Chapter 479

Austin was glad he told Stephen that Jeremy was still alive because he could use it to save Stephen.

"Ethan certainly did not expect his own cleverness to backfire on him."

Stephen's hopeless eyes gleamed and slowly regained focus. "Are you sure?"

Austin glanced cautiously at Ethan and said, “I am.”

On the way here, Austin could not stop thinking. Stephen had everything-wealth, power, and influence. With just a single word, Stephen could achieve a level of success that most people could not even dream of, so why had he been completely devastated?

When he saw Stephen collapse on the floor, losing his mind, while Ethan sipped on his tea calmly, he knew the answer. It was all because of the man before his eyes.

He helped Stephen up. After taking a deep breath, he looked at Stephen.

"Why are you pushing him this far? This is too much!"

Austin was furious.

Ethan was a criminal, and Stephen was the one who governed Riveria. Stephen's well-being would affect the lives of millions in the state. Whether for the sake of Riveria or his patient, Austin knew he had to stop Ethan.

Ethan smiled at the question.

"You're wrong. I never pushed him, not once. The ones who pushed him to the edge were all of you."

Austin frowned. "What do you mean? Are you trying to twist the facts and argue for what you've done?"

Ethan calmly said, "You're young and smart, Austin, but that intelligence is exactly what's driving him over the edge.

"You people got George to talk to him so that he could recover. You even went so far as to forge letters by Snow and Jeremy to console and encourage him.

"Now, I've told him that Jeremy is dead. Sure, it'll mess with his head and make him doubt everything, but it won't drive him to his death. With his status, he might bounce back after some time."

He continued to stare at Austin.

"Now that you've revealed the truth to him, telling him Jeremy is alive, why would you come and question me pushing him over the edge? Have you ever thought about why Jeremy is avoiding him if he's really alive? Why hasn't Jeremy come to see him?

"If Stephen knows the truth, do you really think he'd just spiral for a few days and be done with it?"

Austin's eyes widened in shock. Ethan's words struck him, allowing him to realize the truth. He had been carried away by his anger earlier and had not thought of the consequences.

They had faked those letters to give Stephen hope. However, like Ethan said, if Jeremy was alive, why would he avoid Stephen?

Austin knew the answer but could not say it out loud-he dared not. The best way was to keep the lie intact. Yet, he acted rashly and revealed the truth himself.

His forehead was glistening with sweat.

Stephen looked at him. “Ethan is right. If Jeremy is still alive, why is he avoiding me? I called him back in the hospital, and I know he heard and saw me, yet he chose to leave."

Austin looked down in silence. He had no answer to the question. He could not possibly tell Stephen that Jeremy was disappointed in him. It would only hurt Stephen more than telling him Jeremy was dead.

Ethan asked calmly, "Why don't you answer him? You told him Jeremy is alive, but you refuse to tell him why Jeremy is avoiding him. You think you're saving him, but you're actually hurting him more."

Austin looked at Ethan, his body shaking.

At that moment, he realized he had been played. He was carried away by the thought of telling Stephen that Jeremy was alive and exposing Ethan's lies, not realizing it was a trap. He only realized it was all part of Ethan's plan because Ethan revealed it to him.