all of you to see Ethan’s ‘harem’ and show you just how corrupt this supposedly indispensable Ethan really is!”Everyone noticed that Stephen’s last remark was aimed at Zane. They all turned to look at Zane, but the latter said nothing and looked completely disinterested.In fact, he had tuned out. For all he cared, Stephen could yap all he wanted. Riveria was about to go down in flames anyway.Seeing Zane’s silence, Stephen felt even more smug. He was relishing the moment, especially after Zane mocked them the previous night, saying that Riveria was doomed without Ethan. Now it was time to show just how worthless Ethan really was!With the file in hand, he entered the first building, starting his search on the first floor.
The next second, a middle-aged woman appeared before everyone. She was not even close to pretty, and her figure was somewhat plump. More importantly, she had salt and pepper hair, making her look like she was in her late forties or early fifties.Everyone was stunned when they saw her. She looked a little too old, and her looks and figure were nothing impressive either. Was that really the type Ethan was into?“That’s odd,” someone muttered softly. There was a saying that men would never stop being attracted to younger and prettier women, so how could a successful man like Ethan be interested in someone like that?While the people were trying to wrap their heads around it, the woman, named Felicia, scanned the crowd and frowned slightly when she did not see Ethan.“Who are you?” she asked.Her question snapped everyone back to reality.Stephen chuckled and mocked, “I have to say, Ethan has quite unique tastes. Haha! Thank god Rachel left him! At a closer look, she and Ethan do
Felicia nodded again. Those were the names of the other widows Ethan had placed to live there. Thanks to Ethan, they saw much of each other and were all familiar with one another.Stephen smirked. “Get everyone down here now and have them gather in front of the building.”His plan was to call everyone out so the officials behind him and the governors watching the stream could see how depraved Ethan was!While Felicia left to gather the others, George said to the other governors, “I see now. The woman on the first floor must be a smokescreen. Ethan must’ve deliberately put someone unattractive on the first floor to throw us off and make us think he’s not keeping any mistresses. Tsk, tsk. He’s smart, but too bad it’s wasted on this!”The other governors nodded in agreement.“It’s true. He’s got so many tricks up his sleeve when it comes to deceiving the public.”“If only he put even a fraction of that energy into actually doing his job, he wouldn’t be in this mess.”“This should b
“Mr. Rivers was arrested for embezzlement and bribery? And we’re all part of his harem?”“Don’t slander us!”“Mr. Rivers would never do such a thing!”“Besides, our relationship with him is completely innocent!”A cold smile spread across Stephen’s face.“Sounds convincing, but let me ask you something. If you have nothing to do with him, why did he spend a billion dollars to buy you guys homes? Why does he spend every holiday here with you instead of going home? Why does he send you money regularly? Well? Answer me!”He sneered. “Can’t answer, can you?”He had come prepared, and his demand for an answer was echoed like thunder, startling the officials behind him.Some governors even clapped and cheered. “How intimidating!”“Good, good! That tough attitude is exactly what you need!”“I thought he might go easy because they’re women, but that’s a good attitude.”They were all pleased with Stephen’s performance. Even George could not help but smile with pride. That was his fut
Stephen had asked why, yet the answers he received seemed completely unrelated. However, every response answered his question perfectly. Why did Ethan treat those women so well? It was because they were the widows of the fallen heroes. Their husbands had sacrificed their lives for Riveria, and Riveria’s prosperity was built on the sacrifice of those men. Did their families not deserve such luxurious homes? They did; they more than deserved it.“What…” Stephen suddenly felt his throat go dry.The officials behind were stunned, not to mention George and the other governors watching the livestream.Zane sighed softly. He knew Ethan would not have any mistresses, but now that the truth was out, he could not help but feel a deep respect for Ethan. The man had taken on the burden of the entire province’s well-being all by himself. “No wonder Riveria is thriving. With someone like him around, Riveria will only get better!”Liam gulped hard, finally understanding why Ethan was so ca
“This is all part of Ethan’s scheme. You don’t understand him, but we do. I swear to God that he’s not a good person.”Seeing how confident he was, the other governors began to feel uncertain. Could there really be an issue with Ethan Rivers? Were they all being deceived?Amidst everyone’s silence, George said, “Search the place!”Stephen smirked as he ordered, “Follow me inside and search!”“No!” Liam shouted, stepping in front and blocking their path.Stephen raised his brows and asked, “What is the meaning of this? Are you trying to defend Ethan?”“Of course not!” Ethan said, “This isn’t about defending Ethan. These women’s husbands sacrificed their lives for the country, yet not only have you ignored their welfare, but you’ve also accused them of being someone else’s women. And now you’re planning to barge into their homes with a group of men to ransack the place?“Is this how you live up to those heroes’ sacrifices? How will their souls rest in peace? Also, if you do this,
To be honest, George was not entirely confident either because he had not discovered that those women were the widows of the fallen heroes. However, considering they had come so far, there was no turning back. There were so many officials and other governors watching. If it ended there, they would become laughingstocks. Since the arrow was already nocked, it had to be fired!Hearing that, Stephen calmed down slightly. In any case, George was his future father-in-law. Surely, his future father-in-law would not set him up, would he?“Okay, I agree,” Stephen agreed. Believing that George must have his best interest at heart, he wrote a guarantee and led a group inside to search the apartments. Once inside, they were shocked to find that the million-dollar apartments were furnished simply. It was just the bare basics. The cost of a single table in George’s home could have furnished half of one of those apartments. Seeing it made George’s heart sink.Stephen ordered the search, but
Edward was closely monitoring the situation in Breeze City and was pleased when he saw the public’s anger. “Now, it’s time for Rachel to step in.”Zoey called Rachel and told her to take action.The Spencers had even prepared a statement for Rachel. All she had to do was post it online as an administrator of Breeze City, and everything would fall into place.The message was brief: “I have been made aware of the situation and have started an investigation. We will give everyone an explanation as soon as possible.”The netizens cheered when they saw this.“Great! Rachel is here. She’s the daughter of the former governor of Riveria as well as Stephen’s wife. She’s one of Riveria’s administrators now. She’ll be sure to deal with the Fords and the Lanes.”“Someone is finally standing up for us.”“Go, Rachel!”“You got this, my goddess!”The people of Breeze City calmed down slightly when they learned that Rachel was seeking justice for them. Although they did not know about Rachel’
Stephen also noticed the news online. When he heard that the Ford and the Lane family businesses were in trouble, he immediately called Daniel and Caleb.“Did you really sell contaminated grain?”“No,” Daniel and Caleb assured him. They would never sell grain with quality issues. “We just sent our grain for inspection today. The results will come out soon. Once we have the quality report and publicly apologize, it’ll probably clear our names.”Stephen asked, “Do you need my help?” He felt that if he intervened, it would surely help the Fords and the Lanes weather this storm.“There’s no need.” Daniel and Caleb felt that the situation was not serious enough for Stephen to step in. If he helped, it might make it seem like there really was something wrong with them.“Okay,” Stephen said. “If you need help, just contact me.”“Thank you, sir.” They expressed their sincere gratitude.Meanwhile, Zoey told Rachel that the grain from the Fords and the Lanes was undergoing inspection. Wit
“They even drove farmers out to the outskirts to farm!”“Just yesterday, they used excavators to destroy other people’s farmland. They’re despicable.”“I’m from Breeze City. I can testify that it’s all true. They really did send excavators to drive people away.”“Are they a criminal organization?”Following that narrative, many people who did not know the truth believed the accusations and thought that the Fords and the Lanes were truly evil.Some of the more rational ones spoke up, telling the others not to jump to conclusions, but they were immediately attacked by the commenters the Spencers hired.“Why are you defending them? Are you part of their organization?”“This is hilarious. Did you go mad from eating contaminated food?”“How dare you defend these heartless companies? Be careful you don’t get hit by a car one day.”Some even sent private messages, cursing them. The rational people were frightened and quickly deleted their comments, not daring to speak out again.Whe
Rachel asked Theo, “If you manage these two families, will you end up like them?”Clatter!Theo suddenly stood up. “I swear to the heavens, if I ever betray you or do something that harms everyone, I shall be struck by five bolts of lightning!”Rachel nodded in satisfaction, reassured by his conviction. “Sit down.” She still had other problems, such as how to take over the two families. Should she go to them directly?“What’s on your mind, Rachel?” Zara asked.“I’m trying to figure out how to take over the two families,” Rachel said. “Can I just go and demand from them?”After all, she was the daughter of the former governor and one of the administrators of Breeze City. It should be possible to directly ask them to hand over their entire fortune, right?Zoey shook her head. “Of course not.”“Then, what should we do?” Rachel was confused. She had no management experience. In the past, Ethan was the one who handled all the matters in Riveria. She always felt tired just hearing ab
At Zoey’s words, Rachel said excitedly, “Great idea!”She thought about it carefully. If she found someone to replace the Fords and the Lanes, she would get all the benefits without any downsides. Then, she had a new question. Who should she choose to take over the Fords and the Lanes’ fruits of success?Although Rachel had many friends, at this critical moment, she could not think of anyone who would be suitable.Seeing her conflicted expression, Zoey asked, “Are you worried about not knowing who to choose to replace the Fords and the Lanes? I actually have someone in mind.”Rachel immediately asked, “Who?”“Theo Harlow. He’s a friend of mine. He’s a village chief but he’s already young and accomplished. He’s also highly respected in the village.” Zoey shared the story that the Spencers prepared all to arrange for Theo’s rise to power.“Theo Harlow?” Rachel muttered. She had never heard of that name before. “Where is he?”Zoey smiled. “I’ll call him now so you can meet him.”S
After all, Nolan took care of him while he was in Hill City.Stephen started to deceive himself. It was not only because Nolan had completely fooled him but also because he was unwilling to accept that he had been tricked again.“The Spencers must have turned over a new leaf.”Just then, Daniel and Caleb looked at Stephen and asked, “Sir, do you know where Mr. Rivers has gone? He has been missing for some time.”Stephen stiffened and said uneasily, “I don’t know.” He could not tell them that Ethan was currently locked up in Drakthorn Ridge and that he was the one who had locked him up! If he told them, he might not leave the Fords’ residence alive today.‘Well, I’m not completely at fault,’ Stephen thought to himself. ‘I gave him a chance. If he was willing to help me, I would’ve allowed him to occasionally go down the mountain. It’s his own fault for being ungrateful.’Daniel and Caleb frowned and said, “Recently, there’s been a lot of criticism of Mr. Rivers online. Can you hel
Who would dare to challenge the Spencers at the peak of their power?Before any of the families or factions could react, there was another shocking news from the Spencers—they were donating half of their wealth to develop Breeze City.Everyone thought they had misheard. Although Marcus was dead, the Spencers were not angry. Instead, they donated half their assets! It was like a lizard cutting off its own tail to survive.Not long after, several families went into obscurity and also announced that they were donating their assets.At that point, the remaining families and factions felt that something was going on. However, before they could respond, the Spencers and the families that donated their wealth all united to fight against the local criminal organizations.Having donated half of their wealth, the Spencers and the other families were already severely weakened when they fought against the criminal organizations. Although they won in the end, they could never recover.In the
Stephen ate something and went back to his room. He was not planning to rest yet. Instead, he took the opportunity to look into the Ford and the Lane families.The information showed that the Fords and Lanes had their own businesses in Breeze City, and they were also the leading enterprises in the city. When Riveria was still in turmoil, the two families did not add to the chaos and instead worked hard to improve Breeze City.However, back then, the two families were targeted by other families and forces, and they almost faced ruin.Then, one day, the families that had been targeting the Fords and the Lanes all apologized, and the factions quickly disbanded. Not long after that, the Fords and the Lanes started new companies and began to thrive again.Although the information did not go into detail about how they managed to turn things around, Stephen knew what happened.“It must be Ethan,” he muttered to himself. “He must have intervened.”After carefully reading the documents, S
Before Ethan left, he had explicitly told them that food production was of utmost importance. Any issue affecting planting or harvesting had to be resolved as soon as possible.When they heard that the farmland had to be relocated, they quickly sent people to clear the fields. If the land could be cleared and seeds planted within a week, they could still manage a harvest this year. It was critical for the whole of Riveria.Stephen mumbled, “The Ford and the Lane families?” He was not familiar with the families in Breeze City since he had been too focused on the water pollution issues.“Thank you for your assistance.” Stephen smiled.“It’s our duty. Although Mr. Rivers isn’t around anymore, we’ll continue safeguarding Breeze City’s food harvest.”Stephen was shocked. Ethan?“You know Ethan Rivers?”The captain replied, “Mr. Rivers told us to stay here.”Stephen suspected their motives, but when he heard that it was Ethan who had told them to stay, he completely relaxed.After h