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
Richard’s kidnapping was just the beginning.The South Regent had set his sights on Celestial City! Whether or not Celestial City could even survive was a question, so what was the reason to stay? To become the South Regent’s dessert?George watched in disbelief as they left. He had made the biggest concession, yet they had not hesitated to leave!He gritted his teeth and hurried off to contact other companies, but the results were the same. Everyone was leaving, and they were doing it fast and without hesitation. They were even willing to abandon their thriving business.“What’s gotten into them?”Stephen could not make sense of it. Had something happened in Celestial City recently?Two things came to mind. First, Richard was kidnapped, but he was already rescued. Second, Stephen became the Grand Marshal’s mentee, and Ethan’s identity was stripped. However, no matter how he thought about it, both were good news for Celestial City.“Richard was kidnapped, but we saved him. That
Stephen said, “It’ll take too long. Celestial City is a financial hub. If these businesses leave, it’ll lose at least a third of its GDP.”Celestial City originally had a GDP of 2.5 trillion, but they gave 350 billion dollars to the South Regent as ransom. Then, a few companies left, and they lost another 150 billion. Now, only 2 trillion dollars remained. If more companies left, and the GDP dropped by another third, it would bring it down to 1.4 trillion, nearly half of what it started with. Once the ball started rolling, even more companies could lose confidence and follow suit. The chain reaction would destroy Celestial City’s economy. “The loss in GDP is the least of my concerns, but what happens to me is the real issue.” Stephen’s voice trembled.The more he thought about it on the way there, the more frightened he became.The Grand Marshal had fought and sacrificed so much, and being his mentee meant shouldering a huge burden. However, here was the kicker—Stephen was not h
Stephen clenched his fists tightly. What did it mean by ‘his own choice’? He felt disgusted.“We guarantee that nothing like this will ever happen again. Celestial City is very safe! And, as long as you set up your business here, we’ll give you our full support.”Stephen and George felt incredibly frustrated. They had spent a fortune to pay off the ransom, and now, they had to make concessions again, groveling like dogs.“Fine.” Richard said, “Since you’re so sincere, I won’t let you down.”With the contract signed, Stephen finally sighed in relief. At least it was not a complete failure and he managed to keep Richard.Richard had many connections. He might even bring in more large-scale businesses into Celestial City.On the way back, a thought struck Stephen as he reflected on Richard’s reaction.“Richard’s kidnapping will make people think Celestial City isn’t safe. I need to prove that Celestial City is absolutely safe.”He turned to George, saying, “Think of a way to prove
His laughter was filled with helplessness and despair. He sounded like he was on the brink of an emotional breakdown. He had been trying so hard to make up for the mistakes of his past, doing his best to improve everyone’s lives, but now, it was all ruined because of Simon's stubbornness. Yet, Simon wanted him to shoulder the blame. “You should understand that there’s nothing you can do. You can’t change your fate, nor the fate of others around you. You thought you had everything, that you were invincible, but in fact, you have nothing, and you’re powerless to do anything.”Stephen heard a familiar voice. He looked behind Simon and saw Ethan sitting on a nearby sofa, drinking tea. “What’s wrong?” Simon frowned. Stephen’s laughter made him feel a little uneasy. Hearing Simon’s voice, Stephen snapped back to reality and looked at the sofa again, but there was no one. Ethan, and his voice, had been a hallucination. Stephen slightly lowered his head and clenched his fists tigh
Most people were just happy to get a bit of compensation, grateful even, but while Stephen was living a life beyond their dreams, he still had the nerve to take their money. After taking it, he had the audacity to insist it was not theft, claiming the money was his.He never considered that he was the one who ruined everyone’s lives and that he owed them the money. When the outrage became overwhelming, he came up with a new excuse, which was even more absurd than the last. This time, he claimed it was all a setup, that someone was framing him. Many people were so mad that they laughed instead. How could anyone say something like that with a straight face?It was so obvious he was lying, with no remorse or sincerity. He did not even bother finding a scapegoat to take the blame.Outside, the crowd was in an uproar. The security guards were all tackled to the ground, and even the cars were flipped over. The people smashed the doors crazily, and some had run off to break the windows
Even at that point, Stephen refused to take responsibility for his actions. Instead, he tried to shift the blame to others, yet he could not even name a scapegoat. It was pathetic. The people’s anger had reached the boiling point. “Does he take us all for fools?”“No wonder he has the guts to take our money. We’re nothing to him!”“How does someone like him worthy of managing Riveria?”“Stephen, go to hell! Bring back the previous leader of Riveria!”Everyone crowded at the door was cursing angrily, and even the security could not hold them back. The online backlash against Stephen was also growing more vicious by the minute. Seeing the crowd’s reaction left Simon and Stephen confused, especially Stephen. He thought he had told the truth, so why was everyone still so furious? Was he brushing them off? No, he did not. He had told them everything he knew, but why did no one believe him? Looking at the people outside, angry and about to break in, Stephen felt a little lost a
Stephen glanced at the crowd outside, feeling nervous. He could sense their hostility. If he could not provide a satisfactory explanation, he would have to watch his back whenever he was in public."Do you have any solutions?" Simon asked.Stephen thought for a moment. "At this point, we can only tell the truth. This has nothing to do with me. Let's say someone else did this to frame us."Simon considered it. Although that was not what he initially wanted, the situation was urgent. They had no choice but to go with Stephen's plan.He nodded. "Do it your way."Stephen breathed a sigh of relief.During the earlier broadcast, he felt uneasy, knowing things would go wrong. At least now he had control of the situation.Besides, it was not too late. If he explained everything honestly to the public, they would surely understand. They might even find out who tried to frame him!Stephen immediately called the reporters for a second apology.Soon, the livestream began. The number of au
Simon thought the issue would blow over quickly after the explanation.However, after the broadcast, the viewers’ anger grew. People from other cities who did not know much about Stephen's actions were now outraged too. What kind of explanation was that?"What do you mean it's not considered stealing because it was your money? Why did the people need to be compensated in the first place? Wasn't it because of you?""Let me ask you this. You caused everyone such huge losses, so isn't compensation the bare minimum? What right do you have to take it back?""I’ve never seen someone so shameless. It’s unbelievable."“He’s lost all sense!"If people from other cities were outraged, the locals of Breeze City were even more so.No one could believe that was Stephen's entire broadcast. Nothing they wanted to hear was included. There was no return of compensation, and the apology was not sincere.It was not a real apology; it was just going through the motions. His tone was beyond dismissi
As a result of the interloper’s actions, people were now blaming him for stealing the money!Stephen took a deep breath. "I understand. Let me get ready."He had just woken up and had no idea what was happening, but based on past experience and the fact that the federal government was involved, he could tell the severity of the situation.Stephen checked his phone and saw the whole internet cursing him, with some people even taking their own lives. Seeing the suicide reports, his expression turned grim. Although he had known from the start that taking back the compensation money was wrong, the situation was even worse than he had imagined.Immediately, Stephen prepared an apology and called the reporters in for a live broadcast.After so many failures, he knew better. He knew some decisions were wrong, like the current situation with the compensation money. However, the order had come from Simon—his father, and Stephen could not oppose him.Now that things had gone wrong, he had
"I’m aware of it, but using the word 'steal' is a bit extreme, isn’t it?" Simon said. After all, it was their money, to begin with. All they were doing was taking it back. How was that considered stealing?"What?" The government staff was shocked. "Extreme? This situation is way more serious than you think! People are constantly reporting Stephen. Some even suspect he's a foreign agent deliberately causing destruction. Get to the bottom of this immediately!"The call ended abruptly, leaving Simon wide-eyed."Is the situation that serious? Are they really questioning whether Stephen is on our side?"Simon immediately opened up the browser on his phone. Before he could even do a search, the numerous ads that appeared gave him his answer."Absolutely inhumane! Stephen Quinn steals the people's money!""Stephen Quinn has committed murder! So far, three families have committed suicide from the stress, and nine people are in critical condition!""No crime goes unpunished! Stephen Qu
Thanks to Victor’s financial intervention, news of Stephen’s deed spread at an astonishing speed. Better yet, the money he used was what he had just earned from Simon, so Victor completed the whole operation without any losses.Stephen went viral online again. People who did not know the truth were shocked by the news about him."Is Stephen Quinn human? How could he steal money that was meant to compensate the people?""Is he deliberately trying to destroy Riveria?""As long as he stays in Riveria, there won't be peace. Riveria is doomed with him around.""The development zone collapsed because of his decisions. Not compensating was bad enough, but now he's stealing other people's compensation? What kind of person does this?""I understand all these words individually, but together, they don't make sense. Stephen Quinn is truly a monster!"Online, everyone who saw the news about Stephen cursed him. Trying to steal people's compensation money was seen as vile."Why didn't the So
Victor took 500 million and instructed his subordinate to return the remaining 2.5 billion to Simon, saying, “Some of the money has already been spent, so only 2.5 billion could be recovered.”Simon nodded. “Good job.”He was not particularly concerned about the money. After all, to the Quinns, 3 billion dollars was not much different from 30 dollars. His only goal was to retrieve the money from the hands of the commoners. Recovering 2.5 billion was enough to achieve that goal.After the staff left, he took out his phone and called Stephen.“My son.” Simon was in a jovial mood. To him, Stephen had followed his instructions and acted decisively, managing to retrieve the money in just one week. That was his obedient son who did not disappoint him!Simon laughed and said, “You did well. You did exceptionally well!”Stephen had just finished drinking and was still feeling groggy. He asked in confusion, “What? What did I do?” He glanced at the beer bottle. What was good about drinking