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
What was going on? Why did Stephen suddenly kneel to Ethan?Simon had just said that Stephen was sacrificing for Celestial City while Ethan was cold and ruthless. Now, Stephen was kneeling to Ethan, which was like saying his so-called sacrifice was kneeling to Ethan, begging him to solve Celestial City’s problems!In the meeting room, everyone watched Simon with doubtful eyes. “Is this your son’s sacrifice?”What sacrifice? All he did was bring trouble to Celestial City and kneel to beg someone. Was that his contribution? Simon gulped. How could he explain this? Stephen had knelt to Ethan in front of everyone. He could not talk his way out of it!He regretted it now. He should not have connected the video to the big screen. Otherwise, only he would know about Stephen kneeling to Ethan. The others would not have seen it!His clever plan had backfired!“Get up now!” Simon roared into his phone. Stephen heard him and wanted to get up. He had wanted to stand up since he returne
Simon had someone get Dr. Rodman’s contact information, and soon, they obtained his phone number. In the meeting room, one of them dialed Dr. Rodman’s number. They stated their identity and promised Dr. Rodman many benefits as long as he saved Lucas. Dr. Rodman knew it would be hard to refuse them this time. After all, it was a call from the federal government, and he could not go against them alone.He could only say, “I can help, but let me see Mr. Rivers first.”The group looked at Ethan. They could not understand why so many people sided with him. Contacting Dr. Rodman directly was their last resort, so they had to agree to his request and let him see Ethan. Half an hour later, Dr. Rodman finally met Ethan. “Mr. Rivers!” Dr. Rodman was excited. “So you’re here. A lot has happened in Riveria while you were gone.”Ethan nodded. “I know. But telling me this is pointless. I don’t manage Riveria anymore; they do.”Ethan looked at Stephen and George. They slightly lowered t
Ethan did not explain anything and bluntly said that he intended to openly slander them, just like what they had done to him. He was simply giving them a taste of their own medicine!However, Stephen and the others had no way to refute him or explain. They did have evidence of Stephen trying to save Lucas, including standing outside Ethan’s door for the whole night, but could they upload it?It was a scene of Stephen kneeling to Ethan!If they spread the video, it could expose Ethan’s lies, but what were the consequences?Stephen, the Grand Marshal’s student, who restored peace to Riveria three years ago, finally met Ethan after waiting for a night. He even knelt to Ethan the moment he saw him. How could they bear this humiliation?Therefore, it was clear that they could not release the evidence. The people in the meeting room were all horrified. Ethan had them completely under his control. Even if they had the evidence, it was futile.If they did not use it, Stephen would be
The sudden turn of events stunned the men surrounding Ethan, but they reacted quickly, pointing their guns at Ethan. “What are you doing?” Elijah was drenched in cold sweat.“How dare you point a gun at me? Put the guns down now!”Ethan was obviously using him as a human shield. If his subordinates opened fire, while Ethan would die, he would die sooner!Hearing their leader’s orders, the men could only lower their guns. “Why don’t we talk it out?” Elijah sounded weaker. “Let me go first, and we’ll find somewhere to talk. What do you say?”Ethan knew he was deceiving him. As long as he moved the gun away, Elijah would have a chance to fight back. “Spare me these tricks you’d use on children.”Elijah went silent for a moment and said, “Calm down. If I die, you’ll have no way out either.”Ethan smiled faintly. “I came alone and was surrounded by a hundred of your men. I don’t think I can leave alive. If I’m going to die anyway, it’s not too bad to have you accompany me.”Elija
He wanted to kill the person responsible for putting him in this situation!However, when he raised his gun, appearing to aim at Ethan, it also seemed like he was targeting the South Regent!The South Regent’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately fired. Bang!With a gunshot, the bullet struck Elijah right in the middle of his forehead.Elijah’s eyes widened as he fell backward, his fingers still repeatedly pulling the trigger. Click. Click. Click. There was no gunshot! Elijah held an empty gun!The South Regent immediately widened his eyes in shock, watching the scene in disbelief. He had been tricked! Ethan used him to kill Elijah!The South Regent stared at Ethan. “You knew there were no bullets in his gun, so you used my hand to kill him!”Ethan smiled. “A man like that wasn’t worth dirtying my hands.”He took out the empty magazine and casually threw it to the South Regent. “Thanks.”Thanks?The South Regent was not pleased in the least bit. He knew he ha
Simon agreed wholeheartedly. He must keep Ethan locked up in the mountains. Even if the sky collapsed, they could not release him. Dr. Rodman followed Stephen and George to a hospital in Celestial City. With him performing the surgery, Lucas was able to get out of danger. He could wake up in a few days. Then, after two months of rest and recovery in the hospital, he could be released and return to his home. When the villagers heard that Lucas was saved, they were so moved that they knelt to thank Dr. Rodman. Reporters also came to interview him. Facing the show of gratitude and interviews, Dr. Rodman said, “The person you should thank is not me but Ethan. Mr. Rivers asked me to save him.”The reporter frowned. “Wasn't it Stephen and George?”“No. They did not care about Lucas’s life at all. If Mr. Rivers hadn’t received word that Lucas was in a critical situation, he most likely would’ve died.”The reporter was shocked. What explosive news!Stephen and George were the cul
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