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Chapter 98

Author: Old Pumpkin
Now that Howard was here, Stephen could not contain his excitement. He immediately handed Howard back the company and underground forces that had once belonged to him.

Stephen continued, “If you start working for me, I can clear your name from these charges.”

For Stephen, clearing Howard’s name was not a difficult task. Plus, Howard was wrongfully accused from the start. He was never guilty of murder, a fact even the mayor of Crestwood, Dennis, had personally admitted.

If even the enemy acknowledged it, how could it be false?

Howard nodded slightly, a small smile forming at the corner of his mouth, though Stephen did not notice.

When Ethan told him to leave Riveria, he had thought of a plan. If he left with nothing but the clothes on his back, he would surely be miserable in the future.

He had to reclaim everything he once owned and more!

“Thank you, sir.” Howard said, “I’ll go to Seaside City now and assess the situation.”

Although Stephen had returned his company and forces,
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    “It’s settled, then!”Everyone unanimously approved of Simon’s plan. While the plan could not solve all the problems, it could resolve most of them, and that was enough.Half a day later, news that Howard had always been protecting Seaside City spread.“Howard was arrested and charged with various crimes, but it was all part of a plan to lure out the lurking threat in Seaside City. In fact, he’s always been defending Seaside City’s peace.”The moment the news broke, the internet exploded! No one had expected that to be the truth. Not only was Howard not a criminal, but he had been protecting Seaside City. In fact, he was willing to lure out the evil forces in the city to secure its peace even at the cost of his own reputation.“I didn’t expect the plan to be like that. Howard is truly incredible. I’m going to cry.”“I owe Howard an apology!”“He put himself on the line and defied all odds. Howard’s sacrifice is immense. I’m literally in tears.”“I feel so ashamed thinking bac

  • The Guardian's Return   Chapter 100

    He did not even bother when it came to forces like Crestwood. As long as he took down a few small gangs, he could proceed with the next part of his plan.Although Stephen had given him some guns, ammunition, and a decent amount of money, it was not enough. He needed to swindle even more weapons and money from Stephen. Once he had everything he needed, he would take all the money and weapons, flee Riveria, and head overseas! After that, he would not have to worry about Seaside City again and could live a peaceful life abroad for the rest of his days.The next day, thanks to Howard, things were indeed starting to settle down in Seaside City.Stephen saw that and nodded in satisfaction.“Howard is doing a good job. It seems it wasn’t Ethan who brought peace to Seaside City, but rather him relying on Howard to maintain it. The real capable one is Howard. If we can hold out for another day, the main reinforcements will arrive tomorrow, and everything will be resolved.”Stephen finall

  • The Guardian's Return   Chapter 101

    Without Dennis and Howard keeping things in check, Seaside City had become even more chaotic, with all the entities and organizations in Seaside City leaderless. At the same time, Stephen was enjoying a gourmet meal in his office. He had been under a lot of stress lately and felt like it had been a while since he had something nice to eat. Now that Howard, his trusted right-hand man was handling most of the difficult matters, he finally had the time to relax and indulge himself. Anything stressful or complicated he just handed it off to Howard. “Boom!”Suddenly, a loud explosion went off, and the entire building trembled for a moment. Stephen’s tea and fruits fell off the table, making a mess on the floor. The piercing sound of the alarm then filled the air, followed by several security guards rushing into the office and dragging Stephen to the corner of the room. “What’s going on?” Stephen asked, still trying to wrap his head around the situation. “Someone just attacked t

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    Stephen had cleared Howard of his crimes and given him countless benefits. Was that how Howard repaid him? Even Dennis, who once tossed him into the trash, did not end up in his custody either. Meanwhile, Seaside City was still in chaos, and the GDP was plummeting by the second. Just as Stephen was still trying to figure out what to do next, a voice interrupted his thoughts.“Sir, this is bad! Howard Green sold the company to a foreign country! We just lost our biggest company! Every business is leaving, and the city’s GDP has plummeted to 1.3 trillion!” Stephen stood there, stunned, trying to process the fact that the businesses were gone and the city’s GDP had fallen to 1.3 trillion.Despite the mess Seaside City was in, Stephen still held hope for it for two main reasons. One was because Howard was still with him, and he could control the city from the shadows. Another was that Howard’s business was still around, so even if the city’s economy and market plummeted, it could r

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    “Impossible!” Simon shouted immediately. “So what if we wrongfully accused him, slapped him with a bunch of charges, and threw him in prison? It’s nothing serious, he’s not dead. Why would he hate us on that? “Is that such a big deal?” he continued. “He’s not dead. How could he possibly hold a grudge over something like that?“Besides, we cleared his name and made him a hero. He should be thanking us, shouldn’t he?” Simon said. Then, he turned to Stephen and asked, “I thought you said you had him under control, that he couldn’t escape your grasp?” Stephen stammered nervously, “I don’t know. Why would he abandon Ethan and run?” All along, he had believed he truly had control over Howard, but it was clear he had been played. From the start, Howard had tricked him without him even noticing. Simon cursed in frustration, “I never thought Howard Green would turn out to be such an ungrateful man! No, calling him 'ungrateful' doesn’t even begin to describe it. He’s a traitor, a back

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    How would they face the public now? If news got out, they would become the biggest laughing stock online. Everyone hoped for it to be false news because it should never have happened in the first place.Simon sighed and said, “It’s real.” “Slam!”Someone slammed the table and bellowed, “Damn it! Howard Green, that fucking bastard! He lied to us all!” Everyone else was silenced by the news. Howard was ruthless, and it somehow left them at a loss of action. Simon spoke up, “That’s enough. We need to start thinking of a solution first. We cannot drag this out. We have to explain this to the public as soon as possible. If they found out about the problem themselves, things would only get worse.” Everyone wore a bitter look on their faces. Simon had asked for a solution, but none of them had any. In order to solve the problem, the fastest and easiest way would be to arrest Howard and execute him. However, the man had left the country with money, firearms, and manpower. It wo

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    “In that case, it’s decided.” The next day, Simon gave Stephen a call. “Stephen, visit Ethan. We have to speak to him directly.” The people who had proposed seeking Ethan’s help during yesterday’s meeting gathered once more, waiting for a chance to speak with him. Stephen quickly drove to Drakthorn Ridge Mansion. As soon as he got out of the car, the doors were opened, and he strode inside to see Ethan reading a book on the couch. He frowned. Ethan looked extremely calm, as if he had been anticipating Stephen’s arrival. “Ethan Rivers!” Stephen strode over, saying, “The federal government demands a meeting with him!” Ethan put down his book while Stephen set up the video call. Several men appeared on the screen, all of them looking intimidating and stern. No ordinary man could look them in the eyes without flinching, yet Ethan looked at all of them, unfazed. He asked, “What is this about?” It was the first time the men in the meeting room had seen Ethan in person. Th

  • The Guardian's Return   Chapter 106

    Everyone in the meeting room fell silent. It was Stephen who released Howard and provided the man with money and firearms, and the folks in the meeting room supported his decision. Hence, technically, Stephen was the culprit, and they were his accomplices. Stephen’s face burned with embarrassment. He had not said a word, but every word he heard was like a knife to his heart. “Ethan, I know you’re unhappy, but this concerns the city. You can’t just make a decision because you’re upset. You will regret this,” he said with clenched teeth. Ethan almost burst out laughing.He said, “Because of your decision, Shawn Hill, Eric Morningstar, Brandon North, and Danny Brooks ruined North Hill City. Because of your decision, again, Seaside City is facing a crisis. And now you want to teach me how to make the right decision?” Then, he looked straight into Stephen’s eyes as he continued, “You destroyed the economy of North Hill City and caused the mess in Seaside City. Are you really tell

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    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

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    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

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