“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
“Well... We definitely didn’t think this through properly.”Simon thought about it, realizing it might be part of Ethan’s scheme. Ethan could be using the Quinns to cut ties with Riveria once and for all!If there was a crisis in Riveria, they could use the Grand Marshal’s influence to make Ethan step in. However, now that everyone knew he was not the Grand Marshal’s mentee, he would have nothing to do with Riveria anymore!Simon’s face darkened. When did Ethan start planning all of that?“I’ll have someone prepare a speech for you. Go and get ready.”He then hung up the call, feeling a headache coming. He thought they had won, but now he realized they had lost again. All the pressure was falling on Stephen’s shoulders.In Celestial City, Stephen immediately ordered a stage to be built for the speech after hanging up the call. He chose to speak in the streets to seem more approachable to the public. That way, the online criticism of him would lighten up. It would also prove tha