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Chapter 120
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 121
“You should be visiting the doctor instead of coming to me. I can’t do anything about your condition,” Ethan said while putting his book down. He knew about Seaside City and why Stephen came to him. Hence, when he spoke, his words carried two meanings.The first interpretation was literal: Stephen should see a doctor for his cough instead of coming here. The second was more subtle: Stephen needed to learn how to deal with the problems he had caused, rather than seeking help from him. Stephen, unfortunately, did not understand Ethan. His expression turned bitter as he sat down on the couch. “I’m here with good news.” Ethan had a look at his face and said, “Hm. I guess it’s really good news. It explains why you have that look on your face.” “We have decided to let you go,” Stephen said with a cold grunt. Then, he stared at Ethan, hoping to see excitement or gratitude, but all he saw was an expressionless face. “You seem awfully calm knowing that you can leave.” Stephen coul
The Guardian's Return Chapter 122
If Shawn Hill, Eric Morningstar, Brandon North, Dennis Lewis, and Howard Green were already leaving Stephen with no way out, what about the big players in the pool? People like the South Regent wanted to dye the entire province in its own blood. Stephen, who still had no idea how serious the situation had gotten, got up and bellowed, “You know what Howard did. Why can’t you talk to him? Is it that hard for you to help? You know Dennis is a ticking time bomb and what Howard has contributed, yet you say nothing. “You’re actually partially responsible for what happened to Seaside City. Are you really just going to sit back and do nothing?” Stephen took a deep breath to regulate his emotions. “If you’re willing to help, we will give you more money. In fact, you can get more than just money, you can get women and young men—whatever you like!” Money, women, and freedom were the three more tempting things to a man, so Stephen believed Ethan would say yes to him this time. “I tol
The Guardian's Return Chapter 123
“Just go. It’s getting late,” Ethan said. Stephen had no memory of how he left the place. He only regained his senses when he felt the cool mountain breeze on his sweaty face. He turned around for a glance at the mansion. An uncontrollable fear flickered in his eyes before he rushed down the hill. On the way back, he could not help but give his father a call. “I offered him money, women, and freedom, but he rejected all of them. He doesn’t want to help.” Simon gasped when he heard the news of Ethan rejecting the offer. “What? Why did he reject you?” “He said he doesn’t need any of those.” “He doesn’t need any of those?” Simon thought he had heard wrong. A man locked up in a mansion on the mountain had no need for money, women, and freedom? He pondered, but he could not figure it out either. He simply thought Ethan was bluffing. However, Ethan’s rejection made things more difficult for Simon, and he could not think of a better solution for the time being. “Go home
The Guardian's Return Chapter 124
Simon never wanted to take that step, but Ethan’s refusal left him no choice. “Dennis has agreed. He will delete the video and take a new one to clarify everything. It might not be as useful as Howard clarifying himself but at least it's something,” Simon said. Upon listening to the good news, Stephen slumped back onto the couch. With the weight lifted off his shoulders, he felt a great relief. He was safe and had overcome the crisis. Once Dennis made the clarification, everything would be better. Stephen also could not believe that his savior would also be his enemy. After Dennis poisoned him and tossed him into the thrash, he had sworn to capture Dennis at all costs, but now he found himself having to rely on the very man for help. He knew that insult would be with him for the rest of his life. Maybe others would believe everything was fake, a prank video just to slander him, but he knew it all really happened. He could fool everyone but not himself. Meanwhile, Simon br
The Guardian's Return Chapter 125
They even had to give Dennis 50 million dollars to release the clarification video. If the truth got out, the Quinns’ reputation would be ruined. Fortunately, only Simon, Stephen, and Dennis knew about it. The only worry the father and son had was Dennis exposing the truth. “Let’s just hope Stephen can be better from now on. If he does a good job, Dennis’ words will no longer matter.” As long as Stephen could produce some results, he would not need to be afraid of criticism. Meanwhile, at the Lowes’ mansion, Stephen went online and noticed the netizen had started scolding Dennis instead of himself. George came over, looking surprised. “Dennis Lewis spoke up to defend you?” It was astonishing. Dennis had caused Stephen a lot of trouble. How could he suddenly speak up to defend Stephen? “That’s because Stephen’s charms and character won him over,” Rachel timidly said. “Hahaha!” Stephen was in a great mood and loved hearing such compliments. He hugged Rachel by the waist
The Guardian's Return Chapter 126
A quick thought later, Stephen came up with an idea. “Aqua City has beautiful aquatic scenery and an abundance of freshwater produce. If the sports games can be held there, the city will see a rise in fame and attract more tourists, local and foreign. “Companies working in the food and beverage industry, especially those specialized in freshwater produce, will seek a collaboration with the event. It will definitely benefit the city.” He was elated. The sports games’ timing was impeccable. “If we can hold some games on the water, the city’s fame will skyrocket!” He rubbed his hands excitedly, already envisioning the city’s future. “Once the city is famous, the GDP will rise!” Stephen immediately contacted the mayor of Aqua City, informing the man of his upcoming visit. The sports game was crucial to Aqua City, and he needed to oversee the plans personally. More importantly, he wanted them to build the event platform directly on the water! Stephen thought. “While the at
The Guardian's Return Chapter 127
“Third time's the charm. I won’t fail again.” Simon nodded and agreed with his son. Besides, how could someone fail at the same job three times in a row? After the call, Stephen wrote a proposal for his plans. The next day, he took a plane to Aqua City, but this time, he came prepared. The mayor welcomed him at the airport and brought him to the hotel. On the way to the hotel, Stephen asked, “How much longer until the sports games?” “One month.” “One month? Hm, it’s short but should be enough,” Stephen muttered to himself. “This is the proposal that I’ve come up with. Have a look.” He handed the mayor the proposal. After going through the details, the mayor frowned. The proposal focused on heavily promoting tourism, building more resorts, opening more bed-and-breakfasts, and even launching some trendy spots. It also included plans to introduce more freshwater species to diversify the local aquatic life and attract more seafood companies to set up shop. Lastly, it sugg
The Guardian's Return Chapter 128
Stephen still could not fully understand Ethan’s plan. The city’s development? They were meant to highlight the city’s beautiful aquatic sceneries and also prevent the landscape from being ruined. After all, if the environment gets destroyed, what good would hotels and resorts be if no tourists came? Limiting the types of aquatic life farmed? It was because the water in the city was only suitable for farming local species. If non-native species were introduced, it would also destroy the local ecosystem, resulting in poor quality and quantity of seafood. Due to that, Ethan also forbade people to release non-native species into the waters of Aqua City. As to limiting other companies from expanding locally? It was because he wanted to protect the forest of the city. Many companies saw the potential in the area’s hydroelectric resources and population. They wanted to set up factories there, where they could dump untreated waste into the rivers and offer jobs to the people. A lot
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 808
“Everything we’ve worked hard on would go to waste, and the Quinn family would be plunged into endless doom. The federal government would cull us. Nobody would let us off.”The issue now was not as simple as stealing Ethan’s achievements and locking him up. They were unafraid to do it in the past because they thought Ethan was an incapable orphan without any backing. They figured he just got lucky. However, they were wrong. Ethan turned out to be the Grand Marshal’s only mentee and the head of the Ledger family’s chosen one. He was also the one who intimidated the South Regent into retreating and achieving peace for Riveria. Everyone in the province owed him their lives.Just the revelation of his identity and achievements would be more than they could handle, and there was a new problem. Under their management, Riveria had nothing but problems. The province was once the nation’s largest, boasting a 15 trillion GDP, but how much of it was left now? It had long since fallen to
The Guardian's Return Chapter 807
It happened all too suddenly. He had done everything he could to prevent this. He had made countless preparations, ensuring no criminals or illegal weapons could get in, and even arranged his own men to be the “lucky audience” chosen for the interactive session. Yet, he had not expected a celebrity of that level to speak out for Ethan. Simon racked his brains, trying to figure out how it all happened. However, how would he know that the celebrity had become famous thanks to Ethan? His mind buzzed, completely blank. He could only say, “We will investigate this matter. Everyone, please wait for our notice. For now, please continue to enjoy tonight’s show!”He handed the mic to the host and rushed off stage. The show had to go on. He had put too much effort into inviting celebrities and pouring money into security to have it go to waste like that.Unfortunately, people’s attention was not on the show anymore. Stephen, Simon, Riveria, and Ethan immediately started trending. The e
The Guardian's Return Chapter 806
However, the truth was that everything she went through had nothing to do with Ethan, while the hardships he had encountered were even more unbearable than hers. However, he always remained calm and was even willing to lend a hand. “I’m sorry.” Snow trembled, tears streaking across her face. There was so much she wanted to say, but she did not know where to start. She could only apologize repeatedly and wipe her tears away. Her heart was filled with resentment toward Stephen, who was no human at all! Lily also spoke, her voice shaking, “I can’t believe you were the author. And you’ve done so much!”She thought back to the first time they met and when she called Ethan petty. Now, she finally understood how generous Ethan was. He had sacrificed himself to protect everyone in Riveria, saved her life when she should have been dead, and helped her find a new meaning in life. Yet what about him? He was imprisoned in that desolate mountain alone. Lily thought about herself. As the
The Guardian's Return Chapter 805
Leo continued, "The song I just performed, my breakthrough hit, was written by him, and not just this song, but many other well-known songs and TV shows… He was behind them all."He listed several works that were famous nationwide and even worldwide, like "The Cosmic Conundrum," "Nick's Maritime Tales," "An Aquatic Adventure," "Billy and the Magical Realm," and "The Divine Ring.”The audience was stunned. The list Leo provided included many of their beloved works. They never imagined that the creator of these treasured pieces had done so much good for society.Even more shocking was the author's fate. He was falsely accused and had his achievements stolen. Worst of all, he was wrongfully imprisoned!The audience's anger ignited as they shouted from below the stage."Who was treated so unjustly?""Tell us who it is! We can't allow a hero to be treated this way!""Those who sacrifice for others shouldn't be left to freeze in the storm!""Was it Ethan Rivers who did this? He's cor
The Guardian's Return Chapter 804
"I regret not being there in person. Hearing this live would've made my life complete.""Tell me about it. I had tickets but gave them away. Now I'm kicking myself.""Who wrote this song? It reminds me of graduation day."Three years after its release, the TV show was trending again because of the song."Even after three years, I wish the writer would change the ending.""Forget changing it completely, just give us a glimmer of hope!""Please just kill me. Why write such a heartbreaking ending?"Back at the mansion, a group of people discussed the drama over dinner.Cora sighed. "The female lead died of cancer, and the male lead ended up going to their dream university alone. That ending destroyed me.""I know." Lily wiped away tears. "Everyone in my class talked about it. We all thought it was too tragic."Avery nodded. "It was seeing separations like this that drove me to study medicine."After witnessing the Grand Marshal's death and the drama's ending, she threw herself
The Guardian's Return Chapter 803
A celebrity slowly walked onto the stage.The crowd erupted in excitement when they saw him, shouting his name. It was Leo Cross, the hottest singer of recent years.Though in his forties, he was good-looking. Combined with his naturally husky voice, his song "One Person Remembering Another" went viral three years ago."Hello, everyone." Leo smiled as he walked to center stage. "I'm Leo Cross. Today, I'll be performing my breakthrough hit, 'One Person Remembering Another.'"The audience burst into thunderous applause.The song was universally known not just for its beautiful lyrics but also for being the theme song of a wildly popular TV drama. The show, which centered around school life, young romance, and heartbreak, moved millions to tears with its finale where the leads parted ways.Viewers, devastated by the ending, took to social media demanding the writer change it. Even those who had not watched a single episode felt the weight of that ending. The show was hailed as that
The Guardian's Return Chapter 802
That step was called "forging the heart." The logic was simple: if they could kill someone they loved, what else would they hesitate to do?Yet, even with such brutal training, those assassins failed, and their organizations were eventually destroyed root and branch."If it were me," the South Regent said, "I would ask him: 'Everyone around you, in every city you've been to, has met with misfortune. You had solutions to all these problems, so why did you just stand by and watch it happen?'"He turned to Ethan with a grin. "What do you think of my question, Lord Rivers?""Don't ask such foolish questions during dinner," Ethan replied coolly. "If you want to break him, just have Hugo ask him when he plans to die."The South Regent froze, stunned by the vast difference between his approach and Ethan's. Ethan's question was not just more concise; it was lethal.Hugo was Stephen's greatest weakness. If Hugo were to ask Stephen about his death, the results would be devastating. A blow
The Guardian's Return Chapter 801
Perhaps he would end up coughing up blood and being hospitalized again. Then, all their previous efforts to comfort him would be instantly ruined. On top of it all, those questions would reveal many truths they had desperately tried to conceal.Simon quickly had someone escort the lucky audience member away while ordering others to forge Stephen's spending records. After that, he hurried up on stage himself."I’m sorry. There was a small interruption just now. I know all of you have many questions, so let me explain everything. Stephen is indeed the Grand Marshal's only successor. As for what that person said about the spending records, those were baseless lies. I've gotten someone to retrieve the spending records, which will be published online later.”Simon spoke with conviction. "That person earlier was deliberately trying to sabotage the event."Due to our excellent security measures, they found no way to disrupt the event. And so, they got desperate and started making up lies
The Guardian's Return Chapter 800
The number of viewers in the livestream skyrocketed.Everyone wanted to know if Stephen’s skills really came from the Grand Marshal. Would the Grand Marshal really have trained a student like him?All eyes were on Stephen.Now, it was Stephen’s turn to be silent. He had not expected this question, and he instinctively wanted to lie.However, just as he was about to speak, Ethan’s words from today flashed through his mind.“You don’t even dare to tell the truth. What right do you have to apologize?”Maintaining a lie often meant weaving an even bigger one, over and over, until the truth was inevitably exposed.Should he admit the truth?Stephen hesitated. If he revealed the truth here, everything would end. He would not have to be so exhausted anymore.“What are you waiting for?” Suddenly, Simon’s voice rang in his earpiece, “Hurry up and answer. You are the Grand Marshal’s student. The gala is our only hope. Nothing can go wrong!”Stephen’s heart instantly sank. He wanted to
