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Chapter 64
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 65
Liam sat in a room by himself, staring blankly at the sky outside the window. Liam’s preferential treatment of Ethan sparked a formal complaint, prompting an investigation. Hence, he was suspended from all duties, the outcome pending. Still, Liam did not think he had done anything wrong. “Click.” The door to the room opened. Liam kept his head down, knowing the grilling had begun. Ethan was now public enemy number one, and his support of Ethan would only mark him the target of public outrage. He was done for. “I’m sorry, Liam.” A voice boomed. Dumbstruck, Liam thought his ears were deceiving him. He turned to the door and saw a group with their heads hung down, puzzled as to what was going on.“You were right to defend Ethan.”“We were wrong about everything.”Their apologies took Liam off guard, but he quickly caught on. He was saved—saved by Ethan. Liam was quickly removed from confinement, and his job was reinstated. On the way back to the precinct, he scrolled on
The Guardian's Return Chapter 66
Stephen could not bring himself to leave home either as the public condemned him and demanded answers. The public even suspected he was in on it with Brandon’s party. Hence, instead of Ethan, Stephen was now the subject of mocking videos. Before, Stephen would burst out laughing at those videos. However, all he had left now was tears, and Brandon, Ethan, and the others were the cause of his misery. “I know you miss me, but don’t miss me too much. I’m having a blast now. I doubt I’d go back.” With the 10 billion dollars he snagged, Brandon was living the high life. As beautiful women attended to him, he held a fine red wine in hand while his armed bodyguards stood on guard. Stephen, too, knew that Brandon would never return. It was far-fetched to think Stephen could catch Brandon. “Why did you lie to me?” Stephen asked dejectedly. Brandon replied with a smile, “That’s an easy question. You’re gullible.” The truth cut through Stephen like a knife, and it hurt worse than b
The Guardian's Return Chapter 67
Another commented, “We want this to be over too, but there’s nothing we can do. We can only hope for the whole thing to go away on its own.” The public’s attention would surely dwindle in a few days. “No.” Simon refused without hesitation. There was no way Stephen could suffer a few more days in misery. “Do you have a better idea?” Faced with the question, Simon fell silent for a moment. Then, he replied, “There’s only one thing left to do. Make Shawn, Eric, and Brandon’s crimes public and put arrest warrants out for them. As for Ethan… He was wrongly accused in all of this, but he’s not entirely without blame. Stephen, on the other hand…” Simon looked at everybody and said, “Like us, he was fooled by how sneaky Shawn and his friends were. Besides, Ethan should hold some responsibility. He knew what those people were like but said nothing anyway. It’s outrageous of him to mislead us and put the city at risk. “Stephen isn’t the main culprit. Most of the blame is on Shawn
The Guardian's Return Chapter 68
“I can see why he feels that way, considering the accusations against him.”Simon sought help from experts to write an apology letter. It was a deep dive into the subject matter with each word carefully selected to leave the public pondering its underlying meaning. The brief letter shirked Stephen of any responsibility except his judgment on hiring, pinning most fault on Shawn, Eric, and Brandon. Ethan was also partly to be blamed, and Stephen was just the gullible party who knew nothing. Though fooled, Stephen only acted out in the public’s best interest, so the public had to keep their thoughts to themselves. “He’s committed to our well-being.”“The faults lie on Shawn, Eric, and Brandon. They didn’t just have Stephen fooled, but us too.” “Ethan should share a part of the blame too. He knew what was going on but said nothing anyway.” Simon hired trolls to sway public opinion. Those internet trolls downplayed Stephen’s mistake, making him innocent. Simon had also gotten
The Guardian's Return Chapter 69
That afternoon, Stephen could breathe easy at home. “The worst has passed.” He was scared out of his wits upon learning the city’s state of affairs. Luckily, he had Simon’s help and narrowly managed to weather the crisis. Still, there was a lot to reflect on. Most importantly, Stephen may be out of the woods but North Hill City was not. It would take at least another two weeks before the turmoil could settle.The dwindling number of businesses in North Hill City had resulted in a severe job shortage. If left unchecked, it could cause a massive population decline. Another issue was with the nature reserve. With the reserve mistakenly turned into a development area, Lytton wrecked and destroyed the habitat, leading to a drop in wildlife. It was a massive loss to the city and the world. The city’s water supply had also been contaminated, and it would take two weeks to improve the water quality. The area had to be reclaimed before more damage was done. However, then came anot
The Guardian's Return Chapter 70
Stephen frowned. “Would the people accept the houses, though?” George replied without care, “Well, they get a house, don’t they? It’s not our problem whether they accept it or not. If they have a problem with it, they can take it up with the new mayor.” Stephen finally caught on. All they needed to do was slap some houses together to get the public off their backs, and the new mayor could handle the backlash after. “That’s a good idea.” Stephen looked at George and said, “It seems I have a lot of things to learn.” George squeezed a smile. He had picked up the relocation idea from Ethan, who had submitted several reports in the past, and George acquired the proposal from glancing through the papers back then. There was a follow-up plan too. However, George did not bother to read through the paperwork, so he could not remember much. The only thing he recalled was the public’s complete satisfaction after the execution of the plan, and Ethan resolved the issue flawlessly. Georg
The Guardian's Return Chapter 71
“It’s a workable solution. Just go ahead and do it your way.” Simon said, “There’s one more thing I need to tell you. “North Hill City is beyond redemption, so you don’t need to waste your time and energy on the city. Just make sure the economy doesn’t drop more than it already has. “From now on, pay attention to other cities and focus on their growth. So long as North Hill City keeps to where it is now and the other cities expand, Riveria will soon hit 15 and 20 trillion dollars in GDP.” Stephen nodded. “Got it.” He was upset to learn it was too late to save North Hill City and Riveria’s drop in GDP. He did not think he would nearly ruin North Hill City. Even Riveria’s GDP struggled to make the 15-trillion-dollar line. After the call, Stephen sighed. “Can I join the cabinet if I raise the GDP to 20 trillion dollars in two years?”He did not care about the well-being of the people of North Hill City. His only concern was the time it would take him to get a seat in the cabine
The Guardian's Return Chapter 72
Still, Stephen stayed cautious. He took Danny out to eat and asked him to order, hoping to observe his dining habits. Would Danny go for the expensive cuts or something else? Danny asked, “What would you like to eat, sir?” “Just order what you like.” Stephen grinned, not noticing Danny’s trembling hands while the latter looked at the menu. Moments later, Danny ordered the food. “We’ll have the salad and…” Danny glanced at Stephen before gritting his teeth. “And salmon, please.” An appetizer and a main course for each of them should be enough. Danny put down the menu and asked, “Is that enough for you, sir?” Stephen smiled happily, “Yes, it is. You have the qualities to be the next mayor of North Hill City.” Dumbstruck, Danny asked in surprise, “Are you serious?” Stephen nodded. “Yes, I’m dead serious.” The salad and salmon were one of the cheapest on the menu, and Danny’s thrifty lifestyle impressed Stephen.After the meal, Stephen took Danny to run through the p
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