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
When Theo heard those words, his mind went blank. The one who killed his father was not Ethan but his own mother, and the reason was absurd!He wanted to deny it. How could his mother have killed her husband? However, as the son of the Harlows, he knew everything that happened in the family. How long had it been since his parents had a civil conversation? Sometimes, they even slept in separate rooms. Did they truly love each other?Theo could lie to everyone else but not to himself. He knew what Ethan said was true.For three years, he had hated the wrong person! The real killer was dead, and even if the killer were still alive, Theo knew he would not be able to get revenge.“Why are you telling me all this?” Theo looked at Ethan. “You gave me hope and then crushed it. What do you want?”“It’s simple,” Ethan said calmly. “I want you dead.”From the moment Theo arrived with a knife, he had to die. Since he wanted to kill Ethan, Ethan had no reason to keep him alive.Theo trembl
Even though Ethan was locked up in Drakthorn Ridge, he could still find out everything that happened inside and outside of Riveria. Theo had no doubt that if Ethan wanted to take action, he and all his connections, family, and forces would be obliterated instantly.Ethan said, “You can go back now. When you return to Breeze City, release Daniel Ford and Caleb Lane.”Theo lowered his head. “I understand.”He tried to stand but found that he had lost all the strength in his legs. After a brief rest, he managed to struggle to his feet.“Don’t forget to take the trash with you.” Ethan glanced at the knife on the ground.Theo silently picked up the knife, then left with his head bowed.When he came, he came with the intent to kill, but when he left, he was listless like a dead man walking. Throughout the ordeal, Ethan had not touched him at all, let alone laid a hand on him, but Theo felt as if his body was covered in bruises.He had a sister, but he had no way of finding her. Only E
“Yes,” Edward immediately said. “We should release them. We took it too far this time.”Theo was speechless.Edward continued, “I’ve thought of a way to get them out. We can use Stephen to have them released. It’ll make the process a lot easier. That way, we can deepen the rift between Stephen and Rachel. That’ll work to our advantage as well.”He knew that Stephen had met with both Daniel and Caleb recently, and they left a good impression on him. If he told Stephen that Daniel and Caleb did not deserve to be imprisoned, it would free the two men and elevate the Spencers’ standing in Stephen’s heart.That was the best plan Edward could think of.If Daniel and Caleb were released, they might still suffer some consequences, and all their previous efforts would be in vain. However, if the Spencers stepped in and got Stephen to intervene, they could avoid a total disaster.The next morning, Tyler approached Stephen. He had gathered enough evidence and made sure to present it in a wa
After Theo saw Rachel off, he fell into an anxious and seemingly endless wait again. Until he received a new request from Ethan, he could not find a moment of peace. He felt like he had gained a new superpower: being able to foresee his own death but not knowing exactly when or how he would die. It was not until Tyler came to see him that he snapped back to reality. “We should start transferring the money out of the companies,” Tyler stated his intention as soon as he arrived. They acquired the two biggest companies because they needed the funds to further strengthen the Spencer family’s position. If they succeeded, the Spencer family would be stronger than ever, even more powerful than they were three years ago.Theo nodded. “I’m on it.” A slight hesitation later, he asked, “Can I ask another favor?” “What is it?” Tyler raised his brows. “Ethan told me that I have a half-sister. I want you guys to locate her.” Tyler narrowed his eyes. “Any clues?” He was both surpri
“Don’t spend too much time on finding the girl. We should focus on Daniel and Caleb first.” From the moment the two of them were rescued, they had been keeping a close eye on them. They must prevent the two from leaking any news to Stephen or the media regarding the Spencers. On the other hand, Daniel and Caleb were still feeling lost. It had only been a day since their arrest, but the changes in their businesses and families had been overwhelming. The companies they had worked so hard on were suddenly someone else’s property, and their families were put under heavy restriction, so much so that even a 2000 dollars transaction required the authorities to call and ask what it was for. As if that was not enough, people would vandalize the gates and walls of their houses, berating them and criticizing them openly. Some even threw homemade explosives into the yard in the middle of the night. Daniel and Caleb were no strangers to hardship, but this time, they truly didn’t know what
Simon asked weakly, “Is there really no chance?”Ethan replied calmly, “Figure it out yourselves. This has nothing to do with me.”With those words, Simon’s last hope was completely shattered. His body swayed. He wanted to say many things, but in the end, he could not utter a single word and stood up in a daze.“Sorry for disturbing you.”With that, he turned and slowly left. At that moment, he felt like he aged a lot. Regret filled his heart. If he had known, he would never have provoked Ethan in the first place. He was the one who cut off every retreat and every path to survival.He had doomed himself!As soon as he left the villa, his phone rang. It was a call from his father, Harrison.“Something's happened!” Harrison said anxiously. “Stephen just announced that he’s going to reveal the truth that he deceived everyone! What’s he trying to do? He’s not really going to expose the truth, right?”Simon was silent. He did not expect Stephen to act so quickly. Stephen had just ca
Stephen continued, “I’ve already made up my mind. I just called you to tell you about this. This is my decision. No matter what happens next, don’t try to help me.”Simon was moved. Stephen was telling them to watch as he walked to his death. Simon could not bear it, but the problem was too significant. Refusing would make no difference.In the end, he took a deep breath and said in a low voice, “I understand.”Stephen forced a smile. “Thanks.”The call ended.Simon stood still, holding his phone, lost in thought. In that final moment, Stephen did not seem like a young man, but an elder.“He really has... surpassed me.”Stephen finally had the strength to take over the Quinn family and lead it to glory, but he was going to die. Simon looked up at the sky and could not help but remember the word that Stephen said.“Fate.”What if he took Stephen’s place in death? Could that save him?However, after thinking about it, it was impossible. This whole incident involved Ethan. Ethan
“What?” Simon was shocked.Reveal the truth? How could they do that?Coveting Ethan’s achievements, they wanted to take Riveria from him and claim his victories as their own. They worked with the Lowe family to frame Ethan, erased all his contributions, and painted him as a corrupt official who embezzled money to support his mistresses.Even now, many people still believed them and cursed Ethan online every day.If the truth were exposed, the Quinns would be finished. No one in the Quinns and the Lowes would be able to escape.“Have you gone mad?”Stephen shook his head. “I’m thinking straight. I’ve never been more rational than I am right now. I’ll reveal the truth, but I won’t implicate the Quinns.”He said slowly, “I’ll take all the blame upon myself. The only one who dies will be me.”Simon paled. “No!”Sacrificing Stephen to save the Quinns—he could not accept that!Stephen was the only heir of the Quinn family, and he represented the family’s image. If the public found
A few minutes later, Stephen finally accepted reality and slowly walked out of the washroom.Still feeling lightheaded, he searched through the medicine cabinet, swallowed some fever medicine, and sat on the couch.“I don’t have much time left.”Stephen began executing his final plan. He would take the blame for everything and reveal the truth. Once he did that, Ethan’s name would be cleared, and he would reclaim everything that was rightfully his. The Quinns would also have a chance to survive.The only person who would die was himself.Stephen was afraid of death in the past, but it was different now. He had lost everything. His heart was shattered beyond repair. His heart completely died the moment Snow and Lily walked away from him.Rhys’s experience gave him the courage to face death. They had gone through similar experiences and shared the same fate of death, but Rhys had chosen to meet it head-on.Stephen took out his phone and started drafting his statement. He had to ex
George rushed out upon hearing Rachel’s scream.“There’s a stranger in the house! He’s in the bathroom now!”George grabbed a broom and walked forward nervously. Who would dare to break into the Lowes' house? However, when he saw Stephen’s current appearance, he froze.George was in his fifties and had greying hair and wrinkles while Stephen was only in his twenties. However, Stephen looked even older than him.George rubbed his eyes, thinking they were playing tricks on him. When he opened them again, Stephen still had a head full of white hair.“That’s Stephen?”Behind him, Rachel covered her mouth in shock.The first time she saw Stephen, she had been attracted by his looks. Although he was not as handsome as Ethan, his status as an heir, along with his background and aura, added to his charm.However, that once-dashing Stephen had turned into an old man with white hair and wrinkles. His powerful aura as the heir of the Quinns was completely gone. Now, he no longer looked li
Stephen’s mind went blank. Pleading Ethan to return did not work. He had missed his final opportunity. Ethan no longer cared about Riveria anymore. He was doomed, and so was Riveria. “Enough,” Ethan said. “You can leave. This should be the last time we meet.”After that, Ethan turned around and walked back into the villa. “No!”Stephen scrambled over to Ethan on his hands and knees, trying to grab hold of his thigh. Thud! Ethan’s strength surpassed that of a military expert. Before Stephen could reach him, Ethan kicked him to the ground. Stephen rolled on the floor disgracefully and was covered with dust when he stopped, looking like a beggar on the side of the road. “Please. Give me and Riveria a chance. I’ll tell everyone the truth!”Bang. Only the sound of the door closing slowly responded to him. Stephen crawled up and slumped on the ground. He failed to get Ethan to step in. Even his life was not worth anything now. All of the karma had come to him.Stephen’s b
After waking up from his dream, he must face the fact that they had already left. “I’m fine,” Stephen said weakly. “Please discharge me.”He knew he was not physically sick, but it was his mind that was troubled. Staying in the hospital further was useless. He knew he had more important things to do and that staying would only waste his time.The nurse frowned. “I’ll let them know.”Discharging Stephen from the hospital was not a decision the nurse could make on her own. The doctor arrived and gave Stephen a full-body examination.“You’re in a bad state. We recommend you stay in the hospital and have some rest.”Stephen shook his head. “No.”“But…”“No buts!” Stephen raised his voice, “I don’t have much time left!”After joining the Rhys Festival, learning about Rhys, and hearing that Snow and Lily chose to leave him, he had a dream. In his dream, Rhys said that he had a way to solve the problem and asked him to follow him.Although he could not follow Rhys, Stephen knew tha
Stephen slumped to the ground, the strength drained from his body. Even his consciousness was fading away. Due to a misunderstanding, he lost Snow. For temporary happiness, he had missed Lily. He had been living in pain and regret, always fantasizing about the day he would find the two women, apologize to them properly, and provide them with a happy life. But now, just when he had finally caught a glimpse of them, they slipped away from his fingers. And before he even managed to find them, he was informed of the news that they did not love him anymore. These revelations felt like a thousand knives stabbing directly into Stephen’s heart, so agonizing that he could hardly breathe. It was even worse than death. “How did it end up like this?” Tears streamed down his face as he muttered, “I haven’t found them. I still owe them an apology. Why…” He had lost Snow and Lily forever. They were alive and well, but they no longer had anything to do with him. From now on, they would b
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