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Chapter 318
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 319
“How much did 50 km cost?” Stephen asked. “15 billion,” George answered. Stephen was surprised. “Just 15 billion?” “This is just the money used to purchase the required lands. The construction will be the most money-consuming part,” Julius explained. A quick thought later, he said, “Julius, can you give us the room?” Julius nodded and went out, leaving George and Stephen alone. “Is he clean? Did he oppress the people and not pay them what it was worth?” Stephen asked anxiously. George shook his head. “No. I have been following him and was there whenever Julius negotiated the price. The villagers seemed to be happy with the price he offered.” Stephen felt relieved. He was afraid that the villagers were being oppressed. Hill City had been chaotic back then. In addition to its steep mountainous roads, it became a hot spot for conflicts and battles, ranking top across the entire Riveria. If either one of the villages had a heroic tale of someone rising up against evil, th
The Guardian's Return Chapter 320
Next, Stephen concentrated on the tea leaves. “Ethan planned to get Hill City to sell tea leaves, but he didn’t say which kind of tea.” The survey asked about the tea leaves, but since no one had planted them before, they were unfamiliar with the subject. There were countless tea trees in the world, so which one of them would be suitable for planting in Hill City and could bring economic value? Stephen realized that he was sailing on uncharted waters here. If he could find the correct tea leaves, it would equal finding new land for the city. He could then rival Ethan in terms of achievement. Without further ado, he spent several days asking professionals and specialists, trying to learn more about tea. Half a month later, he finally came up with a decision. He could ask the people to start planting flower tea trees and also utilize the mountainous terrain of Hill City to try planting oolong tea leaves. He also decided to give them an incentive to do it. Over this time, aski
The Guardian's Return Chapter 321
Nico’s face darkened at George’s words. He hated people who called him a criminal. Although a few years ago, he had helped his brother and the villagers commit illegal acts and never had any remorse, he paid the price and believed that he should not be labeled as a criminal. The villagers frowned as well. Since Nico became the village chief, the village thrived and prospered. The villagers started to buy new cars and build new houses. “What are you people talking about? He’s our village chief,” said one of the villagers. George and Julius widened their eyes in shock. Nico became the village chief?! “What about Hendrick? Why did you guys elect a new village chief all of a sudden?” George asked as his brows furrowed tighter. The villager grunted and said, “Hendrick is working with people beyond the borders and is always on the run. He might be with the South Regent.” George and Julius were mortified. The previous village chief, Hendrick, might be related to the South Rege
The Guardian's Return Chapter 322
In the evening, while George was having dinner, he called Stephen. “We might have a problem with Julius.” Stephen frowned. His plans for Hill City were progressing smoothly and he did not want anything to go wrong for now. “Keep an eye on him.” “I will.” George hung up the phone. They had been tricked thrice, and there was no way they would fall for it again. Meanwhile, Julius sent his men to investigate Stone Village. He wanted to know how the previous village chief disappeared and whether or not the village was involved in any heroic acts. It was important, and if he did not get to the bottom of it, the other villages might claim to be heroic too, which might start a chain of bad reactions. The next day, the construction of the freeway continued and progressed smoothly. The other villages did not raise prices like Stone Village did. Julius also visited the other villages along the freeway course, asking them whether Stone Village contributed to the battle against the in
The Guardian's Return Chapter 323
Back then, Ethan had made Nico kill his own brother. His parents died of illness and his wife left him. His family was shattered, and he was locked up for three years. He had nothing except his son when he was released. Ethan wanted him to fall into despair and devastation, but he made the biggest comeback and became the village chief of Stone Village. He led everyone into making more money and could soon unleash vengeance on Hill City. If Ethan found out that he had grown so powerful, the man would lose his mind. George asked, “Are you talking about Ethan?” Nico asked, “Do you know where he is? Ethan helped us a lot, and without him, there wouldn’t be a Stone Village. I want to thank him in person. Can you tell me where he is?” George sighed at Nico’s request. He could not understand why everyone missed Ethan so much. “He’s in Drakthorn Ridge, but you won’t be seeing him.”Nico marked down the location nonetheless. George left the village after he was done verifying the e
The Guardian's Return Chapter 324
Bang! Nico slammed the table. “Anyone can tell me to let go of the past but you! Have you forgotten who made me kill my own brother? Who caused my parents’ illness and who made my wife leave? Who made me lose everything?” He regretted not bringing a gun, or else he would be pointing it at Ethan’s head. Ethan took a sip of tea calmly. “You’re wrong.” “I’m wrong?” Nico looked at him with his eyes widened. “You’re Lars Wyatt’s accomplice and helped him hurt a lot of people. You haven’t taken any lives, but what you did earned you at least ten years behind bars. “Since your old parents helped us before and they couldn’t afford to lose two sons at once, plus the fact that you have a son, I gave you a chance to redeem yourself. Your brother noticed it. That’s why he made you kill him. “Lars chose death not just because he wants to give you all the credit. He also wanted to protect you. Only with his death, you wouldn’t be exposed.” Nico’s eyes widened in shock. Ethan look
The Guardian's Return Chapter 325
Tommy looked at Ethan in shock. He heard about what happened from his father but hearing it from Ethan in person felt different. He knew what his uncle had done in the past. “Uncle Lars got what he deserved. As for my grandparents and mother, they just have to be. It’s fate.” “Fate?” Ethan muttered. After a few rounds of questions, he got a general idea of Tommy’s personality. Unlike his father, the boy could still be saved. “I won’t stop your father, but I can give you two pieces of advice. “First, collect evidence of his crimes and give them to Stephen Quinn. Though you might not be able to fool your father and after today, you won’t get the chance to leave Stone Village again.” Once Nico realized his son was missing, he would go looking for the boy. When he found out that his son went to Ethan’s place, Tommy would surely be grounded. It was not just because Tommy had met Ethan but also because Tommy knew too much. “Second piece of advice: cut ties with your father and br
The Guardian's Return Chapter 326
Nico gnashed his teeth, thinking that his plan for revenge could not drag on any further. When he met with Ethan earlier, Ethan showed no signs of panic, which meant the man might have some backup plan in place. That was why Nico decided that he had to strike first!Nico called the villagers over and asked, “Do you think you’ve made enough money?”Everyone shook their heads. Who would ever complain about making more money? However, that was exactly the answer Nico was looking for. He said, “I have a way to make money quickly. A lot of these out-of-town companies have been leasing orchards and farms around here. The fruit’s ripe, and the animals are fully grown.“You should gather villagers from other villages to pick their fruits and take their animals. Those fruit and animals could be sold for a lot of money!”The villagers’ eyes lit up at the suggestion.“That’s a good idea.”“We’re locals, and these companies are from out of town. They can’t do anything to us.”“We’ll go
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 668
His question rubbed salt in Stephen’s wounds, and it hurt. “I’m not in the mood now, nor have I thought about it,” Stephen replied. “Why? Are you that busy?” Simon pressed. Stephen took a deep breath. “When Lily made her final call to me, I hung up on her because of Rachel.”Simon was stunned to hear that. He realized that the problem might be more severe than he expected. From now on, whenever Rachel wanted to sleep with Stephen, he would think of that missed call. That call he had once hung up impatiently would become the regret that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Simon wanted to say something but hesitated. After a while, he finally asked, “Do you still want to sleep with women?”“No,” Stephen said honestly. “It makes me want to throw up.”Simon’s expression turned ugly. The worst-case scenario still happened in the end. The overwhelming stress and trauma had caused Stephen to lose interest in women, and getting him to have a child with someone would be a
The Guardian's Return Chapter 667
“Ah!” Stephen screamed. “Don’t kill me!”He clutched his head with both hands and immediately crouched down on the ground. “Why aren’t you the one dead?” A familiar voice rang out beside him.Stephen trembled and cautiously raised his head to see that all the coffins had vanished and only one person stood before him. The thick mist made it difficult for him to see the person’s face clearly. The next second, as if a breeze just swept through, the mist swirled, and Stephen finally saw the face of the man before him. Recognizing the man immediately, Stephen’s eyes widened. It was Ethan! “You don’t want to die, and neither did they. Why did you kill them?” Ethan looked down at Stephen.Stephen’s face paled. “I didn’t. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want to kill anyone!”“Is that so?” The South Regent slowly stepped out from the side. “You might be able to explain it if there was only one death, but how many lives has it been now? Do you even remember? You only pick the ones closes
The Guardian's Return Chapter 666
Many people added insult to the injury, mocking Stephen further. “You deserve it!”“Do you want our pity? Truth be told, you brought it all onto yourself.”“What’s this called? This is karma. You’ve done terrible things, and now that your childhood sweetheart is dead, you realize how painful it is, huh?”“It was unlucky for Lily to have met someone like you.”Stephen did not dare to read the comments. In the past, he had spread rumors about Ethan to make everyone misunderstand the man and launch relentless attacks on Ethan online. At that time, he felt delighted about it. Now, it was his turn, and even his friends and Lily were dragged into it. Stephen was heartbroken, and regret consumed him. He knew the words that attacked Ethan were fake. Ethan had never embezzled or bribed anyone. He made everything up, and worst of all, the anger of others did not affect Ethan. However, the criticisms aimed at him were all true. He had indeed done too many wrongs that he now regretted
The Guardian's Return Chapter 665
Simon had tried to retain businesses, but only small, insignificant ones stayed. The large and medium-sized enterprises that comprised the bulk of Breeze City’s economic activities all chose to leave.The only solution he could think of now was to create new opportunities to attract other businesses."And the development zone issue must be addressed too."Simon knew that the problem would not just disappear if they ignored it."We'll have to spend money to fix it."He thought they could use Breeze City's funds to fill that hole, though the impact would be enormous since the city barely had any money left. As such, he planned a meeting the next day to discuss those plans.He found Stephen in his room. "Get some rest with Rachel. You'll need to attend a meeting with me tomorrow."In the room, Rachel had not forgotten her main purpose—to have Stephen's child.Now that they were in the same room, she tried to seduce him again. However, when Stephen saw her lying undressed on the be
The Guardian's Return Chapter 664
Stephen pushed his hand away. "You don't understand.""No, I understand perfectly." The man's weathered face showed no emotion, but his words stopped Stephen in his tracks."I lost my wife in a car accident, and my child to a terminal illness. Yet here I am, year after year, each difficult, but still getting by."After that, he turned and left, leaving Stephen staring at his back.While Stephen was still lost in thought, the funeral began.Everyone gathered in the cemetery to watch as "Lily's ashes" were lowered into the ground. Many people began crying softly. Stephen stood at the front, holding a white rose. Though silent, his eyes were red, tears threatening to fall.After the ground was filled in and people began laying down roses, Stephen spotted a familiar face in the crowd. It was Ethan!Stephen stopped in his steps, wondering why Ethan was there. After all, the man had no connection to the Fords.After Ethan laid down his rose, Stephen quickly caught up to him as he was
The Guardian's Return Chapter 663
Seeing him silent with his head bowed, no one else approached to speak with him.Meanwhile, in a distant room, Ethan took a sip from his teacup, sampling the supposedly premium tea from an elite family. Finding it rather ordinary, he set down the cup and asked softly, "You don't want to see him?"Beside him, Lily gently shook her head."No."After experiencing death, she gained clarity about many things. The current situation could not be changed by her wishes alone.Stephen was not the head of the Quinn family, just as Jason was not yet the head of the Fords. They all had to mind their families' opinions and follow their orders.That was why meeting Stephen now would not change anything; it would only create more problems. Besides… "I have more important things to do now."She glanced sideways at a young woman standing nearby. It was Snow.Ethan had brought Snow there to show Lily another world. Born into the Ford family, Lily had grown up wealthy and privileged, thinking
The Guardian's Return Chapter 662
The next day, Stephen, Simon, and Rachel went to the Fords’ residence for the funeral.The Fords’ mansion was packed that day, with representatives from various families. Many business executives and celebrities were in attendance too. Some of them had red, swollen eyes, clearly devastated by Lily's death. However, the moment Stephen appeared, all eyes turned to him.Everyone present was influential and knew about Stephen's relationship with Lily. They had grown up as childhood friends, and everyone remembered Lily always saying she wanted to marry Stephen one day.When they saw Stephen's graying hair, everyone was stunned, and a shiver ran down their spines.Just six months ago, Stephen had jet-black hair and was an air of confidence. He was the epitome of a young business prodigy, admired by every up-and-coming member of elite families and companies. Now, however, his hair was gray, his energy completely drained, and he walked with a slight stoop. He hardly looked like the youn
The Guardian's Return Chapter 661
"Don't be nervous," Ethan said. "What I need you to do is simple. All you need to do is say one sentence."Simon felt increasingly uneasy. "What is it?""Tell the Fords that the Quinns unconditionally support all of Jason Ford's decisions."Simon slammed his hands on the table with a bang. "You–"That would pit him against the Fords!Now that Lily had been rescued, Jason would certainly oppose some of the Fords’ decisions. When that happened, the family would pressure Jason. If Simon publicly stood with Jason on behalf of the Quinns, it would mean openly opposing the Fords. Although both Jason and Lily would be safe that way, the Fords would hold a grudge against the Quinns until Jason became the head of the family. Moreover, once Jason became the head of the family, his gratitude would be for Ethan, not Simon or the Quinns. After all, it was Ethan who saved Lily and sent the Quinns to help.If Stephen found out that Lily was still alive and that Simon knew yet secretly support
The Guardian's Return Chapter 660
Should he tell Stephen the truth? If he blurted it out and Stephen learned that Ethan saved Lily, he might side with Ethan just like Jason. Most importantly, Stephen was the future head of the Quinns. If Stephen really lowered his head to Ethan, it meant Ethan could control the Quinns in the future!Should he hide the truth from Stephen and use the time and opportunity to shower him with love and care?Still, he could not hide this forever. The longer he kept it from Stephen, the more intense Stephen’s reaction would be when he knew the truth. At that time, he might still choose to side with Ethan. Simon had been through many storms and made many important decisions in critical situations, but at this moment, faced with two choices, he could not choose either. To tell or not to tell—neither would work, and he was stuck in the middle. The final winner would still be Ethan. Ethan was imprisoned in the mansion on Drakthorn Ridge, but he still had everything in control!Simon as
