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Chapter 520

Author: Old Pumpkin
Charles went to the hospital to take care of the medical bills and then talk to his father. He believed even without Ethan, he and his family could live a good life.

“Ethan committed a crime and was jailed for it. If you want me to take him as our savior, I can’t do it. Besides, I have the money. I have 500 thousand dollars.”

Xavier was astonished by the astronomical amount. He looked at Charles, but there was no happiness or excitement in the man’s eyes. As a father, he knew exactly what happened.

“You took bribes.”

Charles’ expression froze, but he forced a smile and said, “What? No. I’m not that kind of person. I will never bow down to money.”

He was slightly stunned when the words escaped his mouth. They felt familiar. It was what Ethan had told him last night, and in less than twenty-four hours, he had done the complete opposite. It was a slap in his face.

Nevertheless, he feigned a calm look and said, “The money is clean.”

Xavier looked at him but said nothing. He si
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  • The Guardian's Return   Chapter 521

    Ganter and Austin witnessed the chaos that unfolded in Hill City over the past two weeks. The hospitals were overloaded, and more patients were being admitted. Even they, a psychologist, were asked to help. Ganter shook his head helplessly. He was a doctor in psychology, so there was nothing he could do for those people. All he could do was watch them leave, disheartened and desperate. When he went out on the street, he noticed the people walking around were fewer than before. Every day, he could hear robberies happening and gunshots in the air. The street where his clinic was located used to be a bustling area with merchants selling their goods, but they were all gone. His clinic was the only establishment left in the street. Austin looked worried. “Ganter, we should also think about leaving. Hill City is not safe anymore.” News of robberies, shootings, and outbreaks of sickness were so frequent that the growing fear among the people was palpable. Even Austin was scared too.

  • The Guardian's Return   Chapter 522

    A while later, Charles, who was enjoying his spa and massage with several other business owners, got a call from the hospital that his parents had discharged themselves. The delight on his face disappeared. Why would his parents leave the hospital? He quickly called his father but could not get through. The same happened with his mother. Anxious, Charles called the hospital, demanding an explanation. How could the hospital release his parents without informing him first? The nurse explained, “They said there were not enough beds in the hospital because of the current situation and believed other people needed the treatment more than them, so they insisted on leaving. We tried to convince them to stay, but they were adamant.” Charles was stunned. Not enough beds in the hospital? What kind of excuse was that? He had the money to pay for their medical bills! He had more than a million at hand, and if he kept working hard, the money he was making would be enough to last him a l

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    Was Ethan more important than their own son? Stephen said, “I understand. Please get up. Ethan Rivers has been accused of bribery, and it puts me in a tough spot.” Xavier argued, “He’s not capable of that! He has been fixing roads, as well as repairing hospitals and schools. He even used his own money to send other people’s children to school! Why would he take bribes?” Riveria used to be in chaos, and education was scarce. The adults in the family would rather keep their children at home to work than send them to school for education. Ethan then used his personal money to send every child to school, paying the families a stipend of 500 dollars a month. The children could also enjoy free lunches at schools, which drastically improved both attendance rates and nutrition levels in the region.Stephen said with gritted teeth, “It’s bribery! I don’t need you to tell me what he did!” He dared not look them in the eyes, so he quickly called security to send them off. After they

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    “No!” Charles’ face paled. He pulled his phone out to call for help, but then his mother, Jessica, said, “You don’t need to call for help.” She had been fighting her illness for years and should have died a long time ago. It was Ethan’s subsidy and health insurance that helped her to stay alive, and after what happened, she believed she was the reason her son became twisted. She felt guilty, not just toward Ethan, but also toward her husband and their son. Years of pain and the burden she placed on her family had worn her down. She could not go on any longer. Maybe, just maybe, her death could help Charles find his way back.“I know what’s going on with my body,” she said, her voice strained and labored. “Son, I’ve hurt you enough. I’m so sorry. I will no longer be your burden. If you can, turn yourself in. You’re on your own now. We will always love you.” Charles teared up, his body shaking. He did not understand. He had worked so hard and taken so many risks, all to make s

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    Charles ran into his car and suddenly, he spotted a gun in the passenger’s seat. He was consumed by vengeance and did not care how the gun got into his car. He wound down the window and pointed the gun at Nolan. “Please take care of my parents’ funeral for me. Thanks.” He then stepped on the pedal and drove off. Nolan watched calmly as the car drove off. Everything was progressing as he planned. He walked into the house and saw Xavier and Jessica, both dead in each other’s embrace. He sighed helplessly. He may have dragged the two of them into this mess, but he never thought of hurting them or making them take their own lives. He made a call to his men and ordered them to give the elderly couple a proper burial. Meanwhile, Stephen was going through the reports on the recent updates. Even though riot police were deployed to maintain order in the city, things did not improve. Quite the opposite, the dangerous men armed with guns were further stimulated, causing them to be m

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    Stephen slumped into his chair, boneless. He was really scared out of his wits when he had a gun pointed at him at such close range. He almost died. Only then did he have time to pick up his phone and check who had tried to call him earlier. However, before he could look, Nolan’s call came in. “Stephen, Charles’ parents committed suicide. He has a gun. He injured me and then escaped.”Stephen fell silent for a while before saying, “Got it. I’ve caught Charles. You should head to the hospital and get yourself checked out. You’ve done well.”He was more assured of Nolan, someone willing to risk his life to capture Charles. It looked like he was right in his choice of mayor this time. In fact, he had made an excellent choice!After hanging up, Stephen finally saw that it was Ganter who had tried to call him just now. However, nobody picked up when he returned the call. Seeing that he could not reach Stephen, Ganter had taken to the streets, trying to find someone to send Austin t

  • The Guardian's Return   Chapter 527

    Not long after Nolan left, Stephen came with his men to interrogate Charles. “How long have you been embezzling and taking bribes?” Stephen asked bluntly as soon as he entered. “I had such high hopes for you.”Charles looked at him and said, “Half a month.”“Half a month?” Stephen did some quick mental calculations. Hill City plunged into chaos again half a month ago, which matched Charles’ timeline of corruption. “You’re such a fool!” Stephen said coldly, “Who bribed you? You’d better speak.”Charles knew that even if he did not get a death sentence, he would spend the rest of his life behind bars. He had come to terms with his fate, so he named everyone who bribed him with money. After ordering his men to record it, Stephen asked, “Why did you do it? You’ve let me down so much.”Upon hearing that, Charles laughed. “Let you down? If I let you down, then you’ve completely devastated me! You must know my parents died, right? Do you know how they died?”Stephen frowned. Did

  • The Guardian's Return   Chapter 528

    Even Ganter himself doubted that he could have endured it. Besides, Austin should not have suffered that fate. It was all his fault. If he had not insisted on saving Stephen back then, he would not have come to Hill City and encountered the armed robbers. Everything was his fault!Ganter fell to the ground helplessly, wallowing in regret. He should not have saved Stephen back then. A few minutes later, he slowly walked out of the hospital ward and booked a flight to Riveria. He wanted to meet Ethan and beg for his forgiveness. Half a day later, Ganter arrived at Ethan’s mansion. Memories of his first visit flashed across his mind. At that time, he was confident, as if victory was already in the bag. Yet now, standing before the mansion again, his face was pale, and he looked significantly older. Ganter slowly walked into the mansion and saw Ethan sitting on the couch, reading a book, just like their first meeting. “Ethan…” Ganter approached him but hesitated. He was a master

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    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

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    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

  • The Guardian's Return   Chapter 825

    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

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    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?"

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