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Chapter 780
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 781
At that moment, it was clear to Lucy that Avery's heart belonged to Ethan now, and her dedication to medicine was driven by her desire to keep him safe. She worried about him getting hurt in battle or, worse, succumbing to illness like the Grand Marshal.The mansion grew quiet again."Just a few more minutes," Avery told Ethan with a smile. "Dinner's almost ready."Meanwhile, Simon was heading down the mountain with George and Rachel, fuming. Not only had they failed to get Ethan's help, but they had been thoroughly berated as well. Looking at the two useless Lowes only made his mood worse.The contrast between the women infuriated him. Avery had fought five people to defend Ethan, while Rachel could not stand up for Stephen when Stephen was criticized.He had to take several deep breaths before he could speak calmly. "We're going to Breeze City."With New Year's just two weeks away, his priority was Stephen's recovery. The situation in Breeze City could not wait any longer eithe
The Guardian's Return Chapter 782
Back home, Simon racked his brain but could not figure out any solutions. He had to call another meeting, though the leaked recordings now made him wary of meetings.Those tapes had not just wrecked all his work—they had thrown him and Stephen into a spotlight they could not escape. Worse still, the scandal had spread overseas and destroyed any trust people had in them.Breeze City was bleeding residents. The streets were empty, even during the daytime, and a majority of the shops were shuttered along with them. The shopping district that used to buzz with life sat silent.Simon kicked himself for not collecting everyone's devices earlier. Without a recording, none of that would have leaked, and things would have been much simpler."I won't make that mistake again."This time, he required everyone to surrender their phones and tablets at the entrance. Security would then conduct a thorough search before activating jammers to prevent any external communication."You know why you'r
The Guardian's Return Chapter 783
Now that the traitor had completed his plan, he was off enjoying a carefree life abroad with the money, while Simon was left to suffer the consequences."Someone's behind this," Simon muttered.Ever since Jeremy was killed, they had remained hidden in the shadows, never once revealing themselves. Even now, Simon had no idea who they were.Even with the full weight of the Quinns’ resources, the past few years had seen Riveria become a chaotic mix of players, making it nearly impossible to uncover any useful leads in a short time. Only one person might know who was pulling the strings—Ethan!After the Grand Marshal died, Ethan took charge, clearing out every threat to Riveria. He had to know who was behind it all."But he'll never tell me." Simon's regret ate at him. "We should've handled him differently. We should’ve bought him off, offered him power, and made a deal to take over properly. Then, we could've used his help when things went south."The more Simon dwelled on it, the m
The Guardian's Return Chapter 784
"Ethan can't return," Simon said firmly. "Don't you know what kind of person he is? Taking bribes, corruption… His crimes are endless. What are you thinking, wanting him back?"Everyone stayed silent.Did Ethan take bribes? Was he corrupt? As people who had witnessed Riveria’s transformation, how could they not know the truth?Far from being corrupt, he had spent his money building roads, schools, and hospitals.Riveria’s 15 trillion dollars in GDP was entirely thanks to Ethan. How could Riveria have endured Simon and Stephen’s reckless squandering without his past efforts?However, seeing Simon's reaction, they knew he would never ask for Ethan's help. Ethan was not coming back, and they were out of options."Don't mention him again," Simon snapped. "Whatever that criminal did before, I'm in charge of Riveria now. I'll make it even better. We won't fall apart without him."His earlier enthusiasm had vanished, stung by another comparison where he fell short of Ethan."That's en
The Guardian's Return Chapter 785
"Stephen, do you know the answers?" his friend asked.Stephen nodded slightly. Under everyone's gaze, he stepped forward and took on the first riddle."What goes up but never comes down? The answer is noon," he said."Impressive, you got it!" the vendor said. "What about the second one?"Everyone looked at Stephen. How did a hundred musicians reduce to ten?"Because only the tenor stayed," Stephen answered slowly.There was a moment of confusion before everyone got it.Once it clicked, they laughed. "Now, that's a proper brain teaser!"Stephen's friends cheered. "That's our Stephen!"Stephen’s answer had never even crossed their minds.The vendor nodded appreciatively. "Quick thinking, young man. Now, the third question… What's vinegar's boiling point?"One of Stephen's friends jumped in. "I know this one! It’s 60 degrees!"The vendor smiled. "Wrong.""What?" Everyone was surprised. They thought vinegar had a low boiling point since performers used it to simulate boiling
The Guardian's Return Chapter 786
Stephen’s friend immediately said, “Do you think Stephen can’t handle a challenge? Bring on whatever questions you have. Stephen will know it!”Stephen felt nothing in particular about answering two more questions. He was not interested in the grand prize anyway. If Lily were still alive, she would have been thrilled, but at the thought of Lily, Stephen’s mood faltered. The vendor said, “The next two questions are pretty tough. Are you ready? Of course, for fairness, you can discuss the answer with your friends.”Stephen’s friends grew serious. They were curious to see how difficult the next two questions were. The surrounding crowd watching the show quieted down as well.The vendor slowly said, “Here’s the first question. How can you make tears flow backward?”The question stunned many. They looked at each other, doubting their ears. “Is this supposed to be difficult?”“Sir, are you serious? We thought it would be a tricky question.”“Yeah, any kid could answer this question
The Guardian's Return Chapter 787
Stephen was showered with praise, yet his heart was filled with bitterness. Those questions made him think of Snow and Lily. Without them, he would not have known the answer. However, it was a painful lesson to learn, and he would rather know nothing at all.The vendor sized Stephen up and asked curiously, “Young man, how do you know the answers to these questions?”His words stabbed Stephen’s heart. The last thing he wanted to recall was that night, but the vendor was forcing him to remember everything. Every time he remembered the night Lily died, the memory would grow clearer. “A friend of mine taught me.” Stephen’s voice was bitter. “A friend who really liked me.”“Your friend sure is a good one.” The vendor smiled. “You must cherish her. Because of her, you won the runner-up prize..”Stephen stayed silent, feeling too suffocated to reply. It was as if someone had punched him right in the gut, and he had to fight the urge to cough up blood.“Okay, here’s the last question. L
The Guardian's Return Chapter 788
The vendor’s face paled in fright. “I just wanted to stump you, not kill you! Just take the prize!”He quickly took down the grand, first, runner-up, and second runner-up prizes, handing all of them to Stephen. However, Stephen’s body convulsed. The memories he had suppressed came flooding back, one more intense than the other. Stephen clutched his chest as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. His legs had gone weak. “He pushed himself this far just to answer a few questions?”“What sort of questions are these? They made someone cough up blood.”“This is unreal. If I hadn’t seen it myself, I wouldn’t have believed something like this.”“I’m starting to believe those dramatic effects in TV shows. Perhaps it’s true that someone could die while playing chess!”Stephen’s friends were now panicking. “Stephen, what’s wrong? Stephen!”“Don’t scare us!”“Ambulance! Call the ambulance!”Stephen had been doing well just moments ago. When he left the carousel, he even reveal
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The Guardian's Return Chapter 920
After everything was settled, the people from HQ went to Ethan again. They apologized to him and begged for his forgiveness.“We’ve dealt with everyone involved in this matter. Are you satisfied with the outcome, Mr. Rivers?”With that, they lowered their heads to the ground nervously. Their only hope now hinged on Ethan’s response.They did not dare to ask for much. All they hoped for was that Ethan would not leave the country.Ethan glanced at them calmly and said, “Send someone to help move my stuff down the mountain.”Hearing that, everyone was first stunned, and then ecstatic.“Of course!” they replied in unison.They understood what Ethan meant. He was staying! Although it was not his complete forgiveness, he was willing to give them another chance.They were all overjoyed. As long as Ethan did not leave, there was plenty of time to slowly make amends.They took out their phones and made arrangements to help Ethan move.After the call ended, they said, “We respectfully
The Guardian's Return Chapter 919
The day of Rachel and George’s trial came.The livestream began at 10 a.m., and hundreds of thousands of viewers joined instantly.Rachel and George slowly walked into the courtroom in handcuffs.Bang! The judge’s gavel fell, and the room went silent.It was not a lawsuit. It was a trial to expose the sins of Rachel and George.The judge read out their crimes one by one, until Rachel and George’s faces paled to the point that they looked like corpses.The viewers in the livestream finally saw the full picture.“So that’s it! The Quinns and the Lowes conspired!”“They deserve to die! How could they frame Ethan like that? Are they even human?”“The death penalty! They deserve the death penalty!”They were all furious.Many people had lost their families as a result of supporting Stephen and scolding Ethan. After watching the livestream, they realized just how deeply they had been wrong.They were accomplices to the Quinns and the Lowes' crimes in framing Ethan!Their current
The Guardian's Return Chapter 918
They suppressed their disgust and returned home, only to see their parents and wives’ panicked expressions.“What did you do out there?”“So many people came today, asking for you by name.”How were they supposed to answer those questions? They could not just say that they had insulted Ethan online.If they did, their parents would beat them to death before anyone else could.“It’s nothing,” they replied stiffly. They had no choice but to hide the truth. After all, they could not say that they had insulted Ethan, or that they had lost their jobs.However, the next second, their parents received text messages. After their parents glanced at their phones, their expressions instantly changed.It was a message from the bank, stating that their child had been listed as a defaulter and urging them to repay the loan immediately.“What have you done?” Their parents’ voices trembled.Seeing that there was no way to hide it anymore, they had no choice but to confess the truth.They los
The Guardian's Return Chapter 917
Seeing that message, they immediately felt as if their world had ended.Because they had insulted Ethan, they lost their jobs, were blacklisted, and could not find work again.“How could this be?”No one expected this outcome. They thought, ‘So what if I insulted him? Are they going to punish me for it? Besides, so many people are insulting him. They can’t possibly punish every single person who did it. At most, I’ll post a public apology and promise that I’ll never do it again.’However, now they were all fired. Everyone who had insulted Ethan had been dismissed from their jobs.It seemed like there were several tens of thousands of people involved! It was hard to imagine just how many people had lost their jobs in real life.“Why are they going this far? Aren’t they afraid of causing unrest?”Of course, HQ had considered that. However, they knew what was more serious.If Ethan went abroad and cooperated with foreign countries, the consequences would not be limited to a few pe
The Guardian's Return Chapter 916
George thought that Rachel had already escaped abroad, so he was not afraid when he arrived.Now, when he saw Rachel there as well, he completely panicked.This was not what he had expected!“Where else would she be?” someone from HQ asked.George looked nervous and stammered, unable to say a word.With Rachel caught and him being brought here, it was clear that HQ already knew the truth. Coupled with his fear of Ethan and his helplessness in the face of reality, he no longer had the strength to make up any excuses.He had resigned himself to fate.“You really have some nerve." The people from HQ sneered. “You fooled us all completely.”“You’ve been hiding Ethan’s contributions all this time, haven’t you?”“You two are nothing but disasters to this country! You deserve to die a thousand times over.”George kept his head down while Rachel sobbed. “I was wrongfully accused!”“Shut up! Are you still trying to fool us at a time like this? You were wrongfully accused? By who? Sim
The Guardian's Return Chapter 915
They brought this on themselves, forcing themselves into a corner with no way out. “Ah!”Simon could not take it anymore. He suddenly ran towards the window, trying to end his life. Fortunately, the officials quickly stopped him. “Don’t be reckless! Think about Stephen. You’re all he has now!”That sentence made Simon stop. Now, Stephen and Simon were each other’s support and burden. Simon slumped on the ground weakly. Right now, they both wanted to die, but neither of them had the courage to follow through. All they could do was live on in pain. After a long silence, Simon said, “I’d like to file a report on someone.”To obtain some kind of reward and survive a little longer, Simon decided to turn in George and Rachel. When the officials heard him, they were stunned. They did not expect Rachel to be involved in framing Ethan. “Shit!” Someone exclaimed. “I heard Rachel bought a flight ticket overseas. Could she have fled?”The room was filled with dread. If Rachel ra
The Guardian's Return Chapter 914
Seeing that Stephen was awake, the others rushed to get the doctor. The doctor was astonished as well. Stephen’s sudden awakening was nothing short of a miracle. However, after examining him, the doctor’s expression darkened. Stephen had regained consciousness, but the prognosis was far from hopeful.“He can’t move,” the doctor said. “As of now, he’s paralyzed.”Stephen could open his eyes, but the rest of his body was unresponsive. He could not move his limbs or his neck and mouth. The only part he could move freely was his eye. Even his breathing was dependent entirely on medical equipment. “He might never be able to leave the bed again.”Upon hearing that, Stephen closed his eyes in despair, tears continuously rolling down his cheeks. He had fought so hard to wake up, only to realize he had missed his final chance to meet Snow and Lily. Worse yet, he also lost the ability to move. From now on, he would be confined to the bed and hooked up to machines just to stay alive.
The Guardian's Return Chapter 913
His father died a miserable death, his son was in a coma, and the Quinn family was shattered, leaving only Simon behind to finally realize all his mistakes. However, it was too late. Harrison could not come back to life, the Quinn family could not be whole again, and Stephen could not recover. Simon would forever be haunted by pain, despair, and regret for the rest of his life. At that moment, in complete darkness, Stephen heard Simon’s voice. He was conscious but failed to open his eyes or speak; he could not move a muscle. He wanted so badly to sit up and tell Simon that it was not solely his fault. They were all wrong, and this was their retribution!Just then, two women walked into the ward. When the officials saw them, their eyes widened in shock. For a second, no one even breathed. They were Snow and Lily!The officials thought they were seeing ghosts. Those women were supposed to be dead. Why were they there? Snow and Lily noticed their shocked gazes and offered them
The Guardian's Return Chapter 912
Due to Harrison’s previous incident, the officials reacted quickly by sending Stephen straight to the hospital.After an emergency rescue, Stephen’s life was saved. However, he paid a heavy price. When the doctor walked out of the emergency room, the officials asked, “How is he?”“The situation isn’t looking good,” the doctor said grimly. “His body is in a bad state, and due to long-term emotional distress, he suffered a brain hemorrhage from the emotional shock.“He’s still in a coma, and we can’t say for sure when he’ll wake up again. It depends on his will to live.”The officials drew a sharp breath. “Do you mean he might end up in a coma forever?”The doctor nodded. No one saw coming that Stephen would fall into a coma, with little chance of ever waking up again. However, it also meant he did not have to die anymore. He would be alive but confined to a bed. Suddenly, they thought of Harrison’s desperate pleas to Ethan back in his villa. “I’m willing to trade my life fo
