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