Rachel asked Theo, “If you manage these two families, will you end up like them?”Clatter!Theo suddenly stood up. “I swear to the heavens, if I ever betray you or do something that harms everyone, I shall be struck by five bolts of lightning!”Rachel nodded in satisfaction, reassured by his conviction. “Sit down.” She still had other problems, such as how to take over the two families. Should she go to them directly?“What’s on your mind, Rachel?” Zara asked.“I’m trying to figure out how to take over the two families,” Rachel said. “Can I just go and demand from them?”After all, she was the daughter of the former governor and one of the administrators of Breeze City. It should be possible to directly ask them to hand over their entire fortune, right?Zoey shook her head. “Of course not.”“Then, what should we do?” Rachel was confused. She had no management experience. In the past, Ethan was the one who handled all the matters in Riveria. She always felt tired just hearing ab
“They even drove farmers out to the outskirts to farm!”“Just yesterday, they used excavators to destroy other people’s farmland. They’re despicable.”“I’m from Breeze City. I can testify that it’s all true. They really did send excavators to drive people away.”“Are they a criminal organization?”Following that narrative, many people who did not know the truth believed the accusations and thought that the Fords and the Lanes were truly evil.Some of the more rational ones spoke up, telling the others not to jump to conclusions, but they were immediately attacked by the commenters the Spencers hired.“Why are you defending them? Are you part of their organization?”“This is hilarious. Did you go mad from eating contaminated food?”“How dare you defend these heartless companies? Be careful you don’t get hit by a car one day.”Some even sent private messages, cursing them. The rational people were frightened and quickly deleted their comments, not daring to speak out again.Whe
Stephen also noticed the news online. When he heard that the Ford and the Lane family businesses were in trouble, he immediately called Daniel and Caleb.“Did you really sell contaminated grain?”“No,” Daniel and Caleb assured him. They would never sell grain with quality issues. “We just sent our grain for inspection today. The results will come out soon. Once we have the quality report and publicly apologize, it’ll probably clear our names.”Stephen asked, “Do you need my help?” He felt that if he intervened, it would surely help the Fords and the Lanes weather this storm.“There’s no need.” Daniel and Caleb felt that the situation was not serious enough for Stephen to step in. If he helped, it might make it seem like there really was something wrong with them.“Okay,” Stephen said. “If you need help, just contact me.”“Thank you, sir.” They expressed their sincere gratitude.Meanwhile, Zoey told Rachel that the grain from the Fords and the Lanes was undergoing inspection. Wit
Edward was closely monitoring the situation in Breeze City and was pleased when he saw the public’s anger. “Now, it’s time for Rachel to step in.”Zoey called Rachel and told her to take action.The Spencers had even prepared a statement for Rachel. All she had to do was post it online as an administrator of Breeze City, and everything would fall into place.The message was brief: “I have been made aware of the situation and have started an investigation. We will give everyone an explanation as soon as possible.”The netizens cheered when they saw this.“Great! Rachel is here. She’s the daughter of the former governor of Riveria as well as Stephen’s wife. She’s one of Riveria’s administrators now. She’ll be sure to deal with the Fords and the Lanes.”“Someone is finally standing up for us.”“Go, Rachel!”“You got this, my goddess!”The people of Breeze City calmed down slightly when they learned that Rachel was seeking justice for them. Although they did not know about Rachel’
“Forget it. I need to check on David and Caleb first.”Stephen rushed to the prison to visit them and ask what happened. He went straight to their cell. “Why were you arrested? Didn’t you say there was nothing wrong with your grain?”Daniel and Caleb were confused as well. They thought their grain was fine, but the inspection found that it was contaminated. They were also wondering where things went wrong.“Please believe us, sir. We really didn’t do anything.”“We were framed!”Seeing how sincere they looked, Stephen thought that he might need to investigate the matter.However, the Spencers had already anticipated that Stephen would want to clear their names, so they arranged for several incidents to divert his attention.As soon as Stephen left the prison, he received news. “Some animals have escaped from the reserve and are destroying crops. Several fields have been damaged.”“Go and see what’s going on,” Stephen quickly responded.When he arrived at the site, he saw that
While Stephen was reviewing Theo’s information, Theo was also busy. He had gone alone to the Spencers’ residence to meet Edward.“I’ve done what you told me to. I’ve taken over the Fords’ and the Lanes’ family businesses, so it’s time for you to fulfill your promise and tell me where he is.”Theo’s family had long since been destroyed, and he used their remaining assets to secure a position as the chief of a small village. Thanks to the Spencer family helping him from the shadows, he made connections with Rachel and took control of two enterprises.The Spencers told him to acquire the two businesses as a bargaining chip. In return, Edward would tell him information about Ethan.Theo harbored deep hatred toward Ethan, who ruined the Harlows. His father had been killed, his mother committed suicide, and all his friends had left him. He was no longer the young master of the Harlows but nothing more than a stray dog.Now, he was the final survivor of the Harlows. He fantasized about h
Ethan looked at Theo and saw him slowly take out a three-inch-long fruit knife that had been specially sharpened.He said calmly, “I have enough fruit knives. I appreciate the gesture, but you can take it back later.”“This knife isn’t a gift for you. It’s to send you to your death!” Theo shouted and stepped toward Ethan. He had waited three years for that moment. For three years, he had had nightmares every night of Ethan destroying everything he once had. Now that Ethan was right in front of him, he could not wait a second longer.Ethan, however, did not grow nervous or panicked when he saw Theo approach. Instead, he remained calm.“As the son of the Harlows, you should know that your family and several other families joined forces to kill me. However, despite hiring expensive assassins, they failed. Do you think you’ll succeed?”Theo gritted his teeth. “I’m different from them.”Ethan smiled. “You’re exactly the same as them. Whether it's assassins, the Harlows, or other fam
There were still plenty of women pursuing Ethan whose status, appearance, and figure far surpassed Rachel. Furthermore, they were extremely well-raised by their families. They were superior to Rachel in every aspect, especially the Grand Marshal’s granddaughter. She was the most beautiful and talented of them all. Compared to her, Rachel was insignificant.The only reason Rachel had met Ethan was because she was the daughter of the former governor and used to live in that villa.Theo frowned. “You don’t care about Rachel?”Ethan said, “Never have. First, she has nothing but flaws. First of all, all I see in her are flaws. She has no redeeming qualities. You might think she's pretty or that her background is something, but to me, that doesn't even register."“Secondly, she’s Stephen Quinn’s wife now. He should be the one caring about her. She has nothing to do with me. Thirdly…”Ethan lowered his head and looked at Theo. “Your mother once pursued me.”Theo’s eyes widened as he exc
Stephen spun around anxiously, glancing and trying to find the figure of the two women in the crowd. The South Regent and Victor could not help but laugh at the side. “Stop teasing him,” Victor said. Stephen looked at them. “What do you mean?”The South Regent tried to hold back his laughter. “I tricked you. You didn’t run in the wrong direction. We took the boat here.”Stephen glanced at the river and, true enough, saw a small boat. He was in such a rush that he did not notice it. “Where are they?” Stephen could no longer care whether he was tricked. Right now, nothing was more important than finding Snow and Lily. “They left. Duh.” The South Regent said, “The festival is almost over, so they left. Although you didn’t run the wrong way, you were too late.”Stephen yelled, “Impossible!”“It’s true. They left,” Victor added. “Nonsense!” Stephen stood on his tiptoes and scanned his surroundings. “Snow! Lily! Where are you?”Victor shook his head. “Did you really think
The two people he thought about day and night and felt the most guilt for were on the opposite side of the river. The day he lost Snow, he searched desperately through the abandoned village, overwhelmed with agony. The day he lost Lily, his hair turned grey overnight, and he stood on top of the cliff on Drakthorn Ridge, the thought of jumping down crossing his mind several times. Later, when he stole Ethan’s achievements and gained the hope of joining the cabinet, he thought he had another chance to find them. That was until Riviera plunged into chaos again, and his chance disappeared. He thought he would never be able to find them for the rest of his life, yet now, there they were across the river. They were so close to him—only twenty meters away!Stephen trembled as he watched them gently raise their sparklers with bright smiles lighting up their faces. When he returned to his senses, he dashed past Ethan and rushed to the riverbank, waving his hands frantically. “I’m here!
Thanks to Stephen’s shout out, many tourists came to the town to join the festival. Stephen watched the bustling crowd, lost in thought, when two familiar figures suddenly appeared.Stephen trembled as his eyes widened in disbelief. They were Snow and Lily!He snapped out of his daze and rushed into the crowd. However, when he was standing right where he had seen them, they were gone. He looked around him, but with so many people moving around, he could not look far.“Was it just my imagination?”Stephen calmed himself down. He had been through so much lately that he was starting to hallucinate. How could Snow and Lily be there anyway?Believing he needed some rest, he booked a room and took a nap. When he lay down on the bed, he quickly fell asleep from all the exhaustion.He dreamed about Snow and Lily, as well as Rhys. However, Rhys was surrounded by thick fog that obscured his face.Stephen looked at him and asked, “Did you ever think of giving up?”Rhys said, “There are so
“He’s amazing.” Stephen asked excitedly, “Where is he now? I’d like to meet him.”The mayor took a deep drag of his cigarette and blew it out. “You can’t.”“Huh?” Stephen did not understand.The mayor replied, “He’s dead.”Stephen froze. Rhys, the person hailed as the second Ethan Rivers, was dead? “How could that be?”The mayor gazed at the sky outside the door. “It’s been like this since ancient times. Heroes never live long enough to grow old in this world. He got cancer and passed away not long after Riveria achieved peace. We started this festival to honor him and other heroes.”The mayor’s voice was filled with regret.“He was a good kid. It’s such a shame.”Stephen was lost in a daze. Just moments ago, he was thrilled to hear of Rhys’ past, thinking he was saved. If he could find Rhys, the problems in Riveria would be solved easily. However, Rhys was dead. In fact, he had been gone for several years.Stephen’s so-called hope never existed.“How could this be…” He cou
The mayor looked out at the blue sky, lost in thought.“Since she chose you, I’ll step aside,” Rhys said as he handed his friend the keepsake his childhood sweetheart had once given him when they swore their love.“Besides, given these chaotic times, love isn’t something I can afford to dwell on. I have to live up to the expectations people have of me. I can’t let them down.” He looked at the girl one last time and took a deep breath before saying, “Goodbye.”His family was destroyed at a young age, so Rhys longed for peace more than anyone. He always wanted to be part of the effort to protect Riveria.The year he graduated from university, the Grand Marshal passed away. All of Riveria was in despair, believing that Riveria was doomed. However, Rhys was determined to join Ethan’s forces.In multiple operations, he displayed excellent skills, strategic thinking, and intelligence, allowing Ethan to take notice of him and guide him. In turn, Rhys learned a lot from Ethan.“Study the
The mayor nodded and explained the origin of the festival and its name.“Riveria used to be a chaos-filled land, but many unsung heroes stepped up to make it better. The peace we enjoy today is all thanks to their selfless dedication.“The name Rhys Festival comes from a man named Rhys Estrela. He was once a subordinate of Mr. Rivers, who made great sacrifices for Riveria. There’s a local saying that goes, ‘A single spark can start a prairie fire.’ We always believe that as long as we don’t give up, Riveria will surely thrive.”Those words sent a chill down Stephen’s spine. The mayor mentioned Mr. Rivers, and while others might not know who that was, Stephen knew—it was Ethan! It meant that the festival was related to Ethan. To top it off, the festival was named after Ethan’s subordinate, Rhys Estrela, a name Stephen was unfamiliar with. He had been in Riveria for half a year but had never heard of that name before. He had no idea what Rhys did to leave his name behind like that.
Hearing Stephen’s positive response, the people in Riveria calmed down slightly.“I hope they can recover the money soon.”“I took out a loan on my house to invest. If we don’t get it back, my family is done for.”“Let’s believe in Stephen. No matter what, he was the Grand Marshal’s mentee.”“He did a good job running Riveria before. I’m sure he can do it again.”“Yeah. This is just a minor issue compared to before.”Most people expressed their trust in Stephen. They could tell that he was far more worn out than before. His hair, which had shown signs of turning black again, had faded back to white again. Some people even felt sorry for him.However, there were others who doubted his abilities. The scammers had fled abroad. Would Stephen be able to catch them, and even if they were caught, could the money be recovered? What if the scammers had laundered the money by auctioning off artwork?They voiced their concerns online. Some people agreed, understanding why they were worrie
Stephen looked at the contract. Other than the high price, there were no other problems.However, the high price was a humiliation for both Stephen and the whole of Riveria.He wanted to refuse and even curse them, but he had no leverage against the other party and was completely passive in this situation. If he did not agree, the crops and livestock in Riveria would be finished.Stephen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Even though he knew that many people would hate him, he still signed the contract.“Pleasure doing business with you.” The foreigners took the contract and chuckled. With that, they left.The meeting room was silent, Stephen being the only one left. He slumped into his chair, uncertain if he had made the right decision.Half an hour later, his phone rang, snapping him back to reality. He had more work to do.Many people in Riveria had been scammed into buying virtual currency, losing over ten billion. Stephen had to give the people an answer.“How did the
Stephen had no choice but to use a translation device, continuing the discussion while they mocked him.Despite his utmost sincerity and effort, they refused to lower their price at all, confident that they had Stephen cornered.His only option was to take money from the Quinns and pour it into developing the medicine. However, he knew the Quinns well. There was no way they would take out billions at once for something like this, especially when there were other diseases to deal with as well.They were no match for Ethan, but the Quinns were nothing to them, let alone Stephen.“We’ll get to the point.”They spoke in Stephen’s language to make sure that he understood. “You’re not good enough. Only Mr. Rivers can manage Riveria. You can’t even protect the people around you. How do you plan to protect Riveria?”Stephen’s expression soured. He knew that they were telling the truth. He had no way to refute, and being stubborn would only make him look more ridiculous.“I’m not as good