Eric was at a loss for words. The situation was completely different from what he had imagined.With a parched mouth, he watched the passing residents and said to one of his officers, "Quick, go ask if they have any more ice pops."The officer, nearly fainting, replied, "I’m all out of strength."Eric clenched his fist. If his subordinates would not go, who else would? Himself? He was the commander! If he went, would that not mean his rank was just for show?"If no one's going, then we'll all stay thirsty," he declared. "I can endure it."He had plenty of time and resources to outlast them!In the distance, Sky and a few residents were in a house, enjoying the air conditioning and eating ice pops while watching Eric and his team."Those idiots won't wait until someone faints before they go looking for water, will they?" One of them chuckled.Another hour passed, and under the tree, some officers were now lying on the ground.Eric was reaching his limit. "Where are they? Why
The other officers, still dazed, followed his lead. Just like that, this officer managed to lead everyone away.At that point, Eric was the only person under the tree shade. He waited and waited, growing increasingly anxious when Sky did not appear, but the thought of ice-cold water to drink soon calmed him down a bit.Unfortunately, after half an hour, not only was Sky nowhere to be seen, but his officers had also disappeared."Huh? Have they gone missing too?" he muttered. "Do they cannibalize people in this town?"He grumbled but remained seated, the thought of searching for his subordinates not once occurring to him.It was not until 4 p.m. that Eric, now barely conscious, saw Sky casually strolling toward him with an ice pop in hand.Sky had reported Eric’s activities, or lack thereof, to Brandon. "This commander is about to faint, and he hasn't called anyone."Brandon nodded. "Bring him to me."They had deliberately left Eric in the heat for so long, yet he did not call f
“Oh, now I remember!” Brandon said with a smile. “I forgot about it all after taking a nap.” Eric slammed his hands on the table when he heard Brandon dozing off again. Brandon’s smile remained wide and bright because he was unafraid of Eric. “Commander, calm down. We’re all farmers in the town. It’s normal for us to take naps.” Eric refused to take the excuse for an answer. Even if Brandon did take a nap, he should not have left Eric in the sun for hours. “Make me some tea,” Eric barked, not even trying to be polite. Back when he visited with the old commander, tea would be served automatically, without needing to be requested. Now that he came alone and saw no one taking the initiative to serve him, he had to speak up. Brandon glanced at Sky, who quickly got the message and went off to make tea. Brandon then asked Eric, “Commander, what brings you here alone? Where are the other two? Did they run away because Ethan got arrested?” “Nonsense!” Eric rolled his eyes at Br
The shock made Eric forget the scalding pain in his thighs. The town of Lytton respected not the police commander but Ethan, the useless trash who got arrested? “How? How is that useless trash worthy of your respect?” Eric found it difficult to accept. He had dreamt of being the commander day and night, and his dream was finally realized, only for him to find out that it meant nothing unless it was under Ethan’s leadership. Without Ethan, his position as commander was completely worthless. Brandon chuckled. “That’s right. Without Ethan, do you think you’re worthy of Lytton’s respect? It was Ethan who made you people who you are today.” He knew Ethan well because he viewed the man as his rival. He was certain that as long as Ethan was around, Riveria could thrive for another hundred years. To his shock, Ethan did not lose to the enemies who tried to disrupt the order and peace of Riveria but fell to the betrayal of his own people.After finding out what happened to Ethan, B
Could a mere farmer earn that much? In that case, how much did Brandon, the mayor of Lytton, make in a month? It also meant Lytton was not just a small town but a massive corporation! “Commander, if you join us, we can at least give you 500 thousand dollars a month.” Eric gasped in shock. 500 thousand a month was an astronomical amount of money to him. However, knowing the shady deals that Lytton conducted, such as smuggling, illegal immigration, and even selling and producing firearms, he hesitated. Seeing the hesitation in his expression, Brandon smiled and said, “Don’t worry. I want you to join us, not for you to work for us. You’re still the police commander, but I need you to cover us. “Of course, we won’t put you in a difficult situation either. If you want to turn in a few men just to shut your superior up, I can give you a few men to meet your quota. It’s a win-win situation for you and me.” Eric had no reason to reject Brandon’s suggestion.“Fine. I’ll join you gu
Stephen’s lips into a wicked smile. “To see how miserable he is now, of course. I want to tell him that the men he raised have all been taken out. “Even Eric has become the commander now.” George applauded, saying, “That is an amazing move. I like it! Hahahaha!” “Hahaha!” The two of them laughed wickedly. Later that evening, Stephen arrived at the police station and requested a meeting with Ethan. Liam went to Ethan and informed him of Stephen’s request to meet. He asked, “Mr. Rivers, do you want to see him, or should I tell him to leave?” “Since I have nothing to do here, let’s meet him,” Ethan said.After being locked up, he found himself with a lot of free time. The entire day, twenty-four hours, was now his to spend as he wished. Today, he had chosen to meet Stephen, and it was the only reason Stephen had the chance to see him. If he did not want to, Stephen would be turned away. Since Ethan and Stephen were both of unique status, Liam arranged for them to meet i
The men he promoted were capable individuals who devoted their lives to serving the people. Those who Ethan oppressed were capable as well, but they possessed more issues, mostly attitude problems. Now Stephen and the others had gotten rid of the capable ones and replaced them with timebombs. As for how Eric solved the case in half a day, Ethan knew what happened when he heard about it. The town of Lytton must have done it again, and this time, Eric had banded together with Brandon. Soon, North Hill City would see disaster befalling. However, Ethan did not want to make his thoughts verbal because that had nothing to do with him anymore. They could do whatever they liked. If Riveria was no more, he could leave the place or even the country. He had a lot of backup plans. Ethan looked at Stephen and said softly, “Stupid.” Stephen was stunned. He did not expect Ethan to call him stupid in his face!“What do you mean by that?” He got up and stared at Ethan. “Just you wait. Under
Doubling North Hill City’s GDP would mean turning one trillion into two trillion, and it was no longer a small figure, even for a city. Riveria’s total GDP was fifteen trillion, and the federal government had tasked them to increase the amount to twenty trillion as soon as possible. If North Hill City’s GDP could double annually, in addition to the other cities’ GDP, he could likely complete the task from the federal government within a year. Once he pulled that off, he would secure a seat in the cabinet and leave his name in the hall of fame. He could even be recognized amongst the younger generation across the country and even the entire world. Stephen’s hands trembled as his fantasy ran wild. “Great! This is great!” He had not outright declared his choice, but his mind was made up that Shawn Hill must become the mayor of North Hill City! On top of that, Shawn used to be oppressed by Ethan. It was obvious now that Ethan must be jealous of Shawn’s capabilities, hence the
Simon asked weakly, “Is there really no chance?”Ethan replied calmly, “Figure it out yourselves. This has nothing to do with me.”With those words, Simon’s last hope was completely shattered. His body swayed. He wanted to say many things, but in the end, he could not utter a single word and stood up in a daze.“Sorry for disturbing you.”With that, he turned and slowly left. At that moment, he felt like he aged a lot. Regret filled his heart. If he had known, he would never have provoked Ethan in the first place. He was the one who cut off every retreat and every path to survival.He had doomed himself!As soon as he left the villa, his phone rang. It was a call from his father, Harrison.“Something's happened!” Harrison said anxiously. “Stephen just announced that he’s going to reveal the truth that he deceived everyone! What’s he trying to do? He’s not really going to expose the truth, right?”Simon was silent. He did not expect Stephen to act so quickly. Stephen had just ca
Stephen continued, “I’ve already made up my mind. I just called you to tell you about this. This is my decision. No matter what happens next, don’t try to help me.”Simon was moved. Stephen was telling them to watch as he walked to his death. Simon could not bear it, but the problem was too significant. Refusing would make no difference.In the end, he took a deep breath and said in a low voice, “I understand.”Stephen forced a smile. “Thanks.”The call ended.Simon stood still, holding his phone, lost in thought. In that final moment, Stephen did not seem like a young man, but an elder.“He really has... surpassed me.”Stephen finally had the strength to take over the Quinn family and lead it to glory, but he was going to die. Simon looked up at the sky and could not help but remember the word that Stephen said.“Fate.”What if he took Stephen’s place in death? Could that save him?However, after thinking about it, it was impossible. This whole incident involved Ethan. Ethan
“What?” Simon was shocked.Reveal the truth? How could they do that?Coveting Ethan’s achievements, they wanted to take Riveria from him and claim his victories as their own. They worked with the Lowe family to frame Ethan, erased all his contributions, and painted him as a corrupt official who embezzled money to support his mistresses.Even now, many people still believed them and cursed Ethan online every day.If the truth were exposed, the Quinns would be finished. No one in the Quinns and the Lowes would be able to escape.“Have you gone mad?”Stephen shook his head. “I’m thinking straight. I’ve never been more rational than I am right now. I’ll reveal the truth, but I won’t implicate the Quinns.”He said slowly, “I’ll take all the blame upon myself. The only one who dies will be me.”Simon paled. “No!”Sacrificing Stephen to save the Quinns—he could not accept that!Stephen was the only heir of the Quinn family, and he represented the family’s image. If the public found
A few minutes later, Stephen finally accepted reality and slowly walked out of the washroom.Still feeling lightheaded, he searched through the medicine cabinet, swallowed some fever medicine, and sat on the couch.“I don’t have much time left.”Stephen began executing his final plan. He would take the blame for everything and reveal the truth. Once he did that, Ethan’s name would be cleared, and he would reclaim everything that was rightfully his. The Quinns would also have a chance to survive.The only person who would die was himself.Stephen was afraid of death in the past, but it was different now. He had lost everything. His heart was shattered beyond repair. His heart completely died the moment Snow and Lily walked away from him.Rhys’s experience gave him the courage to face death. They had gone through similar experiences and shared the same fate of death, but Rhys had chosen to meet it head-on.Stephen took out his phone and started drafting his statement. He had to ex
George rushed out upon hearing Rachel’s scream.“There’s a stranger in the house! He’s in the bathroom now!”George grabbed a broom and walked forward nervously. Who would dare to break into the Lowes' house? However, when he saw Stephen’s current appearance, he froze.George was in his fifties and had greying hair and wrinkles while Stephen was only in his twenties. However, Stephen looked even older than him.George rubbed his eyes, thinking they were playing tricks on him. When he opened them again, Stephen still had a head full of white hair.“That’s Stephen?”Behind him, Rachel covered her mouth in shock.The first time she saw Stephen, she had been attracted by his looks. Although he was not as handsome as Ethan, his status as an heir, along with his background and aura, added to his charm.However, that once-dashing Stephen had turned into an old man with white hair and wrinkles. His powerful aura as the heir of the Quinns was completely gone. Now, he no longer looked li
Stephen’s mind went blank. Pleading Ethan to return did not work. He had missed his final opportunity. Ethan no longer cared about Riveria anymore. He was doomed, and so was Riveria. “Enough,” Ethan said. “You can leave. This should be the last time we meet.”After that, Ethan turned around and walked back into the villa. “No!”Stephen scrambled over to Ethan on his hands and knees, trying to grab hold of his thigh. Thud! Ethan’s strength surpassed that of a military expert. Before Stephen could reach him, Ethan kicked him to the ground. Stephen rolled on the floor disgracefully and was covered with dust when he stopped, looking like a beggar on the side of the road. “Please. Give me and Riveria a chance. I’ll tell everyone the truth!”Bang. Only the sound of the door closing slowly responded to him. Stephen crawled up and slumped on the ground. He failed to get Ethan to step in. Even his life was not worth anything now. All of the karma had come to him.Stephen’s b
After waking up from his dream, he must face the fact that they had already left. “I’m fine,” Stephen said weakly. “Please discharge me.”He knew he was not physically sick, but it was his mind that was troubled. Staying in the hospital further was useless. He knew he had more important things to do and that staying would only waste his time.The nurse frowned. “I’ll let them know.”Discharging Stephen from the hospital was not a decision the nurse could make on her own. The doctor arrived and gave Stephen a full-body examination.“You’re in a bad state. We recommend you stay in the hospital and have some rest.”Stephen shook his head. “No.”“But…”“No buts!” Stephen raised his voice, “I don’t have much time left!”After joining the Rhys Festival, learning about Rhys, and hearing that Snow and Lily chose to leave him, he had a dream. In his dream, Rhys said that he had a way to solve the problem and asked him to follow him.Although he could not follow Rhys, Stephen knew tha
Stephen slumped to the ground, the strength drained from his body. Even his consciousness was fading away. Due to a misunderstanding, he lost Snow. For temporary happiness, he had missed Lily. He had been living in pain and regret, always fantasizing about the day he would find the two women, apologize to them properly, and provide them with a happy life. But now, just when he had finally caught a glimpse of them, they slipped away from his fingers. And before he even managed to find them, he was informed of the news that they did not love him anymore. These revelations felt like a thousand knives stabbing directly into Stephen’s heart, so agonizing that he could hardly breathe. It was even worse than death. “How did it end up like this?” Tears streamed down his face as he muttered, “I haven’t found them. I still owe them an apology. Why…” He had lost Snow and Lily forever. They were alive and well, but they no longer had anything to do with him. From now on, they would b
Stephen spun around anxiously, glancing and trying to find the figure of the two women in the crowd. The South Regent and Victor could not help but laugh at the side. “Stop teasing him,” Victor said. Stephen looked at them. “What do you mean?”The South Regent tried to hold back his laughter. “I tricked you. You didn’t run in the wrong direction. We took the boat here.”Stephen glanced at the river and, true enough, saw a small boat. He was in such a rush that he did not notice it. “Where are they?” Stephen could no longer care whether he was tricked. Right now, nothing was more important than finding Snow and Lily. “They left. Duh.” The South Regent said, “The festival is almost over, so they left. Although you didn’t run the wrong way, you were too late.”Stephen yelled, “Impossible!”“It’s true. They left,” Victor added. “Nonsense!” Stephen stood on his tiptoes and scanned his surroundings. “Snow! Lily! Where are you?”Victor shook his head. “Did you really think