The Guardian's Return (Ethan Rivers) novel Chapter 523

Was Ethan more important than their own son?

Stephen said, “I understand. Please get up. Ethan Rivers has been accused of bribery, and it puts me in a tough spot.”

Xavier argued, “He’s not capable of that! He has been fixing roads, as well as repairing hospitals and schools. He even used his own money to send other people’s children to school! Why would he take bribes?”

Riveria used to be in chaos, and education was scarce. The adults in the family would rather keep their children at home to work than send them to school for education.

Ethan then used his personal money to send every child to school, paying the families a stipend of 500 dollars a month. The children could also enjoy free lunches at schools, which drastically improved both attendance rates and nutrition levels in the region.

Stephen said with gritted teeth, “It’s bribery! I don’t need you to tell me what he did!”

He dared not look them in the eyes, so he quickly called security to send them off.

After they left, he slumped into his chair, feeling a weight settle over him. Then, he called Nolan to ask if there was any evidence of Charles taking bribes.

Nolan had been expecting the call and promptly sent over the files.

When Stephen got the evidence, a sense of betrayal washed over him. He never would have thought that Charles, the one who he had trusted for years, was capable of siphoning off over a million dollars through bribery and embezzlement. Worse yet, Charles was also partially responsible for what happened to the city.

“Arrest him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Nolan then leads a team to arrest Charles.

After the call, Stephen felt drained. On one hand, his assistant whom he had high hopes for betrayed him, and on the other, people were still requesting Ethan’s release, even though he had gone to great lengths to frame Ethan as the worst criminal in history.

Why did people still believe in Ethan? He could not understand.

Nolan did not give chase. Instead, he calmly walked to the window and watched as Charles sped off in his car.

Charles raced to find his parents, wondering why they would report him to Stephen. He was their son. He had done it for them!

Half an hour later, he met his parents in a small house in the suburbs. The house was given to them by Nolan.

“Dad, Mom! Why did you report me!?” Charles bellowed. “Am I not your son?”

Xavier and Jessica sat by the bed, looking at him helplessly. “This isn’t a reason for you to take bribes and help the bad guys. It’s our fault that you’ve become who you are now.”

Their faces paled as they spoke.

Noticing something was wrong, Charles looked at the table beside them and spotted poison!