Rachel had been spending so much time with Theo lately that she barely had ten minutes with Stephen in a single day. Stephen looked at the feast on the table but felt lonely. He got emotional, wondering if his house was still his home. He missed his carefree days, especially when he was living with Snow. He could do whatever he wanted in the past, unlike now as he felt restrained. âSigh.â He sat down and had dinner himself. The next morning, when Stephen came out of the room, Rachel was already prepared to go out. âYouâre early,â he said, his tone surprised. Rachel usually woke up around noon, so this was unusual for her. She scoffed, âDo you think Iâm as lazy as you?â She then strode out the door, leaving Stephen alone and baffled. Stephen had doubts. Had he ever been lazy? Now that Rachel mentioned it, ever since he came to Riveria, he barely had enough sleep. He worked hard whenever he opened his eyes but had never done anything big. âWhatever.â Stephen shook his hea
Those who could not afford the branded grains or were not interested were forced to purchase the normal quality produced, which were actually the contaminated ones. The farmers saw their incomes shrink while facing challenges such as water shortages and animal damage. These issues deepened their grievances and made them less meticulous in cultivating their crops. As the quality of the crops went down, the water in the reserve was being drained even more. Farmers started to look for other jobs to feed their families. Foreign companies came into play and started to acquire chernozem. There was a lot of chernozem, or black soil that was extremely fertile and productive, in the reserve area, so people started to sneak in, smuggle the soil out, and sell it to the companies. Rachel and Stephen were unaware of these activities. Stephen was pleased that Breeze Cityâs GDP was going up. âItâs finally going up.â His eyes teared up. Before this, each city he took over went down in ru
Several hospitals were overloaded with patients, and some of them even had to stand outside by the road. The incident started trending online. âA massive cold! Is there a plague coming?â Stephen noticed this, so he sent his men to investigate further. While waiting for an update, he felt strange while reading the comments online. Why would so many people get sick all of a sudden? Could it be a widespread disease? Soon, his men came back with an update. There was no outbreak of disease, but those who fell ill experienced a significant weakening of their immune systems. Stephen frowned. He did not notice anything strange as he assumed it was normal that oneâs immune system would weaken during a cold. He told his men to release a statement online: âThe cold that everyone is experiencing is not a disease or a plague. Donât worry and carry on with your daily activities.â Stephen even said, âI swear on my name that it is just a coincidence. People around me are not sick at al
Stephen was stunned. She said that he accused Theo out of jealousy, exactly like how he accused Ethan? The moment the words entered his ears, a realization struck. When Daniel and Caleb were locked up and Theo quickly took over the two companies, he already felt a sense of familiarity. Now with Ethan in the mix, he finally knew why it felt so familiar. It was the exact method he had used against Ethan. He had accused Ethan, framed him for something he did not do, and then locked him up so that he could take over everything. His body was shaking as the thought rose in his mind. Even though the investigation of the crops and grains was still going on, he already had the answer. Theo must be the problem. He must have sold the contaminated crops and grains! Daniel and Caleb were clean; they were framed! âNothing to say for yourself?â Rachel scoffed, âDid I expose you and leave you speechless? Others donât know you but I do.â âShut up!â Stephenâs head was in a mess. He refused
âIf someone really dies, he wonât be the only person sent to jail. Youâll be arrested too!âStephen felt that life with Rachel was unbearable. They had been married for so long, but she would not even let him touch her, always wore a sour face, and acted as though he owed her billions. When he asked what was wrong, she refused to explain.âYou want a divorce, right? Fine, letâs get a divorce!âRachelâs legs went weak. She did not expect the matter to be this serious. She had to go to jail too? âYouâre joking, right?â She was no longer angry, and her tone softened as well. âIâm George Loweâs daughter, as well as your wife. How can I go to jail?ââWhy not?â Stephen clenched his fists. âDo you really think the Quinns are omnipotent? We still havenât found Snow yet!âRachel was thoroughly afraid now. She grabbed Stephenâs arm, her teary eyes wide as she stared at him. âYouâll help me, right? Iâm your wife, and my dad went to jail because of you. Dad told you to protect me. You wonât l
Stephen took a deep breath. âHead to the warehouse first. There are people going after Theo already. They should capture him soon.âUnbeknownst to him, Theo had already escaped the day before. Supported by the Spencers, Theo was well-informed and had boarded a flight out of Breeze City before being exposed.Now, he had arrived at Drakthorn Ridge. He still had one last wish. Theo entered the villa and slowly approached Ethan. He took out a bank card and placed it on the table gently.âThereâs 300 million in here. Please give her this card.âEverything he did was to ensure his sister would have enough money to spend for the rest of her life. He could not let her endure the same hardships he had. Theo had figured it out. He knew that he could not escape, so he planned to turn himself in later.âIf possible, Iâd like to see her once, even if itâs just for a moment from a distance.âEthan glanced at the bank card. âEven after everything you did, you still want to meet her?âThud.
âI...â Theo burst into tears. âI never expected this to happen.âHe had done everything for his sister, but unexpectedly, those actions ended up harming her. If he had known earlier, he would never have done those things.Ethan watched as Theo cried and said indifferently, âStop crying. I gave you two choices. You can pretend she never existed. After all, youâve lived so many years without seeing her. Letting go is easier than holding on.âTheo shook his head. âNo, I canât do it.â He had suffered for three years and finally found a glimmer of hope through Ethan. There was no way he could let it go now.He was an arrogant and overbearing young master in the past. When the Harlow family fell, he spent three years in pain and hatred. Now, he found out that he had hated the wrong person for three years, and he had walked down a path to a dead end he could not turn back from.When Ethan told him that he had a sister, Theo grabbed it like a drowning man clutching a lifeline. Ensuring hi
âYour time is running out,â Ethanâs voice said.At the same time, the girl slowly turned around. Just as Theo was about to see her face, he woke up!He opened his eyes and saw the ceiling of Ethanâs villa. As he sat up slowly, he realized that Ethan was no longer in the living room. He thought of the words Ethan spoke in his dream and hurriedly left the villa. Outside, he thanked Ethan for his final help again before turning to leave.Theo hurried down the mountain and called Rachel, saying that he was wronged and framed. He wanted to meet Rachel so that he could explain the truth.Rachel believed him and immediately flew over to the capital to meet him.Theo used sweet words to continue to deceive Rachel. âI have evidence to prove that I was framed, but itâs all in Breeze City. We need to go back.âWith Rachelâs help, Theo easily returned to Breeze City. Once he was in a safe location, he immediately took action and tied Rachel up with ropes.âI tricked you.â Theo looked at Rac
After everything was settled, the people from HQ went to Ethan again. They apologized to him and begged for his forgiveness.âWeâve dealt with everyone involved in this matter. Are you satisfied with the outcome, Mr. Rivers?âWith that, they lowered their heads to the ground nervously. Their only hope now hinged on Ethanâs response.They did not dare to ask for much. All they hoped for was that Ethan would not leave the country.Ethan glanced at them calmly and said, âSend someone to help move my stuff down the mountain.âHearing that, everyone was first stunned, and then ecstatic.âOf course!â they replied in unison.They understood what Ethan meant. He was staying! Although it was not his complete forgiveness, he was willing to give them another chance.They were all overjoyed. As long as Ethan did not leave, there was plenty of time to slowly make amends.They took out their phones and made arrangements to help Ethan move.After the call ended, they said, âWe respectfully
The day of Rachel and Georgeâs trial came.The livestream began at 10 a.m., and hundreds of thousands of viewers joined instantly.Rachel and George slowly walked into the courtroom in handcuffs.Bang! The judgeâs gavel fell, and the room went silent.It was not a lawsuit. It was a trial to expose the sins of Rachel and George.The judge read out their crimes one by one, until Rachel and Georgeâs faces paled to the point that they looked like corpses.The viewers in the livestream finally saw the full picture.âSo thatâs it! The Quinns and the Lowes conspired!ââThey deserve to die! How could they frame Ethan like that? Are they even human?ââThe death penalty! They deserve the death penalty!âThey were all furious.Many people had lost their families as a result of supporting Stephen and scolding Ethan. After watching the livestream, they realized just how deeply they had been wrong.They were accomplices to the Quinns and the Lowes' crimes in framing Ethan!Their current
They suppressed their disgust and returned home, only to see their parents and wivesâ panicked expressions.âWhat did you do out there?ââSo many people came today, asking for you by name.âHow were they supposed to answer those questions? They could not just say that they had insulted Ethan online.If they did, their parents would beat them to death before anyone else could.âItâs nothing,â they replied stiffly. They had no choice but to hide the truth. After all, they could not say that they had insulted Ethan, or that they had lost their jobs.However, the next second, their parents received text messages. After their parents glanced at their phones, their expressions instantly changed.It was a message from the bank, stating that their child had been listed as a defaulter and urging them to repay the loan immediately.âWhat have you done?â Their parentsâ voices trembled.Seeing that there was no way to hide it anymore, they had no choice but to confess the truth.They los
Seeing that message, they immediately felt as if their world had ended.Because they had insulted Ethan, they lost their jobs, were blacklisted, and could not find work again.âHow could this be?âNo one expected this outcome. They thought, âSo what if I insulted him? Are they going to punish me for it? Besides, so many people are insulting him. They canât possibly punish every single person who did it. At most, Iâll post a public apology and promise that Iâll never do it again.âHowever, now they were all fired. Everyone who had insulted Ethan had been dismissed from their jobs.It seemed like there were several tens of thousands of people involved! It was hard to imagine just how many people had lost their jobs in real life.âWhy are they going this far? Arenât they afraid of causing unrest?âOf course, HQ had considered that. However, they knew what was more serious.If Ethan went abroad and cooperated with foreign countries, the consequences would not be limited to a few pe
George thought that Rachel had already escaped abroad, so he was not afraid when he arrived.Now, when he saw Rachel there as well, he completely panicked.This was not what he had expected!âWhere else would she be?â someone from HQ asked.George looked nervous and stammered, unable to say a word.With Rachel caught and him being brought here, it was clear that HQ already knew the truth. Coupled with his fear of Ethan and his helplessness in the face of reality, he no longer had the strength to make up any excuses.He had resigned himself to fate.âYou really have some nerve." The people from HQ sneered. âYou fooled us all completely.ââYouâve been hiding Ethanâs contributions all this time, havenât you?ââYou two are nothing but disasters to this country! You deserve to die a thousand times over.âGeorge kept his head down while Rachel sobbed. âI was wrongfully accused!ââShut up! Are you still trying to fool us at a time like this? You were wrongfully accused? By who? Sim
They brought this on themselves, forcing themselves into a corner with no way out. âAh!âSimon could not take it anymore. He suddenly ran towards the window, trying to end his life. Fortunately, the officials quickly stopped him. âDonât be reckless! Think about Stephen. Youâre all he has now!âThat sentence made Simon stop. Now, Stephen and Simon were each otherâs support and burden. Simon slumped on the ground weakly. Right now, they both wanted to die, but neither of them had the courage to follow through. All they could do was live on in pain. After a long silence, Simon said, âIâd like to file a report on someone.âTo obtain some kind of reward and survive a little longer, Simon decided to turn in George and Rachel. When the officials heard him, they were stunned. They did not expect Rachel to be involved in framing Ethan. âShit!â Someone exclaimed. âI heard Rachel bought a flight ticket overseas. Could she have fled?âThe room was filled with dread. If Rachel ra
Seeing that Stephen was awake, the others rushed to get the doctor. The doctor was astonished as well. Stephenâs sudden awakening was nothing short of a miracle. However, after examining him, the doctorâs expression darkened. Stephen had regained consciousness, but the prognosis was far from hopeful.âHe canât move,â the doctor said. âAs of now, heâs paralyzed.âStephen could open his eyes, but the rest of his body was unresponsive. He could not move his limbs or his neck and mouth. The only part he could move freely was his eye. Even his breathing was dependent entirely on medical equipment. âHe might never be able to leave the bed again.âUpon hearing that, Stephen closed his eyes in despair, tears continuously rolling down his cheeks. He had fought so hard to wake up, only to realize he had missed his final chance to meet Snow and Lily. Worse yet, he also lost the ability to move. From now on, he would be confined to the bed and hooked up to machines just to stay alive.
His father died a miserable death, his son was in a coma, and the Quinn family was shattered, leaving only Simon behind to finally realize all his mistakes. However, it was too late. Harrison could not come back to life, the Quinn family could not be whole again, and Stephen could not recover. Simon would forever be haunted by pain, despair, and regret for the rest of his life. At that moment, in complete darkness, Stephen heard Simonâs voice. He was conscious but failed to open his eyes or speak; he could not move a muscle. He wanted so badly to sit up and tell Simon that it was not solely his fault. They were all wrong, and this was their retribution!Just then, two women walked into the ward. When the officials saw them, their eyes widened in shock. For a second, no one even breathed. They were Snow and Lily!The officials thought they were seeing ghosts. Those women were supposed to be dead. Why were they there? Snow and Lily noticed their shocked gazes and offered them
Due to Harrisonâs previous incident, the officials reacted quickly by sending Stephen straight to the hospital.After an emergency rescue, Stephenâs life was saved. However, he paid a heavy price. When the doctor walked out of the emergency room, the officials asked, âHow is he?ââThe situation isnât looking good,â the doctor said grimly. âHis body is in a bad state, and due to long-term emotional distress, he suffered a brain hemorrhage from the emotional shock.âHeâs still in a coma, and we canât say for sure when heâll wake up again. It depends on his will to live.âThe officials drew a sharp breath. âDo you mean he might end up in a coma forever?âThe doctor nodded. No one saw coming that Stephen would fall into a coma, with little chance of ever waking up again. However, it also meant he did not have to die anymore. He would be alive but confined to a bed. Suddenly, they thought of Harrisonâs desperate pleas to Ethan back in his villa. âIâm willing to trade my life fo