The fire in the underground parking attracted all the security, and many staff ran to watch the scene. At that moment, a few low-profiled hitmen dressed in ordinary clothes walked into the company. Ten minutes later, a blood-curdling scream rang out before the company’s CEO fell from the sky and smashed into the ground, dead on impact. The incident alarmed Nolan. He immediately ordered his men to investigate it, and the results came back quickly. It was those few hitmen who had failed to kill him!They purposely set a fire in the underground parking, using the opportunity where everyone’s attention was diverted to go upstairs and throw the CEO off the rooftop. When Stephen heard about that, his face darkened. How dare those people bear guns and murder in broad daylight and in such a brutal manner!“We must catch them!”Hill City was locked down. Every car leaving the city was thoroughly inspected to ensure the hitmen would not escape. Then, the authorities issued a high bounty
They shut down the South Regent’s business, and now the South Regent was willing to sacrifice a subordinate to drag the Spencers’ business down with them. The hitman was taken away, and he provided more incriminating information about the Spencers’ business. He even mentioned that Ethan had punished the Spencers in the past. Nolan realized things were getting out of hand, so he quickly called his father, Edward. Edward merely said, “Kill him.”What happened three years ago was a dark part of their history that must never be exposed, and Stephen could never know about it. As such, Nolan managed to get his hands on some poison and used it to kill the hitman. Stephen had wanted to interrogate the hitman further, but he soon heard about the hitman’s death. “How did he die? Poison? How could he be poisoned here?”The hitman revealed a lot of startling information, but Stephen had not verified it yet. Now, the sudden poisoning left him confused and in doubt. Was the information
Evidence? The hitman truly had none now. Everyone involved was clean and efficient in their moves, leaving no traces behind.“But me being here can be considered evidence,” The hitman said, “This time, I’m turning myself in.”Stephen was taken aback. The hitman, who had fooled him several times, was turning himself in now to expose the Spencers? Could everything he said be true?Stephen then took out his phone and dialed the police to arrest the hitman. However, the hitman had no plans to escape. His last order was to surrender and take the Spencers down with him. He remained seated on the couch. “Mr. Quinn, don’t be fooled again.”His words made Stephen pause. For a split second, Julius’ face flashed across his mind. “Actually, I do sympathize and pity you.” The hitman said, “I’ve had many chances to kill you, but we never did. You should know we’re not your true enemy.”“Nonsense!” Stephen snapped, not believing a word. “We’re enemies by circumstance, nothing more!”“It’s u
Stephen clenched his fists. “I haven’t said anything yet, so how do you know?”“Go ahead and ask.”“Three years ago, did the Spencers try to control Breeze City and even conspire with foreign forces?”At that question, cold sweat trickled down Nolan’s forehead. Could Stephen have found out about what the Spencers did three years ago?‘No!’ Nolan’s mind raced. ‘He doesn’t know the full story yet. He’s unsure, so he’s asking Ethan.’He looked at Ethan nervously. Now, the Spencers’ future was in Ethan’s hands again!Ethan glanced at them, his expression calm. “I don’t know.”Stephen gritted his teeth. He could tell from Ethan’s reaction that the man definitely knew something. “You know!”Ethan smiled. “Well, I’m not going to say.”Stephen could barely suppress the urge to hit Ethan, but he restrained himself. “Ethan, you’re aiding and abetting a criminal if you withhold information. But if you speak up, you might gain merit for it.”Ethan looked down at him. “I’m already here.
Even if Stephen tried his best to persuade him today, Ethan would never help him. Besides, Stephen did not have a silver tongue. Stephen raised his head and looked at Ethan. “You sure are heartless.”“There was never any bond between us, so don’t talk about being heartless. Don’t think too highly of yourself.”Stephen was fuming. He had given Ethan an opportunity to back down, but Ethan refused to help, showing him no respect at all.Nolan watched the exchange from the side. The hatred he once held for Ethan had now turned into gratitude. If Stephen was not there and Ethan was not on the second floor, he might have rushed up to hug Ethan then and there.An enemy? No, Ethan was their savior! Three years ago, the Spencers had fallen because of Ethan. Yet now, thanks to him, they had the chance to rise again and surpass their former glory!At the same time, Nolan felt a little sorry for Stephen. Although he did not know what Stephen had done to offend Ethan, choosing to provoke E
After descending the mountain, Stephen wanted to go home for a visit. However, at the thought of Rachel’s attitude toward him, he sighed, deciding otherwise. The problem in Hill City was still unresolved, and Rachel was still cold toward him. What was the point of going home?“Let’s return to Hill City.” With that, he left with Nolan. In the plane, Stephen looked at Nolan, who was resting with his eyes closed. There was a nagging feeling of distrust in his mind. Although Ethan did not answer his question, the hitman’s words when he turned himself echoed in his mind. Before he could uncover the truth, Stephen could not fully trust Nolan, and that doubt was precisely what the South Regent wanted. With doubt came opportunities, just as how Julius’ death was caused by Stephen and George’s suspicions of Julius. Night had fallen by the time Stephen returned to his residence in Hill City. After a full day of travel, he felt tired but found himself wide awake as he lay in bed. Clo
He lay back on the bed but still could not fall asleep. Stephen’s eyes were wide open as memories of his classmates flooded his mind. After all these years, it seemed like none of them were doing particularly well. “Sigh.” Stephen sighed, got out of bed, and took a melatonin pill. He returned to bed and thought of something while waiting for the pill to take effect. “I don’t have enough people around me.”Julius was dead, George was jailed, Rachel hated him, and he still did not know whether Nolan was his ally or enemy. “I need a helper.” Stephen understood. “I need to have someone I can trust!”If he had someone loyal who truly had his back, many problems would not feel so overwhelming. His burden would be lighter too!“Who would be suitable for this role?” Stephen’s first thought was to reach out to his friends back in the capital. However, due to Riveria’s recent situation and the incident with Andy, there was no way those prestigious families would spare anyone to help h
In the evening, Stephen met Jeremy. Jeremy was thinner than he had been during their school days. His clothes were worn, and the most striking thing was how exhausted he appeared. Despite only being in his twenties, his hair had turned grey. Anyone who did not know better might have mistaken him for a man in his fifties.“Stephen, I’m here.” Jeremy walked to him and immediately knelt in front of Stephen. “Thank you for your help.”Stephen motioned for him to stand up. “Stephen, whatever you need, just say the word. I’ll do it, even if it costs me my life.” Jeremy looked deadly serious, his resolve unwavering. Stephen was pleased with his reaction. It was exactly what he had hoped for. “I need you to secretly investigate two companies for me.”They were the South Regent and the Spencers’ companies. Jeremy understood immediately. Stephen tried giving him more money, just in case anything went wrong later. However, Jeremy rejected it, stating there were still leftovers from t
After everything was settled, the people from HQ went to Ethan again. They apologized to him and begged for his forgiveness.“We’ve dealt with everyone involved in this matter. Are you satisfied with the outcome, Mr. Rivers?”With that, they lowered their heads to the ground nervously. Their only hope now hinged on Ethan’s response.They did not dare to ask for much. All they hoped for was that Ethan would not leave the country.Ethan glanced at them calmly and said, “Send someone to help move my stuff down the mountain.”Hearing that, everyone was first stunned, and then ecstatic.“Of course!” they replied in unison.They understood what Ethan meant. He was staying! Although it was not his complete forgiveness, he was willing to give them another chance.They were all overjoyed. As long as Ethan did not leave, there was plenty of time to slowly make amends.They took out their phones and made arrangements to help Ethan move.After the call ended, they said, “We respectfully
The day of Rachel and George’s trial came.The livestream began at 10 a.m., and hundreds of thousands of viewers joined instantly.Rachel and George slowly walked into the courtroom in handcuffs.Bang! The judge’s gavel fell, and the room went silent.It was not a lawsuit. It was a trial to expose the sins of Rachel and George.The judge read out their crimes one by one, until Rachel and George’s faces paled to the point that they looked like corpses.The viewers in the livestream finally saw the full picture.“So that’s it! The Quinns and the Lowes conspired!”“They deserve to die! How could they frame Ethan like that? Are they even human?”“The death penalty! They deserve the death penalty!”They were all furious.Many people had lost their families as a result of supporting Stephen and scolding Ethan. After watching the livestream, they realized just how deeply they had been wrong.They were accomplices to the Quinns and the Lowes' crimes in framing Ethan!Their current
They suppressed their disgust and returned home, only to see their parents and wives’ panicked expressions.“What did you do out there?”“So many people came today, asking for you by name.”How were they supposed to answer those questions? They could not just say that they had insulted Ethan online.If they did, their parents would beat them to death before anyone else could.“It’s nothing,” they replied stiffly. They had no choice but to hide the truth. After all, they could not say that they had insulted Ethan, or that they had lost their jobs.However, the next second, their parents received text messages. After their parents glanced at their phones, their expressions instantly changed.It was a message from the bank, stating that their child had been listed as a defaulter and urging them to repay the loan immediately.“What have you done?” Their parents’ voices trembled.Seeing that there was no way to hide it anymore, they had no choice but to confess the truth.They los
Seeing that message, they immediately felt as if their world had ended.Because they had insulted Ethan, they lost their jobs, were blacklisted, and could not find work again.“How could this be?”No one expected this outcome. They thought, ‘So what if I insulted him? Are they going to punish me for it? Besides, so many people are insulting him. They can’t possibly punish every single person who did it. At most, I’ll post a public apology and promise that I’ll never do it again.’However, now they were all fired. Everyone who had insulted Ethan had been dismissed from their jobs.It seemed like there were several tens of thousands of people involved! It was hard to imagine just how many people had lost their jobs in real life.“Why are they going this far? Aren’t they afraid of causing unrest?”Of course, HQ had considered that. However, they knew what was more serious.If Ethan went abroad and cooperated with foreign countries, the consequences would not be limited to a few pe
George thought that Rachel had already escaped abroad, so he was not afraid when he arrived.Now, when he saw Rachel there as well, he completely panicked.This was not what he had expected!“Where else would she be?” someone from HQ asked.George looked nervous and stammered, unable to say a word.With Rachel caught and him being brought here, it was clear that HQ already knew the truth. Coupled with his fear of Ethan and his helplessness in the face of reality, he no longer had the strength to make up any excuses.He had resigned himself to fate.“You really have some nerve." The people from HQ sneered. “You fooled us all completely.”“You’ve been hiding Ethan’s contributions all this time, haven’t you?”“You two are nothing but disasters to this country! You deserve to die a thousand times over.”George kept his head down while Rachel sobbed. “I was wrongfully accused!”“Shut up! Are you still trying to fool us at a time like this? You were wrongfully accused? By who? Sim
They brought this on themselves, forcing themselves into a corner with no way out. “Ah!”Simon could not take it anymore. He suddenly ran towards the window, trying to end his life. Fortunately, the officials quickly stopped him. “Don’t be reckless! Think about Stephen. You’re all he has now!”That sentence made Simon stop. Now, Stephen and Simon were each other’s support and burden. Simon slumped on the ground weakly. Right now, they both wanted to die, but neither of them had the courage to follow through. All they could do was live on in pain. After a long silence, Simon said, “I’d like to file a report on someone.”To obtain some kind of reward and survive a little longer, Simon decided to turn in George and Rachel. When the officials heard him, they were stunned. They did not expect Rachel to be involved in framing Ethan. “Shit!” Someone exclaimed. “I heard Rachel bought a flight ticket overseas. Could she have fled?”The room was filled with dread. If Rachel ra
Seeing that Stephen was awake, the others rushed to get the doctor. The doctor was astonished as well. Stephen’s sudden awakening was nothing short of a miracle. However, after examining him, the doctor’s expression darkened. Stephen had regained consciousness, but the prognosis was far from hopeful.“He can’t move,” the doctor said. “As of now, he’s paralyzed.”Stephen could open his eyes, but the rest of his body was unresponsive. He could not move his limbs or his neck and mouth. The only part he could move freely was his eye. Even his breathing was dependent entirely on medical equipment. “He might never be able to leave the bed again.”Upon hearing that, Stephen closed his eyes in despair, tears continuously rolling down his cheeks. He had fought so hard to wake up, only to realize he had missed his final chance to meet Snow and Lily. Worse yet, he also lost the ability to move. From now on, he would be confined to the bed and hooked up to machines just to stay alive.
His father died a miserable death, his son was in a coma, and the Quinn family was shattered, leaving only Simon behind to finally realize all his mistakes. However, it was too late. Harrison could not come back to life, the Quinn family could not be whole again, and Stephen could not recover. Simon would forever be haunted by pain, despair, and regret for the rest of his life. At that moment, in complete darkness, Stephen heard Simon’s voice. He was conscious but failed to open his eyes or speak; he could not move a muscle. He wanted so badly to sit up and tell Simon that it was not solely his fault. They were all wrong, and this was their retribution!Just then, two women walked into the ward. When the officials saw them, their eyes widened in shock. For a second, no one even breathed. They were Snow and Lily!The officials thought they were seeing ghosts. Those women were supposed to be dead. Why were they there? Snow and Lily noticed their shocked gazes and offered them
Due to Harrison’s previous incident, the officials reacted quickly by sending Stephen straight to the hospital.After an emergency rescue, Stephen’s life was saved. However, he paid a heavy price. When the doctor walked out of the emergency room, the officials asked, “How is he?”“The situation isn’t looking good,” the doctor said grimly. “His body is in a bad state, and due to long-term emotional distress, he suffered a brain hemorrhage from the emotional shock.“He’s still in a coma, and we can’t say for sure when he’ll wake up again. It depends on his will to live.”The officials drew a sharp breath. “Do you mean he might end up in a coma forever?”The doctor nodded. No one saw coming that Stephen would fall into a coma, with little chance of ever waking up again. However, it also meant he did not have to die anymore. He would be alive but confined to a bed. Suddenly, they thought of Harrison’s desperate pleas to Ethan back in his villa. “I’m willing to trade my life fo