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Chapter 668
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 669
To gain more benefits in Riveria, the Hugheses would never let things go smoothly for Stephen. If Stephen ended up handling the crisis successfully, it would be harder for them to intervene, let alone make a profit. Victor picked up his phone and made a call. “Find a suitable time to spread the word that Stephen apologized to the large and medium-sized companies who chose to leave while ignoring the small companies willing to stay. “The small companies aren’t his priority, and he doesn’t care whether they survive or not.”After that, he hung up. His reason was to stir discontent among the small businesses that chose to stay. With Breezy City’s current situation, even a few companies leaving would hugely impact the market and economy. Since most businesses had left, the farmlands were abandoned, and there was no funding to continue the development area. Now, Breeze City had almost no job opportunities. If not for the fact that many eyes were on Breeze City, Simon even wanted t
The Guardian's Return Chapter 670
As long as she got pregnant, her position would be secured, and she could gain a certain level of freedom, which would only benefit her immensely. However, Stephen was not up to it, and it left Rachel frustrated. If not for the overwhelming power the Quinns held, she would have secretly worked with another man behind everyone’s backs to get herself pregnant. The next morning, Stephen woke up before 7 a.m. His sleep quality had been terrible lately, and he went downstairs with heavy bags under his eyes. He hastily had breakfast prepared by the maids before leaving the house in a hurry. He did not forget the important mission he had today. He had summoned the people who bought houses in the development zone in batches, planning to explain the situation to these homeowners and discuss possible solutions. He specially chose a restaurant for the meeting and decorated it to reflect a calm atmosphere. At a little past ten, Stephen met the first batch of homeowners. Most of them were
The Guardian's Return Chapter 671
With that, they all had to silently put up with it and did as their bosses said. Some of the married couples were already on the verge of divorce.Although Stephen was in misery, they were in even more pain and suffering.When Stephen learned about their difficulties, he fell silent. He raised his head with reddened eyes. He thought that his life was hard enough, but it turned out that everyone else was living in far worse conditions.At that moment, he thought of Ethan.Three years ago, during a time when Riveria was even more chaotic and tragic, Ethan turned the tide and allowed everyone to live peacefully and happily.However, Stephen destroyed all of it. He felt utterly despicable.Someone said, “We’ll only accept a refund.”Stephen knew that there was no point in trying to persuade them anymore. The economy was struggling, and jobs were scarce. Even if he renovated their houses, they might not want them. At times like these, they would only have a sense of security if they
The Guardian's Return Chapter 672
“You won’t touch a single penny of the Quinns’ money!” Simon refused to compromise. To him, apologizing and paying compensation would ruin the family’s reputation, especially paying compensation to ordinary people. Having someone from the Quinns step up to talk to normal civilians was already an honor for them.Stephen said in a low voice, “Fine, I won’t touch it. I’ll come up with something myself.” Then, he turned and left, not wanting to say another word to Simon.“Stop!” Simon shouted after him, but Stephen did not listen. He had made up his mind and was convinced that compensation was the only solution. Continuing to cover things up, avoiding responsibility, or using the money from Breeze City to address the issue would not solve the root problem. Since it had all started with him, he should be the one to end it!Bam! Stephen returned to his room and slammed the door shut.Simon heard the door and clenched his fists. He could not understand why Stephen had become so uncontro
The Guardian's Return Chapter 673
The next morning, Stephen still did not receive any inquiries from buyers.When he arrived at his office building, a group of people immediately surrounded him at the entrance. Their faces were full of anticipation and nervousness as they asked, “When will we get our money back?”Stephen forced a smile. “Soon. Very soon.” Then, he hurried away.A whole day passed, but he had no money since the villas were still not sold. He did not know how to face the people’s hopefulness and did not even dare to meet their eyes.‘I hope the estates sell soon.’Feeling uneasy, he organized all the proof of purchase documents and calculated the total compensation needed. It was 5 billion.Stephen sighed in relief. Selling just one villa would be enough.However, there was still no news by evening, and Stephen grew anxious. It was almost two days by now. Nevertheless, he knew that there was no point worrying about it. He was completely helpless without the Quinns’ support.Another night passed,
The Guardian's Return Chapter 674
Stephen felt miserable. Although he knew that he had framed Ethan first and even imprisoned the latter in Drakthorn Ridge, he still asked, “Do you have no shred of compassion?”Ethan felt like he had just heard a joke. “You reaped the rewards, became the Grand Marshal’s mentee, married Rachel Lowe, and took over Riveria. You don’t need compassion. You’re just trying to shift the consequences of your incompetence onto me.”Stephen fell silent.“You long for love, and you long for someone to help you when you’re in trouble, but here’s the truth: to be loved is to be understood, and those who truly understood you and were willing to help you are all dead because of you.”Stephen’s body trembled.“The happiest time of your life is over. You can never go back. When the Quinn family helped you, there were many problems that you couldn’t solve. Now that they won’t help you, you’ll face even more challenges you can’t overcome. Your fate is already sealed. You can either die by trial or ta
The Guardian's Return Chapter 675
Stephen considered it for a moment. The fact that he had to wait so long for one potential buyer meant that the villas would not sell easily. Furthermore, he needed the money urgently.Although it was only 3 billion, it would at least resolve the immediate problem. He did not know how long he would have to wait if he missed this opportunity. He could not afford to let it slip away.“Okay,” Stephen said. “3 billion it is.”Victor smiled. He thought that Stephen would haggle a bit longer, but the latter unexpectedly agreed so quickly. It seemed he was indeed at the end of his rope.Stephen said, “I’ll head back to Metropolis now to complete the deal.”He had to be present due to the enormous sum involved. When he arrived at Metropolis at night, he immediately called Victor as soon as he got off the plane.Victor sent someone to finalize the deal with Stephen and successfully bought the villa worth 8 billion for only 3 billion dollars.“Thank you!” Stephen exclaimed in gratitude.
The Guardian's Return Chapter 676
Everyone looked eager. When Stephen saw that no one blamed him, he could not help but sigh in relief. He thought to himself, ‘I made the right decision.’After sending them all off, he returned home, feeling satisfied. ‘Maybe I’ll finally get a good night’s sleep tonight,’ he thought.Meanwhile, Simon found out that Stephen sold his villa for 3 billion dollars.“He’s gone insane.” Simon was furious. “That is a villa at Heavens Estate. Only the elite can afford to buy it. How could he actually sell it to compensate commoners? What an ingrate! I can’t let this news spread.”If people found out that the Quinn family spent 8 billion on a villa for Stephen’s birthday gift, it would surely become a point of discussion. Furthermore, the family’s reputation would be ruined upon the news about the heir of the Quinns being forced to sell his property because he did not have enough money.At that thought, Simon hurriedly found the person who bought the villa.“I’m Simon Quinn,” he said. “Yo
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 808
“Everything we’ve worked hard on would go to waste, and the Quinn family would be plunged into endless doom. The federal government would cull us. Nobody would let us off.”The issue now was not as simple as stealing Ethan’s achievements and locking him up. They were unafraid to do it in the past because they thought Ethan was an incapable orphan without any backing. They figured he just got lucky. However, they were wrong. Ethan turned out to be the Grand Marshal’s only mentee and the head of the Ledger family’s chosen one. He was also the one who intimidated the South Regent into retreating and achieving peace for Riveria. Everyone in the province owed him their lives.Just the revelation of his identity and achievements would be more than they could handle, and there was a new problem. Under their management, Riveria had nothing but problems. The province was once the nation’s largest, boasting a 15 trillion GDP, but how much of it was left now? It had long since fallen to
The Guardian's Return Chapter 807
It happened all too suddenly. He had done everything he could to prevent this. He had made countless preparations, ensuring no criminals or illegal weapons could get in, and even arranged his own men to be the “lucky audience” chosen for the interactive session. Yet, he had not expected a celebrity of that level to speak out for Ethan. Simon racked his brains, trying to figure out how it all happened. However, how would he know that the celebrity had become famous thanks to Ethan? His mind buzzed, completely blank. He could only say, “We will investigate this matter. Everyone, please wait for our notice. For now, please continue to enjoy tonight’s show!”He handed the mic to the host and rushed off stage. The show had to go on. He had put too much effort into inviting celebrities and pouring money into security to have it go to waste like that.Unfortunately, people’s attention was not on the show anymore. Stephen, Simon, Riveria, and Ethan immediately started trending. The e
The Guardian's Return Chapter 806
However, the truth was that everything she went through had nothing to do with Ethan, while the hardships he had encountered were even more unbearable than hers. However, he always remained calm and was even willing to lend a hand. “I’m sorry.” Snow trembled, tears streaking across her face. There was so much she wanted to say, but she did not know where to start. She could only apologize repeatedly and wipe her tears away. Her heart was filled with resentment toward Stephen, who was no human at all! Lily also spoke, her voice shaking, “I can’t believe you were the author. And you’ve done so much!”She thought back to the first time they met and when she called Ethan petty. Now, she finally understood how generous Ethan was. He had sacrificed himself to protect everyone in Riveria, saved her life when she should have been dead, and helped her find a new meaning in life. Yet what about him? He was imprisoned in that desolate mountain alone. Lily thought about herself. As the
The Guardian's Return Chapter 805
Leo continued, "The song I just performed, my breakthrough hit, was written by him, and not just this song, but many other well-known songs and TV shows… He was behind them all."He listed several works that were famous nationwide and even worldwide, like "The Cosmic Conundrum," "Nick's Maritime Tales," "An Aquatic Adventure," "Billy and the Magical Realm," and "The Divine Ring.”The audience was stunned. The list Leo provided included many of their beloved works. They never imagined that the creator of these treasured pieces had done so much good for society.Even more shocking was the author's fate. He was falsely accused and had his achievements stolen. Worst of all, he was wrongfully imprisoned!The audience's anger ignited as they shouted from below the stage."Who was treated so unjustly?""Tell us who it is! We can't allow a hero to be treated this way!""Those who sacrifice for others shouldn't be left to freeze in the storm!""Was it Ethan Rivers who did this? He's cor
The Guardian's Return Chapter 804
"I regret not being there in person. Hearing this live would've made my life complete.""Tell me about it. I had tickets but gave them away. Now I'm kicking myself.""Who wrote this song? It reminds me of graduation day."Three years after its release, the TV show was trending again because of the song."Even after three years, I wish the writer would change the ending.""Forget changing it completely, just give us a glimmer of hope!""Please just kill me. Why write such a heartbreaking ending?"Back at the mansion, a group of people discussed the drama over dinner.Cora sighed. "The female lead died of cancer, and the male lead ended up going to their dream university alone. That ending destroyed me.""I know." Lily wiped away tears. "Everyone in my class talked about it. We all thought it was too tragic."Avery nodded. "It was seeing separations like this that drove me to study medicine."After witnessing the Grand Marshal's death and the drama's ending, she threw herself
The Guardian's Return Chapter 803
A celebrity slowly walked onto the stage.The crowd erupted in excitement when they saw him, shouting his name. It was Leo Cross, the hottest singer of recent years.Though in his forties, he was good-looking. Combined with his naturally husky voice, his song "One Person Remembering Another" went viral three years ago."Hello, everyone." Leo smiled as he walked to center stage. "I'm Leo Cross. Today, I'll be performing my breakthrough hit, 'One Person Remembering Another.'"The audience burst into thunderous applause.The song was universally known not just for its beautiful lyrics but also for being the theme song of a wildly popular TV drama. The show, which centered around school life, young romance, and heartbreak, moved millions to tears with its finale where the leads parted ways.Viewers, devastated by the ending, took to social media demanding the writer change it. Even those who had not watched a single episode felt the weight of that ending. The show was hailed as that
The Guardian's Return Chapter 802
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
The Guardian's Return Chapter 801
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 Guardian's Return Chapter 800
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
