Simon never anticipated the South Regent to return the money. He simply called the man to pour out his grievance. To his surprise, he was shaken by the story he heard. After the call, he called Stephen right away. “Don’t go to Ethan anymore. He’s a despicable and deceptive man.” Stephen had no idea what happened, but since his father had spoken, he simply nodded. “I understand. He will spend the rest of his life in the mountains with no visitors.” Simon felt relieved. “I need you to prepare some money and find a good location for the villagers. Throw in something extra as compensation. You must let them know you did not intentionally target the villagers, and that it’s all the mayor’s fault.” Stephen nodded. “And, keep an eye on Lucas. Don’t let anything happen to him. Get the best doctor to treat him and take care of the bills.” Stephen nodded again. He understood the stakes. If Lucas died, then he would be the culprit, and even if he shifted the blame to the mayor,
Devastated, Stephen widened his eyes in shock and staggered backward. George asked anxiously, “Is there nothing else you can do?” The doctor shook his head in silence. “Nothing? We can pay you more!” George refused to give up just yet. “We will take care of the medical bills!” The doctor continued to shake his head. “It’s not about money. We have already done our best. But if you insist, there is actually hope. “There’s a famous neurosurgeon in Riveria. People call him Dr. Federick Rodman. He has performed more than a thousand brain surgeries on various scales, and his patients are as old as 90 years old. If he’s here, he might be able to save this man.” George and Stephen’s eyes lit up. Hope! “Where is he?!” The doctor said helplessly, “Metropolis, but it has been years since he’s performed any surgery.” George and Stephen noted down every detail. “We got it. We’ll get him here to treat Lucas,” Stephen said. “Please take care of him while we are away!” He then
“Can’t you see we are talking?! Get out!” Stephen chased the patient out and then stopped Dr. Rodman from typing on his phone. “Dr. Rodman, we don’t have much time left. Please come with me.” Dr. Rodman realized things were much more complicated. He moved Stephen’s hand away and then continued to search for the name online. As he went through the search results and the related articles, Dr. Rodman’s expression darkened. Stephen and George had forcibly taken the villagers' homes, robbing them of their properties. When the village chief, Lucas, demanded an explanation, he was slandered and labeled a gangster. In the end, Lucas rammed himself into the wall to prove his innocence. “You!” Dr. Rodman stared at Stephen. The culprit himself was asking for help and even lied instead of telling the truth, hoping that the doctor would not find out. Stephen looked down in silence. He did not know what to say. George was also present. He stepped up and said, “Dr. Rodman, please calm
Stephen was slightly stunned. “He only listens to two people in his whole life. The first one is the Grand Marshal and the other is Mr. Ethan Rivers.” “What?!” Stephen was baffled. Why would Dr. Rodman listen to Ethan? “I don’t know about the details, but he used to serve under Mr. Rivers.” Stephen went back and started looking into Dr. Rodman’s background. “He used to treat the Grand Marshal. When the Grand Marshal passed away, he followed Ethan and continued his practice. He was once abducted by the South Regent, but Ethan saved him. Ethan is his savior?!” Stephen was speechless. It seemed like Ethan was the only one who could persuade Dr. Rodman to help. He was the doctor’s savior after all. Only Ethan could request the doctor to save Lucas and Celestial City. Stephen wanted to make a move to Ethan’s place but quickly thought of something else. Just a few hours ago, he promised his father to never meet Ethan again. He also said that Ethan would spend the rest o
Ethan chuckled. “You come to me for help, but you aren’t telling me the truth. Is this how you ask for help? You may leave now.” George grew anxious. He had just arrived, but Ethan was already asking him to leave. “Okay. I admit that it was us who made him do it. He rammed himself into the wall to prove his innocence. He’s a hero and he can’t die. You wouldn’t want a veteran to die in vain, would you?” Ethan nodded. “That’s what I don’t want to see, but too bad. I am now locked up here as a prisoner. If you people can’t save him, what can I do?” George explained, “No, there is something you can do. Dr. Rodman can save him, and you are the doctor’s savior. If only you’d talk to the doctor, he could be on his way to Celestial City.” Ethan said, “It’s Dr. Rodman’s freedom whether he wants to save the man or not. I respect his decision.” George clenched his fists and teeth nervously. “Hmph. You are just giving excuses. You don’t want the veteran to be saved!” “I see you are get
George realized that the benefits he offered were totally useless to Ethan. How could he possibly convince him?After a long silence, George said, “For the sake of our past friendship, just help me once.”“What friendship?” Ethan asked, “The kind where you sent me to jail?”George fell quiet. He had nothing else to say and thought he could not convince Ethan anymore. Besides, he had no leverage to persuade him, except to release him. However, that was impossible. Once Ethan left and exposed the truth to the public, all of their efforts would be in vain. George turned and left without another word. He could not handle this. He planned to discuss it further with Stephen to see if anyone else besides Ethan could get Dr. Rodman Rodman to help. George left the mansion and called Stephen on the side of the road, telling him about the situation. “He refused to help?” Stephen sighed in his heart. The outcome was expected. “Let me think of another way.” He hung up. After thinking a
Soon, he saw George in front of the mansion.“He refuses to help.” George said exasperatedly, “He wants a life for a life. To use my life in exchange for the village chief’s life.”Stephen frowned. Although he knew Ethan was quite ruthless, he did not expect him to be this brutal, demanding George’s death blatantly. Although the village chief was important, George was more useful to him. “Don’t worry. I’ve come for his help now. We’re like old rivals now. He shouldn’t sit back and do nothing.”Stephen walked to the door and noticed that it was tightly shut. “Why did he close the door?” Stephen was surprised. George was also curious. “The door was still open when I came out. It’s only been half an hour. When did the door close? Could it be that he doesn’t want to see me?”George felt a little hurt. After all, he had taken care of Ethan for three years. Sure, he locked him up in the mountains and wanted him to solve his problem, but was it enough to warrant being shut out?S
After being scolded, George quietly stepped back and stopped talking. By midnight, Stephen almost could not feel his legs anymore while George sat on the stone bench and fell asleep, resting his head on a stone table. At 2 a.m., Stephen was tired and sleepy. His body swayed slightly in the cold wind. Although the area outside the mansion was lit, he somehow felt a sense of loneliness, coldness, and fear. Where was George?He looked around, trying to find someone to accompany him, but he saw George deep in slumber when he turned around. Stephen was speechless. For a moment, he did not know what to say. He stood there, tired and struggling, only to make Ethan help them once. And yet, George had fallen asleep!He was sleepy too!But he could not rest now. This matter could affect his future. At 6 a.m., Stephen had stood for the entire night. His body was stiff as if it had turned to stone. He could not feel his legs. Besides, his body felt unbearably heavy, as if a mounta