The Guardian's Return (Ethan Rivers) novel Chapter 512

Instead of rushing, Stephen rushed back to Hill City while contacting Howard and the others. Although Ethan had not provided any help, he managed to come up with his solution. He did not need them to vouch for him; he just needed them to stop talking about the Grand Marshal's mentee situation.

Stephen spent several hundred million dollars, successfully silencing Howard and the others. After resolving that issue, he had his team prepare a statement. The content focused on an apology, explaining that everything was a conspiracy and claiming that someone was deliberately trying to frame him.

Since he had paid Howard and the others to keep quiet, he could loudly proclaim his innocence without worrying about them coming forward with explanations. As long as they stayed quiet, even if people had doubts, there would be no concrete evidence to prove anything.

Then, he would video himself helping others, promote those videos heavily, and continue suppressing the negative voices. Before long, people would forget about that incident and believe he was a good person.

At that thought, Stephen finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He sneered. "Ethan, I don’t need your help to fix everything! I'm just as capable as you. Riveria won't fall apart without you!"

Upon returning to Hill City, Stephen immediately called a press conference, live-streaming his apology.

"Recently, there have been many claims online that I'm not the Grand Marshal's mentee and that I've mistreated the families of our heroes. I'm here to clarify that these are all rumors. I am indeed the Grand Marshal's mentee.”

Stephen produced some photoshopped pictures showing him with the Grand Marshal.

Not stopping there, Stephen also showed a simple video showcasing criminals confessing that Stephen had been managing Riveria for the past three years and that he had personally arrested them.

In truth, those criminals did not know Stephen but had acquiesced to the promise of Stephen releasing them early if they complied. However, with the photos and criminal testimonies as evidence, some people started believing Stephen.

Others, however, were still keeping an eye on the social media accounts of figures like the South Regent, Howard Green, and the others, who were currently abroad, waiting to see if they would respond.

However, those accounts remained silent. Their lack of response suggested they had no issue with Stephen’s claims.

"Could it be true?"

"Was this all a misunderstanding?"