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Chapter 407
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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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 411
When Nolan learned he was being transferred to another city, his first thought was that it must be Ethan’s plan. After all, Ethan had left quite a psychological impact on him."That can't be right?" Nolan's brother, Tyler, frowned and said, "Ethan's been in prison without any news for a while now. Besides, Stephen Quinn is running Riveria now, not Ethan."Their father, Edward, furrowed his brow too. Though advanced in age, his mind was still sharp. Nolan had been deputy mayor for twenty years, but Edward had always been the strategist when problems arose."You don't understand," Edward said. "Just because he's disappeared doesn't mean he's dead. Perhaps Stephen Quinn's vulnerabilities and what happened in those other cities were all part of Ethan's plans."He knew about Ethan's arrest but could not tell if that was part of Ethan's plan or if the man had truly been captured.Edward's voice grew stern. "Don't forget what happened to your brother and his family."Tyler fell silent.
The Guardian's Return Chapter 412
That was when Tyler understood why Ethan was so bold to come in alone."L-Let's stay civilized," Tyler quickly stuttered.Just then, Edward's stern voice came from nearby. "Apologize to the official immediately!"Ethan glanced sideways to see Edward walking out with his cane.Edward took the main seat and scrutinized Ethan closely. "You look unfamiliar. You're not from Breeze City, are you? May I know your name?""Ethan Rivers."Edward smiled. "That’s a good name, and you've accomplished so much at such a young age—far more than my three sons, at least."Ethan replied flatly, "If you want to flatter me, I can give you a pen and some paper. You can write it all down there."Edward felt humiliated. He had been trying to butter Ethan up to lower the latter’s guard, but it clearly was to no avail."What's your real purpose for coming here? To arrest us? Or something else?""Riveria needs both money and manpower right now," Ethan said.Edward narrowed his eyes. "So are you here f
The Guardian's Return Chapter 413
Using the photos provided, the South Regent searched among the people they had rescued and found the two bodies among the pile of corpses."Seeing as they’re only corpses, I'll give you a fifty percent discount—50,000 dollars each."Edward and Tyler stared at the bodies, thunderstruck."You killed them!""I don't even know you people. Why would I kill them?" the South Regent said. "But I can find out how they died."With that, he started a video call to ask his men about how Max’s wife and son had died."When we found the woman and child, they were already dead. A man was kneeling beside them with a gun, acting deranged. He kept trying to shoot himself, but the gun was empty."The South Regent showed Max's photo to his subordinate. "Was this the man?""Yes, that's him."After having the gun and bullets examined, it was confirmed that Max had killed his wife and son himself."That's impossible!" Edward and Tyler could hardly believe it."You think I’m lying?" the South Regent
The Guardian's Return Chapter 414
Edward felt dizzy. His whole body trembled as he explained Ethan's plan to the South Regent."First, he got Max to take his family out. Then, he had that organization trap everyone, intending to use them to eliminate Max. After that, he contacted you to eliminate the organization before coming to us, stalling us, and extracting the benefits."Edward had some theories as to how Ethan had lured Max's family out. Ethan had either convinced Max to bring them directly or deceived Max's wife into taking their child to search for him after he left. Either way, Max's family was part of Ethan's schemes from the very start.As a result of Ethan’s machinations, Max was forced to kill his wife and son to spare them from torture at the hands of his enemies. However, he ran out of bullets before he could turn the gun on himself. Just as he waited for his enemies to kill him, the South Regent's men had arrived!In the end, Max survived. He even watched as the others trapped with him, waiting for
The Guardian's Return Chapter 415
Stephen's gaze was stern. "Why are you looking for him?"Nolan's question put Stephen on alert. Though he disliked Ethan, he had to admit Ethan was an excellent judge of character. If Ethan had previously targeted Nolan, something was probably wrong with Nolan, and he would need to reassess the man.Sensing Stephen's suspicion and worried that it might be related to Ethan, Nolan quickly spoke in Ethan's favor. "He helped me a lot in the past. I just wanted to thank him in person."Hearing that, Stephen relaxed."There’s no need to look for him," he said. "Ethan Rivers is corrupt and in prison now. He'll be in there for life."Nolan was stunned to hear Ethan was really in prison and locked up for life. Although he had heard such rumors before, hearing it directly from Stephen was a great shock."Is that really true? He didn't seem like someone who would be corrupt."Stephen glanced at him. "I have no reason to lie to you. Enough about that. I brought you here to be mayor to solve
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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
