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
“Thanks to your support Mr. Rivers, not only have our lives improved, but the people in Breeze City are doing well too. But…” Daniel and Caleb lowered their heads, saying, “Something went wrong recently.” “I know. This video call is to resolve the problems,” Ethan said. The Fords and Lanes had always been loyal, dedicated, and doing their best to carry out Ethan’s orders. Breeze City’s current prosperity owed much to their contributions, and Ethan believed they should not end their lives behind bars. “Your best choice is to leave Breeze City. You’ll still retain enough assets to rebuild your fortunes later or live a quiet, ordinary life.” Ethan said. Daniel, Caleb, and their sons were stunned by that suggestion. Why was Ethan advising them to leave Breeze City? Had Ethan lost trust in them? Did he think they were involved in something shady? “What did we do wrong?” Daniel and Caleb were so close to passing out from the shock. Others blamed them for selling contaminated
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