Ethan noticed that all of them had their heads lowered, and their bodies trembled as if they had made a big mistake. He did not say anything else and just looked at the time. It was already past 6 p.m.Ethan got up and said, "Are you guys planning to leave now or are you staying for dinner?" The South Regent snapped to his senses and nodded happily, "Sorry to trouble you, Lord Rivers!"George wanted to leave, but seeing that the South Regent was staying, he decided to stay. This was a good chance to observe the South Regent. By knowing himself and the enemy, he could be victorious in every battle!Ethan walked into the kitchen. Meanwhile, George kept staring at the South Regent in secret, observing his every move. Rachel knew she had nothing to do there, so she quietly walked into the kitchen, wanting to argue with Ethan. Ever since she started staying with Stephen, she realized how good Ethan had been to her. Ethan was washing the vegetables when he heard Rachel's footsteps,
George looked at the South Regent and said seriously, "You've been minding your own business for three years, so why can't you continue to do so? Can't you stop targeting Riveria?"The South Regent looked at George as if he was looking at a fool. Was there a problem with what he was doing?"My father died because of Riveria. Countless of my friends died in Riveria. How can I let Riveria go? "Moreover, the Grand Marshal's student, Stephen, is in Riveria now, so this is the best time for me to take revenge. Why should I back off?"George wanted to say something but ended up staying silent. He wanted to say that Stephen's identity was fake. Ethan was the Grand Marshal's student, not Stephen. However, after thinking about it, he knew that the South Regent should be well aware of this fact. The South Regent knew he could not win against Ethan, so it was enough to defeat the widely known "student of the Grand Marshal", Stephen.The South Regent shook his head. "Do you really think Ri
"Wait!" Rachel suddenly thought of an issue. Ethan had planted some vegetables in his garden, so it was no wonder he had vegetables in his dishes. However, how did he get grilled salmon, roasted chicken, and eggs? "How do you have meat here?" Once Rachel asked the question, George reacted. Right, they had locked Ethan away in the deep mountains to cut off his access to resources and information from the outside world. How did he get meat? Ethan answered calmly, "I asked the guards to buy them." "Ah?" George and Rachel were stunned. He asked the guards to buy them? The guards were there to keep an eye on Ethan, so how did they end up taking care of him instead? The two were at a loss for words. However, Ethan did not see an issue with this. If he wanted to, he could easily make Stephen send a cow over every day.Nonetheless, they all shared quite a pleasant dinner. George felt a mix of emotions. It was only with Ethan here that he managed to have a good time with his e
Stephen stopped asking about that and started to comfort George, "Don't overthink things. Everything will be fine." He planned to stabilize Celestial City first, then work hard in the next city to recover the economic losses. That way, the public criticism of George would ease significantly.George asked, "Have you settled the matters in Celestial City?"Stephen nodded. "I've made the arrangements." With Mark Smith coming on board, it meant that the South Regent had placed all his chess pieces in Celestial City. The city was unlikely to fall into chaos again. If things got out of hand, even the South Regent would not be able to make a profit."I estimate that Celestial City will stabilize in about half a month to a month." Once Celestial City stabilized, they could attract investors and rebuild the economy. Stephen continued, "Although the South Regent is cunning, I believe we'll definitely be able to win against him." George smiled bitterly. "Yes, we'll definitely win."
Stephen analyzed the situation carefully.He worked until 2 a.m. when exhaustion finally forced him to stop. However, he still had not fully grasped the true purpose behind Ethan's plans.He was also clueless about the tree species to be replaced and the tea to be introduced. Hence, he decided to visit Hill City in person to investigate the situation. Perhaps, by asking the locals, he could find answers to questions he did not understand.The next day, Stephen woke up at noon.He asked George, "Do you want to come to Hill City with me?"George thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. He believed he had to boost Hill City's economy to rid himself of his "mistakes". If the criticism continued, he would not be able to show his face in Riveria anymore.With that, the two flew to Hill City. Even from the air, they could see Hill City's stunning surroundings. Majestic mountains seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see, with several peaks piercing the clouds. The view was br
"Let's do some research first," George answered. "Let's find out if people support the changing species of the primary crop. If they do, what species do they want to change to? If they don't, what are their reasons?"Stephen's eyes lit up as he exclaimed, "That’s a great plan!"By researching and understanding everyone's opinions first, there would be no mistakes!At that thought, Stephen instructed, "Let's get people working on this right away. Also, let's find out what kind of tea plant people would support introducing.”After their successive failures, both Stephen and George had become much more cautious.Julius looked at the two, somewhat surprised. The sentiment online had pegged those two as useless, seeing as they always caused more harm than good.Truth be told, when he first heard that the notorious duo was coming, he panicked. He thought about the tragedies that befell North Hill City, Seaside City, Aqua City, and Celestial City, concerned that they were about to repea
Julius and George arrived at the first village. It was a rather large village, with over seven thousand residents, so acquiring it would require significant money. Fortunately, Julius already had a plan.Based on the freeway plan, he identified the houses that needed to be relocated and then found the village chief to explain the purpose of their visit. The village chief was initially reluctant when he learned that the freeway would pass through his village. However, Julius managed to convince him by explaining the many benefits of the road construction."With the freeway, it'll be more convenient for you to head into the city. Plus, it'll be easier to transport your village's pigs and eucalyptus trees.”The village chief was convinced, and with his help, Julius acquired the houses that needed to be relocated at 7000 dollars per square meter. Those villagers could later build houses in other parts of the village or move to the city.George watched Julius from the side, somewhat sur
Julius and George finally understood what was going on. The village was engaged in stone quarrying, and the reason for their large population was due to the influx of workers coming here to work.Nico then asked, "Whose decision was it to build this road? Was it Ethan Rivers?"Julius shook his head. "No, it wasn’t Ethan. He's been missing for some time now. It was Stephen Quinn’s decision."Hearing that, Nico was momentarily stunned before his heart raced with excitement. From that sentence alone, he picked up two major pieces of information. First, Ethan Rivers was still missing; second, Stephen Quinn had arrived! It meant he could finally put his plans into motion!Many years ago, his older brother, Lars had made a fortune through pillaging, over-mining, and reckless deforestation. However, since they knew the nearby forests like the back of his hand, no one could catch him. That was until Ethan Rivers showed up three years ago.…Three years ago, they had received news a few
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