Ethan walked over and sat on a chair under a tree, then glanced at the stone stool beside him. “Have a seat.”Jeremy snapped back to his senses and quickly walked over. “I have some things to ask you, Lord Rivers.”Ethan said calmly, “Everyone who comes to find me has something they want to ask.”“I heard from the South Regent that you once brought three years of peace to Riveria, and many people abroad still hope for your return. However, why are so many netizens cursing you?”“They have different pieces of information, so they view issues from different perspectives,” said Ethan. “Of course, in most cases, it’s because people don’t think things through.”Jeremy almost laughed at the words. He had mentally prepared himself before coming, thinking that Ethan might be someone very serious. However, it seemed Ethan was much more interesting than he expected.“Since you once brought peace to Riveria, you must know the South Regent and the Spencers. Can you tell me who the good guy i
If someone found this order, they would be doomed.The boss was sweating profusely. “There were too many documents at that time, and I accidentally placed the order in the wrong file. It won’t happen again.”Nolan asked, “Has anyone else seen it? If there is, deal with them before they have a chance to talk.”The boss quickly responded, “Gotcha. I’ll make sure there are no accidents!”Nolan scoffed. “Find it quickly and call me back.”The call ended. The boss sighed in relief, but his hands continued searching. Not long after that, he found the order and grabbed it, leaving hurriedly. The room plunged back into darkness.At that moment, the hand covering Jeremy’s mouth finally let go.Jeremy crawled out from under the desk and looked at the person hiding in there. A young man crawled out after him.“Who are you?” Jeremy looked at him warily.The man smiled. “Don’t worry. We’re not enemies.”Jeremy understood. “Do you work for the South Regent?”“Bingo.” The man started searc
Jeremy left the office with the man and exchanged contact information before parting. He also found out that the man’s name was Fabian Grant.After returning home, he took out his phone and called Stephen. “I found someone working for the South Regent at the Spencer Group. They’re also looking for evidence against the Spencers.”Stephen frowned. “Be careful. They’re a cunning bunch.”“But he saved me.”“He’s just trying to get close to you,” said Stephen. “You just arrived at Riveria, so you don’t know how despicable people can be. You’ll be easily deceived.”Was that really the case? Jeremy was doubtful.“What did he say to you?” Stephen asked.“He mentioned Ethan.” Jeremy hesitated. He wanted to ask Stephen if the latter had truly imprisoned Ethan just to steal his achievements. However, Stephen was his benefactor, so neither did Jeremy dare to ask, nor could he.“Ethan?” Stephen’s expression instantly turned cold. “I knew it. They must have told you how amazing Ethan is and
The next day, at 9 in the morning, Jeremy informed Stephen about the order.“So, the South Regent’s subordinate called you last night and told you that the order is in Nolan’s house?”Stephen found it hard to believe. The South Regent’s subordinate worked too quickly. He just told Jeremy that there was an order form as evidence last night. Now, he found where it was, and it just so happened to be in Nolan’s house?If it were him, he would either get rid of the evidence as soon as possible or hide it somewhere no one knew of. Why would he keep it at home?“Are you telling me this because you want me to search Nolan’s house?” Stephen asked.Jeremy nodded. “Yes.”Stephen sighed in exasperation. “I’ll go have a look.” He wanted to bring Jeremy with him, but the latter refused.“I shouldn’t show up. If he sees me, he’ll be on guard at the office.”Stephen thought about it and felt that it made sense. He took the others with him to Nolan’s house instead.At the villa, Nolan had just
He had heard from others that Stephen was useless, and today, he confirmed it. Stephen truly was useless. The evidence was right there, but he still could not find it.Fabian sighed helplessly. “In that case, we have no choice but to find it ourselves. I’ll contact you tonight.”Jeremy narrowed his eyes, suspecting that this might all be a setup. There was no order sheet at Nolan’s house at all. Fabian fabricated the story and would plant a fake order form later to frame Nolan.At the same time, Nolan stood at the door and watched Stephen’s car leave.‘They didn’t find the order this time, but the South Regent won’t give up. I should set up a trap.’At that thought, Nolan took out his phone and made a call in the living room. He said loudly, “I’ll be going out in the evening and will only be back tomorrow.”Fabian soon received news that Nolan would be away tonight. It was the perfect opportunity! At night, he contacted Jeremy. “Let’s head over to Nolan’s house and find the order
Jeremy silently watched from the side, wondering what trick Fabian was going to pull.Under the accomplice’s instructions, Fabian successfully found the switch to the hidden room. He rotated the desk lamp, and with a click, a bookshelf shifted.“It’s open!” Fabian walked over and pushed open the bookshelf, revealing a new room.The room was not large—barely ten square meters—but it contained several cabinets. However, most of them were empty since Nolan had only arrived in Hill City recently and did not have much information that needed to be hidden.On the desk in front of the room was a folder. Fabian quickly walked up to it and picked it up. Opening it, he found Nolan’s order.“Found it.” Fabian walked up to Jeremy and passed him the folder.Jeremy looked at it and saw that it contained details of transactions with foreign forces. For example, who the recipient was and how many explosives were sold. He narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out if this order was real or fake. Aft
“I’ve always been at odds with foreign forces. Why would I ever collaborate with them? As for the evidence you mentioned, where is it?”The order he left in the secret room was fake. It was something he had specially fabricated to frame the South Regent. He already knew that there would be a search tonight, so why would he leave the real order there?He had already sent the real order back to the Spencers’ residence after Stephen left. No one would find it!Jeremy picked up the folder. “It’s right here. We have the order sheet of your dealings with the foreign forces.”Nolan smiled. “That’s not my company’s order form. It’s the South Regent’s company’s order.”Fabian froze and looked at Nolan in shock, realizing that Nolan had switched the order! He had fallen into his trap!He brought Jeremy here to find the real order. Then, Jeremy would give the order to Stephen, and they would expose the Spencers’ schemes. However, Nolan had anticipated their arrival and prepared an order to
“It’s getting late now. We should go.” Stephen got ready to leave with Jeremy.At that moment, Jeremy looked at Fabian, who was staring at him.“Save me! Take me with you!” Fabian pleaded. He knew that falling into Nolan’s hands would mean certain death.Jeremy was silent. He had been tricked the entire time and wanted nothing more than to slap Fabian. Save him? No way!Stephen heard Fabian’s words and looked at Jeremy. “Do you want to take him with you?”Jeremy shook his head. “I don’t know him.”Stephen nodded in satisfaction and left with Jeremy.Fabian froze on the spot, watching as Jeremy walked away. He had not expected this outcome.Nolan saw the two off and slowly walked back to Fabian. He looked at Fabian’s pale face and asked, “Are you scared?”Fabian was not scared of death. He was scared of the consequences of his death.Jeremy and Stephen had been tricked by Nolan. Stephen would surely use the order against the South Regent. Furthermore, with his death, the South
Stephen could not say a single word.His plan of sacrificing himself to bring Ethan back and to give the Quinn family a sliver of hope of survival was just his delusion.Ethan never said he would return, let alone let the Quinns off.Now, Harrison was dead, and Stephen was about to die too. Who was next? There was no need to guess anymore.Stephen paled and nearly passed out on the spot.The people from HQ quickly said, “Ethan, we have a lot of people here who want to apologize to you.”They quickly brought in the group of online trolls. Soon, dozens of people were lined up in the living room.“Kneel and apologize to Ethan!”Thud, thud, thud! Everyone fell to their knees. They saw Stephen the moment they entered.Stephen was the eldest son of the Quinns, the idol of countless people, and the person they dreamed of becoming. However, he now knelt powerlessly before Ethan, his face aged as if he had witnessed an era passing.As soon as the people from HQ gave the order, they im
At noon, the plane landed, and the wrongdoers were escorted into Riveria.People from HQ were already waiting at the airport. They were filled with anger when they saw the group of people. They hated Stephen and these people. These people did not understand anything, but they ran their mouths online. Now, things had escalated beyond their control. If not for their online slander, things might not have gone this far.“Do you know why you’ve been brought here?”The group hunched their shoulders. At this point, they could more or less guess the reason. However, no one dared to speak.“You publicly insulted a hero online. If you don’t receive his forgiveness today, we’ll punish you according to the laws.”At those words, their hearts sank completely. It really was because they insulted Ethan!Not long ago, they had still been stubborn, thinking that it did not matter that they insulted Ethan. What would Ethan do? Arrest them?Now, they were brought here. Not only were they arrested,
After staying up all night, they sat at their desks the next morning. Their screens were lit up, but there was still no internet.Bang, bang!Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.They jumped like they had stepped barefoot on lava, exclaiming, “Who is it?”There was no answer.Bang, bang!The loud knocking continued.The door shook violently, and they were so scared they nearly wet themselves. They quickly grabbed their phones, only to remember that they could not make calls now.Crash! The doorknob fell off.Then, the door was kicked open, and a fully armed team rushed in.“Don’t move!”“Get on the ground with your hands on your head!”They trembled and crouched on the ground, completely pale.One officer stepped forward and punched the guy in the face, knocking him down. Several other officers pinned him down and cuffed his hands.“What’s going on?” The man who was hit was shocked. “What did I do? What are you doing?”The team said nothing. They just received orders
It was like achieving success in business, owning a house and a car, having a young and beautiful girlfriend deeply in love with you, becoming a legend in your circle of friends, family, and even the whole city, only to be told that you had late-stage cancer and that there were a few days left to live.Shock, confusion, and disbelief surged up at once.Stephen snapped back to reality, his voice trembling. “You’re lying to me, right? You must be lying to me.”No one answered.However, from the look on their faces, Stephen saw the answer he did not want to believe: Harrison was truly dead.He collapsed to the ground with a thud, mumbling, “How could this be...”The Quinns were one of the top families. As a member of the Quinns, Harrison had access to the best medical care, diet, and security. Just half a year ago, his physical examination showed that he was in perfect health. He should have lived a long life. How did he suddenly die?“We don’t know,” they replied honestly. “You sh
Simon called the doctor to ask about the cause of Harrison’s death.The doctor explained it truthfully. Harrison was old, sleep-deprived, and suffered an intense psychological blow that his body could not handle.Upon hearing this, Simon suddenly understood.Harrison had not rested properly for a long time because of the Quinn family, especially the night when Stephen revealed the truth. He did not sleep at all that night. Then, he went to beg Ethan, was rejected, and had a mental breakdown. He simply could not hold on anymore.“We were wrong,” Simon cried. “We were really wrong.”They brought this upon themselves. Because they provoked Ethan, everything that followed was inevitable.If they had not been blinded by greed, Harrison would not have died, Stephen would not be in prison, and the Quinns would not fall.What should he do now? What could he do?Stephen had sacrificed himself to give the Quinns a sliver of hope, but Simon failed to protect the family and Harrison. How w
At the Quinns’ residence, Simon had been pacing back and forth anxiously, racking his brain trying to think of a way to save the Quinn family when a maid came to serve him tea. He reached out for it, but as his mind wandered, his grip faltered. “Clang!”The teacup fell and shattered on the spot. The scalding water getting on his hands and feet made him frown. The Quinns were in a crisis, and being scalded by tea caused his frustration to boil. “Get lost!” he yelled at the maid, telling her to leave. Simon sat down, an uneasy feeling still lingering on his mind. At that moment, his phone rang. He picked it up, and seeing that the call was from the federal government, he answered immediately. “Bad news,” said the person on the other end. “Your father has fainted after coughing up a mouthful of blood. Come to Riveria now!”Simon was stunned. Harrison fainted after coughing up blood? How could it be?Without a second to waste, he boarded a plane to Riveria and arrived at 4 p
It was no longer about whether Ethan would forgive them. Even if Ethan forgave the Quinns, would the other families and factions let them off the hook? Obviously not. Harrison’s face went pale. He understood now that getting Ethan’s forgiveness could not save the Quinn family; only getting Ethan on their side could. However, was that possible? There might still be a chance if all they asked for was forgiveness, but to get Ethan on the Quinns’ side? Putting himself in Ethan’s shoes, Harrison knew it was impossible. The Quinns had worked with the Lowes to frame Ethan, imprison Ethan, and steal his achievements, turning the internet against him. Why would Ethan want to be on the Quinns’ side?If it were him, he could not forgive the Quinns either. When he finally pieced everything together, his body went limp. It was over. Things were much more serious than he thought. The Quinns were truly done for. “It looks like you’ve finally figured it out.” Ethan said, “All this time, y
Harrison was choking up. Before Ethan could speak…“Mr. Harrison, what are you doing here?” A shocked exclamation sounded from the doorway. Harrison immediately whipped his head around to see a few people standing at the door. He knew those people. They were from the federal government, many of them the heads of several prominent families. Instantly, the blood drained from his face because he was kneeling before Ethan. Everyone could see him like that—stripped of his dignity and utterly humiliated. How could the Quinns ever show their faces again?Harrison’s first instinct was to stand up. However, he then remembered what he said to Ethan earlier, that he was willing to do anything for Stephen and the Quinn family. Was he going back out just because he was embarrassed? At that thought, Harrison forced himself to suppress the urge to stand up. Looking at Harrison kneeling before Ethan, those who had just arrived gasped collectively. At that moment, no one was thinking abou
Simon hesitated to speak, knowing it was unlikely for Ethan to forgive them. However, he thought, what if? Stephen’s sincere apology and revealing the truth could have moved Ethan, making forgiveness possible. With that sliver of hope, he did not stop Harrison. Harrison immediately took an overnight flight to Riveria. It was seven in the morning when he landed, and without any rest, he headed straight for Drakthorn Ridge. His assistant could not help but advise, “Mr. Harrison, you’ve not rested all night. Why don’t you take a break before going up the mountain?”Harrison shook his head. “Time will wait for no one.”Ethan was about to leave Riveria, and the Quinns were on the brink of survival. He feared that if he slept, he would miss the final chance of saving the Quinn family. “This is nothing,” Harrison said, “I’ve gone three days without sleep before. Now, hurry up and drive up the mountain!”The assistant, exasperated, could only steer towards Drakthorn Ridge. At nine