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Chapter 692
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 693
If there was money left, it might even alleviate Breeze City’s current financial plight. The only downside was that Simon would not make any profit.‘When these issues are resolved, there’ll be plenty of opportunities to make money.’With that thought, Simon immediately made the preparations.‘Now that Stephen isn’t around, things are indeed much simpler.’ He sighed in his heart.How many absurd things did Stephen do while he was around? He publicly admitted his incompetence, got into a scandal, and stirred public resentment. Simon had gone through painstaking efforts to clean up all the problems.“I hope that he’ll reflect and correct all his mistakes while he’s away.”Meanwhile, Stephen was on a flight back to Metropolis. He stared blankly out of the window. His experiences the past six months felt like a dream.Stephen had lived many years, but he had never experienced one where he had lost so much. Friends, brothers, his beloved, money, power—he lost all of them.In the end
The Guardian's Return Chapter 694
When the children laughed and ran away, Stephen simply sighed and said nothing.He prepared to take a shower and go to bed. He was too exhausted for the past half year and forgot what it felt like to sleep in his own home.Just then, someone from the family came to see him. He was an old man with white hair and a cane, but he exuded a powerful presence more intimidating than Simon.Stephen’s head instantly bowed when he saw the old man. “Grandfather.”The person who came was Stephen’s grandfather and Simon’s father, Harrison Quinn.“You still call me your grandfather?” Harrison rebuked. “What have you done in Riveria the past six months? Riveria’s GDP reached 15 trillion and was just shy of 20 trillion, but you managed to make it plummet below a trillion. Are you trying to drive us to our graves?”Stephen did not dare to look at Harrison. He wanted to explain that Riveria was not what everyone thought it was. It was not a peaceful blue sky but a turbulent deep sea. One misstep, a
The Guardian's Return Chapter 695
Naturally, Stephen knew the reason‒he wanted to make up for the mistakes he had made in the past.However, he did not dare to voice that thought and simply said, “Because I used the Quinn family’s money for compensation.”Harrison nodded. “You’re not wrong, but that’s just part of the reason. Your other fault lies in your lack of thoroughness and firmness. You let them post about you recovering the money online.”Stephen did not dare to raise his head. “I understand. I won’t make the same mistake again.”“That’s more like it.” Harrison was very pleased.Over the past six months, Stephen had stirred up a lot of trouble in Riveria. Other families had been gossiping, and some even said that Stephen was not a genius at all and was not fit to manage Riveria.Harrison also had some doubts. However, he still believed that Stephen was intelligent and clearly knew what he did wrong.“The new year is approaching. For now, stay home and behave. If you have nothing to do, then read some boo
The Guardian's Return Chapter 696
Stephen had no other choice. He was under house arrest, so he simply smiled wryly. “I hope you have fun. Well, I still have stuff to do. You should go now.”Exhausted, he had been suffering from a lack of sleep during this period. Coupled with the blows from several incidents, he was mentally and physically drained.Although everyone still had something to say, they held back when they saw how tired Stephen genuinely was.“Rest well, Stephen.”“Take care of your health.”“Let us know if you need anything.”They said goodbye to Stephen and left. After seeing them out, Stephen then sighed and returned to his own room.When he reached the door, he suddenly froze at the sight of an unexpected visitor.Victor Hughes!Victor had his hands in his pockets as he walked over slowly. “Mr. Quinn, we meet again.”Stephen took a deep breath. “Why are you here?”He had no goodwill left for Victor. Victor left immediately when trouble arose in Breeze City and even shifted the blame to Steph
The Guardian's Return Chapter 697
[Come back home; I’m waiting for you.]The song continued.Stephen’s vision blurred as tears welled up in his eyes. He used to love this singer and always wanted to attend one of his concerts. Lily was the same. However, this singer had never performed there before.Now, the singer was here, and Stephen could finally watch him live. He even sat in the VIP section and would be able to shake hands and get an autograph later. The expressions of everyone around him were filled with excitement and emotion.However, Stephen’s face was streaked with tears. He was not happy at all. Despite finally making it to the concert, he felt sad inside because he should not be here alone tonight. He should have been here with Snow, Lily, Jeremy, and Andy.“Stephen, are you crying?” someone asked beside him.Stephen snapped back to his senses. “It’s nothing. The song was too beautiful. I really admire the person who wrote it.”The person nodded. “Yeah, I just looked it up. The lyricist and composer
The Guardian's Return Chapter 698
For a moment, no one knew how to comfort Stephen. They knew a little about his troubles, but since they had not experienced it themselves, they could only say, “It’s all in the past. We have to look forward.”Stephen grabbed a bottle of beer and drank it directly.“Stephen!” The others were shocked to see Stephen chugging the beer.“I’m fine.” Stephen was still sober. He drank heavily now because he wanted to get drunk. Ever since Lily’s death, he started to drink to forget his troubles.However, every time he woke up, the weight of everything he had to shoulder threatened to suffocate him.“Even if you’re fine, you can’t drink like that.” Someone quickly took the bottle from him.“You can’t drink anymore. We’ll take you home.”They helped Stephen out and put him in the car, then drove toward the Quinns’ residence.Stephen said, “I don’t want to go back.”“You don’t? Where do you want to go then?” someone asked.“Where...” The question left Stephen at a loss. Where did he wan
The Guardian's Return Chapter 699
After asking around, they found out that the famous psychologist in Metropolis, Dr. Steel, had retired. He had gone to Riveria with a student before, but an incident caused the student’s leg to be broken, leaving them disabled for life.After returning, Dr. Steel announced that he would never be involved in anything related to psychology.This decision had created a huge stir at the time. Everyone speculated what happened to Dr. Steel and his student. However, to this day, there was no clear answer.Dr. Steel also said nothing about it, and whenever someone asked, he would only show a pained expression as if the memory itself was filled with sharp needles that hurt his heart.“It’s a shame that Dr. Steel retired,” several people lamented. They did not know that Dr. Steel’s plight was thanks to Stephen.It was Stephen’s failed management that caused chaos in Hill City. Then, Dr. Steel could only watch as his student’s leg was shot and broken while the city was turned into a mess.
The Guardian's Return Chapter 700
Breeze City’s GDP plummeted even quicker.Simon had to ask about the GDP every few hours, and he was beginning to fear sleeping because when he woke up, the numbers dropped again.“Why hasn’t anyone bought the development zone yet?” He had already lowered the development zone price drastically.Before coming to Breeze City, he had thought the problems here were not that serious. He believed that things could be resolved with just a little effort.However, the problems exceeded his expectations. Now, the situation was not only resolved but heading toward complete collapse.Just as he got a headache, his phone rang. Simon glanced at the screen and saw that it was the South Regent.“Have you been busy lately?” The South Regent chuckled.“Did you call just to mock me?” Simon’s voice turned cold. How dare a leader outside the borders mock him? He wanted to send people to wipe out the South Regent’s forces right now.The South Regent laughed. “Of course not. I’m not that kind of pers
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 817
Hugo waited until Natalie fell asleep before leaving the hospital ward with the South Regent. He said in a low voice, “Please take me to see Mr. Rivers.”From that moment onward, he also addressed Ethan as Mr. Rivers.Ethan did not only save his life but also Natalie’s. He would repay that debt with his life.“Are you sure?” the South Regent asked. “If you take Natalie and her grandfather back to Metropolis now, you can stay out of all of this.”Natalie’s grandfather’s health had also stabilized after treatment.If Hugo wished, he could take them back to Metropolis, where the medical treatments were better. Furthermore, Hugo had worked as a psychologist for many years and even treated Stephen, so he had saved up over a million dollars.If he managed his finances well, he would not become rich, but it was enough for Natalie to grow up safe and healthy and ensure that her grandfather retired peacefully.Hugo did not hesitate. “I’ve made up my mind.”He played a part in how things
The Guardian's Return Chapter 816
“Stephen has always lived in Riveria. He is the Grand Marshal’s sole mentee and the one who brought three years of peace to Riveria. Ethan is a corrupt criminal.”Scrolling further down, there was also an apology video from Stephen. He claimed that the statement was true and expressed regret that he caused an outcry and wasted public resources.Hugo fell completely silent after watching it.How could this be? Others might not know whether Stephen truly was the Grand Marshal’s mentee or not, but he did.Victor had told him about Ethan’s achievements. Even assassins feared Ethan. Stephen had also admitted in front of him who Ethan really was.Only Ethan could save Riveria.In the past, Hugo thought that Stephen was just being misled and used, which was why he wanted to help him.However, now, Stephen insisted that he was the Grand Marshal’s mentee and that he was the one who had managed Riveria in the past.As a psychologist, Hugo could tell from Stephen’s expressions in the vide
The Guardian's Return Chapter 815
The doctors told Hugo what happened.“Back then, you had already lost too much blood. You’re lucky that there was a young man with the same blood type as you when you were brought in, so he gave you a transfusion. Then, our family head sent us to take care of you. If not for our excellent medical skills, you probably wouldn’t have woken up.”Hugo was confused. “Family head? Did Simon send you?”The two doctors suddenly froze, their expressions turning dark.“Watch what you say. Simon didn’t send us. Ugh!”They were so angry that they stopped the examination.Hugo was stunned at the sudden change in their attitude. They were not sent by Simon? Furthermore, why did they react so strongly to the mention of Simon’s name? If not Simon, who else could be the ‘family head’?“Who sent you?” Hugo asked in confusion.“We’re from the Ledger family,” the doctor said coldly. “Who’s Simon? We don’t know him. Don’t lump us in with that filth.”“Huh?” Hugo was still bewildered. “The Ledger fa
The Guardian's Return Chapter 814
Tyler frowned. “What happened?”“It’s about Riveria.” Nolan handed his phone to Tyler. “Simon and Stephen have completely lost all shame. I can’t believe they said something like this.”After reading the news, Tyler’s expression darkened. “Although I know they’re shameless, I still underestimated them.”In the past, they had slandered Ethan and stole his achievements. Now, after being exposed, they fabricated evidence and worked with headquarters to deceive the public.“Tyler, what should we do?” Nolan asked. “I can’t stand by while they slander Mr. Rivers like this.”Tyler said, “Let me think.”To them, Ethan was their savior. Without Ethan, the Spencers would never have made it out of Riveria alive. It was thanks to Ethan stepping in that they had a chance to start over.However, Simon was shamelessly going further to distort the truth and rewrite history. They could not watch this happen. The truth had to be exposed!A moment later, Tyler said in a low voice, “Let’s go to Ri
The Guardian's Return Chapter 813
The netizens had mostly been deceived by the internet trolls.When they saw Simon and headquarters both speaking out, they fully believed that Stephen was innocent and that everything was part of Leo and Ethan’s schemes. Even the few who had firmly believed in Ethan began to doubt themselves.Online, the uproar gradually died down. At that moment, Simon took the next step! He had someone publish the recording of the gala and instructed the trolls to guide the audience in revisiting the highlights.With that, both he and Stephen were completely safe.When people reviewed the gala recording, it also boosted Riveria’s popularity. It was killing multiple birds with one stone!Simon did not rest. Instead, he took the official statement and the trending discussions online and headed to the jail to meet Leo.“Has he confessed yet?” Simon asked the staff.After Leo was imprisoned, he had been questioned who the mastermind behind this was.“No. He keeps saying there’s no mastermind.”S
The Guardian's Return Chapter 812
“Yeah. I’m from Breeze City. If Stephen is driven away by all your insults, what are we supposed to do?”“All this is part of Ethan’s scheme. He’s deliberately trying to frame Stephen!”This was the next phase of their attack. They accused everyone of being too extreme and then created a victim narrative to gain sympathy. Finally, they flipped the story. Stephen was the pure-hearted and selfless one while Ethan was the true villain!While the internet was being flooded with manipulated narratives, Simon was not idle either. He felt that fabricating transaction records and hiring internet trolls alone was not enough. Ne needed more fabricated evidence.Thus, he had several people in Riveria publicly claim that Stephen had been the one managing Riveria all along.Ethan Rivers? Never heard of him!After a day of work, Simon was drenched in sweat. He felt his heart pound as if it might leap out of his throat.After all, he had not rested properly for days because of the gala. Furthe
The Guardian's Return Chapter 811
Simon stayed up all night thinking.The next morning, a little after 6 a.m., he called someone to forge records that Stephen had lived in Riveria before.At the gala, someone had questioned whether Stephen really was the Grand Marshal’s mentee. His response at that time was that Stephen had always lived in Riveria.Now, he had to fabricate those records as soon as possible and release them publicly. Protecting Stephen’s identity as ‘the Grand Marshal’s sole heir’ was extremely important. As long as that narrative was maintained, it would minimize suspicions from others.“But that’s not enough.”Simon continued to take action and hired internet trolls. Since he could not suppress the public’s interest, he personally intervened and made the trolls comment that Stephen was the one in charge of Riveria while Ethan was a corrupt criminal and that Leo was spewing nonsense!As soon as the money was paid, the trolls began their work.“You guys say that Ethan was the one in charge of Riv
The Guardian's Return Chapter 810
However, the event was quickly losing steam! Leo had shifted everyone’s attention away, and people were more curious about Ethan and Stephen’s true identities. The whole internet buzzed with discussions, and many were engaged in fierce arguments. Even if Simon tried to suppress the controversy, it was nearly impossible to stop it. Quite a few people were even starting to leave the event. Many planned to stay in Breeze City for a few days and tour the city, but after experiencing the incident, they no longer trusted Simon. Therefore, they changed their plans and decided to leave the next day!By the time the event ended at 1 a.m., the audience present had dropped to less than half of the original count. When Simon and Stephen took the stage and saw the half-empty seats, they felt dispirited. The celebrities and singers who attended the event could also barely manage a smile. They regretted coming. The scandal surrounding Stephen’s real identity could easily engulf them, and the l
The Guardian's Return Chapter 809
Stephen immediately raised his head and asked, “Where is she?”Simon fell silent. He had no idea where Lily was. Perhaps only Ethan would know her whereabouts, and he did not know how to answer Stephen. Stephen frowned as he waited for a response. “What’s wrong? Didn’t you say she’s alive? Why don’t you tell me where she is?”Simon took a deep breath. “It might not be the best time to tell you now.”He still tried to brush it off. “What do you mean?” Stephen was getting anxious. “Do you want me to get on my knees and beg you? Don’t you know how important she is to me?” Stephen pointed at his gray hair. “I want to see her again so badly.”As Simon lowered his head, looking conflicted, Stephen fell to his knees with a bam. “What are you doing?” Simon exclaimed and quickly pulled him up. At that point, he realized that he could not hide it anymore. He did not want to say that Ethan saved Lily, but only Ethan knew where she was now. Even if he wanted to lie, he could not. W
