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Chapter 414
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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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 416
Stephen started clapping. That was an idea that he had never thought of. Although his negligence caused the wildfire, having everyone cover for him to solve the problem was perfect. If he could just do it better, he could even save his own image. “Good idea!” The others got up and applauded the idea as well. “Mayor Nolan is indeed a wise person! He has a lot of good ideas in his pockets!” “We still have so much to learn from him!” “When I head home later, I’ll study his suggested ideas! It’s great!” They flattered Nolan ceaselessly. “Hmph!” Stephen scoffed. “I wanted you guys to think of a solution, but none of you could come up with anything. Now, we have to rely on Nolan.” Nolan smiled. “You’re giving me too much credit. It’s my job, really. I’m just glad I could help. It’s not as amazing as you’re making it sound.” “Alright, we’ll go with these plans for now. Meeting adjourned,” Stephen replied.He strongly believed Nolan’s idea had helped him solve his most urg
The Guardian's Return Chapter 417
Stephen subcontracted the mining rights for the Stone Village quarry, and in the end, the South Regent’s company got the rights. He was reluctant to hand over the rights to the South Regent, the price the South Regent offered was too generous to refuse—it was enough to repair the freeway. With two major issues now off his plate, Stephen felt a weight lift from his shoulders. It was time to tackle the third problem. Stephen got Nolan to craft a powerful, emotionally stirring speech and then selected a sunny day to hold a fundraising event. At the event, he stood before the crowd, delivering the speech he had prepared. Then, he let the media do their part, broadcasting his speech alongside the fundraising information.Julius’ tragedy had moved a lot of people in Hill City, as well as those following the news online. Now, when Stephen told the crowd that restoring peace and preserving the city's natural beauty had always been Julius’ dream, people were deeply touched. In less than
The Guardian's Return Chapter 418
Edward and Tyler were eager to meet Ethan again. For the past three years, they had lived under the shadow of Ethan, haunted by the fear of his return. In every encounter with Ethan, they had lost every single time, and each time, Ethan would mock them, calling them naive, shallow, ignorant, and stupid. “If thinking is the proof of being alive, I have a hard time determining whether you two are even alive. Can’t figure out why you lost? Well, in that case, I suggest you should just ram your head into the wall.” Just recalling what Ethan said to them back then sent chills down Edward’s and Tyler’s spines. Their lives were perfect before Ethan appeared, their lives had been smooth sailing, and every plan had gone exactly how they wanted. However, then Ethan appeared in their lives. “We’ve been waiting for this day for three years, and he has finally fallen! Today will be the day our family rises again!” With that, the two of them took a plane to Riveria immediately. At dawn
The Guardian's Return Chapter 419
Edward took a deep breath and said, “We’ve been caught. What else can we do? Let’s just go in.” Together, they turned around and entered the mansion. When they arrived, they were confident they could finally take revenge on Ethan. They were sure they would have a chance to humiliate him this time, but now, neither of them could manage a smile. They stiffly went up to Ethan and sat opposite him at the table, feeling uneasy as they adjusted their postures. Ethan pushed some bread over to them. “Care for a bite?” Edward did not touch the bread. “Is this going to be our last meal?” Ethan chuckled. “It’s your honor to have me serve you your last meal.” The two of them were silenced knowing it might really be their last meal on earth! Ethan saw the looks on their faces and knew exactly what they were thinking. “Don’t overthink it. I’m no longer in charge of Riveria. Now, I’m just a convict locked up in Drakthorn Ridge.” Edward’s and Tyler’s heads shot up in disbelief.
The Guardian's Return Chapter 420
“No. You guys are wasting your time trying to pull me into this. I could do what you’re asking on my own. Working with you will only result in a loss to me,” Ethan said. Edward was rendered speechless. Ethan’s words stung him. He had always considered himself a man with vision, someone strategic and wise, but there was Ethan, dismissing him so easily. Worse yet, he could not argue back because he knew Ethan was far more capable than himself. “Rather than wasting time on me, why don’t you figure out a way to deal with the South Regent? He has strengthened his foundation in two cities already.” Edward heaved a long sigh. “Sigh. You’re stirring the pot again.” He believed Ethan was subtly hinting at him to deal with the South Regent. However, if they did, both sides would only end up in a bitter struggle with no winners. Edward sighed because he knew he could not do anything to change the situation. They and the South Regent were destined to be enemies, unlikely to be allies,
The Guardian's Return Chapter 421
Tyler said, “With our family’s wealth, we must start from Hill City to make a comeback.” Edward answered, “I know. I’ve been thinking about how we can get more benefits from Hill City.” He then texted Nolan, asking for a list of recent happenings in the city. When they returned to Breeze City, they got an update from Nolan, and Edward went through everything Stephen had done recently. “Subsidies were distributed in layers. By the time they reached the villagers, there wasn’t much left. We might be able to use this to our advantage. “He also subcontracted the mining rights of the quarry to the South Regent. We can’t let him get away with this too easily.” “Then, there’s the fundraiser. There’s a lot of room for us to work with.” In just a few minutes, Edward came up with a plan. “We’ll start with the South Regent first.”He planned to sabotage the quarry as it would not only hurt the South Regent’s profits but also create enough distraction for Edward to move in and imp
The Guardian's Return Chapter 422
With a life lost, the situation had become far more complicated and serious. To make matters worse, most of the workers at the quarry were unhappy with their wages. Nolan seized the chance to tell Stephen that he should take back the mining rights if the South Regent’s company could not settle the problem and compensate the injured and deceased workers.Stephen agreed and immediately went to the quarry manager to deliver the message.The manager was displeased by the decision. The miners who survived wanted around 300 thousand dollars in compensation, and the family of the deceased demanded at least 800 thousand dollars. It was not that the company could not offer it, but it was not worth it. “I’ll have to check with my boss.” The manager then contacted the South Regent to get further instructions.The South Regent was made aware of the incident, and after a quick consideration, he said, “Pay them. Let’s keep things quiet for now. After that, launch an investigation to find ou
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 690
Before Stephen’s death, he could never truly leave Riveria. Under his management, countless problems had arisen in Riveria—one of the biggest being that they still had not figured out it was the Hugheses working against them behind the scenes.Simon was new to Riveria, and no doubt, he was going to get played hard, but Stephen now knew Riveria relatively well. When Simon hit failure after failure, it would only be a matter of time before Stephen was called back to fix the mess. “You caused this chaos in Riveria. Before peace has returned to Riveria, you won’t truly be able to leave it behind.”Stephen fell silent. He had also thought about that before. Since he caused the start of everything, he should be the one to end it. However, it was too hard!Not only did he have to watch out for others framing him, but he also had to deal with poor advice from his own people, and after something went wrong, he had to take the fall himself. “I’ve realized my mistakes.” Stephen hung his he
The Guardian's Return Chapter 689
However, at that point, there was nothing Stephen could do, even though he was the heir of the Quinn family. He had to return to the Metropolis to lay low. “Get ready. You’ll leave tomorrow.” Simon wanted to send him away as soon as possible not because he was truly concerned about Stephen, but because Stephen had just taken the blame for him. With Stephen under attack from various parties and having to face punishment from the federal government, Simon worried that he might crack under pressure and reveal the truth. That was why he wanted to send Stephen home immediately and have him under strict supervision to prevent him from speaking out. “I know.”The moment Stephen stood up, a phrase randomly flashed through his mind. ‘All is predestined; man has no control.’No matter his status or wealth, he was still powerless against some things. Due to that, the greater the fall, the harder it was for him to accept it.Quietly, Stephen returned to his room to pack up. Meanwhile,
The Guardian's Return Chapter 688
His laughter was filled with helplessness and despair. He sounded like he was on the brink of an emotional breakdown. He had been trying so hard to make up for the mistakes of his past, doing his best to improve everyone’s lives, but now, it was all ruined because of Simon's stubbornness. Yet, Simon wanted him to shoulder the blame. “You should understand that there’s nothing you can do. You can’t change your fate, nor the fate of others around you. You thought you had everything, that you were invincible, but in fact, you have nothing, and you’re powerless to do anything.”Stephen heard a familiar voice. He looked behind Simon and saw Ethan sitting on a nearby sofa, drinking tea. “What’s wrong?” Simon frowned. Stephen’s laughter made him feel a little uneasy. Hearing Simon’s voice, Stephen snapped back to reality and looked at the sofa again, but there was no one. Ethan, and his voice, had been a hallucination. Stephen slightly lowered his head and clenched his fists tigh
The Guardian's Return Chapter 687
Most people were just happy to get a bit of compensation, grateful even, but while Stephen was living a life beyond their dreams, he still had the nerve to take their money. After taking it, he had the audacity to insist it was not theft, claiming the money was his.He never considered that he was the one who ruined everyone’s lives and that he owed them the money. When the outrage became overwhelming, he came up with a new excuse, which was even more absurd than the last. This time, he claimed it was all a setup, that someone was framing him. Many people were so mad that they laughed instead. How could anyone say something like that with a straight face?It was so obvious he was lying, with no remorse or sincerity. He did not even bother finding a scapegoat to take the blame.Outside, the crowd was in an uproar. The security guards were all tackled to the ground, and even the cars were flipped over. The people smashed the doors crazily, and some had run off to break the windows
The Guardian's Return Chapter 686
Even at that point, Stephen refused to take responsibility for his actions. Instead, he tried to shift the blame to others, yet he could not even name a scapegoat. It was pathetic. The people’s anger had reached the boiling point. “Does he take us all for fools?”“No wonder he has the guts to take our money. We’re nothing to him!”“How does someone like him worthy of managing Riveria?”“Stephen, go to hell! Bring back the previous leader of Riveria!”Everyone crowded at the door was cursing angrily, and even the security could not hold them back. The online backlash against Stephen was also growing more vicious by the minute. Seeing the crowd’s reaction left Simon and Stephen confused, especially Stephen. He thought he had told the truth, so why was everyone still so furious? Was he brushing them off? No, he did not. He had told them everything he knew, but why did no one believe him? Looking at the people outside, angry and about to break in, Stephen felt a little lost a
The Guardian's Return Chapter 685
Stephen glanced at the crowd outside, feeling nervous. He could sense their hostility. If he could not provide a satisfactory explanation, he would have to watch his back whenever he was in public."Do you have any solutions?" Simon asked.Stephen thought for a moment. "At this point, we can only tell the truth. This has nothing to do with me. Let's say someone else did this to frame us."Simon considered it. Although that was not what he initially wanted, the situation was urgent. They had no choice but to go with Stephen's plan.He nodded. "Do it your way."Stephen breathed a sigh of relief.During the earlier broadcast, he felt uneasy, knowing things would go wrong. At least now he had control of the situation.Besides, it was not too late. If he explained everything honestly to the public, they would surely understand. They might even find out who tried to frame him!Stephen immediately called the reporters for a second apology.Soon, the livestream began. The number of au
The Guardian's Return Chapter 684
Simon thought the issue would blow over quickly after the explanation.However, after the broadcast, the viewers’ anger grew. People from other cities who did not know much about Stephen's actions were now outraged too. What kind of explanation was that?"What do you mean it's not considered stealing because it was your money? Why did the people need to be compensated in the first place? Wasn't it because of you?""Let me ask you this. You caused everyone such huge losses, so isn't compensation the bare minimum? What right do you have to take it back?""I’ve never seen someone so shameless. It’s unbelievable."“He’s lost all sense!"If people from other cities were outraged, the locals of Breeze City were even more so.No one could believe that was Stephen's entire broadcast. Nothing they wanted to hear was included. There was no return of compensation, and the apology was not sincere.It was not a real apology; it was just going through the motions. His tone was beyond dismissi
The Guardian's Return Chapter 683
As a result of the interloper’s actions, people were now blaming him for stealing the money!Stephen took a deep breath. "I understand. Let me get ready."He had just woken up and had no idea what was happening, but based on past experience and the fact that the federal government was involved, he could tell the severity of the situation.Stephen checked his phone and saw the whole internet cursing him, with some people even taking their own lives. Seeing the suicide reports, his expression turned grim. Although he had known from the start that taking back the compensation money was wrong, the situation was even worse than he had imagined.Immediately, Stephen prepared an apology and called the reporters in for a live broadcast.After so many failures, he knew better. He knew some decisions were wrong, like the current situation with the compensation money. However, the order had come from Simon—his father, and Stephen could not oppose him.Now that things had gone wrong, he had
The Guardian's Return Chapter 682
"I’m aware of it, but using the word 'steal' is a bit extreme, isn’t it?" Simon said. After all, it was their money, to begin with. All they were doing was taking it back. How was that considered stealing?"What?" The government staff was shocked. "Extreme? This situation is way more serious than you think! People are constantly reporting Stephen. Some even suspect he's a foreign agent deliberately causing destruction. Get to the bottom of this immediately!"The call ended abruptly, leaving Simon wide-eyed."Is the situation that serious? Are they really questioning whether Stephen is on our side?"Simon immediately opened up the browser on his phone. Before he could even do a search, the numerous ads that appeared gave him his answer."Absolutely inhumane! Stephen Quinn steals the people's money!""Stephen Quinn has committed murder! So far, three families have committed suicide from the stress, and nine people are in critical condition!""No crime goes unpunished! Stephen Qu
