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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 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
