The Guardian's Return (Ethan Rivers) novel Chapter 18

Chapter 18 

“This is all part of Ethan’s scheme. You don’t understand him, but we do. I swear to God that he’s not a good person.” 

Seeing how confident he was, the other governors began to feel uncertain. Could there really be an issue with Ethan Rivers? Were they all being deceived? 

Amidst everyone’s silence, George said, “Search the place!” 

Stephen smirked as he ordered, “Follow me inside and search!‘ 

“No!” Liam shouted, stepping in front and blocking their path. 

Stephen raised his brows and asked, “What is the meaning of this? Are you trying to defend Ethan?” 

“Of course not!” Ethan said, “This isn’t about defending Ethan. These women’s husbands sacrificed their lives for the country, yet not only have you ignored their welfare, but you’ve also accused them of being someone else’s women. And now you’re planning to barge into their homes with a group of men to ransack the place? 

“Is this how you live up to those heroes‘ sacrifices? How will their souls rest in peace? Also, if you do this, how do you expect our soldiers to charge into battle in the future?” 

Liam was genuinely furious. 

“Put yourselves in their shoes. If you died for your country and your wives and children were later slandered and bullied like this, would you be okay with it?” 

Stephen froze. Liam’s words hit him hard. Riveria was located at the border, and the number of soldiers stationed there far exceeded other regions. If he mishandled the situation, the impact could be catastrophic. 

Soldiers stood on the front lines, protecting them from danger, yet their families were bullied back home. There was no way to justify that. 

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the other governors turned to George and said, “This is a tricky situation.” 

George tapped his fingers on the table before saying, “How about this? Stephen, write a guarantee. If no evidence is found, you must apologize to them.” 

Stephen’s expression darkened. Apologize publicly? That must be a joke. 

He was from the Quinns in the capital. No one had ever dared to speak to him that way. However, upon recalling his purpose in coming here today, he knew no choice but to endure it. 

He may have proposed the search, but now it felt like he had dug his own grave. There was 

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no way out except to jump in and hope there really was a problem with Ethan! 

“Fine,” Stephen said. “I’ll write a guarantee. 

“No!” Liam shouted. “That’s not enough. This isn’t something that can be resolved by a guarantee. Searching their homes severely damages the spirit and lives of these heroes‘ families. A piece of paper won’t cut it. I object!!