Seeing the online messages hoping for the Fords and Lanes to return, Stephen could only pretend not to notice. Instead, he moved on to the next phase of his plan to fix that catastrophic mistake.Based on estimates of contaminated grain, Stephen allocated a certain amount of reserve grain and began exchanging it proportionally for the contaminated grain in people’s possessions. Although that initiative initially somewhat calmed people, new problems quickly cropped up.Wealthy people were buying large quantities of contaminated grain to exchange for clean grain, and as a result, the supplies ran out quickly. Very few regular people actually managed to get clean grain through the exchange.To make things worse, their only way of getting clean grain was to buy it from stores owned by the wealthy. In other words, they had to pay for the contaminated grain and then pay again for clean grain without receiving any compensation. They spent twice the money but only got a single portion of cl
The moment the interview aired, the people of Breeze City fell into despair. The Fords and Lanes really were not coming back. Some, still refusing to give up, went looking for the two families. However, they could not even get past the gates.In the past, they would throw firecrackers at the Fords and Lanes’ homes, thinking they were in the right. Now, without that justification and with the two families having moved out of Breeze City, any attempt to intrude upon or vandalize their property would result in immediate arrest.Both families harbored deep resentment toward those people. After three years of hard work, not only did they receive no thanks, but they were forced to leave their home.Now that trouble had struck and the same people had realized their mistake, were they expected to return and suffer for it? No chance.They had held family meetings and decided that not only would they not help, but returning to Breeze City was strictly forbidden. The suffering of Breeze Cit
Due to the grain contamination, many people chose to leave Breeze City. The city was experiencing population loss, and many farmlands were being abandoned.When Stephen learned they could not locate those who destroyed the protected area and stole the black soil, he was furious. However, upon hearing that many farmers were threatening to quit and work elsewhere, his anger quickly turned to anxiety."Why are there so many problems popping up?"He quickly called for a meeting. They had to find a way to keep people in Breeze City.Once population loss started, the city's economy would certainly decline. Breeze City was the source of Riveria's grain, and they could not afford to let it slip away. However, with the many problems that plagued them, no one could think of good solutions. The mayor, Desmond, added, "The federal government knows about everything that’s happening here. They're trying to work it out too."Hearing that, Stephen's face paled. His worst fear had come true—the
He wanted to object to it, but no words came out of his mouth. Stephen’s track record was clear—he had failed too many times. Unless he could succeed once, there was little hope. The meeting concluded, and it was decided that Victor would head to Breeze City to help clean up the mess there. “Dad?” Stephen’s voice snapped Simon out of his thoughts. Simon said, “The decision has been made. Tomorrow, Victor will head over to help you manage Breeze City’s issues.”“Victor?” Stephen frowned, remembering the name. “Is he from the Hughes family?”“Yes.” Simon nodded, “He’s from the Hughes family. He furthered his studies abroad three years ago and returned half a year ago. You really need to step it up. The federal government has little confidence in you. Victor is also here to compete with you. If you fail again, you might be forced to return to the capital.”Stephen fell silent. Although he had expected that day to come, he did not expect it to happen so soon. Would he really have
Edward and Tyler were stunned. Even the Hugheses knew about Ethan and saw Ethan as an enemy? “We don’t understand what you mean,” Edward spoke. He did not understand why the Hugheses would see Ethan as an enemy. Could it be that they wanted to take control of Riveria like the Quinns? Victor’s eyes held a trace of nostalgia. “It’s not something I need to hide anymore. Four years ago, we were already in Riveria.”When he said that, both Edward and Tyler appeared shocked. They even seemed terrified. That single sentence carried an enormous amount of information.The Hugheses came to Riveria four years ago, at a time when the region was far from peaceful, chaotic, and full of dangerous characters. Afterward, the Hugheses disappeared without a trace. Now, connecting that with what Victor had just said about Ethan being an enemy, a terrifying thought emerged in their minds. The Hugheses had also tried to seize Riveria back then but was driven out by Ethan. Now that Ethan had fall
Besides, the Hugheses had defeated Rhys. It was something no one had imagined possible. “Good. You’re smart.” Victor smiled slightly, got up, and left. He had not arrived in Riveria ahead of schedule to pay a visit to the Spencers; he had another person to meet—Ethan.The Hugheses had never crossed paths with Ethan directly. Rhys had always been in their way, until he perished alongside them, forcing them out of Riveria. Even then, they had not had the chance to face Ethan head-on. He had spent three years studying abroad, honing his skills and becoming stronger and more experienced. Moreover, the Hugheses were not less powerful than the Quinns. They had plenty of talented people at their disposal, and whether they were dealing with Rhys or Ethan, it was supposed to be an easy victory. It was a pity that Rhys was now dead and Ethan was imprisoned. They no longer had the chance to confront Ethan, and Victor found it disappointing. He wanted to see Ethan kneeling on the ground,
“One more thing.” Ethan calmly said, “Rhys did not die at your hands.”Victor was stunned. “How is that possible?” Although they did not witness Rhys’ death, they had heard the news of Rhys passing in the hospital a month after they left Riveria. They were confident their plan to break him had worked, pushing him over the edge.Ethan took out a paper from his book and handed it to Victor. Reading it, Victor was dumbfounded. It was a medical diagnosis, stating that Rhys had died of cancer, not from their schemes!While Victor stood there in shock, Ethan continued, “You thought Rhys died because he couldn’t handle the blow you dealt him, but he never told you, and you never bothered to dig into his past. “He lost his family when he was eight, and his childhood sweetheart gave up on him when he was seventeen, choosing his best friend instead. After college, he worked alongside me and was always dedicated to Riveria’s affairs. Saving Riveria was the only thing on his mind every da
They had always thought that they had the power to hurt Ethan, but in the end, they could not even handle Ethan’s subordinate. Worse, the group of them were so terrified of Rhys that they treated him as the second coming of Ethan and scrambled to find a way to get rid of him. When Rhys eventually passed away, he left with no regrets. He did not even consider them worthy of his attention. The Hugheses looked like clowns now. Just as Victor was still in a daze, still reeling from the emotional blow, the Hugheses informed him to keep his mouth shut, forbidding him from revealing the truth.They had always prided themselves on having the power to defeat Ethan’s subordinate, which gained them substantial financial and manpower support. If the truth came to light, and everyone knew that Rhys had died without a care about the Hugheses, they would be greatly humiliated. Not only would they become the laughingstock of others, but the financial and manpower support they had received could
Many investors were tricked without even realizing it.Throughout the process, as the managers of the company, the Spencers did not receive a single dime.Edward and Tyler knew that Victor was no longer even pretending. He was openly signaling that they were just pawns he could discard at any time. They felt deeply resentful.The Spencers had experienced countless setbacks over the years, especially three years ago with Marcus’s death and the decline of the family. However, they managed to get through it.Now, Victor was forcing them into a desperate situation. Once Victor abandoned the Spencers, it would be completely over for them.“We can’t let that happen,” Edward muttered.Tyler asked, “What can we do?”They could not think of any solutions.“If only Marcus were still alive...” Tyler could only think of Marcus. Marcus was the genius of the Spencers. His talent and skill far surpassed even Edward. However, Marcus had already died as part of Ethan’s plan.“Alas.” Edward sig
“Victor just arrived, but he already came up with solutions.”“There’s no comparison at all. They’re both young masters from Metropolis. How could they be so different? Was Stephen only focused on the pleasures of life?”“Stephen is a disgrace to all the young masters in Metropolis. Fortunately, Victor came and turned things around.”Stephen also saw Victor’s announcement. After reading it, he looked at the other news online, then silently returned to his room and closed the door. He did not come out for a long time.Stephen fell into self-doubt. He never thought of these solutions. The issues that were incredibly tricky to him were resolved so easily by Victor as if it were just a daily occurrence.People had always called him a giant among men, and fortune tellers said that he would achieve great things, but when he thought about everything he was going through now, he felt like all of that was just flattery.At that moment, Edward and Tyler also saw the news and frowned.“He’
Although Victor knew the truth, he had no qualms about distorting it. He painted Stephen as an idle and useless person who tried to claim credit for others’ hard work.Naturally, Victor did not say that he leaked the information. He said that a janitor overheard the news when she was cleaning and even recorded the conversation.When Stephen came to confront him, he would simply fire the janitor.As soon as the news was released, with the help of the netizens, it immediately attracted the attention of many people on the internet.“Is Stephen a dog? How could he try to steal credit?”“I can’t believe it. He really is useless. He’s been doing nothing all this time, but now that Victor is helping, he’s trying to claim credit.”“I want to beat him up. How could the Grand Marshal’s mentee be someone like him?”“Stephen isn’t that different from that trash, Ethan. With people like them around, it’s no wonder Riveria fell.”“Victor, please save Riveria. You’re our final hope!”Stephen
Stephen could not swallow his anger. Being criticized in the past was one thing, but he had truly worked hard to help this time. How could they still scold him?He decided to find Victor and ask him to clarify the truth that Stephen had indeed procured grain from other cities.Victor was staying just next door, so Stephen quickly found him and stated his request, hoping that Victor would speak up for him.Victor narrowed his eyes. “Speak up for you? You didn’t do anything. Why should I help you?”Stephen was stunned and widened his eyes. “I did! I brought in grain from other cities.”“Is that so?” Victor chuckled. “When? I didn’t see anything or get any paperwork.”Stephen was instantly speechless. He wanted to explain but did not know where to begin.Victor continued, “You don’t show initiative, but you have your life figured out for you. Despite having the ability to do good, you’d rather not do anything at all. When you see others accomplish something, you shamelessly try to
Victor glanced at the news online and had someone gather information on which celebrity was receiving the most criticism and why.Soon, he received news that a wealthy man had nearly bought up all the reserve grain and sold them, causing public outrage.Victor immediately approached the man for a partnership. He issued the man a small fine to release some of the public’s dissatisfaction while also cooperating with other cities to obtain a large amount of cheap grain to calm the public’s anger. Then, he also gave the rich man some benefits.That way, the rich man reaped benefits, Victor gained recognition, and the public would be fooled into thinking that the rich man had been punished and that they would soon get healthy, safe food. They would become grateful to Victor.After negotiations, the rich man agreed to Victor’s suggestions.The grain from other cities was also about to arrive. Stephen had fought for a large portion of it, while the rest was prepared in advance by the Hug
“I won’t disturb you any longer,” Victor said and quickly left. After leaving the villa, he reported the outcome to the Hugheses, giving them a sense of relief.“Don’t go looking for him again unless you have to.”The Hugheses were also afraid that Ethan would reveal even more shocking news. The fact that Rhys Estrela had died of illness and left no regrets was enough to ruin their reputation.“Got it.” Victor also did not want to see Ethan again.The next day, he boarded a plane to Breeze City. When he landed at 10 a.m., Stephen came to greet him.Upon meeting, Stephen could not help but size Victor up. Dressed in a suit, Victor’s good looks, height, and figure were no inferior to Stephen's, suddenly making him feel pressured.However, he forced a smile and said, “Long time no see.”Victor also smiled. “It’s been four or five years.”“Time really flies.” Stephen was running out of things to say.Victor could tell that Stephen was awkward and chuckled. “Let’s go. I’m feeling a
They had always thought that they had the power to hurt Ethan, but in the end, they could not even handle Ethan’s subordinate. Worse, the group of them were so terrified of Rhys that they treated him as the second coming of Ethan and scrambled to find a way to get rid of him. When Rhys eventually passed away, he left with no regrets. He did not even consider them worthy of his attention. The Hugheses looked like clowns now. Just as Victor was still in a daze, still reeling from the emotional blow, the Hugheses informed him to keep his mouth shut, forbidding him from revealing the truth.They had always prided themselves on having the power to defeat Ethan’s subordinate, which gained them substantial financial and manpower support. If the truth came to light, and everyone knew that Rhys had died without a care about the Hugheses, they would be greatly humiliated. Not only would they become the laughingstock of others, but the financial and manpower support they had received could
“One more thing.” Ethan calmly said, “Rhys did not die at your hands.”Victor was stunned. “How is that possible?” Although they did not witness Rhys’ death, they had heard the news of Rhys passing in the hospital a month after they left Riveria. They were confident their plan to break him had worked, pushing him over the edge.Ethan took out a paper from his book and handed it to Victor. Reading it, Victor was dumbfounded. It was a medical diagnosis, stating that Rhys had died of cancer, not from their schemes!While Victor stood there in shock, Ethan continued, “You thought Rhys died because he couldn’t handle the blow you dealt him, but he never told you, and you never bothered to dig into his past. “He lost his family when he was eight, and his childhood sweetheart gave up on him when he was seventeen, choosing his best friend instead. After college, he worked alongside me and was always dedicated to Riveria’s affairs. Saving Riveria was the only thing on his mind every da
Besides, the Hugheses had defeated Rhys. It was something no one had imagined possible. “Good. You’re smart.” Victor smiled slightly, got up, and left. He had not arrived in Riveria ahead of schedule to pay a visit to the Spencers; he had another person to meet—Ethan.The Hugheses had never crossed paths with Ethan directly. Rhys had always been in their way, until he perished alongside them, forcing them out of Riveria. Even then, they had not had the chance to face Ethan head-on. He had spent three years studying abroad, honing his skills and becoming stronger and more experienced. Moreover, the Hugheses were not less powerful than the Quinns. They had plenty of talented people at their disposal, and whether they were dealing with Rhys or Ethan, it was supposed to be an easy victory. It was a pity that Rhys was now dead and Ethan was imprisoned. They no longer had the chance to confront Ethan, and Victor found it disappointing. He wanted to see Ethan kneeling on the ground,