Stephen and Simon waited for another half minute, but Ethan did not continue.“That’s it?” Simon asked. “That’s all you’re going to say?”Ethan nodded. “Yep.”“That’s ridiculous!” Simon could not accept it. 50 million for just that? Although it did reveal where Snow was, the area was vast. How many villages were there in Draconia? There were too many to count, and wanting to find Snow would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. The worst part was, they could not even search for her publicly. Everyone believed Snow had committed suicide out of guilt. If they suddenly announced that she was alive—that everyone was tricked, what would people think?On top of that, all eyes were on Stephen now. How could he explain bringing a criminal back home?In other words, although Ethan revealed where Snow was, it was almost like he had not. The chances of finding her were slim. Even if they could find her, it would take decades. Stephen and Snow would both be old, and what would b
“No! Snow!” Stephen yelled to the sky and broke down again, tears streaming down his face.The first time he heard Snow was dead, he broke down, and when he could not find her grave, he lost it again. Then, the news that she was alive sparked hope in him, but now, he was hit with a devastating truth. He would never find her in his life. He could only live the rest of his life consumed by guilt and despair. How was he supposed to move on? How could anyone move on from something like that?His screams were heart-wrenching. Even Liam found it cruel. First, they gave him despair, then a glimmer of hope, only to tear it all away and leave him in a pit of hopelessness once again. However, Ethan did not stop there. They left him with enough hope to keep him hanging, forcing him to live in a constant state of torment—of guilt, pain, and hope. It was brutal torture!Now Liam was beginning to understand why Ethan could bring peace to Riveria. He was kind and forgiving to good people, bu
At that point, all Simon could do was silently cheer Stephen on.“You have to get through this. As long as you do, everything will get better.”Unbeknownst to Simon, Adam was about to blow up in frustration back in Aqua City. He had been calling Stephen but had not been able to get through. Ever since Stephen left, it had been radio silence. However, Aqua City could not afford to do without him right now.The sports game was starting tomorrow, and with the number of tourists climbing, the streets were getting hard to keep clean. The garbage thrown into the river had also gathered around the stadium, forming small hills. Now, people had to work around the clock to clean out the trash!Then, complaints about the farm stay and hotels flooded the city hall’s hotline. People complained about it being too expensive, the food being too terrible, and a single meal costing thousands, which was daylight robbery.Many tourists were furious, venting their frustration online and warning othe
The reply caught George off guard. Stephen did not care what happened to Aqua City? “Are you out of your mind? Do you know what that means?” George raised his voice. However, judging Stephen’s reaction, he realized it was not a joke. “This is bad.” George then shoved Stephen into the car and dialed Simon’s number while standing outside. “Something is wrong. Stephen, he’s not like himself. He’s lifeless, dispirited, like a…” He hesitated to say, like a corpse, but he could not bring himself to say it. Simon asked, “Put him on. I want to talk to him.” George put the phone next to Stephen’s ear. “Stephen, what are you doing? Aqua City needs you the most now. You can’t leave it!” Still, Stephen remained indifferent. “It’s just a woman! With your status and power, you can get whoever you want!” “I just want Snow,” Stephen said weakly. Simon was rendered speechless. George, standing nearby, tried to jump in. “There are a lot of women in this world, and you’re still
The tourists and athletes were outraged by the prices. It was not just that everything was expensive, but the service was unacceptable and the food was terrible too.Due to water pollution, the fish farmed locally lacked the freshness they once had. The taste had long since deteriorated, but the prices kept going up. A plate of fishcakes was selling for 200 dollars. Even when consumers reported the restaurant to the authorities, no one really cared. The whole system was rigged, with everyone in on it together. Given the current situation, with an influx of tourists, shutting down hotels, restaurants, or agritourism farms would leave many stranded. It would also hurt the local economy. Therefore, even if a fine was issued, they were nothing much. The local authorities would usually just mediate with the complainants by having the restaurant refund a small portion of their money. Even so, the restaurants and tourist spots were earning big bucks, which fueled their arrogance. “If
Simon asked, “Why is the water black?” Adam answered shakily, “The factories are releasing pollutants into the water, and people are throwing rubbish into the river. “The location of the stadium is also problematic. It obstructs the lower stream, causing pollutants and trash to accumulate.” The factories, owned by Oliver and the others, produced steel, concrete, and paper—industries notorious for their environmental impact, and the pollutants they discharged were foul-smelling and filthy. The nearby residents had lodged many complaints, but due to the status of Oliver and his leverage over Stephen, no one could stop them. Until now, Stephen still had to provide Oliver and the others compensation fees. Simon was baffled when he heard the explanation. The magnitude of the problems was too overwhelming for him to comprehend at once. “And Stephen just has to drop the ball at this moment! Damn it!” Why did Stephen have to leave now, right when the sports game was happening and
Ethan looked at George and Rachel calmly, saying, “Sure, but I have three conditions.” George was delighted that Ethan had finally agreed to help. It seemed like bringing Rachel along was the right choice! He must still have feelings for Rachel! With the Lowes’ and the Quinns’ status, they could easily fulfill his three conditions. George flashed a confident smile. “Go ahead. Tell me what you need.” Ethan said with a smile, “First, give me a reason why I have to help. Second, if it’s related to the Quinns, I’m not helping. Third, anything related to Riveria is off the table.” The smile on George’s face froze. The three conditions were basically another way for Ethan to say he was not going to help. George had come all this way to get Snow’s location so that Stephen could get himself together to take care of the mess in Aqua City. In other words, Ethan had to help the Quinns and Riveria. He frowned and said, “Are you joking?” Ethan shot back, “I don’t need to. Honestly
“Rachel, calm down! He’s trying to deceive you!” George said nervously. Ethan smiled. “You must have assumed that I still love Rachel. If you think I still love her, why would I try to deceive her?” George’s eyes widened in shock. He was rattled. Ethan did not just see through his thoughts but was even using it against them, and it was terrifying! Shaken, Rachel looked at her father and said, “Dad, he’s right. We can’t let Snow come back! If he’s back, Stephen won’t even look at me! And it’ll be even harder for our family to move to Metropolis!” George was left speechless. It was over the moment Rachel started siding with Ethan. At that moment, he realized he had severely underestimated Ethan. In fact, not just him, but everyone else had underestimated Ethan. Trying to stay composed, George looked at Ethan and asked, “Do you know what is going on in Aqua City right now? The city needs Stephen there! “Ethan, for the sake of the people, please help Stephen just this once!
Should he tell Stephen the truth? If he blurted it out and Stephen learned that Ethan saved Lily, he might side with Ethan just like Jason. Most importantly, Stephen was the future head of the Quinns. If Stephen really lowered his head to Ethan, it meant Ethan could control the Quinns in the future!Should he hide the truth from Stephen and use the time and opportunity to shower him with love and care?Still, he could not hide this forever. The longer he kept it from Stephen, the more intense Stephen’s reaction would be when he knew the truth. At that time, he might still choose to side with Ethan. Simon had been through many storms and made many important decisions in critical situations, but at this moment, faced with two choices, he could not choose either. To tell or not to tell—neither would work, and he was stuck in the middle. The final winner would still be Ethan. Ethan was imprisoned in the mansion on Drakthorn Ridge, but he still had everything in control!Simon as
He really could not figure out Ethan’s thoughts. However, if Ethan truly wanted to turn Stephen against the Quinns, Stephen might indeed be used or manipulated after everything he had been through, especially with what happened with Lily. Compared to Scott and Cora, the contrast was enough to make him detest his family and the power struggles even more.“By the way,” Ethan said while he put his phone on the table and pushed it forward to Simon, “I want you to see something.”Simon frowned. “What?” He took the phone, not really bothered about what Ethan wanted him to see. He merely wanted to delete the recording immediately. However, the moment he picked up the phone, Simon froze on the spot, and color instantly drained from his face. Despite having weathered countless storms, he could not help but tremble uncontrollably now.He nearly dropped the phone, and his breath became rushed and erratic as if he had seen a ghost!He saw a photo that had been taken that afternoon. There w
Scott and Cora were safe and sound, and their child was even old enough to walk now. But Stephen and Lily?Lily committed suicide by poisoning herself, and Stephen’s hair turned gray overnight, making him look haggard and miserable. “Ethan! Him again!”Because of his existence, Scott and Cora were able to escape danger while Stephen and Lily must be separated by life and death just because they did not receive help. Simon immediately took a car to Drakthorn Ridge. He wanted answers from Ethan. Why did Ethan not help when Lily died on Drakthorn Ridge?Soon, Simon arrived at Ethan’s mansion. “Ethan, get out here!” Simon did not see Ethan and yelled in the living room. “Just because your son is incompetent, you came here to throw a tantrum at me?” Ethan’s voice rang out behind him. Simon turned around sharply and saw Ethan slowly walking in. Sunlight shone on him, making Simon hesitate to look directly at Ethan. He immediately asked, “Did you know Lily died on Drakthorn Rid
Upon hearing that Stephen’s hair had turned gray out of the blue, Simon hurriedly boarded a plane to the capital. Soon, he saw Stephen, who was lying on the hospital bed. His originally jet-black hair was now mixed with many gray strands. Simon felt distressed and quickly asked the specialists, “What happened? Is this some kind of disease?”Dr. Moore nervously asked, “Have there been similar situations in the family history?”Simon shook his head. “If it’s not a hereditary disease, the gray hair could only be due to overwhelming stress, an emotional breakdown, or heartbreak.”Heartbreak? Simon thought of Lily’s death. He knew Stephen still maintained a great relationship with Lily. They had been playmates since they were young, true childhood sweethearts, and Lily had even said she wanted to marry Stephen as a child. Now that Lily had poisoned herself to death, it must have been a huge blow to Stephen. “Give him a prescription for treatment.” Simon said, “Money is not an iss
The next morning, Scott and Cora brought their child up the mountain again. They heard that someone had died on Drakthorn Ridge, so they hurriedly brought paraphernalia that could ward off evil and misfortune. Cora was cleaning the house for Ethan, saying she wanted to chase away all the filth and bad energy, while Scott walked around, spraying holy water, and vigorously scrubbed the path in front of the mansion. Just as the two were busy, Stephen walked down from the mountain, staggering and unsteady. When Scott, who was cleaning the path, saw him, he was shocked. At this moment, Stephen was pale, and his hair had turned gray, making him appear like a dying man.“Hey, are you okay?” Scott quickly went to support him. “Is everything alright?”He shouted toward the mansion, “Honey! Can you bring a glass of water? Hurry!”“What’s up?” Cora hurriedly came out with a jug of water. “Coming!”When she saw Stephen, she was also stunned. “Did you lose your way in Drakthorn Ridge? How
On the mountain path, as the crowd dwindled away, neither Jason nor the other Fords spared Stephen a single glance before leaving. It was as if he had become invisible.Police Chief Liam was the only one who said anything to Stephen before leaving. "My condolences."After Liam left, Stephen was alone on the mountain path. He remained slumped on the ground, unable to accept that Lily was gone.A few minutes later, Stephen saw that Ethan's villa door was still open. He struggled to his feet and walked toward the villa like a lost soul. No one had told him why Lily would have ingested poison. He wanted to know why she had chosen to end her life. Did Ethan force her to ingest it?As soon as he entered the living room, he shouted at Ethan, "She's dead. Are you satisfied? Were you the one who drove her to her death?!"Ethan responded calmly while staring at Stephen, "Do you have any evidence?"Stephen had none. He was merely looking for an outlet to express his pain. "Lily's last cal
Stephen couldn't believe what he just heard. He asked in disbelief, "Dad, what did you just say?"Simon spoke gravely, "Lily Ford is dead. She poisoned herself.”Clatter.Stephen’s phone fell to the floor. At that moment, he felt all his strength drain away.Just a short while ago, Lily had called him, wanting to see him one last time. Now the next news he heard of her was that she had taken her own life!"No! It's impossible! She wouldn't do something so foolish. You're lying, you're all lying!" He clutched his head, his whole body shaking."What's wrong?" Rachel was startled by Stephen's reaction and quickly got up to ask.Stephen came to his senses. Ignoring Rachel, he quickly picked up his phone. "Where is she? Where is she now?"Simon answered, "In the capital. She seems to have been on Drakthorn Ridge."Whoosh.Stephen immediately got out of bed, hastily put on his clothes, and rushed out of the room."Where are you going?" Rachel shouted. However, she got no response.
Lily smiled and reached out her hand, gently stroking Jason's face. "It's nice here, but there's somewhere else I want to go now."Jason grabbed her hand. "Lily, don't go. I promise you won't have to marry Sebastian. I won't agree with anyone! Please don't go. Stay with me, please!"Lily smiled brightly at these words. She still thought Stephen was speaking to her.The bodyguards nearby were also getting teary-eyed.Lily held Jason's hand. "When you're old, will you dream of me? I won't wait for you. By then, I'll surely be reborn into a good family. But if I have the chance, I'll definitely come find you. When that time comes, make sure you manage Riveria well and become a well-known figure, so I can find you more easily."It's getting a bit cold. Stephen, hold me tight... I'm a little scared."Only then did Jason realize she was mistaking him for Stephen, but he still held her tightly. He sobbed, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I’m here!"Lily's gaze seemed to look past him
Meanwhile…Rachel had pulled Stephen into their room.Unable to find any trace of Lily at the foot of the mountain, Jason felt that something was amiss. After asking around, he learned that no one was seen driving down. At this point, alarm bells started ringing in his head.He quickly led his men up to the summit where he found Lily."Lily!" Seeing her standing at the cliff's edge, his heart lurched, and he cried out, "Calm down! Get away from there!"Lily turned to look at him, her face already streaked with tears. She had wanted to see Stephen one last time but was unable to. Instead, it was Jason, her brother who wanted to drag her back, who found her."We can talk about the marriage. Just come here first.” Jason inched forward carefully. "Come to me. I'll make things right."Lily shook her head, knowing these were just lies to trick her. Once they got her back to the Fords, these words would mean nothing."Brother, don't lie to me," she responded. "I know that you’re only