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
Jeremy did not say a word. He had made up his mind that he would not betray Stephen, even at the cost of his life. Stephen extended a helping hand when he needed it the most. Although his mother could not be saved in the end, it at least allowed her to pass away with dignity. He looked at the South Regent with an unwavering gaze, not a trace of fear in his eyes. The South Regent had seen that look before. A long time ago, he had the same look in his eyes, but the person he looked at back then was Ethan. Then, Ethan defeated him time and time again, shattering his pride and resolve. The South Regent chuckled. “You remind me of myself in the past. But even if you refuse to say who’s behind you, I can guess it. It’s Stephen, isn’t it?”Jeremy was shocked. He did not expect the South Regent to get it on the first guess. Seeing his reaction, the South Regent confirmed his suspicion and knew what Stephen’s plan was. Stephen must have hired the man to infiltrate his company, search
The people about to storm up with their metal pipes and machetes all hid their weapons behind their backs and carefully backed away. The others who had stepped out of their cars acted as if nothing had happened and got back into their cars. Even the pedestrians instinctively took a few steps back. The South Regent was confused, not understanding what had just happened. He slowly looked at Ethan’s hand outside the car window to see Ethan holding a black handgun.“Give me a minute,” Ethan said as he opened the car door. Gun in hand, he stepped out slowly, and the tension among the crowd grew even thicker. No one dared to say a word. Ethan walked to the roadside and picked up the bread from the ground, gently brushing off the dust. The woman held her child as she looked at Ethan nervously. “The world will not stop for anyone. We need to stop it ourselves,” Ethan said as he handed the bread to the woman. The woman dared not take it, fearing those around her would scold her.“
Returning to his senses, Victor murmured, “By now, the mental pressure on them should be enough. We can act tomorrow.”Earlier, the South Regent had contacted Simon and told him their plan to apply enough pressure on Simon and Stephen. That would force the father and son to seek George for help, and that was when Victor would swoop in and win George over. Now, the pressure had done its job. George had decided to betray the Quinns, but Simon still had no idea about it and was probably still relaxing, thinking the worst was over. Thus, tomorrow was the perfect timing to kickstart their plan! They were not even afraid of Simon coming up with a solution despite telling him their plan in advance. Ethan had seen through them. Seeking George was a dead end, running was a dead end, and even destroying Breeze City was a dead end. The next day, Daniel and Caleb were the first to call in the media to make a public statement. “Hi, we are Daniel and Caleb. I trust you are all familiar with
At that moment, Ethan’s statement rendered everyone speechless. They were all shocked. With the plan, they would be killing two birds with one stone. George and the Quinns would be in a miserable situation while they would remain completely uninvolved. “Perfect! It’s perfect!” Even Victor could not help but marvel. “It’s so perfect that it fills me with despair. I couldn’t think of any way to solve this situation.”Without George, Stephen would fail to answer all the questions about what happened in Riveria over the past few years. However, if they used George, he would betray the Quinns and sabotage them from within, making it impossible for Stephen to answer the questions correctly. It was a deadlock!The South Regent gulped. “It is a ruthless plan. They’ll have no way to get past this. It’s a good thing I ran fast back then.”He thought the plan was devised to drive Stephen to his death. Tyler, Nolan, Daniel, and Caleb all nodded blankly. At that moment, they understood h
He could not let that happen. George was extremely useful at that moment. If George really were to return to prison, Stephen would be in trouble. “No.” Liam shook his head and glanced at George. “You’ve proved yourself recently, so you’re free to move around for the next month.”George’s eyes widened in shock. Did such luck befall him? He had never heard of such a thing before, but he soon realized he did not get a month of freedom because he had proven himself. It was the man who called him yesterday proving himself! Even with Simon’s status and position, the man could only grant him a month of freedom, and now, Liam had come with orders to grant him another month again. It only meant one thing—the man held as much status as the Quinns!If someone with as much status as the Quinns wanted to help him, he might have the chance to break free from the Quinns. At that thought, George could not contain his excitement. Simon, on the other hand, was still unaware of what had happene
George was stunned. He could not believe his ears. Freeing him from the Quinn family’s control? Did he really want to leave the Quinn family? If it were two days ago, he would never have entertained the thought, but now, the situation had changed. He was sent to prison because of Stephen, yet Stephen could not even be bothered to pay him a visit as they entered a new year. When Stephen finally came to see him, it was because he needed George’s help to solve his problems. Stephen showed no gratitude or respect whatsoever.As for Simon, that man once criticized Rachel right in front of him, showing no regard for him. Although he wanted to leverage the Quinn family’s influence, helping them by framing Ethan and letting them gain total control of Riveria greatly benefited them. After all he had sacrificed, could he not get a shred of respect from Simon for his daughter? George took a deep breath and suppressed the temptation. “I don’t know who you are. How can I trust you?”He genu
If he had not falsely accused Ethan, the Lowes would not be in its current state, and his daughter would not have to endure such lectures.George deeply regretted his actions. If he could turn back time and fix them, he would. Meanwhile, Stephen went upstairs to check on Rachel's room while she was washing up. After carefully checking and confirming that no man had been there, he sighed in relief. Although he did not love Rachel, she was still his rightful wife. He could not tolerate the idea that she did not care about him.A few minutes later, Rachel walked out."Come to the meeting," Simon said.He then explained the situation to George and Rachel.Rachel had never been interested in such matters and did not care much about it. Besides, she had no feelings for Stephen either, so she remained indifferent.On the other hand, George frowned. Sometimes, he admired and envied Stephen. Trouble always followed Stephen wherever he went, and each time, it was anything but simple.W
Stephen frowned. "What's going on?"Meanwhile, Rachel was woken up by the phone call. When she glanced at the screen and saw Stephen's name, she had no intention of answering. She simply put the phone on silent and pretended she had not seen it before going back to sleep.Only George and she had dinner together last night, and she was up late worrying about the future.In the airport, Simon asked, "What's wrong?"Confused, Stephen replied, "She didn't pick up. She's probably still asleep."Simon fell silent. He knew the problems between Stephen and Rachel could not be ignored. He rubbed his temples. He could not understand why relationship issues like that had to happen in the Quinn family, and they were happening to his son, the future head of the family!"Forget it," said Simon. "I'll have my assistant pick us up. We'll go straight to the prison.""Okay," Stephen replied.After landing, Simon and Stephen took a car to the prison and soon met George."What brings you here?"
Simon sat on his bed and racked his brain, desperately trying to think of a way to prepare for the questions the South Regent might ask. However, he could not think of anything!No matter how beautiful he had spun his lies, a lie was still a lie. It would never change the truth that he and Stephen had only been involved with Riveria less than a year.Stephen had been here the longest, but only for half a year. He knew nothing about Riveria's history, let alone the chaos of the past few years.Which forces and families were involved? What had they done? How did they disappear in the end?The only person Simon could think of right now was the South Regent. However, the South Regent had made it very clear that if they had to pay 100 million to every person Ethan had tormented, the Quinns would go bankrupt before they could pay up. That meant there were at least hundreds of them, and he had never seen or even heard of most of them.How was he supposed to defend against that? It was im
Simon frowned. He failed to understand why the South Regent would call him at a time like that. Could the man be calling to wish him a Happy New Year?He answered the call. "What?"The South Regent chuckled. "Simon, your trick of twisting facts and lies is quite impressive."Immediately, it all clicked. The South Regent must have seen how he resolved the issue at the gala and was so frustrated that he could not sleep. That was why he called so late at night."Yes," Simon said. "Can't find a way to counter me, huh? It's not just you. Even if Ethan himself came, he wouldn't be able to do anything."He was confident that his damage control strategy was top-tier. Even if Ethan personally stepped in, the latter would be powerless.No matter what they said, it could be dismissed as rumors. The narrative was in his hands. He could say whatever he wanted, and Ethan could do nothing but watch."Is that so?" The South Regent chuckled.Of all the things that Simon could have said, he said
Meanwhile, Rachel hired a chef to prepare a lavish dinner and delivered it to the prison.George felt a twinge of disappointment when he saw Rachel come alone. The last time he was taken out was to help Stephen, who had broken down, and the person who caused the breakdown was another woman.Although Rachel and Stephen were married, George always felt that she never truly had a place in Stephen’s heart, nor was she important to him. It made him worried about the future of the Lowe family.However, he held on to a sliver of hope and asked, "Is it just you?"Rachel said helplessly, "Stephen is busy. A lot of things are going on in Breeze City."George sighed.He knew there were issues in Breeze City, but they were not problems that could be solved overnight. One should rest when it was time to rest. It was New Year's, yet Stephen did not even spare the time to bring a meal to his father-in-law.At the end of the day, it was because George was not important to him. Maybe Stephen nev