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
Stephen trembled. “Do I have to go back to Metropolis?”He felt almost hopeless. After all the effort and huge sacrifices he made, was he still unable to escape this outcome?“No,” Simon said. “I decided to go manage Riveria and silenced their opposition. I’ll be heading there tomorrow to manage Riveria with you, so follow me closely, observe, and learn well!”Stephen was dumbfounded. His father was going to personally manage Riveria!In his eyes, Simon was invincible, unmatched by any other family in Metropolis. If Simon came over to manage Riveria, all the problems would be resolved, and all his previous mistakes would be corrected.Riveria’s economy would definitely grow!The call ended with a click.Stephen shook with excitement. He wanted to shout to the sky and announce the good news to everyone. His father was coming! All the problems would be solved! He could finally sleep peacefully!However, a worry soon crept up on him.When Simon arrived, he would definitely stay w
“Write me a report today,” Simon ordered. “Clearly explain where you went wrong, how to prevent this from happening again, and how to fix it should such a mistake occur.”Stephen lowered his head. “Okay.”Just listening to the requirements made him feel overwhelmed and powerless. If he knew of a solution, then Simon would not have had to come personally.“Now, come with me.” Simon did not waste time. He wanted to resolve the situation before it worsened.The first priority was the issue with the food industry. After all, everyone needed to eat.He went to Edward’s office, but it was sealed off. The building was empty because they owed too much money, thus it was about to be auctioned off. Restarting this company would be extremely difficult.Just then, a young man slowly approached from the side. “Please get in the car. His Highness is requesting your presence.”The bodyguards watched the man warily.“His Highness?” Simon sneered. “Does the South Regent think he’s worthy of cal
“Are we working together or not? Give me an answer.” The South Regent clearly did not want to waste any more time.Simon thought about it. “We can work together, but we want a stake in your business. Also, you must be under our supervision at all times.”It was a special period now. Simon would not easily trust a new company, especially one started by the South Regent. Allowing him to establish a company in Breeze City was already a large concession.The South Regent nodded. “Sure, no problem.”His goal was to make money, so whether or not he was supervised did not matter to him. As for Simon and Stephen taking a stake in the company, he actually welcomed it. After all, they would then share mutual interests, and Simon would have even more incentive to make money. All he had to do was sit back and earn money.Simon felt that something was off. He did not expect the South Regent to agree so easily without any bargaining or trying to negotiate.The South Regent continued, “I look f
Simon said, “I know you’re all anxious, but I hope that we can come up with a way to solve these problems. Please, let’s discuss a solution.”Everyone’s expressions darkened. They all knew what Simon meant. He wanted them to swallow the loss and pay out of their own pockets to solve the problem, all while continuing to run their businesses in Breeze City. It was like wanting a horse to run a thousand miles every day while never needing to feed it or give it water.They no longer wanted to stay.Someone said, “There are two options. One, bring Victor Hughes back. We won’t feel safe as long as Stephen Quinn stays here. Two, bring back the former administrator of Riveria. We’re not fools. There’s no way Stephen can make Riveria’s GDP reach 15 trillion.”Simon’s expression darkened. Neither option was one he wanted. The first was to bring Victor back and kick Stephen away, and the second was to bring Ethan back. Neither was an option.“We’ve been courteous enough with you. The only re
“Only Ethan can perfectly resolve the issues in Riveria now. None of you are capable.”In just three years, Riveria transformed from a chaotic mess to a province with a GDP of 15 trillion. It was nothing less than a miracle. The one who had achieved all that was Ethan. Problems started to surface in Riveria after he was arrested.They had not seen Simon in action, but they had seen his biological son. Stephen was a complete failure. As his father, how powerful could Simon possibly be?Thus, everyone only trusted Ethan.The people left one after another.Simon sat in his chair and clenched his fists in anger, feeling that these people were blatantly disrespecting him.Who was he? What was his status?Although these billionaires seemed impressive, they were nothing in his eyes. They should be grateful for the opportunity to even speak to him. However, not only were they ungrateful, but they also did not show him any respect at all. They left without hesitation and even dared to su
“Should I call them again?” the staff member asked nervously.“Forget it.” Simon waved his hand. “It’s their loss. Hmph, such short-sighted people. No wonder they couldn’t become top-tier businesses despite all these years. Contact the small businesses instead.”Originally, Simon had no intention of dealing with the smaller companies because he looked down upon them. After all, what impact could companies worth less than 10 million have on Breeze City? It would be a success if they did not go bankrupt.In Simon’s eyes, those businesses were nothing. However, since the top-tier businesses refused to stay and the mid-tier businesses did not want to meet him, he had no choice but to invite the small ones he looked down on.Half an hour later, many small business owners arrived. They were all excited when they saw the fancy room. They had never thought that their tiny companies would one day get the attention of someone like Simon and be seated in such a fancy room.To them, surviving
There was a time when he was just as blindly confident, thinking nothing could stop him. However, after failing again and again, losing his love, watching his good friend turn against him, and seeing friends die right in front of his eyes, he finally understood just how powerless he truly was.Stephen made a decision that if Simon would not invite Ethan back, he would go himself. He could not allow tragedy to strike again.After leaving the conference room, Stephen found an excuse and secretly went to Drakthorn Ridge to meet Ethan.He arrived at the gate in the evening, seeing the brightly lit mansion, with lush vegetables in the yard and vibrant flowers blooming. The mansion had undergone a vast change after half a year.At that moment, Stephen felt dazed. He remembered that when he was young, he dreamed of having a secret base that only he knew about, where no one could find him. It was a place where he did not have to worry about anything.Even though he was all grown up now, h
After staying up all night, they sat at their desks the next morning. Their screens were lit up, but there was still no internet.Bang, bang!Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.They jumped like they had stepped barefoot on lava, exclaiming, “Who is it?”There was no answer.Bang, bang!The loud knocking continued.The door shook violently, and they were so scared they nearly wet themselves. They quickly grabbed their phones, only to remember that they could not make calls now.Crash! The doorknob fell off.Then, the door was kicked open, and a fully armed team rushed in.“Don’t move!”“Get on the ground with your hands on your head!”They trembled and crouched on the ground, completely pale.One officer stepped forward and punched the guy in the face, knocking him down. Several other officers pinned him down and cuffed his hands.“What’s going on?” The man who was hit was shocked. “What did I do? What are you doing?”The team said nothing. They just received orders
It was like achieving success in business, owning a house and a car, having a young and beautiful girlfriend deeply in love with you, becoming a legend in your circle of friends, family, and even the whole city, only to be told that you had late-stage cancer and that there were a few days left to live.Shock, confusion, and disbelief surged up at once.Stephen snapped back to reality, his voice trembling. “You’re lying to me, right? You must be lying to me.”No one answered.However, from the look on their faces, Stephen saw the answer he did not want to believe: Harrison was truly dead.He collapsed to the ground with a thud, mumbling, “How could this be...”The Quinns were one of the top families. As a member of the Quinns, Harrison had access to the best medical care, diet, and security. Just half a year ago, his physical examination showed that he was in perfect health. He should have lived a long life. How did he suddenly die?“We don’t know,” they replied honestly. “You sh
Simon called the doctor to ask about the cause of Harrison’s death.The doctor explained it truthfully. Harrison was old, sleep-deprived, and suffered an intense psychological blow that his body could not handle.Upon hearing this, Simon suddenly understood.Harrison had not rested properly for a long time because of the Quinn family, especially the night when Stephen revealed the truth. He did not sleep at all that night. Then, he went to beg Ethan, was rejected, and had a mental breakdown. He simply could not hold on anymore.“We were wrong,” Simon cried. “We were really wrong.”They brought this upon themselves. Because they provoked Ethan, everything that followed was inevitable.If they had not been blinded by greed, Harrison would not have died, Stephen would not be in prison, and the Quinns would not fall.What should he do now? What could he do?Stephen had sacrificed himself to give the Quinns a sliver of hope, but Simon failed to protect the family and Harrison. How w
At the Quinns’ residence, Simon had been pacing back and forth anxiously, racking his brain trying to think of a way to save the Quinn family when a maid came to serve him tea. He reached out for it, but as his mind wandered, his grip faltered. “Clang!”The teacup fell and shattered on the spot. The scalding water getting on his hands and feet made him frown. The Quinns were in a crisis, and being scalded by tea caused his frustration to boil. “Get lost!” he yelled at the maid, telling her to leave. Simon sat down, an uneasy feeling still lingering on his mind. At that moment, his phone rang. He picked it up, and seeing that the call was from the federal government, he answered immediately. “Bad news,” said the person on the other end. “Your father has fainted after coughing up a mouthful of blood. Come to Riveria now!”Simon was stunned. Harrison fainted after coughing up blood? How could it be?Without a second to waste, he boarded a plane to Riveria and arrived at 4 p
It was no longer about whether Ethan would forgive them. Even if Ethan forgave the Quinns, would the other families and factions let them off the hook? Obviously not. Harrison’s face went pale. He understood now that getting Ethan’s forgiveness could not save the Quinn family; only getting Ethan on their side could. However, was that possible? There might still be a chance if all they asked for was forgiveness, but to get Ethan on the Quinns’ side? Putting himself in Ethan’s shoes, Harrison knew it was impossible. The Quinns had worked with the Lowes to frame Ethan, imprison Ethan, and steal his achievements, turning the internet against him. Why would Ethan want to be on the Quinns’ side?If it were him, he could not forgive the Quinns either. When he finally pieced everything together, his body went limp. It was over. Things were much more serious than he thought. The Quinns were truly done for. “It looks like you’ve finally figured it out.” Ethan said, “All this time, y
Harrison was choking up. Before Ethan could speak…“Mr. Harrison, what are you doing here?” A shocked exclamation sounded from the doorway. Harrison immediately whipped his head around to see a few people standing at the door. He knew those people. They were from the federal government, many of them the heads of several prominent families. Instantly, the blood drained from his face because he was kneeling before Ethan. Everyone could see him like that—stripped of his dignity and utterly humiliated. How could the Quinns ever show their faces again?Harrison’s first instinct was to stand up. However, he then remembered what he said to Ethan earlier, that he was willing to do anything for Stephen and the Quinn family. Was he going back out just because he was embarrassed? At that thought, Harrison forced himself to suppress the urge to stand up. Looking at Harrison kneeling before Ethan, those who had just arrived gasped collectively. At that moment, no one was thinking abou
Simon hesitated to speak, knowing it was unlikely for Ethan to forgive them. However, he thought, what if? Stephen’s sincere apology and revealing the truth could have moved Ethan, making forgiveness possible. With that sliver of hope, he did not stop Harrison. Harrison immediately took an overnight flight to Riveria. It was seven in the morning when he landed, and without any rest, he headed straight for Drakthorn Ridge. His assistant could not help but advise, “Mr. Harrison, you’ve not rested all night. Why don’t you take a break before going up the mountain?”Harrison shook his head. “Time will wait for no one.”Ethan was about to leave Riveria, and the Quinns were on the brink of survival. He feared that if he slept, he would miss the final chance of saving the Quinn family. “This is nothing,” Harrison said, “I’ve gone three days without sleep before. Now, hurry up and drive up the mountain!”The assistant, exasperated, could only steer towards Drakthorn Ridge. At nine
Already feeling guilty that the Grand Marshal passed away in Riveria, they could not afford to let Ethan down again now. On the other hand, Ethan’s achievements were too monumental—so great that they overshadowed everyone else’s. It was enough to warrant his own chapter in history. None of them had the right or the courage to raise their voices in front of him.Ethan said calmly, “I’ve gotten what I wanted. It’s getting late. You should go.”All of them looked uncomfortable. Before they came, they had imagined every possible reaction, from being yelled at to being beaten, even. At worst, he would blame them and scold them for everything. However, they were wrong. They thought of everything except for Ethan’s indifference. At their level of status, they thought nobody could reject them, but now, they understood that they were not as powerful as they thought. “We’ll take our leave.” They could not help but sigh.Given the current circumstances, they could only return anothe
“Ahem.”The officials did not know how to greet Ethan, so they could only make a noise to signal their arrival.Ethan looked at them calmly.They forced out awkward smiles and said, “Ethan, we found out about what happened to you. We deeply sympathize and understand.”They walked forward together and took out various certificates.“This incident was also related to our negligence and carelessness. To make up for our past mistakes, we've prepared some things for you.”They placed the certificates on the table.Ethan glanced at them.As long as he signed his name, he would join the cabinet and be on equal footing with the Quinn family.However, he was not interested at all. He did not care about Riveria anymore, and the Quinns were finished.When the officials saw Ethan remaining still, they all tensed up nervously. They were afraid because foreign countries were all reaching out to Ethan.The fact that Ethan had not agreed to them meant that their offer was not tempting enoug