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Chapter 179
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 180
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 Guardian's Return Chapter 181
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 Guardian's Return Chapter 182
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 183
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 184
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 185
“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!
The Guardian's Return Chapter 186
Simon was rendered speechless for a moment. There was nothing he could do about Ethan, and he could feel his blood pressure hike. “Do you really think we can’t solve this without your help?” “Then why are we having this conversation?” Ethan asked. Simon’s fists clenched tightly. Knowing there was no way he could win an argument against Ethan, he slammed his phone on the table and ended the call. He leaned back on his chair, his face ashened. Just moments ago, he cursed at George for being useless, yet even he could not get through to Ethan, which made him useless too. He felt like he had been slapped in the face—his pride stung with embarrassment. He quickly called for his assistant to get him his blood pressure pills. Meanwhile, George stayed quiet for a while after the call ended. He was shocked that even Simon had failed to convince Ethan. “Ethan, is it necessary to push things far? We know you’re upset, but maybe we can compromise? Everyone gets hurt sometimes. We’r
The Guardian's Return Chapter 187
Before Adam could address the issue, something serious happened at the sports game. A poisonous snake bit a member of the audience and slithered across the audience seat, disrupting the sports game. Worst of all, everything was broadcast live to viewers worldwide, and the international viewers wasted no time mocking the situation.“Do they live in a cave? They are like savages!” “They must sleep with snakes every day.” “I wouldn’t go there if you paid me. It’s like going into a tribe with no modern civilization!” “Look at trash in the water and the snakes slithering around. The people there are living like cavemen!” Even people back home were no kinder, criticizing the city’s poor management. “They’ve embarrassed us on the world stage!” “What’s going on here?” “Where is Stephen Quinn? Why isn’t he doing anything?” Soon, Aqua City was trending on social media. Companies planning to invest were now reconsidering, and tourists who had booked trips were canceling their
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 817
Hugo waited until Natalie fell asleep before leaving the hospital ward with the South Regent. He said in a low voice, “Please take me to see Mr. Rivers.”From that moment onward, he also addressed Ethan as Mr. Rivers.Ethan did not only save his life but also Natalie’s. He would repay that debt with his life.“Are you sure?” the South Regent asked. “If you take Natalie and her grandfather back to Metropolis now, you can stay out of all of this.”Natalie’s grandfather’s health had also stabilized after treatment.If Hugo wished, he could take them back to Metropolis, where the medical treatments were better. Furthermore, Hugo had worked as a psychologist for many years and even treated Stephen, so he had saved up over a million dollars.If he managed his finances well, he would not become rich, but it was enough for Natalie to grow up safe and healthy and ensure that her grandfather retired peacefully.Hugo did not hesitate. “I’ve made up my mind.”He played a part in how things
The Guardian's Return Chapter 816
“Stephen has always lived in Riveria. He is the Grand Marshal’s sole mentee and the one who brought three years of peace to Riveria. Ethan is a corrupt criminal.”Scrolling further down, there was also an apology video from Stephen. He claimed that the statement was true and expressed regret that he caused an outcry and wasted public resources.Hugo fell completely silent after watching it.How could this be? Others might not know whether Stephen truly was the Grand Marshal’s mentee or not, but he did.Victor had told him about Ethan’s achievements. Even assassins feared Ethan. Stephen had also admitted in front of him who Ethan really was.Only Ethan could save Riveria.In the past, Hugo thought that Stephen was just being misled and used, which was why he wanted to help him.However, now, Stephen insisted that he was the Grand Marshal’s mentee and that he was the one who had managed Riveria in the past.As a psychologist, Hugo could tell from Stephen’s expressions in the vide
The Guardian's Return Chapter 815
The doctors told Hugo what happened.“Back then, you had already lost too much blood. You’re lucky that there was a young man with the same blood type as you when you were brought in, so he gave you a transfusion. Then, our family head sent us to take care of you. If not for our excellent medical skills, you probably wouldn’t have woken up.”Hugo was confused. “Family head? Did Simon send you?”The two doctors suddenly froze, their expressions turning dark.“Watch what you say. Simon didn’t send us. Ugh!”They were so angry that they stopped the examination.Hugo was stunned at the sudden change in their attitude. They were not sent by Simon? Furthermore, why did they react so strongly to the mention of Simon’s name? If not Simon, who else could be the ‘family head’?“Who sent you?” Hugo asked in confusion.“We’re from the Ledger family,” the doctor said coldly. “Who’s Simon? We don’t know him. Don’t lump us in with that filth.”“Huh?” Hugo was still bewildered. “The Ledger fa
The Guardian's Return Chapter 814
Tyler frowned. “What happened?”“It’s about Riveria.” Nolan handed his phone to Tyler. “Simon and Stephen have completely lost all shame. I can’t believe they said something like this.”After reading the news, Tyler’s expression darkened. “Although I know they’re shameless, I still underestimated them.”In the past, they had slandered Ethan and stole his achievements. Now, after being exposed, they fabricated evidence and worked with headquarters to deceive the public.“Tyler, what should we do?” Nolan asked. “I can’t stand by while they slander Mr. Rivers like this.”Tyler said, “Let me think.”To them, Ethan was their savior. Without Ethan, the Spencers would never have made it out of Riveria alive. It was thanks to Ethan stepping in that they had a chance to start over.However, Simon was shamelessly going further to distort the truth and rewrite history. They could not watch this happen. The truth had to be exposed!A moment later, Tyler said in a low voice, “Let’s go to Ri
The Guardian's Return Chapter 813
The netizens had mostly been deceived by the internet trolls.When they saw Simon and headquarters both speaking out, they fully believed that Stephen was innocent and that everything was part of Leo and Ethan’s schemes. Even the few who had firmly believed in Ethan began to doubt themselves.Online, the uproar gradually died down. At that moment, Simon took the next step! He had someone publish the recording of the gala and instructed the trolls to guide the audience in revisiting the highlights.With that, both he and Stephen were completely safe.When people reviewed the gala recording, it also boosted Riveria’s popularity. It was killing multiple birds with one stone!Simon did not rest. Instead, he took the official statement and the trending discussions online and headed to the jail to meet Leo.“Has he confessed yet?” Simon asked the staff.After Leo was imprisoned, he had been questioned who the mastermind behind this was.“No. He keeps saying there’s no mastermind.”S
The Guardian's Return Chapter 812
“Yeah. I’m from Breeze City. If Stephen is driven away by all your insults, what are we supposed to do?”“All this is part of Ethan’s scheme. He’s deliberately trying to frame Stephen!”This was the next phase of their attack. They accused everyone of being too extreme and then created a victim narrative to gain sympathy. Finally, they flipped the story. Stephen was the pure-hearted and selfless one while Ethan was the true villain!While the internet was being flooded with manipulated narratives, Simon was not idle either. He felt that fabricating transaction records and hiring internet trolls alone was not enough. Ne needed more fabricated evidence.Thus, he had several people in Riveria publicly claim that Stephen had been the one managing Riveria all along.Ethan Rivers? Never heard of him!After a day of work, Simon was drenched in sweat. He felt his heart pound as if it might leap out of his throat.After all, he had not rested properly for days because of the gala. Furthe
The Guardian's Return Chapter 811
Simon stayed up all night thinking.The next morning, a little after 6 a.m., he called someone to forge records that Stephen had lived in Riveria before.At the gala, someone had questioned whether Stephen really was the Grand Marshal’s mentee. His response at that time was that Stephen had always lived in Riveria.Now, he had to fabricate those records as soon as possible and release them publicly. Protecting Stephen’s identity as ‘the Grand Marshal’s sole heir’ was extremely important. As long as that narrative was maintained, it would minimize suspicions from others.“But that’s not enough.”Simon continued to take action and hired internet trolls. Since he could not suppress the public’s interest, he personally intervened and made the trolls comment that Stephen was the one in charge of Riveria while Ethan was a corrupt criminal and that Leo was spewing nonsense!As soon as the money was paid, the trolls began their work.“You guys say that Ethan was the one in charge of Riv
The Guardian's Return Chapter 810
However, the event was quickly losing steam! Leo had shifted everyone’s attention away, and people were more curious about Ethan and Stephen’s true identities. The whole internet buzzed with discussions, and many were engaged in fierce arguments. Even if Simon tried to suppress the controversy, it was nearly impossible to stop it. Quite a few people were even starting to leave the event. Many planned to stay in Breeze City for a few days and tour the city, but after experiencing the incident, they no longer trusted Simon. Therefore, they changed their plans and decided to leave the next day!By the time the event ended at 1 a.m., the audience present had dropped to less than half of the original count. When Simon and Stephen took the stage and saw the half-empty seats, they felt dispirited. The celebrities and singers who attended the event could also barely manage a smile. They regretted coming. The scandal surrounding Stephen’s real identity could easily engulf them, and the l
The Guardian's Return Chapter 809
Stephen immediately raised his head and asked, “Where is she?”Simon fell silent. He had no idea where Lily was. Perhaps only Ethan would know her whereabouts, and he did not know how to answer Stephen. Stephen frowned as he waited for a response. “What’s wrong? Didn’t you say she’s alive? Why don’t you tell me where she is?”Simon took a deep breath. “It might not be the best time to tell you now.”He still tried to brush it off. “What do you mean?” Stephen was getting anxious. “Do you want me to get on my knees and beg you? Don’t you know how important she is to me?” Stephen pointed at his gray hair. “I want to see her again so badly.”As Simon lowered his head, looking conflicted, Stephen fell to his knees with a bam. “What are you doing?” Simon exclaimed and quickly pulled him up. At that point, he realized that he could not hide it anymore. He did not want to say that Ethan saved Lily, but only Ethan knew where she was now. Even if he wanted to lie, he could not. W
