“What are you doing here?” Rachel frowned. For some reason, she wanted to see Ethan even more after drinking. Seeing Stephen simply irritated her.“You have a lot of nerve to ask that!” Stephen asked coldly, “Do you remember who you are now? How dare you go to a bar and fool around?”Rachel was shocked. She did not expect Stephen to know that she went to a bar. However, that was not something shameful. She had gone out many times before and could always hold her drink well. “I can go wherever I want to go. What has it got to do with you?”At those words, Stephen could no longer hold back and slapped Rachel across the cheek.“Bitch! You went to a bar and fooled around with other men, and you said it has nothing to do with me? I’m the young master of the Quinns. How am I inferior to other men?” Stephen yelled, “How am I inferior to Ethan?”Rachel was stunned by the slap. He hit her! Just because she fooled around with another man, Stephen hit her.When she turned her head back, her
If it were in the past, which woman would dare to betray him? Even if a woman betrayed him, he could effortlessly kick her aside without a second thought.“When did I start becoming so timid?”Stephen glanced at his phone. The man had returned home safely. The online insults against him had decreased slightly, but there were still many people who were very dissatisfied with him.He closed his eyes and turned off his phone, not wanting to look at it anymore.Now, he just wanted to focus on managing Breeze City. Once all the issues in Breeze City were resolved and the economy improved, the anger everyone felt toward him would disappear.Unbeknownst to him, the Spencers were already keeping an eye on him now.At the Spencers’ residence, Edward and Tyler were very smug as they read the news online. What they wanted was to further damage Stephen’s reputation, especially in Breeze City. That was because it was crucial for their next move.Before Ethan left Breeze City, he left two fam
The next day, Stephen woke up as soon as dawn broke and saw that it was not even 7 yet, but he could not fall back asleep. Unless he succeeded once, he would never sleep well again.He went downstairs to have breakfast, planning to check on the farmland relocation issue later.When he passed by Rachel’s room, he glanced at the door guiltily. He had acted too impulsively yesterday. “I need to stay calm. I can’t keep acting rashly.”By 8 p.m., Stephen finished his breakfast and left in a hurry. He believed that Heaven rewarded the diligent. As long as he worked hard, he surely would not fail again.Not long after Stephen left, Rachel woke up. She had the breakfast that was prepared earlier discarded and then made a meal for herself.After eating, she went out to meet Zoey for a shopping trip as planned. Zoey was a local and knew more about the events in the city, so Rachel found it convenient to have her as a guide to familiarize herself with Breeze City.Soon after that, Rachel sa
“You’re my role model. I’ve always been your fan!”The onlookers continued to praise Rachel, making the smug smile on her face grow.Zoey then said, “Rachel, let me handle these men. They’ve been causing trouble in Breeze City for too long. I’ve always wanted to teach them a lesson.”Rachel nodded. “I’ll wait for you in the car.”“Thanks, Rachel!” Zoey took the men out of Rachel’s sight and then let them go.A few minutes later, she returned to the car, and Rachel asked, “What did you do with them?”“I beat them up and called the cops. They’ll be quaking in their boots the next time they see us.”Rachel grinned. “Good job.”Zoey also smiled. “I heard that Stephen Quinn was coming and was worried since he’s incompetent. Problems arose in every city he went to, but I’m not worried now since you’re also here. You’re much more exceptional than Stephen. If you were in charge of Breeze City, everyone’s future would grow brighter. Breeze City would surely become Riveria’s, no, the nat
Before Ethan left, he had explicitly told them that food production was of utmost importance. Any issue affecting planting or harvesting had to be resolved as soon as possible.When they heard that the farmland had to be relocated, they quickly sent people to clear the fields. If the land could be cleared and seeds planted within a week, they could still manage a harvest this year. It was critical for the whole of Riveria.Stephen mumbled, “The Ford and the Lane families?” He was not familiar with the families in Breeze City since he had been too focused on the water pollution issues.“Thank you for your assistance.” Stephen smiled.“It’s our duty. Although Mr. Rivers isn’t around anymore, we’ll continue safeguarding Breeze City’s food harvest.”Stephen was shocked. Ethan?“You know Ethan Rivers?”The captain replied, “Mr. Rivers told us to stay here.”Stephen suspected their motives, but when he heard that it was Ethan who had told them to stay, he completely relaxed.After h
Stephen ate something and went back to his room. He was not planning to rest yet. Instead, he took the opportunity to look into the Ford and the Lane families.The information showed that the Fords and Lanes had their own businesses in Breeze City, and they were also the leading enterprises in the city. When Riveria was still in turmoil, the two families did not add to the chaos and instead worked hard to improve Breeze City.However, back then, the two families were targeted by other families and forces, and they almost faced ruin.Then, one day, the families that had been targeting the Fords and the Lanes all apologized, and the factions quickly disbanded. Not long after that, the Fords and the Lanes started new companies and began to thrive again.Although the information did not go into detail about how they managed to turn things around, Stephen knew what happened.“It must be Ethan,” he muttered to himself. “He must have intervened.”After carefully reading the documents, S
Who would dare to challenge the Spencers at the peak of their power?Before any of the families or factions could react, there was another shocking news from the Spencers—they were donating half of their wealth to develop Breeze City.Everyone thought they had misheard. Although Marcus was dead, the Spencers were not angry. Instead, they donated half their assets! It was like a lizard cutting off its own tail to survive.Not long after, several families went into obscurity and also announced that they were donating their assets.At that point, the remaining families and factions felt that something was going on. However, before they could respond, the Spencers and the families that donated their wealth all united to fight against the local criminal organizations.Having donated half of their wealth, the Spencers and the other families were already severely weakened when they fought against the criminal organizations. Although they won in the end, they could never recover.In the
After all, Nolan took care of him while he was in Hill City.Stephen started to deceive himself. It was not only because Nolan had completely fooled him but also because he was unwilling to accept that he had been tricked again.“The Spencers must have turned over a new leaf.”Just then, Daniel and Caleb looked at Stephen and asked, “Sir, do you know where Mr. Rivers has gone? He has been missing for some time.”Stephen stiffened and said uneasily, “I don’t know.” He could not tell them that Ethan was currently locked up in Drakthorn Ridge and that he was the one who had locked him up! If he told them, he might not leave the Fords’ residence alive today.‘Well, I’m not completely at fault,’ Stephen thought to himself. ‘I gave him a chance. If he was willing to help me, I would’ve allowed him to occasionally go down the mountain. It’s his own fault for being ungrateful.’Daniel and Caleb frowned and said, “Recently, there’s been a lot of criticism of Mr. Rivers online. Can you hel
The celebrity host took the stage, delivered a welcome speech, and introduced the theme of the gala. The host was quite well-known and starred in several hit dramas. The audience below the stage cheered her name.Three minutes later, Simon stepped onto the stage and gave his New Year’s greetings to everyone following the prepared script.Then, the opening performance began!Five major celebrities participated in the first act, combining singing, dancing, and a dazzling light show with fireworks, leaving the audience in awe.Each of the five celebrities took turns singing a few lines one after another, mesmerizing everyone. When they came together for the chorus, the crowd could not help but applaud.As the song neared its end, even more stars and singers joined hand in hand on stage, singing together and igniting the crowd’s atmosphere.The audience stood up in excitement, some even moved to tears.Meanwhile, the viewers in the livestream took screenshots, recorded videos, and s
Avery said faintly, “If you’re done apologizing, you can leave now. We’re about to have lunch. After lunch, we have things to do. We’re not idle like you. We’re very busy.”Those words hit a nerve. Stephen did not want to be idle either.Now, he had no friends left. Everyone kept their distance from him. It was New Year’s, but the only person he could think of who he could talk to was just Ethan.However, Ethan was not like him. He had a happy family, and there were countless things to do as a couple such as going for walks or visiting family and friends...Stephen let out a heavy sigh.“I see.” His voice was soft. “Sorry for disturbing you.”Then, he turned and left. When he walked out of the villa, the cold mountain breeze cleared his mind a little.Stephen let out another sigh, then took out a bouquet from his car and slowly walked to the summit. He wanted to go to the place where Lily died to give her a bouquet of roses and tell her that he missed her.Not long after he lef
The next day at noon, Stephen gathered enough courage to go back up the mountain.He was scared now.He was scared of seeing Ethan with a happy family while he himself was a lonely, pitiful man. The comparison would make him feel so miserable that he would not even be able to lift his head.At the same time, he was also afraid of missing this perfect opportunity to apologize to Ethan on New Year’s Day.Stephen arrived at the villa again. Holding a gift in hand, he took a deep breath and slowly walked in. He saw Ethan in the living room and quickly greeted, “Ethan, Happy New Year. I brought you a gift. Please accept it.”Ethan looked at him calmly. “There’s still a gala in Breeze City tonight, and you’re an important guest. Do you have time to run around like this?”Stephen smiled wryly and gently placed the gift on the table. “I’m not interested in that gala.”He knew what the purpose of the gala was. It was just to stimulate Breeze City’s economy. However, that was not a long-t
Stephen immediately opened his eyes, but there was no one beside him.“Stephen, I wish you an early happy birthday too!” Lily’s voice rang out from his other side.Stephen turned his head and saw Lily lying beside him, smiling sweetly.Then, he looked toward where Snow’s voice had come from. Snow was also lying beside him, looking at him with gentle eyes.Stephen knew in his heart that it was just an illusion.“Aren’t you making a wish?”“What’s your wish?”Stephen closed his eyes again. At that moment, a thousand thoughts rushed through his mind.Who was he?He was the heir of the Quinns. From the moment he was born, he held a position that countless people envied.However, out of a million possible paths, not one was truly his own.He could not be with his loved ones. He could not achieve success overnight. He was not admired by all or surrounded by family and friends.Stephen thought that at least one of those fates belonged to him and her.However, their final meeting
Stephen would be lighting the first segment, and Simon would light the final one.As the celebrities arrived, the riverside became even more lively. People called out their favorite celebrity’s names or nicknames.Seeing this, Stephen felt emotional. If he had not made mistakes, perhaps these people would be calling his name too.When it was nearly midnight, Simon approached Stephen and said, “It’s about time. Get ready to light the fireworks.”He pulled Stephen over to the spot where the fireworks he was responsible for were, and a staff member handed him a torch.“When the countdown ends, use the torch to ignite the fuse, then run and pass the torch to the next person, who will continue lighting the fireworks.“Good luck,” Simon encouraged him. “You can do it!”Stephen took the torch and sighed inwardly. He felt like this whole thing was meaningless. However, when the countdown began, he started to feel a little nervous.“Ten! Nine!”Stephen instinctively tightened his grip
After Simon’s livestream, everyone felt slightly more reassured about Breeze City’s situation.“If he dares to guarantee this, he must have prepared thoroughly.”“It should be safe to attend the gala, right?”“My favorite celebrity will be there, and right now, Breeze City has 40% off train fares, 20% off flight tickets, and 50% off tour packages. It’s so tempting.”Simon placed all his hopes on this gala. He was willing to pour money into it to ensure its success.The event venue was fully set up three days before the new year. The tickets were completely sold out, and the city’s visitor count was now dozens of times higher than before!Breeze City’s declining economy finally showed signs of rising!Simon’s eyes nearly welled up when he saw the financial reports.Two days before the gala, the celebrities attending the event started arriving and followed Simon’s instructions to interact with fans so that more tourists would be attracted to come and spend.Even some celebrities
During this past week, Simon worked without stopping. He spent most of his rest time either in his office or sleeping in cars or planes.He got less than five hours of rest every day!However, thanks to his efforts, Breeze City improved significantly. Its economy stabilized, goods prices returned to normal, robbery incidents decreased, and dangerous elements were eliminated. Furthermore, seventeen new factories were also established in the city.Everything was moving in a positive direction, but Simon’s lack of rest was just one of the consequences. Every day, the Quinns were spending money. In just a week, another 300 million had been spent.Harrison called him again and told him to spend more cautiously. Although the Quinn family had a lot of money, it was not infinite.Furthermore, most of their wealth was not in liquid cash. The actual funds they could use at any time were only a few tens of billions.The South Regent and Victor observed Simon’s actions and felt slightly amaz
Without Ethan’s support, what had Breeze City become? It was somewhere people struggled to survive.What happened to Stephen? His hair turned white overnight, and he grew depressed like a soulless walking corpse.All of this was the result of their wrong decisions.Simon stared at the scattered documents on the ground and let out a long sigh. He felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. He had hoped to use Ethan’s past methods to turn things around, but in the end, he only ended up harming himself.Just then, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw that it was a call from Harrison.As soon as he picked it up, Harrison said, “Something’s happened to Stephen again. He went out with his friends but coughed up blood at a riddle booth. The doctor said his condition is serious.”After a brief pause, he continued, “His will to live is extremely low.”“What?” Simon was stunned. He had sent Stephen back in hopes that his friends could help him recover. However, things had gotten wor
Everyone watched as Simon made a solemn promise. Coupled with his offer of 300 million dollars to restore Breeze City, their anger somewhat subsided.“Maybe Stephen really was framed.”“Should we trust him again?”“At this point, let’s just trust him one last time.”After a brief discussion, they decided to believe Simon once more.Simon sighed in relief and quickly said, “Thank you, everyone!”Although the 300 million dollars and his final guarantee were not a big deal to him, it was still a disgrace to the Quinn family’s reputation.Simon knew that from now on, he had to devote himself to protecting Breeze City and ensure that it would never fall into chaos again. Otherwise, he would have no more excuses, and no one would trust him anymore.Back in his office, he had a subordinate retrieve Breeze City’s development plans and important decision-making documents from the past three years.Back then, Ethan had been in charge of the city. Simon planned to study Ethan’s methods a