My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire

Pleasantly surprised, Janet looked up from her phone and sneered at the HR staff.

Then she began to type out her reply to Brandon.

"Miss Lind, please sign on the resignation notice,"

the staff member said through gritted teeth.

She grew angrier when she saw that Janet began to tinker with her phone.

Ignoring her, Janet texted Brandon back.

"Are you serious, Mr.Larson? What did you find?"

The message from Brandon was a godsend.

She was just about to accept the fact that the Larson Group had given up on her.

Brandon replied with a long message.

"Upon investigating the matter, we found out that Lester Silk Fabric took over the platform recently.

Luna didn’t upload the design drafts a year ago, but a few days ago.

The data was tampered with.

Lester Silk Fabric used their connections and managed to get to your works before the show officially began.

They asked Luna to make a collection based on your works and posted them on the platform.

They tampered with the date and time stamp of the post to frame you for plagiarism."

Janet had already guessed that it was Lester Silk Fabric behind this, but she had no idea how they did it.

"How did you find that out?"

The platform was now owned by Lester Silk Fabric.

How could they have let Brandon investigate them? "We have tech guys here.

They were the ones who found evidence of them tampering with the platform’s database.

Even if they had altered the original date of uploading, our tech guys were able to retrieve it.

We also have a video confession of the staff who tampered with the data."

Brandon’s words lifted a weight off of Janet’s heart.

He sent two videos to Janet and said, "We’ve done what we could.

You should be able to take it from here now, right?"

All of a sudden, Janet felt a surge of energy.

She stood up with a confident smile and said to the HR staff member, "I didn’t do anything wrong and I knew that the company won’t fire me because of some groundless accusation!"

As she spoke, she tucked her phone away.

The staff member gritted her teeth and glared at her angrily.

"Janet Lind, you plagiarized someone else’s work yet you feel no shame?"

Janet ignored her.

She turned around and left without looking back.

******* Tiffany looked up in surprise when Janet entered her office.

"What’s up, Lind?"

"Miss Fisher, can I have Ritchie Lester’s number?"

Janet asked politely.

In Tiffany’s eyes, she looked inexplicably relaxed, as though her career wasn’t in danger.

Tiffany looked at her warily and then nodded slowly.

"I have his number, but may I ask why you need it?"

"I want to call him and apologize,"

Janet answered simply.

"Lind, are you crazy? Go back to work.

You didn’t plagiarize anything, so keep a low profile for now.

There are enough discussions about you already,"

Tiffany scolded.

After saying that, she lowered her head and continued to work.

But Janet stayed glued to the spot, staring at her with fierce determination.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Tiffany relented and held up Ritchie’s business card.

She said in a resigned tone, "I don’t know what you’re up to, but I hope you know what you’re doing."

Janet reached for the card with a bright smile.

Of course she knew what she was doing.

That evening, Ritchie received a call from an unknown number.

"Mr.Lester, this is Janet Lind from the Larson Group.

After giving it some thought, I want to apologize in public,"

Janet said, her voice as sweet as honey.

When Ritchie heard this, he was surprised.

Then, he sneered.

He was under the impression that Ethan’s wife was a stubborn woman, but it turned out he was wrong about her.

Janet had given up so soon.

"You’re scared, aren’t you?"

With a smug smile on his face, Ritchie smirked.

"Come to Lester Silk Fabric tomorrow.

You can apologize there in person."

Chapter 318Press Conference Ritchie had a devious grin on his face when he hung up the phone.

"Call all the designers under Lester Silk Fabric and the people in charge of the fashion week,"

he barked at his secretary.

"I want them here tomorrow.

Call some famous personalities in the fashion industry as well.

We need people in authority for the event."

The secretary nodded respectfully.

He was about to leave when Ritchie stopped him in his tracks.

"Where the hell are you going? I’m not finished yet.

Get your ass back here."

The poor man scurred back, cursing his boss in his mind.

ver "Invite every media outlet in Seacisco, especially the ones that prioritize viewership over anything.

And make sure to tell them to hype up the event as much as they can!"

Ritchie sat back on his chair as his plan began to take shape.

"Get the biggest function hall for the press conference.

I want hundreds of people to be there.

Oh, and don’t forget to arrange for a live stream, too.

Contact our usual sponsors and tell them their products will be displayed throughout the feed.

We might as well make some money while we’re at it.

And remember-our main goal is to discredit Janet and end her fashion career for good."

1 Another evil grin spread on Ritchie’s face.

He wanted to screw that woman over so badly that she could never get back on her feet again.

The secretary pursed his lips and jotted every detail down.

This time, he made sure that his boss was finished before leaving the office.

The sun shone bright and early the next day.

Just as planned, the press conference was held at the largest meeting hall in Lester Silk Fabric.

Cameras littered all around the room, squeezed in among the throng of people who came to watch the spectacle.

Even as she swept a glance over the crowd, Janet didn’t feel panicked in the slightest.

"It looks like the Lester Silk Fabric really wants to do you in,"

Tiffany remarked from beside her.

She turned to look Janet in the eye.

"You’re not just going to stand there and let yourself be bullied in public, are you? What’s your plan?"

A faint smile appeared on Janet’s lips.

"You’ll find out soon enough.

Don’t worry.

I’m not particularly inclined to suffer any misplaced grievances, either."

With that, she walked onto the stage, all calm and grace.

The room finally settled down as Janet took her place.

Without wasting her time, she whipped out a flash drive and held it up for all to see.

"Sorry for taking up your time, everyone.

In order to convey my sincerity more properly, I have prepared a couple of videos for today’s press conference."

From a distance, Ritchie frowned and narrowed his eyes.

He could sense that something wasn’t right.

Why was Janet so composed in such a situation? If anything, she should be mortified and humiliated right now, especially in front of all these people.

What was she up to? He leaned over to his secretary and asked in a hushed voice, "Did she find something?"

"She can’t have,"

the other man replied confidently.

"We’ve taken care to sweep everything.

All the evidence has been locked away.

I think she’s just bluffing."

At this point, Janet had already plugged the drive to a computer, and one of the videos was playing on the widescreen Ritchie’s eyes widened like saucers as they watched an employee of Lester Silk Fabric tampering with the time stamp on the website.

The scene changed, and this time, the same man was sobbing hysterically as he divulged what he had done.

n The clips ended, and a deafening silence fell in the room.

Janet took the microphone and said, "As you can see, this is what really happened.

Lester Silk Fabric managed to get hold of my designs prior to the show.

After that, one of their designers, Luna Mccoy, posted my entire portfolio online and edited the details to make it look like she was the original designer.

There is your truth.

Once again, I thank each of you for coming to hear me out today.

If you have further questions, kindly direct them to Mr.Lester.

I’m sure he can give you better answers than I can."

She gave Ritchie a meaningful look, then, and gestured in his direction with a wave of her hand.

2 As soon as she did, the crowd burst into an uproar.Chapter 319 The Ensuing Drama Shocked, Ritchie cursed out loud, "Fuck that bitch!"

His secretary was also scared silly.

Glaring daggers at him, Ritchie was pissed off and kicked him in the ass.

Pointing his finger at the big screen, he cursed again, "What the fuck are you doing standing here for? Turn off the projector right now!"

The secretary stumbled to the stage and proceeded to turn it off.

Ritchie snorted, smoothed over his suit and made his way onto the stage.

This happened to be his territory, not Janet’s.

He lifted his chin and approached her, holding his head up high.

"Janet Lind, you better be careful with what you say.

As far as I can see, you were just making things up so that you can get yourself out of your predicament!"

As he said this, he turned his eyes from her and exclaimed, "Give yourself up.

Apologize right this moment! Don’t waste any more of our time here!"

W "Then why did you turn off the projector if I was, indeed, making things up? That’s a sign of guilt.

If you’re so sure of yourself, you should allow me to show everyone the proof.

I’m sure that everyone here is smart enough to tell if I actually made up the evidence or not,"

Janet smiled and said in a calm voice.

Ritchie was exasperated to hear that.

He clenched his teeth tightly and pointed his finger at the door.

"I thought you came here to apologize.

If you’re not going to do that, why don’t you leave this place immediately?!"

While smiling, Janet didn’t say a word.

Instead, she turned to the audience before her and said word by word, "Everyone should know the truth by now.

I’m going to sue Lester Silk Fabric for slandering my name."

After finishing her speech, she didn’t bother to argue with Ritchie anymore and went ahead to leave the stage.

This scene was live streamed and everyone saw for themselves what had happened.

Everyone in the room and the audience in the live stream room was shocked to say the least.

The audience began to discuss this amongst themselves.

Even though Janet had only played the videos once, the reporters had gone out of their way to record them.

"Mr.Lester, could you please offer an explanation for what happened just now?"

"Lester Silk Fabric and the Larson Group have been rivals for years now.

Was this why you decided to slander Miss Lind in this way? In order to taint the Larson Group’s name?"

"If your statement about Janet plagiarizing one of your designers’ pieces was true, is there any evidence to back up your statement?"

The reporters all turned to look at Ritchie and kept on asking him and Luna questions.

"Miss Mccoy, are you going to make a statement? After all, weren’t you the one who accused Miss Lind of plagiarism in the first place? What are your thoughts on the current situation?"

"Did Mr.Lester instruct you to do this?"

"Tell us, what’s the nature of the relationship between the two of you?"

Being ambushed by the reporters, Luna’s mind went blank and she felt very embarrassed.

She said frantically, "I have no idea.

Don’t ask me…"

Under the dazzling flashing lights of the cameras, Ritchie couldn’t even keep his eyes open.

He kept cursing out loud while pushing the reporters in front of him away and saying, "Get the hell out of my way! Turn off your damn lights! You’re blinding me!"

His secretary hurried to stop his curses.

If Ritchie’s father found out about this, he would be very angry.

Having been spoiled by the Lester family since he was a child, Ritchie happened to be very irritable at this moment.

Before he took over the company, his parents had to repeatedly remind him to control that temper of his His secretary cleared the way for him while speaking to the reporters.

"Please, sirs, madams, Mr.Lester can’t answer all of your questions right now.

We’ll announce on our official website if we have any comments."

Finally, Ritchie and the senior executives of Lester Silk Fabric were able to escape the madness of the room.

Chapter 320 Take The Blame When she got home, Janet kicked off her heels and collapsed into bed.

Now, she felt much better.

"It’s finally over!"

After resting for a while, she got up and turned on the computer.

She briskly posted the evidence on the forums Luna had posted to slander her before.

A few hours later, the forums came to life as users discussed this matter heatedly.

The dramatic turning-of-tables that had happened at the press briefing soon made headlines.

Related videos went viral on the Internet.

Suddenly, Janet’s phone started to ring.

It was Tiffany.

"Lind, I’m impressed.

Have you seen the comments on the post? Everyone’s calling you a warrior.

You really knocked them dead!"

"Oh, my God! Seriously?"

Janet moved her cursor to check the comments Tiffany was talking about.

She had been focused on the media’s reports until now and didn’t know what people were saying in the comments.

When Janet read the comments, she found that the video of her talking on the stage had been spread all over the Internet.

There was a lot of positive feedback.

"Wow.

Heart.

Heart.

She’s so elegant and generous! And a fierce warrior too!"

"She’s a lovely girl.

Such a polite and beautiful goddess plagiarized someone else’s work? I doubt it!"

"She’s so pretty, I’d kiss her all day!"

"Even though I’m a girl, I want her!"

Janet buried her face in her hands, her cheeks blushing furiously.

She had never been praised by so many strangers in her life.

The next day, in the Lester Silk Fabric building… "Nonsense! These reports are all bullshit! How dare they call me rude?"

Furious, Ritchie started trashing his office.

He was in trouble, but there was nothing he could do.

In recent years, Lester Silk Fabric and the Larson Group had become two very high profile companies.

What with Janet’s fiasco, the media was having a field day.

In the span of just twenty-four hours, the reputation of Lester Silk Fabric was destroyed and its stock price.

plummeted.

"There’s nothing we can do to refute the evidence that Janet posted online.

What we can do now is to try our best to keep the news from spreading.

Mr.Lester, it was your idea to bring in more reporters there…"

the secretary reminded Ritchie in a trembling voice, picking up the documents Ritchie had thrown on the ground.

Ritchie glared at him, speechless.

He picked up another stack of papers from the table and threw them at the secretary’s face.

"I’m not an idiot.

You don’t need to remind me what I said."

Things didn’t end there.

Brandon sent people from the Larson Group’s legal department to help Janet file a lawsuit against Lester Silk Fabric.

The second they got the notice of the lawsuit, Lester Silk Fabric responded quickly and held a press conference in the afternoon.

Luna expressionlessly read a script in front of countless reporters, her face pale as a ghost under the limelight.

"I admit that I peeked at Janet Lind’s work before the show started.

Then I bribed an employee to tamper with the upload date on the database.

I falsely accused her of plagiarizing my work, and I did all this to gain fame and attention.

I am responsible for all of this.

My actions have nothing to do with Lester Silk Fabric."

In the Larson Group, Janet stopped the video on her phone and sighed.

"No class! Lester Silk Fabric made an ordinary employee take the fall!"

Chapter 321 Ask Brandon Out For Dinner Gerda clicked her tongue unhappily.

"Everyone knows they’re using Luna as a scapegoat.

She’s just an ordinary employee.

How on earth could she manage to do all of this? Lester Silk Fabric is really heartless."

The other designers had also seen the video circulating the Internet.

They began to discuss in hushed voices, but the general consensus was that Lester Silk Fabric was a cold blooded company.

Janet pulled her chair and sat down.

There was no point in dwelling on it now that things had been settled.

"I can’t say I’m surprised.

Now that Luna has taken the blame, we can’t do anything to Lester Silk Fabric."

"And what about those designs? Are they really not gonna put them back on the show?"

Gerda puffed out her chest indignantly Janet smiled at her colleague gently.

"It doesn’t matter.

Look on the bright side.

I have gained considerable fame because of everything that’s happened.

Now, all eyes are on my work."

In the end, Luna was put behind bars.

And Janet had become an online celebrity.

Many people now knew her name and saw her designs.

Some even paid for it.

When the dust settled, Janet poured all her energy into her work.

She had been so busy with this matter the past few days, so now she could finally focus on other things.

"By the way, Lind, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.

How’d you get the evidence?"

Gerda was talking about the videos that Janet had posted on the Internet, which had amassed more than a million views.

Janet froze.

After a few seconds, she broke into a smile and waved her hand dismissively.

"A very capable friend helped me get them."

Gerda nudged her arm and asked curiously, "What friend? A boyfriend perhaps?"

Janet’s eyes twinkled.

"It’s a secret.

Gerda, is it just me or do you have a lot of time on your hands? Have you finished your design for this month? Don’t come running to me again when the deadline approaches."

"Ah! My God! I still have thirty-four drawings to finish!"

Gerda scratched her head and hurried back to her desk.

Janet couldn’t help but chuckle.

Suddenly, she thought of the tall and straight back of Brandon.

Now that she thought about it, she realized that Lester Silk Fabric had gone through all this trouble just to set her up.

It must have cost Brandon a lot to get his hands on the evidence.

Janet couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

Brandon had helped her countless times, but she hadn’t really ever met him in person.

She owed Brandon too much and she doubted she could ever repay him.

After thinking about it for a long time, Janet finally plucked up the courage to send a message to Brandon.

"Mr.Larson, would you be willing to let me treat you to dinner? You’ve helped me a lot and I’d like to express my gratitude somehow."

2 After hitting send, Janet put down her phone and wrung her hands nervously.

The chairman of the Larson Group had probably tasted all the splendid dishes this world had to offer.

But it was a token of her appreciation.Chapter 322 A Warning At the CEO’s office of the Larson Group.

The Larson Group’s stock price had fluctuated over the past few days.

Now that the situation was favorable for the Larson Group and its stock price had more than recovered, Ethan decided to seize the opportunity to put more pressure on the Lester Silk Fabric.

Garrett hadn’t slept properly in the past three days, dealing with the bad press: He was yawning sleepily when Ethan’s phone pinged.

"Someone texted you."

When he saw the name on Ethan’s phone’s screen, Garrett snickered.

"It seems your wife’s missing you."

Ethan smacked Garrett on the back of the head and grabbed the phone.

Instantly, his expression darkened when he read the text.

"What is it? Why’s your face like that?"

Garrett asked seriously, the smile wiped from his face.

"Janet’s asking Brandon out for dinner."

Ethan put his phone down and sighed.

"If I refuse, she’ll be very disappointed."

Garrett leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Yeah.

You can’t have dinner with Janet without her seeing your face.

Last time, when you and Janet went to the company’s masquerade ball, you almost exposed yourself.

It’d be unwise to take such a risk again.

It’s not good for my heart either,"

he sighed.

Ethan frowned and started typing out a brisk reply.

"Thank you, but there’s no need for you to treat me to dinner.

You’re an employee of the Larson Group.

I helped you to protect the reputation of the company."

Janet read his message and quickly replied, "But Mr.Larson, you could’ve just dismissed me."

"If I dismiss any employee when something like this comes up, how will we keep the talented ones? Keep up the good work.

That’s thanks enough, Miss Lind,"

Ethan replied politely, keeping things professional.

1 He had deliberately distanced Brandon from her ever since what happened last time.

He didn’t want her to suspect him of anything Reading his reply, Janet had no choice but to give up.

Ethan put down his phone, kicked the sofa Garrett was lying down on, and said, "I want you to relocate the one who had tried to force Janet to resign.

Transfer her to a subsidiary company.

Then, bring Charis here."

Garrett was just about to take a nap.

Hearing Ethan’s orders, he helplessly peeled his eyes open and stood up from the sofa.

He muttered under his breath, "This job will definitely be the death of me."

Charis had expected that Ethan would want to have a talk with her, but when she received the notice, her heart still skipped a beat.

"Why did you want to dismiss Janet?"

Ethan asked in a low voice.

He shoved his hands into the pocket of his slacks, and the light from the window elongated his shadow on the floor.

"I just wanted to protect the company name,"

Charis answered defensively.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at her coldly.

"From now on, I’ll take care of all matters related to Janet.

No one other than me.

Understood?"

Ethan’s cold voice sent a shiver down Charis’s spine.

She winced and smiled bitterly, as though she had been wronged.

"I see how it is.

You don’t trust me now? Brandon, I don’t have any ulterior motives, I swear.

Ethan had already noticed that something was wrong with Charis.

He never brought it up before because he didn’t want her to look bad.

She and her family had always valued their image.

"I’m just warning you not to act against Janet.

Otherwise, don’t blame me if I disregard our long term friendship."

Chapter 323 A Long Forgotten Name After a moment’s silence, Charis said in a low voice, "I see."

Charis was a dignified woman.

Before Ethan could say anything more, she turned around and walked out of his office, As soon as the door closed behind her, tears welled up in her eyes..

Ever since they first met, Brandon had never said such harsh words to her before, nor had he looked at her with such cold eyes.

She hadn’t cried in years.

The last time was when she said goodbye to Brandon before going abroad.

She had been reluctant to leave him.

But now, she felt bad about Brandon’s attitude towards her.

She and Brandon had worked together for years.

They had shared the company’s ups and downs.

But all of a sudden, with Janet now in the picture, Brandon suddenly was ruthless towards her.

Tears rolled down Charis’s cheeks as she realized just how important Janet was to Brandon.

The hot tears dripped from her chin to the carpeted floor.

"I met Brandon first,"

Charis muttered through gritted teeth.

Charis didn’t like to be candid with her shrewdness.

The reason why she had tried to fire Janet was to win Brandon’s heart.

In Charis’s eyes, Janet wasn’t good enough for him.

But now that Brandon had taken a liking to her, Charis figured he would deeply fall in love with her and she would eventually lose him for good.

Thinking of this, Charis was more determined than ever to separate Janet and Brandon..

But she couldn’t act as overtly as before.

Brandon had just warned her not to interfere with Janet’s work ever again.

She had to be more careful now.

On the other side… After Janet got off work, she went home, only to find that Ethan had come home early today.

"Oh, the workaholic is back! I’m surprised you still remember the way home!"

Janet’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

Looking at the man who was busy cooking in the kitchen, she was not happy.

After all, she hadn’t seen Ethan for two or three days.

That was because Ethan had been busy dealing with the plagiarism issue the past few days.

But he couldn’t tell her this.

While cracking the eggs into a bowl, he found an excuse.

"When I crossed Ritchie’s path, he made a lot of trouble.

The manager of the shop at work fired me.

I’ve been working part time the past few days while looking for a stable job."

Then, he paused and said sincerely, "I’m sorry that I haven’t been here for you these days."

In fact, there was some truth to his story.

Ritchie had indeed caused him a lot trouble after all.

Hearing this, Janet’s heart immediately softened.

She walked over to help him with the vegetables.

"So, what happened? You didn’t tell me the truth.

I was worried something bad happened to you."

"The problem’s been solved.

Don’t worry,"

Ethan said with a reassuring smile.

That much was true.

Ethan had really solved the problem that had been plaguing them the past few days.

"Your brother is really hard to deal with."

Janet pouted like a child.

After transferring the egg into the pan, Ethan turned and his eyes landed on Janet’s earlobe.

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he gulped.

"How about having dinner and then a little bit of exercise to unwina: "What kind of exercise?"

Janet looked up at Ethan curiously.

Almost immediately, she saw the lust in his eyes.

His face was so beautiful.

It was as though God had chiseled his face to perfection.

His eyes stared deep into hers, filled with burning desire.

Janet’s face turned as red as a tomato.

She quickly lowered her head and said shyly, "You’re so naughty!"

Then she focused on chopping the vegetables.

Amused, Ethan patted her on the head affectionately.

He really liked it when she blushed.

He could feel that she liked him, but she always pretended to refuse him.

He had to admit it really turned him on.

But the romantic atmosphere was instantly soiled by the sound of the phone ringing.

"Keep an eye on the eggs, okay? Don’t let them burn."

Ethan stroked Janet’s hair.

Then, he took off his apron and walked to the living room to pick up his phone.

A long forgotten name appeared on the screen.

It was Patrick Lester.

Chapter 324 Nora’s Birthday Ethan pursed his lips.

He glanced back at the kitchen at Janet, then opened the glass door to step out onto the balcony He was a little surprised to see that Patrick was calling him.

It was winter and the cold wind was unforgiving.

Ethan stood on the balcony, letting the wind blow his hair.

"Why on earth are you answering the phone outside? Isn’t it cold out there?"

Janet’s voice broke the silence.

Ethan was lost in his thoughts and didn’t notice when Janet slid the door open and poked her head out.

Narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously, she looked at the phone in Ethan’s hand.

He was answering the phone out on the balcony again.

Was it Charis calling again? "It’s Patrick Lester."

Amused by the quirky expression on her face, he pulled her into his arms and finally answered the phone.

"Ethan, why the hell did you keep me waiting?"

Patrick’s irritated voice came from the other end of the line.

"I was busy just now,"

Ethan simply replied.

Patrick didn’t give a damn about whatever Ethan was up to.

There was something he needed to talk about with Ethan, so he went straight to the point.

"Your grandma’s birthday is coming up and we’re throwing her a party.

She wants you and your wife here."

Without waiting for Ethan’s response, he hung up abruptly.

— – Janet had overheard Patrick’s loud voice.

She looked up at Ethan and asked hesitantly, "So are we going?"

Ethan held her tighter and sighed.

"We are.

Patrick seldom summons me.

There’ll be nothing but trouble if we disobey him.

Besides, I haven’t seen my grandma in a very long time.

It’s only right that I be there on her birthday."

Janet smiled at him sweetly.

"I can tell that you’re fond of her."

It was true that Ethan’s expression softened when he spoke of his grandmother.

Nora Lester, Ethan’s grandma, was a distant relative of the Larson family.

She had known Ethan’s mother when she was a girl.

Although she didn’t approve of what Patrick had done, she couldn’t do anything about her son’s decisions.

She had always felt sorry for Ethan and used to secretly send him money.

She was the only Lester who ever cared about Ethan.

Thinking of this, Ethan rested his chin on the top of Janet’s head.

"She’s a kind lady,"

he said calmly.

been a long time

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her

a thought

eggs! I forgot all

Ethan’s embrace and ran to

Ethan followed behind her.

who was extremely

told you to

his head, he gently pulled her to the side while he cleaned up the mess himself

in the corner, restlessly watching Ethan clean

"I’m sorry.

so I rushed to

Ethan had guessed this.

his freshly washed hands, he raised his eyes

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you

his arms and

obeyed and leaned her face against his chest, blushing

from Patrick, she murmured, "The Lesters

I just

has a huge grudge against

just go there?"Chapter 461 In Order To Survive Shelia didn’t notice what

collecting on her forehead in a casual manner, flipped the meat over, and went on to

you really don’t want to tell me,

was just being a little

at her, Victor said nothing, and silently retracted the knife he was

had a feeling that Shelia didn’t mean him

crushed some fruits and poured the

definitely could be

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

out in her hand and didn’t make a move to

roast some more for myself

going to take the meat, Shelia smiled as if she had just realized

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

assured and eat it with

was on high alert right then, watching Shelia with vigilant

be an easy-going

that Victor had gotten

knew she was wrong and he was on guard

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead and

away and placed the meat

roast the rest for

he wanted to help, Shelia nodded and

bite out of

some time, she furrowed her brows and stuck

really hard to

was not cooked fully

meat I gave you just now must be

me? You even finished

the meat out, Victor didn’t say a word and only

aside, Shelia turned around and spotted

are you smiling? Van, you did

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and gently touched the corner

me to roast

have gone

and get some

tired at

just sit

Shelia proceeded to

her eyes and said, "Van, you’re good at cooking meat, aren’t you? Did you learn this skill all by yourself?"I

how to

spoke in a

"Survive in the wildness?"

that Shelia had

go out of your way

also crushed some fruits and poured the juice

used a knife to slice the

he heard what Shelia asked, his eyes darkened

said,

Victor knew the

because he wanted to be prepared in case

time that even under ner protection, Victor would find himself

learn more skills so that he would at least have a better chance to

"Alright."

her gaze

Victor caught a glimpse of Shelia’s profile and the dust that rested on the

stretched out a hand to wipe

look

Victor looked straight into Shelia’s eyes, he

retracted his hand, looked away, and explained, "Your nose has dirt on

"Is that so?"

ahead to rub her nose with the

about now? Is it

"No,"

glancing over

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

what else did you learn other than roasting meat? I want to learn

Can you teach me?"

want to

"In order to survive."

Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me "In order

shelia said casually.

felt sad upon

be flipped?

Shelia pointed out.

Victor saw a small burn on the meat’s exposed side when he looked

was still thinking about what she

.

about whether or

was, after all, Shelia’s own

on the other hand, didn’t seem to take it

"Will you

"Hmm,"

said after

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she broke into a

dimples, meanwhile, became much

Victor nodded, "Okay."

as she

individual I’ve ever encountered, except for my caretaker

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I was

was taken over and

eyes clouded as she

elderly woman was

great meals and gave me a lot

an orphan…’

was needed to look after you since the

you leave with

and

home Shelia had known

you being outdoors on your

her head, Shelia said,

to visit her tomb, so I

remain unknown to them,

the dingy ground,

bathed in shards of sunshine that had been

behind her

disappointment as she gazed up at

to visit

keeps you

are people

if

no idea that I

when I meet her again in the

said, blinking her

fixed on Shelia and he said

chance to see you, Van, it would be more than

a soft spot in

said that I was a

to use this term to describe

concluded that the

of her features,

thinking twice, Victor asked her, "Since she was responsible for your upbringing, how come you got

since she was deaf, mute, and

never referred to us by

card

if it were a treasure and presented it to Victor

orphanage, each kid was given a

them on the cards and let us take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella erupted into laughter,

at the card–the

get the

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

the card and said, "I am the only one with

was toasting as they were

the meat after

set

Eat, please."

growl came from her gut just

embarrassed, so she put her hand to her stomach and ate the

It’s much better than the meat i made myself! Van, you’re

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after

her feet, she said, "Let’s

to rise when Shelia abruptly extended her

"Come on, get up."

was taken aback, and after a little pause, he took Shelia’s hand in his

learning the hard way, Shelia used a dart to put marks on the tree

lost track of time as

sun had

sitting down on a stone and drank

far we’ll

we can get out

some

perhaps exhausted after so much walking, and he was coughing

"I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

still have the

"Like never before…"

nodded and continued to

forward motion, she murmured, "Van, you

you return, be

lowered his gaze to the

covered in mud after a day and a night in the

What’s

"Plan?"

was slow

are your plans once we leave the forest? Where

want to continue my travels and explore the world’s finest rivers

can no longer

with a

"Shelia."

up his mind after staring at Shelia for a

"What’s the problem?"

come with me after we get out

grandma will like you, I will defend you

can count

to come with

If you

that Shelia

a while before asking, "Are you

"No, I’m not.

promise to treat you the best I

Victor convinced her.

and smiled at Victor, saying,

we get out of

"Sure."

they emerged from the

sun started to disappear below the horizon, basking the forest in a pale red glow that passed

on the bodies of Victor

noon and now, the sun was

assuaged when they saw a relatively

out of the

we’ll meet local villagers if

We can…"

her sentence, she saw Victor

She was confused.

at Victor, wanting

"Van?"

didn’t expect you to

voice came, Shelia looked for

cars that were parked not

front, looking at them intently as he played

could feel right away that they were Victor’s

instinctively moved to shield Victor, who in turn stood protectively in front of

eyes off Norton,

Victor said,

even when it gets

way out of the

marks and you can

"And then?"

asked, her eyebrows

straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

you meet villagers, borrow a mobile phone from them,

didn’t intend to

wanted to play a game with Victor by

that if he couldn’t escape this predicament, Shelia shouldn’t

a family, bring her back to see his grandmother,

it seemed that Victor could not fulfill the promise he made

hand, Victor wrote a phone number on

you get hold of

he whispered.

my grandmother’s

and she will pick

looked down at

respond, Victor looked at

"No."

pulled her

eyes were a little

want to remember the number, nor do

be a

Victor frowned.

anxious that he coughed violently as

remained adamant and clenched her

to spread her palm and let Victor write the phone number

talking about, he could tell that they

sneer, he said, "Tut, tut, tut,

for each other! I’m so moved

when saw

intuitively pulled Sheila

himself standing steadily was taxing

would be hard for

up to

and Shelia stepped

patience with them, Norton pulled

fast for Victor

"Let her go!"

a firm grip on Shelia’s

found satisfaction in hearing

know you

wiped the mud on Shelia’s

Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed over and tried to take Shelia back

in his tracks when something silver flashed through his

a knife that Norton pressed

out a mouthful of

"No."

"What are you saying?"

a

that he had

fist and tried

want

to

So, let her go!"

This is so

Norton curled his lips.

don’t want to let

from but I find your reaction

boring for you to die alone? I can do something

eyes, Victor breathed

the tip of the knife pressed against her neck, all Shelia could do was raise

was

she saw Victor spat out blood and beg

that all you

mocking smile plastered on

in anger when he heard Shelia’s disdainful

did you just

said you

Shelia swallowed.

a sense of accomplishment by

in you to do what

So, cut the crap.

to kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

desperately tried

she was

afraid that Shelia would make Norton’s hackles rise and the

Norton was indeed angry.

voice in check as he

Looks like you really want to

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help you with

Norton said, laughing derisively.

men and instructed them,

squinted his eyes and asked anxiously,

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared

as they were

her hands and feet bound, Shelia was taken to

was made to ride

brain thinking about where Norton was taking

was

over, it inundated Shelia, making her choke easily Victor saw how Shelia’s

clenched into fists, and the blue veins on his neck became

gritted his teeth and yelled, "Let

to open her eyes because of the gushing water, Shelia

Victor to run

the moment she opened her

her

the exasperated expression on Victor’s face, Norton scoffed

Victor might be strong but he

making me

you think that I’m a good man?

rope, squatted down, and

of you wanting to save her so much, I will

good in me, huh? What do you

could just

it took

the middle of the river, Norton squinted his eyes and snapped his

behind him appeared and stood between

looked at Victor with a

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

are the weakest

on my left has only killed two people, and the

Norton continued, "You want

soon as Norton finished speaking, the two men who had been holding

hand, Norton touched its tip with his thumb and warned, "But of course, you

before the

you can say goodbye to your good

she’s washed away, I’m afraid that

flame, Victor didn’t care about

essence, so he quickly rushed up and fought

a mercenary and the most popular

his weakest subordinates should be strong

Victor was currently

be able

them were tall and burly men that could easily flip Victor

a doubt, Victor was at a disadvantage from the

over to them, the two men punched Victor right in his abdomen one after another, and hit his back

he was hit, Victor staggered

hit repeatedly, his strength left him,

scattered all over his body, making

Victor’s face looked black

stand, not ready

back on his feet, he saw

was still able to subconsciously use his arm to block it, but it didn’t make

he was hit again, Victor spat out a mouthful of blood, and a tooth

point, Victor’s

he still managed to fix his eyes on the rope, which was only a few steps away

didn’t matter how

long as the fire was put out and the rope was

into this trouble, so he was willing to

mind wanted to go on, his body couldn’t keep up

he fell back to the ground and

Victor was somewhat awakened when

open his eyes, but his vision

lay there on the ground,

help but wonder

hadn’t fully recovered yet, so he

enough, the sharp pain that pierced every inch of his body

but he couldn’t move even an

hands a little bit,

to look at the river, only to find that

was no

"Ahem!"

spurting out more

and opened his eyes as wide

expectantly, as if

waited for a

know how much time passed

never found the person he had

would raise her head from the river or come out from somewhere and call

pain he

lost

Victor woke up again, he was

found him

operation to rescue him lasted

was found out that Victor had fractures in eight

and lungs

first thing Victor did after he woke up was ask Carolyn to send people

still wearing an oxygen mask

was not completely out of danger

sense that she must be a very

to send people to search for Shelia along

lasted for seven days, but

passed and there was

Victor was a crumpled playing card that got wet from the

one could easily recognize that it was the King

later,

he did after fully

King of Hearts card in a box

nothing on the marble tombstone aside from the

even Shelia’s

while Karl was on a business trip, he

the hospital, but he was

It was also in that

finished his studies and

began taking over several small companies under the control of

Victor raised the sales of these companies from a very low level to one of the top

outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed

entered the ward where

edge of the bed, holding a bowl of porridge, and coaxing Joey to eat

eat

had been eating porridge for about half a

even stand

sighed and had no choice but to put

it again

stuck his tongue out, not intending to eat

the door, so he politely

half a month, Roger came to the hospital to visit

gradually got acquainted with

was that Roger would bring some snacks when he

he could at least taste something aside from

course, Joey could only eat them in

Roger, Rachel turned around

you say that you wouldn’t

to ask her if she wanted to

say no every time, he would still insist

asked, he said that he had an important project meeting today, so he might not be able

it would probably

initially, I

for a moment before finally saying, "But I got a

Rachel furrowed her brows in

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

done to Victor lasted for more

opened and closed for several times as doctors

Carson couldn’t do anything but wait outside until

fourth day since the operation began, the indicator light outside

indicated that the surgery was successfully

but he

he was wheeled to the

was not until two days ago that his vital

became eligible to be

still

invited an expert in the field to check Victor’s condition and

it wasn’t what he

Victor sustained serious injuries.

wounds had healed, they

his new injuries just made

that only a

at least tell us

asked in a

afraid I can’t say

but frown as he made things

I may be blunt, please consider preparing

Is

say this, it was obvious that this was what

but there was a huge chance that this

for Carson and Lukas, Rachel was the first

Rachel

wall outside Joey’s

looked slightly disoriented, and there

down to tell Rachel about this

news, her face didn’t show

had already

was a bit

when she became this

had been in a coma for

it might have been even

room for 70 hours

glanced at the cigarette in Carson’s hand and reminded him in a low voice, "This is the area

You can’t smoke here."

he regained his senses, Carson

expression, he didn’t bother continue

changed the subject and asked, "Anyway, how is

"Joey? He’s fine.

yesterday and said that he

expected that his plaster will be removed ahead

head and peeped through

Joey sleeping soundly in

a faint smile, he stretched for a bit and said,

I’m

that, Carson turned around and left

really just visited to tell Rachel about

had

an eye, two days eventually passed

aware of Victor’s condition, Rachel didn’t intend

ward almost twenty-four hours

same time, Carson didn’t show his face to her

she was also convinced that Victor

now, Roger broke the news that Victor had miraculously woke up from being

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

long time without being

she was still judging Roger’s

to go upstairs and

Rachel pressed

sleeve and pulled her back from her deep

want to

was Joey, pleading in a

that Victor was in a

up in the hospital,

that Rachel had always been absent-minded and Victor hadn’t come

finally found out the truth, Rachel didn’t

cry or say anything, nor did he pester Rachel to go to the ICU

just smiled and

bad? They say bad people live

don’t have to worry

eyes, she felt a lump in her

a few moments, she

"Yes, of course."

two weeks, Joey had a good

Victor, as if there was nothing wrong going

of the night from time to time and look at the

him,

"Okay…"

heart softened, and she

was in

was inconvenient for him to

let him

pushed the wheelchair for him, and the three of them

enough, they reached

elevator finally stopped at the floor

the entire floor was a VIP ward, and there was only one patient at this time, Carson was sitting on

he furrowed his brows and

If Victor had seen this scene, Carson knew that he

guy, it’s the first time I’ve

What brings you here?"

Joey as he quickly set the document he was holding aside

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his

who will be beaten easily? Ha! I’m the

did those dark circles around your eyes

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at Joey’s

panic, he picked up his phone, opened its front camera, and looked at his

realized that

looked totally haggard, and his eye bags were so big that it seemed like

of course, this was

have a good

young man, but even he was susceptible to

"Ha-ha!"

couldn’t help but laugh after seeing the upset look on Carson’s

Carson realized that he was fooled by

his head, Carson stepped forward and pinched Joey’s face

"You, brat.

tease your

his face and retorted, "Huh? Who said that you are

no opinion

and I

We are best friends.

one who picked

that’s how I became

and crossed his arms

don’t want it, that fact won’t

hand away using his uninjured hand and said, "Humph! If I don’t want to

as he

"I also didn’t expect that I would have

I said, it’s a

better change

but he stuck out his tongue at

of his eye,

tried to regain his composure and commented, "I see that

that

with Rachel and

Roger explained.

to lose his composure just

"Oh, I see."

the room and said, "His ward is over

He is resting inside.

Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward Carson

was going through her

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked

her, pushing Joey’s

were placed over

was lost in

he was about to sav

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked

standing very

a result, Joey could see him from

his eyebrows as if he

at him, Joey turned his gaze

to use

overheard what Joey was

I take you

"No!"

a

a serious look

am a

a bathroom in Joey’s ward, so it wasn’t a problem for Rachel to take him

that moment, they were no longer in the

boy to the ladies’ room, just like it wouldn’t be right for her to take him to the

words,

Roger, then her gaze fell on

didn’t want to bother the former, Carson soon observed that she was staring at

him to

pay any attention

his phone and

to give Joey a thumbs up without

Carson pretended like he was answering the

I have read the plan you sent

talking, he headed towards the

very good

he was

what just

"It’s okay.

take

He is actually right.

embarrassing for a boy like him

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

heard those words, they displeased

thought that Rachel ought to have been closer

days, they got along really

were always in

known to her, she still

the look of things, Rachel still didn’t love

knew that it couldn’t be achieved

himself from thinking about the night Rachel was standing outside

he and Joey

time, Carson

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

a quick glance at

with

"What?"

sight and took a peek at his

smile appeared on his

I am through with

with no choice! My subordinates are too bad at

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

fake smile on her

very

Carson realized that Rachel knew that he had pretended to answer the call only moments ago, the smile

his nose and

you want to go

in order to look

was a

living room could

pushed the door open in

said Victor would lie in

half a year’s

came

is in a stable condition

"Get out of here!"

interrupted

in

He looked dejected.

document

ran into Rachel and Carson as soon as he

was stunned at first, then his face

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung around the man’s

It was quite noticeable.

was an employee of the Sullivan Group and the director of the

asking about what just happened

man’s expression that the project plan had been denied by

was drawn to

was what really

She turned to Carson.

looked back at her, she raised

"Well, this is Troy.

a member of the

exactly what she meant by just looking at

was at a loss for

were so many surnames in

he had

who Rachel

bowed and mentioned her

"Miss Bennet."

her head slightly

was covered with

given him the scare of his life! Nonetheless,

I’m going

his hand and

should do

Troy went out

at the door

was sitting against the head of the

seem as bad

and

the door and

leaned against

follow Rachel

was reading some document

raise his head and say coldly, "Get

her gaze

was in

tell that his face was pale despite the fact that

frowned and looked rather

she wasn’t a hundred percent sure that she waited outside the operating room for more than seventy hours half a month

she walked

asked you to go out,

Victor heard the

up at the person who was walking towards

his usual cold and

Even after we finished the

it

"The dance is over.

time to let

I reminded him.

eyes, but he still loosened his grip

steps back to

for some reason, I could still feel the warmth of his touch on

face blushed and

my heart was

it felt like I had returned to

him were the happiest time of

knew that those days were long gone

looked down, feeling conflicted and

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached me and

gaze from behind me and began chatting with the guests

raising my glass and taking a sip

a few to drink and was starting

Elena came to

for you on the

to go upstairs and take a

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you

mysterious smile appeared

followed her to

red rose petals scattered across the

were also numerous balloons

widened in

this whole scene was

this my birthday surprise?’ I had no idea who

that came to mind was

appeared on my

effort on me, and

of receiving this birthday surprise soon

stood on the second floor, I stared at the night scene around

was tranquil, and yet my

sea breeze, I felt even

display lit up the sky, forming the

up to the sky, a deafening sound resonated in the

sounded like a

by the noise, I covered my

the ground

i felt like my blood was

incident at the abandoned

out of breath I

attack, a pair of strong arms held me

I’m here."

came from above me, making

It was Charles.

i nestled in his arms as tears burst from my

don’t have to be scared