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Chapter 139
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 140
Back at the federal headquarters, Simon shared the latest updates about Aqua City with everyone in the meeting. “Did Stephen come up with all those plans?” “Simon, were they your ideas?” “Not only is he juggling the tourism and industrial factories well, but he even seized the opportunity to capitalize on the sports games. What an impressive job!” Everyone was surprised that Stephen did such a good job, and seeing his colleagues praising his son, Simon felt proud. He chuckled. “I’m not part of this. He did it all on his own. His previous failures have taught him a lot, and he has grown more mature.” Everyone nodded. “Yeah. He’s more mature now.” “His plans are well thought out. Everything will go smoothly for Aqua City this time!” “I have to say that he’s stepping up and becoming as good as Ethan, even surpassing the latter in a certain aspect.” “Replacing Ethan was the best choice we made.” “Someone used to say without Ethan, Riveria would be over. But with Steph
The Guardian's Return Chapter 141
With things progressing in the right trajectory, Stephen had a lot more free time at hand, so he decided to return to Riveria for a while. “Do you want to come with me?” Stephen asked Snow. “I’ll go wherever you go.” She nodded. Over the past two weeks, their relationship had grown significantly intimate, and Stephen had thought of a way to break the news to Rachel. Being with Rachel was the decision made by the two families, but Snow was his true love. Hence, he decided he would bring Snow along to meet Rachel and make Snow his lover. Rachel, thrilled to have learned that Stephen was coming back, drove to the airport to pick him up. However, when she saw him walking out hand in hand with a girl, she felt completely blindsided. Only when Stephen came up to her did she snap back to reality. She took a deep breath, trying to persuade herself that maybe it was just Stephen’s colleague. Stephen said, “Let me introduce you. This is Snow. You can treat her like your sister from
The Guardian's Return Chapter 142
Once outside the house, Stephen asked Snow, “Are you okay?” “I’m fine. I understand how Rachel feels, so I’ll talk to her when I get the time. I just want to be with you,” Snow said softly. Moved by Snow’s resolve, he said, “I want you to meet someone.” Snow’s heart skipped a beat. Was she finally going to meet Ethan? Still, she asked, “Who is it?” Stephen scoffed. “My arch nemesis. Let’s go.” With that, he drove to Drakthorn Ridge with her. He had been waiting half a month to see Ethan again. In that time, everything in Aqua City had gone smoothly for him, and he had even found love, which would surely crush Ethan when they met again. A while later, they arrived at the mansion. Staring at the mansion, Snow felt nervous. The one responsible for Nina’s death was beyond those doors. Different questions flooded her mind: what was he like? How did he do it? How should she take revenge? “Come on,” Stephen, who was already a few steps in, said when he noticed Snow had not
The Guardian's Return Chapter 143
All the criticism Stephen threw at Ethan had come back to haunt him, and it was a slap in his face.Stephen could feel his face stinging with embarrassment, and his expression was ashen. He had to take a deep breath to force himself to calm down. “Hmph. It’s been half a month, and you’re still as sharp-tongued as ever.” “I’m just stating the truth.” Ethan then asked, “So are you going to publicly criticize yourself? Or are you planning to hide this woman away in some mansion like a dirty secret?” “That’s none of your business!” Stephen could not answer the questions because the answers were not in his favor. “No matter what you say, it won’t change the outcome. You will die here alone!” He had always wanted to crush Ethan mentally, hoping to regain some ground. However, Ethan simply smiled. “Do you really think you can have two women around you for all your life? You’re incapable, but you want everything. However, you won’t get anything, just like the woman beside you.”
The Guardian's Return Chapter 144
“Thump!”Nina knelt before Ethan, thanking him. “Thank you for helping me with finding the killer.” Ethan said, “You should know I’m not helping you.” He just wanted to use Nina to remove her employer. If Nina could kill her employer and then take her own life, Ethan would have two fewer enemies to worry about. It could also set an example for the others. It was a win-win, and Ethan would not even have to lift a finger. Despite knowing Ethan wanted her dead, Nina thanked him. “Mr. Rivers, I know I won’t walk away alive, but I have a request. I have a junior. She’s not all that bad. If she doesn’t leave Riveria, I don’t ask for you to help her, but please don’t kill her.” She then handed Ethan a bank card. “This is all the money I have. A total of five million. Please show some mercy and don’t kill her.” Ethan took the card, and Nina then left around the evening. Three days later, Ethan received the news of her death. Nina had killed her employer and his family before
The Guardian's Return Chapter 145
Hearing the question made Stephen’s heart sink. He had a feeling that if he found out the truth, there might be no turning back. Hence, he did not dare ask anymore. He looked down in silence, avoiding eye contact with Ethan. He did not want to talk to Ethan anymore. In fact, he wanted to leave. Ethan had some strange things he could not understand, and Snow looked defeated. If he stayed any longer, who knew what else Ethan would say? “Snow, let’s go.” He scooped Snow into his arms and turned on his heels, practically running from the place as if his life depended on it. Back in the car, Stephen glanced at Snow, who still sat there, blank and lifeless, and his heart ached. “What did he mean by all that? Why are you reacting like this?” Desperate for answers, he quickly brought Snow to the hospital for a checkup. The doctor came back with the results. “She’s traumatized. Take her back and make sure she gets enough rest. With care, she should recover soon.” Traumatized?
The Guardian's Return Chapter 146
Stephen answered the call. The mayor had requested his presence back in Aqua City for some matters that needed his attention.“The construction of the stadium needs more money, and a few towns have been restless. They think that the compensation for the demolition is too little.”The mayor also felt overwhelmed. All those issues were under Stephen’s management now, and he did not dare to make decisions without Stephen’s input.“Okay.”Stephen hung up the phone and looked at Snow apologetically.“I need to take care of some matters in Aqua City. Do you want to accompany me back?”Snow shook her head. “I’ll wait for you here.”“Okay.” Stephen gently stroked her cheek and said, “I’ll be back as soon as possible.”He left quickly, never once sparing a glance at Rachel in the living room.Rachel felt her heart aching so badly. It was as if someone had reached inside and squeezed it hard, twisting until she could barely breathe.In terms of looks, she was more beautiful than Snow,
The Guardian's Return Chapter 147
Snow raised her head to look at Ethan. “Have you ever been affected by fate before?”“So far...” Ethan looked outside the door and said, “I control my fate.”Snow’s heart skipped a beat, her face filled with shock. The teacup in her hand dropped to the ground, spilling tea everywhere.Her mind flashed with the many things she had heard about Ethan over the years—how he taught the ruthless town of Lytton how to farm and how he turned the fierce Crestwood into a place of song and dance. He also stopped a group of billionaire tycoons at the border of Riveria, killing half of them, and used their money to develop Aqua City; he even forced the South Regent, who commanded over a hundred thousand soldiers, to flee in the middle of the night and declare that he would never cross the border again!Snow smiled bitterly. “If you step in, would that mean I could finally be with him?”“Yes.” Ethan said, “I have many ways to bring you two together, but I won’t help him. All I’ll do is pick a
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 878
The mayor looked out at the blue sky, lost in thought.“Since she chose you, I’ll step aside,” Rhys said as he handed his friend the keepsake his childhood sweetheart had once given him when they swore their love.“Besides, given these chaotic times, love isn’t something I can afford to dwell on. I have to live up to the expectations people have of me. I can’t let them down.” He looked at the girl one last time and took a deep breath before saying, “Goodbye.”His family was destroyed at a young age, so Rhys longed for peace more than anyone. He always wanted to be part of the effort to protect Riveria.The year he graduated from university, the Grand Marshal passed away. All of Riveria was in despair, believing that Riveria was doomed. However, Rhys was determined to join Ethan’s forces.In multiple operations, he displayed excellent skills, strategic thinking, and intelligence, allowing Ethan to take notice of him and guide him. In turn, Rhys learned a lot from Ethan.“Study the
The Guardian's Return Chapter 877
The mayor nodded and explained the origin of the festival and its name.“Riveria used to be a chaos-filled land, but many unsung heroes stepped up to make it better. The peace we enjoy today is all thanks to their selfless dedication.“The name Rhys Festival comes from a man named Rhys Estrela. He was once a subordinate of Mr. Rivers, who made great sacrifices for Riveria. There’s a local saying that goes, ‘A single spark can start a prairie fire.’ We always believe that as long as we don’t give up, Riveria will surely thrive.”Those words sent a chill down Stephen’s spine. The mayor mentioned Mr. Rivers, and while others might not know who that was, Stephen knew—it was Ethan! It meant that the festival was related to Ethan. To top it off, the festival was named after Ethan’s subordinate, Rhys Estrela, a name Stephen was unfamiliar with. He had been in Riveria for half a year but had never heard of that name before. He had no idea what Rhys did to leave his name behind like that.
The Guardian's Return Chapter 876
Hearing Stephen’s positive response, the people in Riveria calmed down slightly.“I hope they can recover the money soon.”“I took out a loan on my house to invest. If we don’t get it back, my family is done for.”“Let’s believe in Stephen. No matter what, he was the Grand Marshal’s mentee.”“He did a good job running Riveria before. I’m sure he can do it again.”“Yeah. This is just a minor issue compared to before.”Most people expressed their trust in Stephen. They could tell that he was far more worn out than before. His hair, which had shown signs of turning black again, had faded back to white again. Some people even felt sorry for him.However, there were others who doubted his abilities. The scammers had fled abroad. Would Stephen be able to catch them, and even if they were caught, could the money be recovered? What if the scammers had laundered the money by auctioning off artwork?They voiced their concerns online. Some people agreed, understanding why they were worrie
The Guardian's Return Chapter 875
Stephen looked at the contract. Other than the high price, there were no other problems.However, the high price was a humiliation for both Stephen and the whole of Riveria.He wanted to refuse and even curse them, but he had no leverage against the other party and was completely passive in this situation. If he did not agree, the crops and livestock in Riveria would be finished.Stephen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Even though he knew that many people would hate him, he still signed the contract.“Pleasure doing business with you.” The foreigners took the contract and chuckled. With that, they left.The meeting room was silent, Stephen being the only one left. He slumped into his chair, uncertain if he had made the right decision.Half an hour later, his phone rang, snapping him back to reality. He had more work to do.Many people in Riveria had been scammed into buying virtual currency, losing over ten billion. Stephen had to give the people an answer.“How did the
The Guardian's Return Chapter 874
Stephen had no choice but to use a translation device, continuing the discussion while they mocked him.Despite his utmost sincerity and effort, they refused to lower their price at all, confident that they had Stephen cornered.His only option was to take money from the Quinns and pour it into developing the medicine. However, he knew the Quinns well. There was no way they would take out billions at once for something like this, especially when there were other diseases to deal with as well.They were no match for Ethan, but the Quinns were nothing to them, let alone Stephen.“We’ll get to the point.”They spoke in Stephen’s language to make sure that he understood. “You’re not good enough. Only Mr. Rivers can manage Riveria. You can’t even protect the people around you. How do you plan to protect Riveria?”Stephen’s expression soured. He knew that they were telling the truth. He had no way to refute, and being stubborn would only make him look more ridiculous.“I’m not as good
The Guardian's Return Chapter 873
Stephen felt that he could come up with a solution that could save both Riveria and protect the Quinns.However, did such a solution really exist? He was not confident.“I’ll go back to my room first.” Stephen walked away.Back in his room, he sat at his desk, deep in thought.“A perfect solution...”Stephen could not think of one. The more he tried, the more his mind uncontrollably drifted back to the past.“No.” He shook his head. “I need to focus.”However, his mind and body had deteriorated from the multiple tragedies. His hair had turned grey, and he struggled to maintain focus.Stephen sighed and planned to think of a solution later. Now, he needed to address Riveria’s current problems.Crops and livestock were falling ill. He sent people to investigate the cause, but research required massive funding. Replacing the crops and animals with new ones would not be easy either.At that moment, foreign corporations suddenly announced that they had the right medicine to cure t
The Guardian's Return Chapter 872
In the past, George also thought that Riveria would not collapse even without Ethan. With himself and the Quinn family, Stephen could still bring Riveria to new heights.Now, he understood.What the former governor, Liam, and the others said was true: Riveria would fall without Ethan.Neither the Lowes, the Quinns, nor even all the families in Metropolis combined, could manage Riveria.Without Ethan, Riveria was doomed.Stephen lowered his head. If it were in the past, he would have laughed if he had heard such words, thinking it was a joke.How was he inferior to Ethan? Whatever Ethan could do, he could do too, and better at that!Now, he could not laugh.He realized the truth too.The first city’s downfall was a coincidence, the second was due to negligence, and the third was an accident, but what about the fourth? The fifth?He could come up with a thousand excuses, but it would not change the truth.The reality was that he was far inferior to Ethan. Only Ethan could save
The Guardian's Return Chapter 871
A large number of people from Riveria poured into their cities. It was already difficult to find a job, but now that a bunch of outsiders were coming to compete for positions, employment was even harder.Furthermore, after arriving in a foreign place, many of those outsiders strayed and turned to robbery and theft. Some even slept on the streets, occupying public facilities and disrupting everyone’s daily lives.People from the surrounding cities of Riveria found it unbearable. They began cursing Riverians on the internet.Meanwhile, in Riveria, people had endured enough grievances in their daily lives. Their living conditions were far from satisfactory, and they held in a lot of frustration.Now, people were scolding them online, calling them beggars and telling them to go back to Riveria and wait for their death.How could they tolerate that?They immediately retaliated online. The arguments escalated, growing more intense by the day.Eventually, people from Riveria even trave
The Guardian's Return Chapter 870
Many crops had fallen sick in Riveria. The corrupted grains in Breeze City and destroyed fertile land had already dealt a huge blow to Riveria. Now, with more crops falling ill on a large scale, grain production had decreased, and fruit yields had dropped drastically. There was a problem with the livestock as well. An unknown disease spread and the affected livestock would basically end up dead, with no way to treat them and unfit for consumption. To everyone in Riveria, it was a huge blow. Prices of all food items began to rise, especially fresh vegetables and fruits. Their prices were comparable to meat. Even a single raw egg was 5 dollars, and boiled eggs for breakfast cost 7 dollars each. After hearing about it, Stephen tried to control the price, but it would cost money. Several cities in Riveria had been ruined under his management. He did not have any money left. He would not have needed to outsource infrastructure projects to other companies and corporates if he had mon
