Why had Ethan not mentioned it before? If he had said he was the Grand Marshal’s mentee, would things have come to that point?Little did Simon know that Ethan had mentioned it more than once, but Stephen did not believe it. “If Shawn and Howard didn’t post those photos, we would’ve almost gotten away with it.”At the thought of Shawn and Howard, Simon’s eyes lit up as an idea struck him.“It’s fake.” Simon said, “I’ve investigated it. These posts and photos all came from beyond the border. Someone is intentionally stirring up trouble, and I suspect it to be Shawn and Howard.”The others immediately found it possible, but they still had someone check the origin of those posts. Sure enough, they were from beyond the border. “It seems like they’re really intent on causing trouble.”“How despicable. They’ve escaped, yet instead of hiding, how dare they show themselves again?”“We need to arrest them quickly!”“But for now, most importantly, we must clear up the situation.”The
All of the passersby were shocked. They quickly looked at those women, gazes full of admiration. Reporters caught wind of the news and arrived to interview the crowd. “Ethan impersonated the Grand Marshal’s mentee and is now hated by the majority. Why are you helping him?”“Mr. Rivers did not impersonate anyone. He is the Grand Marshal’s mentee.”“Do you have evidence?”A few women silently took out photos of their late husbands and proof of their sacrifice. The reporters looked at them, stunned. “Our husbands were once at the frontlines with Mr. Rivers.”“Is this evidence enough?”The usually quick-witted reporter was at a loss for words at that moment. Should she question them or their husbands? If she did, she might as well resign now. Should she question Ethan? That would be questioning the widows of those heroes before her, and public opinion could kill her. “Mr. Rivers brought Daddy back to us himself. He kept apologizing to us,” a girl said loudly. “Mr. Rivers
Simon knew it must have to do with Ethan.Earlier, when Howard, Shawn, and the others stood up for Ethan, he could chalk it up to them stirring up trouble. However, what about the South Regent and the heroes’ widows speaking up?The South Regent had personally admitted that Ethan was the man who killed his father and defeated him many times. What did that imply? The King Beyond The Border was openly airing his dirty laundry. Could it possibly be just to stir up trouble?Someone like the South Regent, with his reputation and dignity, would never tarnish themselves to help an enemy.It would make more sense if he were jumping up and shouting, “Ethan Rivers is impersonating the late Grand Marshall’s mentee! Execute him now!” However, he was speaking on Ethan’s behalf instead, and that could only mean one thing: the South Regent was deeply impressed by Ethan. He admired his adversary and did not want to see him defeated by such underhanded schemes!As for the widows, how could their
Simon fell silent.“Say something,” someone urged.“I don’t know,” he replied, struggling to come up with an excuse. He could only attempt to argue, “Maybe he really thinks stirring up trouble is more important than revenge.”Everyone looked at him in disbelief.Was the South Regent a fool? If he truly thought that way, he would not have held the title of King Beyond the Border for three years.“If you can’t explain the South Regent, what about the heroes’ widows? They’ve all spoken up. Are they lying too?”That was the part Simon found most frustrating. How could he possibly cover it up?Slowly, he sank into a chair, speechless. Even though he had turned many situations around before, he felt utterly doomed this time. The widows and the South Regent’s statements together were a fatal blow.Simon regretted everything now. If only he had not made such a big deal out of it, and the widows and the South Regent had remained in the dark, none of it would have happened.He thought
“Using the public opinion online against Stephen is the best strategy now. As for the widows, Ethan had helped them in the past, so they were momentarily confused and chose to lie on his behalf. However, Stephen treats them very well too. He has promised them that no matter what Ethan gave them, he would give them more!”Simon wanted to steal credit for what Ethan did—to take away everything that belonged to Ethan!The others suddenly realized the truth. “I see.”“So that’s how it is.”“In that case, it means Ethan tried to impersonate the Grand Marshal’s mentee in hopes of lessening his crimes.”“The South Regent even cooperated with him. Maybe Ethan is planning to defect. We should assign more people to watch him.”Simon could not help but smile as he listened to the murmurs around him.Yes, that was exactly the result he wanted!All the good was attributed to Stephen, while all the bad would be pinned on Ethan. They were determined to squeeze out every last bit of value ou
If not for George’s quick thinking this time, they would have been in serious trouble.The South Regent asked, “So, why did you call me? Did you want to show off?”“No,” said Simon. “I’m here to negotiate.”The South Regent understood that Simon wanted to buy his silence.“500 billion dollars.”“That’s too much.”Simon could accept 50 million, but 500 billion? Not even tycoons had that much money.“Think carefully. The money you pay this time isn’t just to save Richard but also your entire family.”Simon gritted his teeth. “300 billion.”The South Regent said, “400 billion.”“300 billion, take it or leave it. Riveria doesn’t have as much money as it used to.”If it were during the peak of Riveria, he would not have been concerned about 300 billion. After all, Riveria used to have a GDP of 15 trillion.“Deal.”The South Regent knew it was the maximum offer, and 300 billion was still a significant amount, enough to support his 200 thousand men for a year.While 300 billion
Once, Ethan had been the Grand Marshal’s mentee.The Grand Marshal had sacrificed everything for Riveria, and as his mentee, Ethan inherited the Grand Marshal’s responsibilities after he passed. In other words, it was Ethan’s duty to carry on the Grand Marshal’s legacy.Now that Stephen had taken Ethan’s identity, he had also taken on the responsibility of carrying on Grand Marshal’s legacy! Now, he had to face all the enemies, both inside and outside of Riveria!What about Ethan? Since he was no longer the Grand Marshal’s mentee, Riveria’s affairs no longer had anything to do with him.How could that happen?Stephen could not smile anymore. That was not what he had anticipated. He thought that by stealing Ethan’s identity, Ethan would be left with nothing. However, contrary to his expectations, Ethan was freed from all burdens!“It seems you finally understand,” Ethan said with a calm smile. “So, let me ask you again. Are you truly ready for this?”Stephen gulped. He was alread
“I…”Stephen’s face turned pale, and his voice trembled. He could not get a word out. Ethan looked at him. “Do you feel like crying? Crying won't stop the clock.”Stephen knew the situation in Celestial City was getting out of hand. If he did not act fast, the city would be in real trouble, and if something happened to Celestial City, it would be disastrous.Panicked, he quickly got up and ran outside.On the way to Celestial City, he gave George a call. “Hold the fort down in Celestial City!”George shouted, “I’m trying!”He, too, was dealing with a headache. After all, he was in charge of Riveria now. If anything happened to Celestial City, the responsibility would fall on him!George immediately contacted the businesses preparing to leave Celestial City.“Why are you all leaving out of the blue? Is something in Celestial City’s policies pushing you away?”George was baffled. Everything had been going fine, so why did they suddenly want to leave? There had been no signific
After everything was settled, the people from HQ went to Ethan again. They apologized to him and begged for his forgiveness.“We’ve dealt with everyone involved in this matter. Are you satisfied with the outcome, Mr. Rivers?”With that, they lowered their heads to the ground nervously. Their only hope now hinged on Ethan’s response.They did not dare to ask for much. All they hoped for was that Ethan would not leave the country.Ethan glanced at them calmly and said, “Send someone to help move my stuff down the mountain.”Hearing that, everyone was first stunned, and then ecstatic.“Of course!” they replied in unison.They understood what Ethan meant. He was staying! Although it was not his complete forgiveness, he was willing to give them another chance.They were all overjoyed. As long as Ethan did not leave, there was plenty of time to slowly make amends.They took out their phones and made arrangements to help Ethan move.After the call ended, they said, “We respectfully
The day of Rachel and George’s trial came.The livestream began at 10 a.m., and hundreds of thousands of viewers joined instantly.Rachel and George slowly walked into the courtroom in handcuffs.Bang! The judge’s gavel fell, and the room went silent.It was not a lawsuit. It was a trial to expose the sins of Rachel and George.The judge read out their crimes one by one, until Rachel and George’s faces paled to the point that they looked like corpses.The viewers in the livestream finally saw the full picture.“So that’s it! The Quinns and the Lowes conspired!”“They deserve to die! How could they frame Ethan like that? Are they even human?”“The death penalty! They deserve the death penalty!”They were all furious.Many people had lost their families as a result of supporting Stephen and scolding Ethan. After watching the livestream, they realized just how deeply they had been wrong.They were accomplices to the Quinns and the Lowes' crimes in framing Ethan!Their current
They suppressed their disgust and returned home, only to see their parents and wives’ panicked expressions.“What did you do out there?”“So many people came today, asking for you by name.”How were they supposed to answer those questions? They could not just say that they had insulted Ethan online.If they did, their parents would beat them to death before anyone else could.“It’s nothing,” they replied stiffly. They had no choice but to hide the truth. After all, they could not say that they had insulted Ethan, or that they had lost their jobs.However, the next second, their parents received text messages. After their parents glanced at their phones, their expressions instantly changed.It was a message from the bank, stating that their child had been listed as a defaulter and urging them to repay the loan immediately.“What have you done?” Their parents’ voices trembled.Seeing that there was no way to hide it anymore, they had no choice but to confess the truth.They los
Seeing that message, they immediately felt as if their world had ended.Because they had insulted Ethan, they lost their jobs, were blacklisted, and could not find work again.“How could this be?”No one expected this outcome. They thought, ‘So what if I insulted him? Are they going to punish me for it? Besides, so many people are insulting him. They can’t possibly punish every single person who did it. At most, I’ll post a public apology and promise that I’ll never do it again.’However, now they were all fired. Everyone who had insulted Ethan had been dismissed from their jobs.It seemed like there were several tens of thousands of people involved! It was hard to imagine just how many people had lost their jobs in real life.“Why are they going this far? Aren’t they afraid of causing unrest?”Of course, HQ had considered that. However, they knew what was more serious.If Ethan went abroad and cooperated with foreign countries, the consequences would not be limited to a few pe
George thought that Rachel had already escaped abroad, so he was not afraid when he arrived.Now, when he saw Rachel there as well, he completely panicked.This was not what he had expected!“Where else would she be?” someone from HQ asked.George looked nervous and stammered, unable to say a word.With Rachel caught and him being brought here, it was clear that HQ already knew the truth. Coupled with his fear of Ethan and his helplessness in the face of reality, he no longer had the strength to make up any excuses.He had resigned himself to fate.“You really have some nerve." The people from HQ sneered. “You fooled us all completely.”“You’ve been hiding Ethan’s contributions all this time, haven’t you?”“You two are nothing but disasters to this country! You deserve to die a thousand times over.”George kept his head down while Rachel sobbed. “I was wrongfully accused!”“Shut up! Are you still trying to fool us at a time like this? You were wrongfully accused? By who? Sim
They brought this on themselves, forcing themselves into a corner with no way out. “Ah!”Simon could not take it anymore. He suddenly ran towards the window, trying to end his life. Fortunately, the officials quickly stopped him. “Don’t be reckless! Think about Stephen. You’re all he has now!”That sentence made Simon stop. Now, Stephen and Simon were each other’s support and burden. Simon slumped on the ground weakly. Right now, they both wanted to die, but neither of them had the courage to follow through. All they could do was live on in pain. After a long silence, Simon said, “I’d like to file a report on someone.”To obtain some kind of reward and survive a little longer, Simon decided to turn in George and Rachel. When the officials heard him, they were stunned. They did not expect Rachel to be involved in framing Ethan. “Shit!” Someone exclaimed. “I heard Rachel bought a flight ticket overseas. Could she have fled?”The room was filled with dread. If Rachel ra
Seeing that Stephen was awake, the others rushed to get the doctor. The doctor was astonished as well. Stephen’s sudden awakening was nothing short of a miracle. However, after examining him, the doctor’s expression darkened. Stephen had regained consciousness, but the prognosis was far from hopeful.“He can’t move,” the doctor said. “As of now, he’s paralyzed.”Stephen could open his eyes, but the rest of his body was unresponsive. He could not move his limbs or his neck and mouth. The only part he could move freely was his eye. Even his breathing was dependent entirely on medical equipment. “He might never be able to leave the bed again.”Upon hearing that, Stephen closed his eyes in despair, tears continuously rolling down his cheeks. He had fought so hard to wake up, only to realize he had missed his final chance to meet Snow and Lily. Worse yet, he also lost the ability to move. From now on, he would be confined to the bed and hooked up to machines just to stay alive.
His father died a miserable death, his son was in a coma, and the Quinn family was shattered, leaving only Simon behind to finally realize all his mistakes. However, it was too late. Harrison could not come back to life, the Quinn family could not be whole again, and Stephen could not recover. Simon would forever be haunted by pain, despair, and regret for the rest of his life. At that moment, in complete darkness, Stephen heard Simon’s voice. He was conscious but failed to open his eyes or speak; he could not move a muscle. He wanted so badly to sit up and tell Simon that it was not solely his fault. They were all wrong, and this was their retribution!Just then, two women walked into the ward. When the officials saw them, their eyes widened in shock. For a second, no one even breathed. They were Snow and Lily!The officials thought they were seeing ghosts. Those women were supposed to be dead. Why were they there? Snow and Lily noticed their shocked gazes and offered them
Due to Harrison’s previous incident, the officials reacted quickly by sending Stephen straight to the hospital.After an emergency rescue, Stephen’s life was saved. However, he paid a heavy price. When the doctor walked out of the emergency room, the officials asked, “How is he?”“The situation isn’t looking good,” the doctor said grimly. “His body is in a bad state, and due to long-term emotional distress, he suffered a brain hemorrhage from the emotional shock.“He’s still in a coma, and we can’t say for sure when he’ll wake up again. It depends on his will to live.”The officials drew a sharp breath. “Do you mean he might end up in a coma forever?”The doctor nodded. No one saw coming that Stephen would fall into a coma, with little chance of ever waking up again. However, it also meant he did not have to die anymore. He would be alive but confined to a bed. Suddenly, they thought of Harrison’s desperate pleas to Ethan back in his villa. “I’m willing to trade my life fo