At the meeting, everyone went through the report in their hands with their brows furrowed. “Outrageous! This is outrageous! I thought Ethan Rivers was a good person, but he’s rotten inside!” “The people of the city dare not step out of their houses at night, and it’s all because of him.” “Now, it seems like the appreciation letters are fake. It’s all a show Ethan Rivers put up!” Simon nodded happily at everyone’s reaction. He wanted the others to take their side so that he could crush Ethan to bits. He continued, “In this operation to foil Ethan River’s wicked scheme, three people played a vital role. “The first one would be the new mayor of North Hill City, Shawn Hill. With his thirty years of experience in management, he has devoted his life to serving the people and has proven to be a capable man, but Ethan Rivers oppressed him out of jealousy. “It wasn't until Ethan was locked up and Stephen visited Riveria that Shawn’s talent was recognized and he was promoted to may
Simon put his phone on the table and tapped play. Brandon’s sobbing voice came from the phone. “Leave? I can’t leave my home. My family is here, and I’m not going anywhere. Even if Ethan Rivers destroys North Hill City, I won’t leave. No matter what the city becomes, this will always be my home.” When the recording ended, some in the meeting had started to tear up. “Sigh. An entrepreneur like him is rare.” “We need more people like him.” “One should not forget their roots. He really taught the other businesses a valuable lesson.” “It’s the city’s honor to have someone like him.” Someone said to Simon “Can I have the recording? I will send it to the media and tell them to praise this man.” Simon nodded. “Sure. It’s because of them and many others that the city could recover in such a short time. Stephen has also done a good deed by finding them.” Everyone applauded and cheered that the city had overcome the crisis. “They have done well.” “Without them, the city m
Inside a grand mansion, Eric and Brandon walked into the living room and saw Shawn on the couch. They curiously asked, “What’s the matter? You sounded urgent.” “Good news!” Shawn could not even hold back his smirk. “We’re going to be rich this time!” While Eric looked confused, Brandon sat opposite Shawn and asked, “What is it?” “The federal government just had a meeting, and they’ve praised us for what we’ve done here in North Hill. Reporters will be interviewing us in the next two days. Until then, we’ll be famous across the country.” Brandon instantly understood. “With a better reputation, it’s easier for us to make more money!” Although Eric could not quite follow the details, he perked up and grinned when he heard he was about to make more money. “But that’s not all. Stephen Quinn wants to sell you a piece of land at a lower-than-market price to develop. It’s that land that you’ve always wanted!” Brandon bolted up from his seat, momentarily doubting his ears, but h
He could kill two birds with one stone and seize all the benefits for himself!“Speaking of Ethan Rivers, can you tell us what kind of person he is?” Stephen was delighted to comment on Ethan’s character. It was the perfect chance for him to crush him underfoot! “I believe everyone knows he is a vile person, but he’s also a hypocrite, narrow-minded, and jealous. He can’t stand others doing better than him. “Take this recent incident, for example. The mayor and the police commander, who had done so well, used to be oppressed by him. “Ethan’s a master at putting on a facade. He likes to pretend that he’s doing it for the people, but it’s all smoke and lies. He even forged a lot of appreciation letters to fool the people into believing he’s a good guy. But, honestly, I think he’s starting to believe his own lies. “And despite being incompetent, he always loves taking credit for others’ achievements, claiming them as his own. In truth, he’s contributed nothing to the development
Rachel frowned. She could not understand why Ethan looked fine while in prison. In fact, he seemed healthier than ever, as if he was on vacation rather than serving time.“Did you hear about the chaos in North Hill City?” the reporter asked while the camera focused closely on Ethan’s face, hoping to capture a look of panic or guilt.“Yes, I’ve heard about it,” he replied He had seen it coming from a mile away. With him out of the picture, the town of Lytton would surely make a move. In addition to Stephen’s ‘genius’ move of promoting Eric, it was no surprise that the city descended into chaos. The reporter’s face twisted with disgust. “You really are despicable. First, you get caught for bribery and corruption, and now you want to take an entire city down with you? “Do you have any idea how many families have been destroyed because of you? You should be executed ten times over, and it still won’t be enough!” Stephen sat behind the reporter and looked at Ethan scornfully with
Now that Stephen had put the wrong people in power, it would only make the people suffer more, and the future of Riveria was at risk. Soon enough, the local housing market and the economy would collapse. Liam asked, “Why?” “You already have the answer to your question,” Ethan said as he walked out of the room. Liam’s face drained of color. “No… Even he thinks Riveria is over… That means Riveria is really done for! It’s going down!” Even though people used to whisper about the region’s downfall, there had always been a sliver of hope. After all, Ethan was still around. Yet now, even Ethan was saying there was no saving Riveria. It was like the god who created the world suddenly declaring it had no future.Meanwhile, the reporters parted ways with Stephen and returned to their office to edit the footage and start writing their articles. The interview with Shawn, Eric, and Brandon was also wrapping up in North Hill City. The three were eloquent, presenting themselves as the r
The video went viral. It was all over social media, everyone’s feeds, and even chat groups. Whenever the police officers saw Ethan, they felt a mix of feelings. They could not understand why Liam would treat Ethan, a man who’d committed so many heinous acts, so well. Would it not be easier to just put a bullet in him and be done with it? Liam was also questioned by his parents and wife at home. “Why are you helping that monster?” “Do you know how many people are homeless because of him?” “How do you sleep at night, knowing you’re protecting someone like him?” Liam faced a dilemma. He wanted to defend Ethan, but as he faced the accusatory looks of his loved ones, he found himself at a loss for words. He felt helpless, sad, and also despair. Meanwhile, the reporter who interviewed Ethan got promoted. At the Lowes’ residence, Stephen, George, and Rachel gathered to watch parody videos mocking Ethan. Ethan's head had been photoshopped onto different bodies, and eggs were th
Ethan noticed a lot of hostility directed his way. He knew the interview must have made the headlines, and it seemed like he had officially become the public enemy. Seeing Liam coming into his cell with lunch, he chuckled and asked, “Why are you doing this?” Liam knew exactly what Ethan was implying. Why help him when things had gotten that bad? “Sigh. The others are still young, and they don’t know what really happened, but I do.” Liam sighed. He knew what Ethan had done for Riveria. If not for Ethan, Riveria would not have seen so many changes and benefits. How could all of those be false? Maybe he had been deceived, but what about the enemy? South Regent showed so much respect to Ethan. His arrival even brought peace to Sky Peak for a day. Not to mention, Ethan had also helped many veterans’ family members to settle down. Some of them were Liam’s personal friends and subordinates, so he viewed Ethan as a benefactor, a kind man. The others, however, stared at Liam from
Simon said, “I know you’re all anxious, but I hope that we can come up with a way to solve these problems. Please, let’s discuss a solution.”Everyone’s expressions darkened. They all knew what Simon meant. He wanted them to swallow the loss and pay out of their own pockets to solve the problem, all while continuing to run their businesses in Breeze City. It was like wanting a horse to run a thousand miles every day while never needing to feed it or give it water.They no longer wanted to stay.Someone said, “There are two options. One, bring Victor Hughes back. We won’t feel safe as long as Stephen Quinn stays here. Two, bring back the former administrator of Riveria. We’re not fools. There’s no way Stephen can make Riveria’s GDP reach 15 trillion.”Simon’s expression darkened. Neither option was one he wanted. The first was to bring Victor back and kick Stephen away, and the second was to bring Ethan back. Neither was an option.“We’ve been courteous enough with you. The only re
“Are we working together or not? Give me an answer.” The South Regent clearly did not want to waste any more time.Simon thought about it. “We can work together, but we want a stake in your business. Also, you must be under our supervision at all times.”It was a special period now. Simon would not easily trust a new company, especially one started by the South Regent. Allowing him to establish a company in Breeze City was already a large concession.The South Regent nodded. “Sure, no problem.”His goal was to make money, so whether or not he was supervised did not matter to him. As for Simon and Stephen taking a stake in the company, he actually welcomed it. After all, they would then share mutual interests, and Simon would have even more incentive to make money. All he had to do was sit back and earn money.Simon felt that something was off. He did not expect the South Regent to agree so easily without any bargaining or trying to negotiate.The South Regent continued, “I look f
“Write me a report today,” Simon ordered. “Clearly explain where you went wrong, how to prevent this from happening again, and how to fix it should such a mistake occur.”Stephen lowered his head. “Okay.”Just listening to the requirements made him feel overwhelmed and powerless. If he knew of a solution, then Simon would not have had to come personally.“Now, come with me.” Simon did not waste time. He wanted to resolve the situation before it worsened.The first priority was the issue with the food industry. After all, everyone needed to eat.He went to Edward’s office, but it was sealed off. The building was empty because they owed too much money, thus it was about to be auctioned off. Restarting this company would be extremely difficult.Just then, a young man slowly approached from the side. “Please get in the car. His Highness is requesting your presence.”The bodyguards watched the man warily.“His Highness?” Simon sneered. “Does the South Regent think he’s worthy of cal
Stephen trembled. “Do I have to go back to Metropolis?”He felt almost hopeless. After all the effort and huge sacrifices he made, was he still unable to escape this outcome?“No,” Simon said. “I decided to go manage Riveria and silenced their opposition. I’ll be heading there tomorrow to manage Riveria with you, so follow me closely, observe, and learn well!”Stephen was dumbfounded. His father was going to personally manage Riveria!In his eyes, Simon was invincible, unmatched by any other family in Metropolis. If Simon came over to manage Riveria, all the problems would be resolved, and all his previous mistakes would be corrected.Riveria’s economy would definitely grow!The call ended with a click.Stephen shook with excitement. He wanted to shout to the sky and announce the good news to everyone. His father was coming! All the problems would be solved! He could finally sleep peacefully!However, a worry soon crept up on him.When Simon arrived, he would definitely stay w
The Hughes family retorted firmly, “What mastermind? Riveria had no issues previously. Why did the problems only rise after your son went there? In my opinion, there’s no mastermind at all. Your son is merely incompetent!”The others nodded. Riveria had been peaceful in the past, and the economy had grown steadily, already exceeding 15 trillion GDP and heading for 20 trillion. Alas, after Stephen suddenly took over, everything fell apart. The Hugheses continued, “Stephen was there for half a year now but accomplished nothing. We suggest replacing him. Stephen has no right or the ability to continue managing Riveria.”The others immediately echoed, “I agree!”“Riveria’s current economic condition does not look good, and the other provinces are mocking us. Besides, it’s been a few days, and Stephen still hasn’t provided a solution to Breeze City’s problems.”“Now, the people are unhappy with him. He’s unsuitable and has no reason to continue managing Riveria.”Listening to these w
“Dad! Marcus!” Tyler choked. Edward and Marcus slowly approached him to say goodbye. “The past is in the past now. You must live a good life from now on,” Edward said with a smile. “Tyler, do your best and take care of yourself,” Marcus spoke lightly. “Okay.” Tyler nodded firmly. The mist began to drift in. Edward and Marcus looked behind them, where several other figures emerged. Although Tyler could not see their faces, he could recognize them. It was his mother and Marcus’ wife and kids. “We need to leave too. Take good care of yourself.”After leaving their last words to Tyler, Edward and Marcus looked at Ethan and bowed to thank him. They walked into the fog to join their family and moved toward the distant horizon, soon becoming nowhere to be seen. Tyler wanted to say something to Ethan, but the next second, he woke up from his dream. He sat there in a daze for a long time. The dream felt too real, and he could not return to his senses immediately until he felt a p
“This is…” The brothers were surprised. They did not expect Ethan to give them protective amulets. “I got this from Father Tobias yesterday.” Ethan had known about the news of the brothers leaving Breeze City long ago. “Thank you, Mr. Rivers.”The two were grateful. Father Tobias was a renowned priest in Riveria, and his church was always bustling with devotees. Meeting him was up to fate, and it was difficult to get an audience with him. A few wealthy people once offered millions but still could not manage to meet him, let alone get anything from him. The brothers have never heard of Father Tobias giving out anything before. Ethan continued, “After leaving Breeze City, live a good life.”“Okay.” The brothers nodded. “Mr. Rivers, take care of yourself. We’ll take our leave now. If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”Ethan said, “Goodbye.”Tyler and Nolan’s eyes turned slightly red with tears. They bowed deeply to Ethan before turning away and leaving together. They descended the
In the dream, Tyler saw his brother’s painful final days, when he killed his wife and child with his own hands, but there was nothing they could do. Tyler could only watch helplessly as Marcus was defeated and ended his tragic life. He also saw how depressed Edward was after the family split, unable to speak up against Victor’s oppression. Then, he was arrested and held in the police station, suffering torture at the hands of Stephen. The Spencers failed to become the strongest family, and they had to leave Breeze City forever, becoming an ordinary family for the rest of their lives. Tyler jolted awake from his dream, cold sweat covering his forehead. Outside the car window, the sky was still dark, and he could hear Nolan snoring. He glanced at his phone and saw that it was half past five, so there was still some time before dawn. Tyler wiped his sweat away, no longer feeling sleepy. He opened the car door and walked out. The mountain air was chilly in the early morning, but
Stephen had already sent his men to hunt down the murderer. He quickly started a livestream, stating that he would definitely arrest the murderer as soon as possible to satisfy everyone. However, the effects of the livestream were not desirable. The netizens now resented Stephen. Because of his management, things in Breeze City had deteriorated. Before his arrival, the city had been functioning normally. “Stephen Quinn, get out of Breeze City!”“We don’t welcome you here!”“We need a replacement! Give us back the person who was managing Riveria previously!”The people of Breeze City demanded a change in leadership on the Internet. Stephen genuinely lacked the ability to manage a city, let alone all of Riveria. That evening, after a long and exhausting day, Stephen finally had time to check his phone after he returned home to rest. The first thing he saw was the flood of messages demanding his removal. His eyes instantly reddened. Men do not easily shed tears, but he really f