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Chapter 425
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 426
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 427
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 428
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 429
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.
The Guardian's Return Chapter 430
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 431
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 432
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 433
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
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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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 811
Simon stayed up all night thinking.The next morning, a little after 6 a.m., he called someone to forge records that Stephen had lived in Riveria before.At the gala, someone had questioned whether Stephen really was the Grand Marshal’s mentee. His response at that time was that Stephen had always lived in Riveria.Now, he had to fabricate those records as soon as possible and release them publicly. Protecting Stephen’s identity as ‘the Grand Marshal’s sole heir’ was extremely important. As long as that narrative was maintained, it would minimize suspicions from others.“But that’s not enough.”Simon continued to take action and hired internet trolls. Since he could not suppress the public’s interest, he personally intervened and made the trolls comment that Stephen was the one in charge of Riveria while Ethan was a corrupt criminal and that Leo was spewing nonsense!As soon as the money was paid, the trolls began their work.“You guys say that Ethan was the one in charge of Riv
The Guardian's Return Chapter 810
However, the event was quickly losing steam! Leo had shifted everyone’s attention away, and people were more curious about Ethan and Stephen’s true identities. The whole internet buzzed with discussions, and many were engaged in fierce arguments. Even if Simon tried to suppress the controversy, it was nearly impossible to stop it. Quite a few people were even starting to leave the event. Many planned to stay in Breeze City for a few days and tour the city, but after experiencing the incident, they no longer trusted Simon. Therefore, they changed their plans and decided to leave the next day!By the time the event ended at 1 a.m., the audience present had dropped to less than half of the original count. When Simon and Stephen took the stage and saw the half-empty seats, they felt dispirited. The celebrities and singers who attended the event could also barely manage a smile. They regretted coming. The scandal surrounding Stephen’s real identity could easily engulf them, and the l
The Guardian's Return Chapter 809
Stephen immediately raised his head and asked, “Where is she?”Simon fell silent. He had no idea where Lily was. Perhaps only Ethan would know her whereabouts, and he did not know how to answer Stephen. Stephen frowned as he waited for a response. “What’s wrong? Didn’t you say she’s alive? Why don’t you tell me where she is?”Simon took a deep breath. “It might not be the best time to tell you now.”He still tried to brush it off. “What do you mean?” Stephen was getting anxious. “Do you want me to get on my knees and beg you? Don’t you know how important she is to me?” Stephen pointed at his gray hair. “I want to see her again so badly.”As Simon lowered his head, looking conflicted, Stephen fell to his knees with a bam. “What are you doing?” Simon exclaimed and quickly pulled him up. At that point, he realized that he could not hide it anymore. He did not want to say that Ethan saved Lily, but only Ethan knew where she was now. Even if he wanted to lie, he could not. W
