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
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
“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
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
Stephen noticed the unusual gazes at him and knew the people in the meeting room had opinions about his previous work. Hence, he stood up and said, “I know some of you have a different opinion about me. I totally understand it. I might not be the main cause of the downfall of North Hill City and Seaside City, but I was still involved, and I admit that I didn’t do a good job. “But I ask you to trust me one more time.” The people in the meeting room were shocked. They thought the young man from Metropolis would be an arrogant one, but he spoke politely and seemed to be a rational one. He also sounded sincere, as if he truly wanted to make up for the losses. His tone and attitude made them look at him differently. Maybe Stephen was not all useless; maybe he truly wanted to serve the people and develop the city’s economy. “Alright! We’re at your service!” “I believe you will lead us to new heights!” Stephen’s lips curled into a smile as he announced, “This meeting is held to
Everyone applauded Stephen. His plans seemed perfect. If they followed Stephen’s plan, Aqua City’s GDP would surely rise. Then, someone in the room asked, “There’s still one more month left before the launch, and our construction for the venue is almost done. Are we really moving it to the beach?” Stephen stood firm on his stance. “It has to be on the beach. As for the current construction, we can just tear it down. “With destruction comes creation, right? I’m sure you’ve all heard it before. This sports game is a once-in-a-decade opportunity for us. We cannot afford to miss it. If we capitalize on this, the city’s GDP will rise to four trillion in one year!” Everyone’s eyes lit up. Four trillion was nearly twice the current GDP! If they could make it, Aqua City could be one of the megacities of the country. They could not contain their excitement, fully supporting Stephen’s decision. “Your plan is great!” “Yeah! It’s way better than Ethan’s plans!” “I can already pic
They had never met Ethan, yet he had orchestrated the deaths of eight people. Among the eight, five were forced to take their own lives, while the remaining three fled the country, severely injured. Even the CEOs lost contact with the three of them. It was as though they had vanished into thin air. No one could find them.However, just a few days later, the CEOs learned about their mysterious deaths. They were killed in another country, and their families had been wiped out. The group of bosses got so afraid that they ran, but no matter what, they could not accept their fates. With them dead, all their money and assets were transferred to a mysterious account. After that, Aqua City received huge funding to accelerate its development. That was when they knew Ethan was the person behind their mysterious and gruesome deaths. “This is Ethan Rivers. It’s best to expect the worst. One misstep and we will be joining the rest in hell.” The one who spoke was Thomas Youngman, the owne
“It shouldn't be a problem. He’s not Ethan Rivers, after all.” As long as Ethan was not their opponent, they were not afraid. Meanwhile, Stephen had just concluded the mapping out for the city. “Let’s call it a day. I’ll visit the marked sites tomorrow.” The next day, he and the mayor visited the sites. Along the way, he was captivated by Aqua City’s stunning scenery, and it made him emotional. “This place is beautiful.” The mayor replied with a smile, “It will only become more beautiful under your leadership.” Pleased with the response, Stephen let out a hearty laugh. Soon, they arrived at the first site—a residential area with a river flowing in the center. After surveying the place, Stephen said, “This is the perfect place for some farms and bed-and-breakfasts. And if we build more hotels by the side, I bet they’d be fully booked in no time.” The mayor’s assistant wrote down every detail Stephen mentioned. After another round of inspection, they wrapped up the