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Chapter 53

Author: Old Pumpkin
last update Last Updated: 2024-09-18 15:25:07
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
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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    While Stephen was talking to Simon on the phone, the doorbell rang. “Who’s at the door?” Stephen glanced outside, and when he noticed it was Zane, his brows immediately furrowed. “Dad, I have to go now. Talk to you later.” Simon chuckled and said, “Alright. Talk to you soon.” After the call, Simon happily wandered off to brag about his son’s amazing achievements and bright future. “James, my son will be doing so well next year!” “Tom, my son will be joining the cabinet next year! He will beat your son to it!” “Harry, why don’t you come over to have dinner at my place? My son is coming back next year.” Meanwhile, back at the Lowe’s residence, Stephen answered the door. He looked at Zane, asking, “Mr. Sutton, what brings you here? Have you seen through Ethan Rivers’ true color and come to apologize?” He scrutinized Zane. “If this is an apology, isn’t it a little insincere? Not even a small gift? If you want me to forgive you, this won’t do.” Zane took a deep bre

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    Just a moment ago, Stephen was telling his father confidently that he could double the city’s GDP in a year and then return home with glory. Now, the city was doomed. In a matter of seconds, sweat covered his forehead and drenched his back. “Get a damage report and issue a warrant for Shawn Hill, Eric Morningstar, and Brandon North! Do whatever you can to control the situation in North Hill City!” That was all Stephen could come up with for the time being. After the call, his legs grew weak. He stumbled backward and collapsed onto the floor, looking utterly defeated. “What happened?” George and Rachel rushed out after hearing the commotion. When they saw Stephen on the floor, they froze. Then, they noticed Zane in front of him, the man’s face ice cold. George bellowed, “Zane Sutton, why did you push him? Can you pay for it if anything happens to him?” Zane stared at George coldly as he replied, “Instead of worrying about him, you should be worrying about yourselves.”

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    The report of the situation continued through the speaker phone. “Based on our investigations, the ones who wreaked havoc across the city the other day had nothing to do with Ethan Rivers. They were all from the town of Lytton. “However, Eric, Shawn, Brandon, and the town have teamed up together, so they have been covering things up, shifting the blame onto Ethan.” George finally found out about the truth. “It wasn’t Ethan’s fault? He was framed? We’ve wrongly accused him?” Suddenly, the pieces started to fall into place. He understood why Ethan had targeted the three of them. It was because Ethan had known from the start that they were trouble. Both George and Stephen felt ashamed. The insults and things they had said to Ethan had come back to haunt them and bite them in the back. They had accused Ethan of being jealous of people with talent, claimed he was suppressing them out of spite, and thought they had found the brightest people like Shawn, Eric, and Brandon to lea

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    “Where are Shawn and the others?”“Did they run away?”“Have they crossed the borders?”“Get Simon here now!” Stephen went against the grain and pushed for the appointments of Shawn, Eric, and more. Simon quickly arrived on the scene, carrying a smug smile while stepping into the office. “I was thinking of heading to yours anyway, but since you’re all here. I have good news to share. My son–” Someone cut him off. “That’s enough.” Simon paused. Only then did he realize that tension hung heavy in the air. “What happened?” Simon’s expression hardened as he had not met with such unease in the office before“What happened?” Several smirked in rage. “Well, you should ask your precious son. He destroyed North Hill City.”Simon frowned. The weight of everybody’s hostile gazes was on him. “What did Stephen do? Hasn’t he been doing a great job? His leadership will take North Hill City to new heights.” New heights? Oh, the irony. The group expected improvement too, bu

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    Meanwhile…Rachel had pulled Stephen into their room.Unable to find any trace of Lily at the foot of the mountain, Jason felt that something was amiss. After asking around, he learned that no one was seen driving down. At this point, alarm bells started ringing in his head.He quickly led his men up to the summit where he found Lily."Lily!" Seeing her standing at the cliff's edge, his heart lurched, and he cried out, "Calm down! Get away from there!"Lily turned to look at him, her face already streaked with tears. She had wanted to see Stephen one last time but was unable to. Instead, it was Jason, her brother who wanted to drag her back, who found her."We can talk about the marriage. Just come here first.” Jason inched forward carefully. "Come to me. I'll make things right."Lily shook her head, knowing these were just lies to trick her. Once they got her back to the Fords, these words would mean nothing."Brother, don't lie to me," she responded. "I know that you’re only

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    Jason could not understand the conversation between Lily and Ethan, but he had not forgotten why he came here. He said to Lily, "Come back with me right now. Everyone's been looking for you since you ran away. Go home and apologize to Mom and Dad, and don't run off like this again. You're getting married in just over a month. Stay home and learn how to be a proper wife."Hearing this, Lily's heart grew heavier. She became more convinced that her gut feeling was correct."I'm not going," Lily said."Stop being ridiculous!" Jason grabbed her arm. "You're coming back with us right now. If the Katz family finds out you're running around like this, it won't be good for any of us. The Fords raised you for all these years. It's time for you to repay them."Lily's last hope died. She finally understood why the Fords were forcing her to marry into the Katz family—they had never seen her as a person. Just like in Cora and Scott's story, both she and Cora were merely bargaining chips for thei

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    Jason’s eyes widened. “Who wiped them out?”“Ethan Rivers! This name keeps coming up.”Jason froze, taken aback. The bodyguards around him and Lily also looked terrified because the man named Ethan Rivers was right before their eyes! Just moments ago, Jason had arrogantly demanded that Ethan apologize to them.The bodyguards could not help but stumble backward.Jason’s mind raced. Those powerful forces were not much weaker than his family, yet Ethan had wiped them all out.What did that mean? It meant it would be no problem for Ethan to wipe out the entire Ford family!“You should understand now,” said Ethan, “that in my eyes, your family and all other families have no dignity or honor to speak of.”Jason turned paled, and his body trembled uncontrollably. “Who exactly are you?”He never knew that such a terrifying figure existed in Riveria.Suddenly, he understood why Stephen had changed so drastically after coming to Riveria. The place was far more terrifying than the powe

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    "You're alone with him in his house. Just the two of you, a man and a woman. Aren't you worried about what people will say? And don't forget your place—you’re still the Katzes’ future daughter-in-law!"Lily lowered her head in despair. Only Ethan remained seated, his expression calm as he looked at Jason.“I can assure you that I don’t find Lily attractive. I can also assure you that the Katzes would not dare to say anything even if they found out she spent the night here. Also, a family that sells off their own daughter has no dignity to speak of.”Jason frowned. “Is that your justification? Do you think you can avoid apologizing with that and simply brush the matter aside?”“No,” said Ethan. “I have just one answer. Your family has a vast intelligence network and access to the largest database. Find out who caused the chaos in Riveria three years ago.”Jason did not understand what Ethan was up to. However, he was curious, especially since Stephen had encountered a series of set

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    “Mr. Rivers.” Lily lowered her head.Ethan looked at her calmly.“I was reckless and irrational yesterday. Please forgive me, Mr. Rivers.”Then, she bowed toward him.In the span of a day, she had experienced Stephen leaving her and her own family locking her up, demanding that she cut ties with Stephen. She had thought things through and came to a realization that the only person in the world who could help her now was the person in front of her—Ethan Rivers. She also understood that she could not walk away unscathed.Her visit today had two purposes. The first was to apologize to Ethan sincerely and earn Ethan’s forgiveness. As for the second...Lily raised her head and looked at Ethan. “I have an unreasonable request. I can’t let him go. Please help me move on from him, Mr. Rivers.”She knew she had to marry Sebastian, so she wanted to move on from Stephen. That way, it would be better for both her and Stephen.Ethan said calmly, “You should go to a psychologist or neurolo

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    Everyone was surprised. In the past, Stephen would always find excuses to avoid responsibility, but now, he was openly admitting to his mistakes.“He’s actually facing all the issues head-on.”“This doesn’t seem like Stephen’s usual style. Is this a PR tactic?”“Who cares what it is? Just criticize him as usual. None of the previous problems have been solved yet.”“That’s true. He still deserves to be criticized!”“A rotten apple will always be rotten. No matter how nice his words sound tonight, he’ll go back to his old tricks tomorrow.”The public was only slightly surprised at his behavior, but they had no doubt as to what he would do in the future—he would continue to destroy the city’s peace.Stephen was prepared for that reaction.“I’ve made too many mistakes in the past. It’s impossible for everyone to believe in me immediately. However, as long as I keep working hard, they’ll slowly change their opinions of me.”After getting everything off his chest, he felt lighter, l

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    “You sure like joking around, Dad,” Rachel responded, trying not to show how much she actually cared about the situation.Then, she added, “It’ll happen naturally.”Simon did not expose her either and simply said, “Do as you please.”He stood and left. He still had a lot to handle, such as the companies leaving in droves and the problems with the development zone.After he was gone, Rachel immediately stood up and went upstairs to look for Stephen. She wanted to take action immediately.When she walked into the room, she saw Stephen sitting at his desk, reading through some documents.“Stop reading that.” Rachel stepped forward and tried to drag him to bed.However, Stephen was not in the mood. His mind was a chaotic mess, consumed by the proposals in front of him and the haunting image of Lily breaking into tears when he left her.“Don’t bother me.” Stephen pushed Rachel away.Rachel was stunned. Stephen had always cared deeply for her. Since their marriage, she had not even

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    At the foot of the mountain, Lily and Stephen, sitting in their car, had no idea that the family of three they had just encountered was Scott and Cora from the story.They had no idea that Ethan saved both Scott and Cara and even led them to live a blissful life together. However, watching the happy family caused Lily and Stephen to feel even more upset.They were from prestigious, powerful families, with more money than they could ever spend and the kind of influence most people could only dream of. Yet, in their marriages, they were not even as happy as random strangers on the street. Not only had they missed out on love, but there was not even a moment of fleeting passion between them.Lily wept quietly, but Stephen had no idea how to comfort her. He merely sat beside her, his head bowed.Just then, his phone rang. He did not want to answer it, but the caller was persistent. Stephen took out his phone, and when he saw that it was Simon, he reluctantly picked up.“Have you wrapp

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    Lily shook her head. She knew what the result was just by looking at Stephen’s expression. She smiled wryly. “You’ve done enough. I’m very happy about all you’ve done for me. Let’s head down the mountain.”Stephen was barely keeping it together, so Lily drove them down. She seemed fine on the surface, but once they reached the foot of the mountain, she could not hold back anymore. She stopped the car and burst into tears.Stephen listened to her sobs but was powerless. He knew why Lily was crying, but he could not comfort her.Just then, someone knocked on the car window. Lily held back her cries and rolled down the window.A couple carrying a child stood outside, and the man asked in concern, “Is something wrong? Do you need help?”Lily looked at the happy family in front of her and felt worse.“I’m fine. Please leave.”Then, she rolled the window back up.The couple exchanged a look before leaving helplessly.Inside the car, Lily choked out, “Steph, I don’t want to leave y

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