They had already been played for fools, and now they were being mocked by everyone online. Humiliated as they trembled and felt their blood run cold, they frantically deleted their posts and dared not look at their phones again.Meanwhile, the news kept spreading.Some people went to check the office building and found it truly empty; even the security guards were gone.Everyone finally realized the situation was actually happening as Victor conveyed. They had all been scammed. Their money had been sent abroad, never to be recovered.They felt like they had been played. First with the contaminated grain incident that had fooled them and harmed their health, and now this again.The people of Breeze City could no longer contain their anger."Where's Stephen Quinn? Where are you hiding? Come out and explain yourself!""Stephen Quinn, you're an animal!""If you wanted to kill us, you should have stabbed us directly! What kind of coward are you?"Seeing the public outrage, Victor d
After the news of Edward Spencer's execution was announced, the agitated people of Breeze City calmed down slightly."At least, Stephen Quinn did one decent thing.""Good riddance! After scamming us like that, even dying ten thousand times over wouldn't be enough.""He got off too easy. They should have dragged his corpse through the streets."They had previously attacked and mocked those who were unable to afford the safe grain. After the tables turned and they were mocked mercilessly, they transformed their humiliation into rage, venting it all on Edward Spencer.It was as if viciously cursing the deceased Edward could make their past foolishness disappear and stop people from laughing at them.Stephen watched these people cursing Edward, his heart heavy with emotion. These people knew nothing. Only he knew that Edward was not the mastermind behind everything. He was just a pawn pushed out to take the bullet."These poor people think it's over, that their humiliation can be wa
After meeting fierce resistance, one even pulled out a gun and fired several shots. Two people were killed on the spot, and one was severely injured.By the time the ambulances and security personnel arrived, the shooter had fled. All the protesters protected the shooter, refusing to give up any information.Half a day later, the severely injured individual also died on the operating table despite intense rescue efforts.This incident shocked Breeze City. After all, three lives were lost in a single day! The citizens of Breeze City were terrified of heading out. They feared running into the shooter who was still at large.While everyone was terrified, Victor Hughes deployed his paid commenters online again."The people of Breeze City are such a hoot! Everyone's too scared to leave their homes because of one gun.""The funniest part is they think killing Edward Spencer would fix everything. They don't realize he was just a discarded pawn.""Was it Edward Spencer who made those id
Stephen had already sent his men to hunt down the murderer. He quickly started a livestream, stating that he would definitely arrest the murderer as soon as possible to satisfy everyone. However, the effects of the livestream were not desirable. The netizens now resented Stephen. Because of his management, things in Breeze City had deteriorated. Before his arrival, the city had been functioning normally. “Stephen Quinn, get out of Breeze City!”“We don’t welcome you here!”“We need a replacement! Give us back the person who was managing Riveria previously!”The people of Breeze City demanded a change in leadership on the Internet. Stephen genuinely lacked the ability to manage a city, let alone all of Riveria. That evening, after a long and exhausting day, Stephen finally had time to check his phone after he returned home to rest. The first thing he saw was the flood of messages demanding his removal. His eyes instantly reddened. Men do not easily shed tears, but he really f
In the dream, Tyler saw his brother’s painful final days, when he killed his wife and child with his own hands, but there was nothing they could do. Tyler could only watch helplessly as Marcus was defeated and ended his tragic life. He also saw how depressed Edward was after the family split, unable to speak up against Victor’s oppression. Then, he was arrested and held in the police station, suffering torture at the hands of Stephen. The Spencers failed to become the strongest family, and they had to leave Breeze City forever, becoming an ordinary family for the rest of their lives. Tyler jolted awake from his dream, cold sweat covering his forehead. Outside the car window, the sky was still dark, and he could hear Nolan snoring. He glanced at his phone and saw that it was half past five, so there was still some time before dawn. Tyler wiped his sweat away, no longer feeling sleepy. He opened the car door and walked out. The mountain air was chilly in the early morning, but
“This is…” The brothers were surprised. They did not expect Ethan to give them protective amulets. “I got this from Father Tobias yesterday.” Ethan had known about the news of the brothers leaving Breeze City long ago. “Thank you, Mr. Rivers.”The two were grateful. Father Tobias was a renowned priest in Riveria, and his church was always bustling with devotees. Meeting him was up to fate, and it was difficult to get an audience with him. A few wealthy people once offered millions but still could not manage to meet him, let alone get anything from him. The brothers have never heard of Father Tobias giving out anything before. Ethan continued, “After leaving Breeze City, live a good life.”“Okay.” The brothers nodded. “Mr. Rivers, take care of yourself. We’ll take our leave now. If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”Ethan said, “Goodbye.”Tyler and Nolan’s eyes turned slightly red with tears. They bowed deeply to Ethan before turning away and leaving together. They descended the
“Dad! Marcus!” Tyler choked. Edward and Marcus slowly approached him to say goodbye. “The past is in the past now. You must live a good life from now on,” Edward said with a smile. “Tyler, do your best and take care of yourself,” Marcus spoke lightly. “Okay.” Tyler nodded firmly. The mist began to drift in. Edward and Marcus looked behind them, where several other figures emerged. Although Tyler could not see their faces, he could recognize them. It was his mother and Marcus’ wife and kids. “We need to leave too. Take good care of yourself.”After leaving their last words to Tyler, Edward and Marcus looked at Ethan and bowed to thank him. They walked into the fog to join their family and moved toward the distant horizon, soon becoming nowhere to be seen. Tyler wanted to say something to Ethan, but the next second, he woke up from his dream. He sat there in a daze for a long time. The dream felt too real, and he could not return to his senses immediately until he felt a p
The Hughes family retorted firmly, “What mastermind? Riveria had no issues previously. Why did the problems only rise after your son went there? In my opinion, there’s no mastermind at all. Your son is merely incompetent!”The others nodded. Riveria had been peaceful in the past, and the economy had grown steadily, already exceeding 15 trillion GDP and heading for 20 trillion. Alas, after Stephen suddenly took over, everything fell apart. The Hugheses continued, “Stephen was there for half a year now but accomplished nothing. We suggest replacing him. Stephen has no right or the ability to continue managing Riveria.”The others immediately echoed, “I agree!”“Riveria’s current economic condition does not look good, and the other provinces are mocking us. Besides, it’s been a few days, and Stephen still hasn’t provided a solution to Breeze City’s problems.”“Now, the people are unhappy with him. He’s unsuitable and has no reason to continue managing Riveria.”Listening to these w
That step was called "forging the heart." The logic was simple: if they could kill someone they loved, what else would they hesitate to do?Yet, even with such brutal training, those assassins failed, and their organizations were eventually destroyed root and branch."If it were me," the South Regent said, "I would ask him: 'Everyone around you, in every city you've been to, has met with misfortune. You had solutions to all these problems, so why did you just stand by and watch it happen?'"He turned to Ethan with a grin. "What do you think of my question, Lord Rivers?""Don't ask such foolish questions during dinner," Ethan replied coolly. "If you want to break him, just have Hugo ask him when he plans to die."The South Regent froze, stunned by the vast difference between his approach and Ethan's. Ethan's question was not just more concise; it was lethal.Hugo was Stephen's greatest weakness. If Hugo were to ask Stephen about his death, the results would be devastating. A blow
Perhaps he would end up coughing up blood and being hospitalized again. Then, all their previous efforts to comfort him would be instantly ruined. On top of it all, those questions would reveal many truths they had desperately tried to conceal.Simon quickly had someone escort the lucky audience member away while ordering others to forge Stephen's spending records. After that, he hurried up on stage himself."I’m sorry. There was a small interruption just now. I know all of you have many questions, so let me explain everything. Stephen is indeed the Grand Marshal's only successor. As for what that person said about the spending records, those were baseless lies. I've gotten someone to retrieve the spending records, which will be published online later.”Simon spoke with conviction. "That person earlier was deliberately trying to sabotage the event."Due to our excellent security measures, they found no way to disrupt the event. And so, they got desperate and started making up lies
The number of viewers in the livestream skyrocketed.Everyone wanted to know if Stephen’s skills really came from the Grand Marshal. Would the Grand Marshal really have trained a student like him?All eyes were on Stephen.Now, it was Stephen’s turn to be silent. He had not expected this question, and he instinctively wanted to lie.However, just as he was about to speak, Ethan’s words from today flashed through his mind.“You don’t even dare to tell the truth. What right do you have to apologize?”Maintaining a lie often meant weaving an even bigger one, over and over, until the truth was inevitably exposed.Should he admit the truth?Stephen hesitated. If he revealed the truth here, everything would end. He would not have to be so exhausted anymore.“What are you waiting for?” Suddenly, Simon’s voice rang in his earpiece, “Hurry up and answer. You are the Grand Marshal’s student. The gala is our only hope. Nothing can go wrong!”Stephen’s heart instantly sank. He wanted to
The celebrity host took the stage, delivered a welcome speech, and introduced the theme of the gala. The host was quite well-known and starred in several hit dramas. The audience below the stage cheered her name.Three minutes later, Simon stepped onto the stage and gave his New Year’s greetings to everyone following the prepared script.Then, the opening performance began!Five major celebrities participated in the first act, combining singing, dancing, and a dazzling light show with fireworks, leaving the audience in awe.Each of the five celebrities took turns singing a few lines one after another, mesmerizing everyone. When they came together for the chorus, the crowd could not help but applaud.As the song neared its end, even more stars and singers joined hand in hand on stage, singing together and igniting the crowd’s atmosphere.The audience stood up in excitement, some even moved to tears.Meanwhile, the viewers in the livestream took screenshots, recorded videos, and s
Avery said faintly, “If you’re done apologizing, you can leave now. We’re about to have lunch. After lunch, we have things to do. We’re not idle like you. We’re very busy.”Those words hit a nerve. Stephen did not want to be idle either.Now, he had no friends left. Everyone kept their distance from him. It was New Year’s, but the only person he could think of who he could talk to was just Ethan.However, Ethan was not like him. He had a happy family, and there were countless things to do as a couple such as going for walks or visiting family and friends...Stephen let out a heavy sigh.“I see.” His voice was soft. “Sorry for disturbing you.”Then, he turned and left. When he walked out of the villa, the cold mountain breeze cleared his mind a little.Stephen let out another sigh, then took out a bouquet from his car and slowly walked to the summit. He wanted to go to the place where Lily died to give her a bouquet of roses and tell her that he missed her.Not long after he lef
The next day at noon, Stephen gathered enough courage to go back up the mountain.He was scared now.He was scared of seeing Ethan with a happy family while he himself was a lonely, pitiful man. The comparison would make him feel so miserable that he would not even be able to lift his head.At the same time, he was also afraid of missing this perfect opportunity to apologize to Ethan on New Year’s Day.Stephen arrived at the villa again. Holding a gift in hand, he took a deep breath and slowly walked in. He saw Ethan in the living room and quickly greeted, “Ethan, Happy New Year. I brought you a gift. Please accept it.”Ethan looked at him calmly. “There’s still a gala in Breeze City tonight, and you’re an important guest. Do you have time to run around like this?”Stephen smiled wryly and gently placed the gift on the table. “I’m not interested in that gala.”He knew what the purpose of the gala was. It was just to stimulate Breeze City’s economy. However, that was not a long-t
Stephen immediately opened his eyes, but there was no one beside him.“Stephen, I wish you an early happy birthday too!” Lily’s voice rang out from his other side.Stephen turned his head and saw Lily lying beside him, smiling sweetly.Then, he looked toward where Snow’s voice had come from. Snow was also lying beside him, looking at him with gentle eyes.Stephen knew in his heart that it was just an illusion.“Aren’t you making a wish?”“What’s your wish?”Stephen closed his eyes again. At that moment, a thousand thoughts rushed through his mind.Who was he?He was the heir of the Quinns. From the moment he was born, he held a position that countless people envied.However, out of a million possible paths, not one was truly his own.He could not be with his loved ones. He could not achieve success overnight. He was not admired by all or surrounded by family and friends.Stephen thought that at least one of those fates belonged to him and her.However, their final meeting
Stephen would be lighting the first segment, and Simon would light the final one.As the celebrities arrived, the riverside became even more lively. People called out their favorite celebrity’s names or nicknames.Seeing this, Stephen felt emotional. If he had not made mistakes, perhaps these people would be calling his name too.When it was nearly midnight, Simon approached Stephen and said, “It’s about time. Get ready to light the fireworks.”He pulled Stephen over to the spot where the fireworks he was responsible for were, and a staff member handed him a torch.“When the countdown ends, use the torch to ignite the fuse, then run and pass the torch to the next person, who will continue lighting the fireworks.“Good luck,” Simon encouraged him. “You can do it!”Stephen took the torch and sighed inwardly. He felt like this whole thing was meaningless. However, when the countdown began, he started to feel a little nervous.“Ten! Nine!”Stephen instinctively tightened his grip
After Simon’s livestream, everyone felt slightly more reassured about Breeze City’s situation.“If he dares to guarantee this, he must have prepared thoroughly.”“It should be safe to attend the gala, right?”“My favorite celebrity will be there, and right now, Breeze City has 40% off train fares, 20% off flight tickets, and 50% off tour packages. It’s so tempting.”Simon placed all his hopes on this gala. He was willing to pour money into it to ensure its success.The event venue was fully set up three days before the new year. The tickets were completely sold out, and the city’s visitor count was now dozens of times higher than before!Breeze City’s declining economy finally showed signs of rising!Simon’s eyes nearly welled up when he saw the financial reports.Two days before the gala, the celebrities attending the event started arriving and followed Simon’s instructions to interact with fans so that more tourists would be attracted to come and spend.Even some celebrities