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Chapter 402
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 403
The body was soon brought back.Stephen and his classmates could only watch as Penny collapsed over the body, crying uncontrollably.Several classmates wiped their tears, and Stephen’s eyes turned red as well.Not long before this, he was still thinking about how he could start to make amends and make Penny’s life a little better. However, the child was dead. There was nothing he could do now.Penny was devastated and cried until she passed out.Stephen instructed people to handle Penny’s affairs, then said goodbye to his classmates and returned to the Quinns’ estate.When he got home, the butler was still awake, seemingly waiting for him. “You’re back. Do you want to rest now, or would you like to have supper?”Stephen was not in the mood and said, “I’m going to sleep. You should rest early too.”Back in his room, Stephen lay on his bed but could not sleep at all.A lot had happened today. He thought that he had been having some trouble recently, but everyone else was also st
The Guardian's Return Chapter 404
Stephen was startled and quickly looked outside, but everything looked normal. Nevertheless, he still felt uneasy. He raised his head and was just about to call the flight attendant when he noticed that the plane was unusually quiet.Even when the plane shook, there were no panicked voices around. What was going on?Stephen turned to look at the seat next to him, wanting to see why everyone was so calm.However, what he saw caused his eyes to widen in fright.Ethan!The person sitting next to him was none other than Ethan!Ethan held several photos of the still body of Penny’s child and Penny collapsed over the child, crying uncontrollably.“Do you have a grudge against her?” Ethan’s voice sounded.Stephen paled. “N-No.”Ethan asked, “If there’s no grudge, why push her to the brink?”“I didn’t mean to!” Stephen’s body trembled as he said in agitation, “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want this to happen!”“Sir?” A melodious female voice rang out. “Sir, wake up!”Stephen opened h
The Guardian's Return Chapter 405
Stephen wanted to vomit blood out of frustration.“Cat got your tongue?” Rachel said coldly. “It seems you’re not really sincere about apologizing. It’s just lip service.”Stephen did not know what to say anymore. He wanted her to clarify what he did wrong so that he could change, but she refused to tell him. How was he supposed to correct himself if he did not know his mistake?Stephen took a deep breath and said, “We both need to calm down. Let’s have breakfast first.”Rachael shot him a dirty look, stood up, and left. She had no intention of having breakfast with him.Stephen felt frustrated.The marriage he fantasized about was not like this. He did not expect to be holding each other all the time, but it was supposed to be harmonious and happy, at least. However, the reality was that the one he loved was not by his side, and the person he ended up with was disgusted with him.If only Snow was the one he married. Unfortunately, because of his cowardice and foolishness, Snow
The Guardian's Return Chapter 406
Moreover, there was the South Regent's newly opened mining company in Hill City. Stephen had to find a way to manage the aftermath of these events and keep the South Regent's company in check. He thought about it for a long time, but even when George walked out of the house, he still could not come up with a solid idea. George saw him sitting in the garden and asked, "What are you doing here?" "Enjoying the sun." Stephen made up an excuse."It's good to relax a little sometimes. Don't pressure yourself too much," George replied. At this moment, a car stopped at the entrance. When the car door opened, Liam walked out. He took a glance at Stephen before landing his gaze on George. George noticed Liam and said, "I need to go. The next time I return will probably be in a few years."George smiled bitterly as he spoke. He had never imagined he would one day end up in prison.Stephen felt a sense of heaviness in his heart. "Let me send you off." "Sounds good," George responded.
The Guardian's Return Chapter 407
George's prison cell was tiny with only a bed and a toilet, and the door was made out of iron bars, offering zero privacy. His face turned pale the moment he saw the cell. "Will I be living here from now on?" Liam retorted, "What did you expect?" "It can't be, right? No matter what, I was…" George said. "Forget about your past. Why not ask the people of Riveria if they'd let you serve your sentence in a mansion?"George lowered his head. How could the people let him live comfortably? If it were not for him, Julius would not have died, and Nico's plan would not have succeeded. People probably wished they could just kill him. "Take this set of clothing. If you behave yourself here, perhaps you'll be granted an early parole," Liam said, handing him the prison uniform.Bang. The iron door closed. George sat on his bed, filled with regret. Given his former status, he had thought he could have gotten a slightly better cell, but it seemed like this could not even be compared to th
The Guardian's Return Chapter 408
"Lord Rivers, sorry to bother you." The South Regent walked in with a smile, carrying the goods, then instructed the ladies around him, "Don't just stand there. Get to work!" Two ladies beelined toward the kitchen to start cooking, and the others approached Ethan, ready to massage his shoulders and thighs to help him relax. The South Regent sat on the couch across from Ethan and placed the two bottles of fine wine he had brought on the table. "You don't mind having dinner together, right?" he asked with a smile. Ethan said indifferently, "Will you leave if I say I mind?"The South Regent replied awkwardly, "Lord Rivers, you must be kidding." "Just speak what's on your mind." Ethan glanced at him, knowing he must be here for a reason. He would not have brought several women along if he merely wanted to share a meal together."Nothing gets past you, does it?" the South Regent said with a sigh. "There are indeed a few matters I'd like to discuss. "Since I've already establishe
The Guardian's Return Chapter 409
The South Regent said with a smile, "Perfect timing. Lord Rivers, why don't you try these two lovely ladies’ cooking? They're the best cooks we have." Ethan glanced at the two ladies. Although they were quite beautiful, he was unaffected. After tasting the dishes, he found that they tasted decent. "How is it?" the South Regent asked with anticipation. Ethan replied, "Their outfits and cooking skills have room for improvement, but it's not bad overall." The South Regent turned to the two and said, "Hurry up and thank Lord Rivers for his comments." "Thank you," said the two ladies at the same time. The South Regent was in a good mood, so he opened a bottle of wine. He poured Ethan a glass and then poured one for himself as well. Although his main goal was not achieved, it was still not considered a failure. Meanwhile, Stephen had returned to Hill City. He had had enough of enduring Rachel's coldness at home. Moreover, although they had been married for several days, she wou
The Guardian's Return Chapter 410
Everyone quickly got up and left. Stephen started to feel hungry, having hardly eaten anything all day, and he had not had enough rest either. After making a call to request the profiles of the deputy mayor and mayor of other cities, he left to fill his stomach. By the time he was back at his place, the information was delivered. Stephen quickly read through the profiles, and after reviewing each one, he found that only Breeze City's deputy mayor, Nolan Spencer, was a suitable candidate. He had served as deputy mayor there for twenty years, and Breeze City boasted a GDP of three trillion!“His management experience must be extensive. Hill City really needs someone with that kind of experience now.”However, Stephen did not immediately choose Nolan as the mayor. He still needed to assess the situation further. With only himself to rely on, he could not afford to make any more mistakes!Stephen instinctively took out his phone, wanting to call George to invite him to check out Breez
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 820
They discussed the plan together until the evening. When it was time for dinner, Daniel and Caleb also arrived.“Perfect timing!” The South Regent immediately greeted them.Daniel was surprised. “What a coincidence. You're all here too?”“Yep,” the South Regent said. “We came to wish Lord Rivers a Happy New Year and discuss how to deal with Stephen. You should be here for the same thing, aren’t you?”Daniel and Caleb's families had been doing well before, but Stephen's arrival caused them to lose everything. They ended up being despised by everyone and finally had no choice but to leave Breeze City.They both nodded at the South Regent's words. They already had a grudge against Stephen. Just the fact that he imprisoned Ethan was enough for them to hate him, not to mention how he had thrown Breeze City into chaos.He even allowed the people to consume contaminated food, causing widespread illness with some even suffering permanent complications.In their eyes, Stephen was simply
The Guardian's Return Chapter 819
Boom! The men felt like they were struck by lightning. The fog in their brains instantly disappeared.“We can definitely do that!” Jason exclaimed. “Why didn't I think of that?”The South Regent muttered, “Instead of us providing proof, we force him to provide the evidence. However, he has no substantial evidence, so he has to keep making things up until all his lies are exposed. We go from being passive to being active because he has no idea what we're going to question!”They might not be familiar with Stephen and what he had done before, but they knew that he had been tortured by Ethan for many years.They could ask Stephen anything about the battles they fought and everything that Ethan had done for Riveria. There were plenty of things that Stephen and Simon had no idea about.If they tried to prove Stephen was not the one managing Riveria, Simon could just label their evidence as rumors.Instead, if they could make Simon and Stephen come up with lies full of weaknesses, Simo
The Guardian's Return Chapter 818
Jason frowned. Now, just hearing Stephen's name made him angry. Not only did Stephen fail his sister, but he was even starting to slander Ethan.Sensing the atmosphere, Hugo quickly said, “That was in the past. I'm not his psychologist anymore. I came here today to thank Mr. Rivers.”He looked at Ethan and fell to his knees on the ground.“Mr. Rivers.” Hugo lowered his head, saying sincerely, “Please forgive my past recklessness and ignorance. I really didn't know Stephen was hiding so much. I was wrong for helping him...”Now, he deeply regretted three things. The first was disrespecting Ethan in the past. The second was failing to protect Natalie, and the third was saving Stephen.“Hmph.” Jason snorted coldly. He could also tell that Hugo was a victim of Stephen’s. Everyone around Stephen would end up suffering.Ethan looked at him. “It's not too late to make amends. What do you plan to do next?”Hugo paused for a moment, thought about it, and said, “I'll go to the media and e
The Guardian's Return Chapter 817
Hugo waited until Natalie fell asleep before leaving the hospital ward with the South Regent. He said in a low voice, “Please take me to see Mr. Rivers.”From that moment onward, he also addressed Ethan as Mr. Rivers.Ethan did not only save his life but also Natalie’s. He would repay that debt with his life.“Are you sure?” the South Regent asked. “If you take Natalie and her grandfather back to Metropolis now, you can stay out of all of this.”Natalie’s grandfather’s health had also stabilized after treatment.If Hugo wished, he could take them back to Metropolis, where the medical treatments were better. Furthermore, Hugo had worked as a psychologist for many years and even treated Stephen, so he had saved up over a million dollars.If he managed his finances well, he would not become rich, but it was enough for Natalie to grow up safe and healthy and ensure that her grandfather retired peacefully.Hugo did not hesitate. “I’ve made up my mind.”He played a part in how things
The Guardian's Return Chapter 816
“Stephen has always lived in Riveria. He is the Grand Marshal’s sole mentee and the one who brought three years of peace to Riveria. Ethan is a corrupt criminal.”Scrolling further down, there was also an apology video from Stephen. He claimed that the statement was true and expressed regret that he caused an outcry and wasted public resources.Hugo fell completely silent after watching it.How could this be? Others might not know whether Stephen truly was the Grand Marshal’s mentee or not, but he did.Victor had told him about Ethan’s achievements. Even assassins feared Ethan. Stephen had also admitted in front of him who Ethan really was.Only Ethan could save Riveria.In the past, Hugo thought that Stephen was just being misled and used, which was why he wanted to help him.However, now, Stephen insisted that he was the Grand Marshal’s mentee and that he was the one who had managed Riveria in the past.As a psychologist, Hugo could tell from Stephen’s expressions in the vide
The Guardian's Return Chapter 815
The doctors told Hugo what happened.“Back then, you had already lost too much blood. You’re lucky that there was a young man with the same blood type as you when you were brought in, so he gave you a transfusion. Then, our family head sent us to take care of you. If not for our excellent medical skills, you probably wouldn’t have woken up.”Hugo was confused. “Family head? Did Simon send you?”The two doctors suddenly froze, their expressions turning dark.“Watch what you say. Simon didn’t send us. Ugh!”They were so angry that they stopped the examination.Hugo was stunned at the sudden change in their attitude. They were not sent by Simon? Furthermore, why did they react so strongly to the mention of Simon’s name? If not Simon, who else could be the ‘family head’?“Who sent you?” Hugo asked in confusion.“We’re from the Ledger family,” the doctor said coldly. “Who’s Simon? We don’t know him. Don’t lump us in with that filth.”“Huh?” Hugo was still bewildered. “The Ledger fa
The Guardian's Return Chapter 814
Tyler frowned. “What happened?”“It’s about Riveria.” Nolan handed his phone to Tyler. “Simon and Stephen have completely lost all shame. I can’t believe they said something like this.”After reading the news, Tyler’s expression darkened. “Although I know they’re shameless, I still underestimated them.”In the past, they had slandered Ethan and stole his achievements. Now, after being exposed, they fabricated evidence and worked with headquarters to deceive the public.“Tyler, what should we do?” Nolan asked. “I can’t stand by while they slander Mr. Rivers like this.”Tyler said, “Let me think.”To them, Ethan was their savior. Without Ethan, the Spencers would never have made it out of Riveria alive. It was thanks to Ethan stepping in that they had a chance to start over.However, Simon was shamelessly going further to distort the truth and rewrite history. They could not watch this happen. The truth had to be exposed!A moment later, Tyler said in a low voice, “Let’s go to Ri
The Guardian's Return Chapter 813
The netizens had mostly been deceived by the internet trolls.When they saw Simon and headquarters both speaking out, they fully believed that Stephen was innocent and that everything was part of Leo and Ethan’s schemes. Even the few who had firmly believed in Ethan began to doubt themselves.Online, the uproar gradually died down. At that moment, Simon took the next step! He had someone publish the recording of the gala and instructed the trolls to guide the audience in revisiting the highlights.With that, both he and Stephen were completely safe.When people reviewed the gala recording, it also boosted Riveria’s popularity. It was killing multiple birds with one stone!Simon did not rest. Instead, he took the official statement and the trending discussions online and headed to the jail to meet Leo.“Has he confessed yet?” Simon asked the staff.After Leo was imprisoned, he had been questioned who the mastermind behind this was.“No. He keeps saying there’s no mastermind.”S
The Guardian's Return Chapter 812
“Yeah. I’m from Breeze City. If Stephen is driven away by all your insults, what are we supposed to do?”“All this is part of Ethan’s scheme. He’s deliberately trying to frame Stephen!”This was the next phase of their attack. They accused everyone of being too extreme and then created a victim narrative to gain sympathy. Finally, they flipped the story. Stephen was the pure-hearted and selfless one while Ethan was the true villain!While the internet was being flooded with manipulated narratives, Simon was not idle either. He felt that fabricating transaction records and hiring internet trolls alone was not enough. Ne needed more fabricated evidence.Thus, he had several people in Riveria publicly claim that Stephen had been the one managing Riveria all along.Ethan Rivers? Never heard of him!After a day of work, Simon was drenched in sweat. He felt his heart pound as if it might leap out of his throat.After all, he had not rested properly for days because of the gala. Furthe
