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
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
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
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.”
“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
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?
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,
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