Stephen stood in a daze in the silent, empty room and sighed helplessly.In his prime, he imagined his future to be full of happiness and excitement, but now, the reality of his life felt cold and hollow.After packing, he slowly walked out the door, hoping that Rachel would come out and say, “Take care and have a safe trip.”However, even as he stepped out onto the street, that voice never came. It felt like his heart was being torn apart. His driver was already waiting, so he walked toward the car. Just then… “Take care, darling. Have a safe trip!”A voice rang out behind him.Stephen froze and turned around with excitement, only to see a woman embracing a man.“I’ll be back soon,” the man said before kissing the woman.Stephen stood there, his heart sinking. It was just an illusion, nothing more. Now, it felt like not one, but a thousand knives were stabbing at his heart, relentlessly cutting away at him.He hurried into the car and told the driver to head to the airport
It was a high school reunion.Stephen felt a little dazed. After graduating from high school, he went to a prestigious university. Once he graduated, he went abroad for further studies and had only returned a year ago.“It’s been eight years since I’ve graduated high school, right?”He had also received invitations in the previous years, but he could not attend since he was abroad. Thinking about it now, it had been eight years since he had seen his high school classmates. Even after eight years, there were still some faces that he vividly remembered.Stephen thought of all the frustrating events he had been through lately and decided to attend the reunion. Perhaps chatting with his classmates would ease some of his pressure.At that thought, he replied to the message and said that he would go. The person who texted him instantly called him.“Stephen, are you really coming?” he asked excitedly.“Yes, I’ll be there, Blake.”Even just from his voice, Stephen recognized it as hi
The issues in Hill City had not yet been resolved. A new mayor had not been appointed, the damages from the forest fires were still uncompensated, and there was still Stone Village to deal with.Andy’s recent disappearance in Hill City also caused such a stir, and it struck Stephen that he did not attend the memorial service for Julius and Tommy.“I’m still thinking about it,” he answered honestly. He had not figured out how to clean up the mess in Hill City.Simon glared at him. “You’d better hurry up. George took the blame for you this time. You need to resolve the follow-up issues in Hill City as soon as possible.”Stephen lowered his head. “I know.”“Also, while work is important, you can’t neglect family matters either. You’re not getting any younger. When are you planning to have a child?”Stephen instantly fell silent.A child with Rachel? The thought had not even crossed his mind. Besides, Rachel would not let him touch her. How would they have a child if they did no
“Ethan Rivers, we’ve received a report accusing you of multiple crimes, including embezzlement and bribery. Please come with us.”At Villa 88, Grand Tomson in Riveria, two uniformed officers stood before Ethan, their eyes fixed coldly on him.“Do you have the wrong person?” Ethan frowned.He was the future son-in-law of the governor, currently managing the entire province on the governor’s behalf. Over the past three years, he had worked tirelessly to increase the GDP of Riveria by fivefold.Thanks to him, Riveria was transformed from a poor backwater into a developed province with a GDP of 15 trillion dollars!“There’s no mistake.” A cold voice suddenly sounded from the front.Ethan was stunned to see the speaker. It was a beautiful woman, who was the governor’s daughter and his fiancee, Rachel Lowe.Rachel approached slowly, her gaze indifferent as she looked at Ethan. “I was the one who made the report. They’re here to arrest you.”When he heard her and saw the look in her e
“Besides, the Quinns from the capital will have a marriage alliance with us. Once Stephen Quinn comes to Riveria, he’ll easily raise the GDP to 20 trillion within a year!”Rachel walked over to the table and continued with a smile, “The Lowes’ affairs are none of your concern. You should worry about yourself now.”She smiled faintly. “After all, you’ll be spending the rest of your life behind bars.”One of the officers then took out a pair of silver handcuffs.Ethan knew that the Lowes must have planned it thoroughly. There was no chance they would let him walk away today, but he did not plan on walking away anyway. He was feeling a bit tired, after all. Over the past three years, he had constantly worked to attract investors, protect the environment, and maintain the delicate balance with the various forces. Now, he finally had some time to rest.Ethan looked at them calmly and said, “I’ll walk out myself.”The two officers frowned and moved forward to handcuff him. However, w
Ethan did not bother looking at them again and pulled out his phone instead. “Whether you call him or not makes no difference to me, but… whether I’m the one who calls him or you would make a significant difference for you.”The two officers gasped in shock. Just the comment he made carried more weight than the chef chewing them out for three hours straight!Seeing that Ethan was about to dial the chief’s number, they shouted in unison, “We’ll call him right away!”They then turned and bolted to find the chief, not daring to waste any time.A minute later, the police chief, Liam Yates, came rushing over. He felt a chill run down his spine when he saw Ethan sitting in the lobby.“Why is he here? He’s usually holed up in that villa. The last time he went out, he went to Crestwood alone and came out unharmed a few hours later. The entire town saw him off! Since then, Crestwood has been quiet and engaging in legitimate business!”The people in Crestwood were notorious for being tough
Due to it being located at the border, the situation there was extremely unstable, and deaths on the mountain would go unnoticed.Liam could not help but ask, “Why are you going there?”Ethan glanced at him. “I don’t need to explain my actions to you. I’m only informing you because I’m currently under suspicion.”Liam gulped. “I’ll go with you! It’s too dangerous there. You need someone to protect you.”The two officers behind had long since lost their words. Seeing the chief treating Ethan like that, they also started to wonder if they should beg for forgiveness. However, Ethan ignored them and simply headed straight for the door.Liam sighed in relief as he watched Ethan leave. As his mind cleared, a thought immediately crossed his mind.“Who reported him? Who would dare to report him? It must be someone from the governor’s side!“Is the governor getting rid of him after securing his re-election? This is bad. Ethan doesn’t need Riveria, but Riveria can’t be without Ethan! It’l
“Ethan has no talent. Riveria’s success is all thanks to my father!”The manager was stunned. Ethan had no talent? Riveria’s success was all thanks to George? He thought he had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.Everyone in Riveria knew that George had no concern for the province. It was all Ethan’s efforts. Without Ethan, Riveria would not be a province with a GDP of 15 trillion dollars. Instead, it would be a poverty-stricken place plagued by trouble!If not for the fact that Ethan was George’s future son-in-law, they would not have voted to re-elect George. Even the hotel, which was the largest in Riveria, was founded thanks to Ethan.The manager frowned and said, “That’s not right. We common folks know Ethan well. Ask anyone, and they’ll sing his praises!”George and Stephen’s expressions instantly darkened when they heard everyone would sing Ethan’s praises. That was not the news they wanted to hear, and they needed Ethan’s reputation to be thoroughly destroyed.“S