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.

long time since

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her teeth

thought

"The eggs! I forgot all

broke free from Ethan’s embrace and

Ethan followed behind her.

who was extremely flustered, and

silly girl! I told you to keep

to the side while

in the corner, restlessly

"I’m sorry.

I rushed to you and forgot I

Ethan had guessed this.

hands, he raised his eyes to look at Janet

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you enough

his arms and

leaned her face

invitation from Patrick, she murmured, "The Lesters treat you badly,

you and I just got him

has a huge grudge

we just go there?"Chapter 461 In Order To Survive

casual manner, flipped the meat over, and went on

to tell me, then forget about

was just being

said nothing, and silently retracted the knife

a feeling that Shelia didn’t mean

and poured the juice over

definitely could be

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

was holding out in her hand

more for

wasn’t going to take the meat,

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

and eat

alert right then, watching Shelia with vigilant and cold

be an easy-going person,

had thought that Victor

she saw his injuries, she knew she was wrong and he was on guard

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead

turned to look away

roast the rest

help, Shelia nodded and

a bite out of the

chewing for some time, she furrowed her brows

really hard to

was not cooked

just

me? You even finished

out, Victor didn’t say a word and only

aside, Shelia turned around and spotted Victor’s

you did this deliberately,

smiling?’ Victor never even realized that

and gently touched the corner of

to roast the

gone a

and get

tired

sit right

Shelia proceeded to sit down

she blinked her eyes and said, "Van, you’re good at cooking meat, aren’t you? Did you

to

in a

"Survive in the wildness?"

was the very first time that Shelia had ever heard of such

did you go out of your way to

some fruits

a knife

heard what Shelia asked, his

while, he said, "I have no

knew the reason

because he wanted to be prepared in case

that even under ner protection, Victor would find

pushed him to learn more skills so that he would at least have a better chance to survive in case

"Alright."

focus her gaze on

corner of his eye, Victor caught a glimpse of Shelia’s profile and the dust that rested on the tip of

stretched out a hand to

to look at

into Shelia’s eyes, he started to feel a

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

"Is that so?"

nose with

what about now? Is it

"No,"

said, glancing

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

did you learn other than roasting meat? I

Can you teach me?"

want to

"In order to survive."

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

shelia said casually.

Victor felt sad

be flipped?

Shelia pointed out.

on the meat’s

meat over while he was still thinking about what she

.

about whether or not to

all,

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

"Will you please

"Hmm,"

said after

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and

meanwhile, became

Victor nodded, "Okay."

broadly as she said, "Thanks

the kindest individual I’ve ever encountered, except

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I

taken over and the old

as she spoke about

woman was

great meals and gave me a lot

orphan…’

needed to look after

you leave

Victor and answered, "I

was the only home Shelia had

they okay with you being outdoors on

head, Shelia

visit her tomb,

to them,

the dingy ground, Shelia lay down

that had been scattered

placed her hands behind her

she gazed

to visit

keeps you from doing

people guarding the

find me if I

idea that

when I meet her

said, blinking her

fixed on

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

a soft spot in her heart

that I was

appropriate to use this term to describe

Shelia, Victor concluded that the adjective

apt description of her

Victor asked her, "Since she was responsible for your upbringing,

was unable to communicate since she was deaf, mute,

to us by

card was in

as if it were a

orphanage, each kid

the fruits, she put them on the cards and let us take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’

the card–the

I get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

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

meat was toasting as they were

her the meat after

set

Eat, please."

gut just after his words

her hand to her stomach

than the meat i

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after

rose to her feet, she said, "Let’s

rise when Shelia abruptly extended her

"Come on, get up."

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

a dart to put marks on

of time as

had cooled

on

not sure how far we’ll have

get out before the

some water

much walking, and he was coughing up blood

"I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

have the

"Like never before…"

continued to

her forward motion, she murmured,

be

his gaze to the side of

mud after a day and

you? What’s your

"Plan?"

slow

are your plans once we leave the forest? Where

my travels and explore the world’s finest rivers and

when I can no longer

answered with a

"Shelia."

made up his mind after staring

"What’s the problem?"

with me after we get out

you, I will defend

can count

to come with

it all right with you? If you don’t

was concerned that

while before asking, "Are

"No, I’m not.

to treat you the best

Victor convinced her.

smiled

get out of the

"Sure."

emerged from the woods, though,

Chapter 463 Let Her Go The sun started to disappear below the horizon, basking the forest in a pale red glow that passed through the branches

light glimmered on the

been walking since high noon and now, the sun

was assuaged when they saw a relatively

we’re out of the

we’ll meet local villagers if we walk

We can…"

Shelia could finish her sentence, she

She was confused.

at Victor, wanting

"Van?"

didn’t expect you

came, Shelia looked for the source

three cars that were parked not far

them intently as

away

shield Victor, who in turn

off Norton, watching his

a voice that only Shelia could hear, Victor said, "Run into the forest when I

lost even

way out of the forest,

you can get back

"And then?"

asked, her eyebrows

looked straight into

"Walk along this road.

villagers, borrow a mobile phone from

that Norton didn’t intend to

just wanted to play a game with Victor by throwing him into

felt that if he couldn’t escape this predicament,

Shelia a family, bring her back to see his grandmother, and treat her as his own

it seemed that Victor could not fulfill the promise he made

Shelia’s hand, Victor wrote a phone number

once you get hold

he whispered.

is my grandmother’s

she will pick you up

down at

respond, Victor looked at her

"No."

pulled her hand

eyes were a

don’t want to remember the number, nor

a

Victor frowned.

was so anxious that he coughed violently as soon as he

and clenched her

her palm and let

Norton couldn’t hear what Victor and Shelia were talking about, he could tell that they were reluctant to leave each

a condescending sneer, he said, "Tut, tut, tut, this is

for each other! I’m so moved

tensed up when

intuitively pulled

seriously injured and keeping himself standing steadily was taxing

for him to fight off

deliberately walked up

and Shelia

them, Norton

fast for Victor

"Let her go!"

kept a firm grip on

satisfaction in hearing vexation in

you look

said as he wiped the mud

knew this would all the more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed over and tried to take

tracks when something silver flashed through his

a knife that

spat out a mouthful of

"No."

"What are you saying?"

and gave Victor a mocking smile, pretending not to hear what Victor

that he had

fist and

you want

nothing to do with

So, let her go!"

This is

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want to let her

from but I

boring for you to die alone? I can do something about that and let

eyes, Victor

her neck, all Shelia could do was raise

was tensed

she saw Victor spat out blood and

all you can

mocking smile plastered

his eyes narrowed in anger when

you just

you are

Shelia swallowed.

just feel a sense of accomplishment by

more, you don’t have in you to do what you intend

So, cut the crap.

want to kill me,

"Shelia…"

tried

that she was provoking

afraid that Shelia would make Norton’s hackles rise and the man would do just what she

Norton was indeed angry.

looked fierce, but he kept his voice

like you

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

and instructed them, "Tie her

his eyes and asked anxiously, "What are you going to

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared

as

hands and feet bound, Shelia was taken to one of the

made to ride

brain thinking about where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor Woke Up "Ahem!

river was flowing

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

and the blue veins on

teeth and yelled, "Let

to open her eyes because of the

actually wanted Victor to

the moment she opened her mouth, she was choked

her

expression on Victor’s face,

strong but he was

making me

that I’m a good man? Why the hell

cunning smile, Norton approached the rope, squatted

wanting to save her so much, I will

good in me, huh?

just glare

it

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

appeared and stood between

looked at

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the

killed two people, and the one on

pause, Norton continued, "You want to save her, right? Knock

finished speaking, the two men who had been holding Victor’s arms let go of him

tip with his thumb and warned,

two before the rope

you can say goodbye to your good

away, I’m afraid that you won’t even find

at the flickering flame, Victor

essence, so he quickly rushed up and fought

mercenary and the most popular leader the Roaring

weakest subordinates

Victor was currently

might not even be able to defeat one of the two weakest

them were tall and burly men that could easily flip Victor

doubt, Victor was at a

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

As soon as he was hit, Victor staggered

left him, and he eventually knelt on the

being broken scattered all over his body,

time, Victor’s face looked

stand, not ready to

even get back on his feet,

subconsciously use his arm

he was hit again, Victor spat out a mouthful of

Victor’s

fix his eyes on the rope, which was only a

how many

the fire was put out and the rope

so he was willing to do anything

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

he fell back to the ground and lost

somewhat awakened when he

eyes, but his

on the ground, watching the

but wonder if he was

recovered yet, so he thought that

sharp pain that pierced every inch of his body made Victor

to stand up, but he

his hands a little bit, grabbing the

to look at the river, only to find that there was nothing in

was no

"Ahem!"

coughed violently, spurting out

unto the soil and opened his eyes as

river expectantly, as if he was waiting

for a long

fact, he didn’t even know how much

he never found the

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

blood and the excruciating pain he was experiencing, Victor couldn’t

lost consciousness

up again, he was finally

him near

rescue him lasted for two days and

was found out that Victor had fractures in eight

shattered, his chest and lungs were inflamed, and the critically ill notice

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

an oxygen

danger yet, but all he cared about was

she

delay to send people to search

seven days, but Shelia couldn’t

and there was still no

was able to give Victor was a crumpled playing card that got wet from the rain and then dried by

covered with mud, but one could easily recognize that it was the King of

years later,

did after fully recovering was buy

the King of Hearts card in a box

marble

even Shelia’s name on

Karl was

the hospital, but he was declared

was also in that year that Carolyn sent

finished his studies and

began taking over several small companies

raised the sales of these companies from a very

Victor was able to prove his outstanding ability,

Roger entered the ward where Rachel

her sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a bowl of porridge, and

eat any

porridge for about half

couldn’t even stand the smell

had no choice but to put

"Eat it again when you

stuck his tongue out, not intending to

he saw Roger standing at the door, so

In the past half a month, Roger came to the hospital to

kid gradually

that Roger

he could at least taste something aside

course, Joey could only eat them

turned around and was surprised to

say that

message in advance to ask her if she wanted to eat

every time, he would still insist on

asked, he said that he had an important project

visit, it would probably

initially, I couldn’t

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

furrowed

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

done to Victor lasted for more

opened and closed for several times as doctors

couldn’t do anything but wait outside until the procedure was

the fourth day since the operation began, the indicator light outside the room was

the surgery was

but he wasn’t completely

wheeled to the

until two days ago that his vital

be transferred to the general

still in

expert in the field to check Victor’s condition and

it wasn’t what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

healed,

new injuries just

said that only a miracle could

us when he will

in a gloomy

afraid I can’t say

frown as

if I may be blunt, please consider preparing

Is he going to become a vegetable for the rest of

didn’t say this, it was

was not a hundred percent, but there was a huge

Rachel was the

Carson deemed that Rachel had the right

against the wall outside Joey’s ward, holding a cigarette between his

there were dark circles round his

just went down to tell Rachel about

heard the tragic news, her face didn’t show

already prepared herself for

Carson was a bit

didn’t know when she became

Victor had been in a coma for

it might have been

outside the operating room for

moment of silence, Rachel glanced at the cigarette in Carson’s hand and reminded him in a low voice, "This is the

You can’t smoke here."

senses,

her indifferent expression, he didn’t bother continue discussing about Victor’s

then changed the subject and asked,

"Joey? He’s fine.

up yesterday and said that he has been recovering

his plaster will be removed

peeped through the glass

Joey sleeping soundly in

a faint smile, he stretched for a bit

then, I’m leaving

saying that, Carson turned around and left without

to tell Rachel about the doctor’s diagnosis regarding Victor’s

had

blink of an eye, two days eventually passed

of Victor’s condition,

in Joey’s ward

Carson didn’t show his face to

the diagnosis came from an expert, she was also

Roger broke the news that Victor had miraculously woke

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

Roger for a long time without

was still judging Roger’s expression if

to go upstairs and see

asked slowly This time, Rachel pressed her lips hard and remained

pulled her sleeve and pulled her back

I want to see

pleading

to hide the fact that Victor was in a coma after obtaining serious

in the hospital, he actually had a

he found that Rachel had always been absent-minded and

Rachel didn’t have the heart to hide

did he pester Rachel to go to the ICU to

just smiled and made a

bad? They say bad people live

to

she felt

moments, she mustered

"Yes, of course."

had a good

mention Victor, as if there

of the night from time to time and look at the ceiling with his

for keeping it all inside him, but Rachel was aware that he

"Okay…"

heart softened, and

in the second inpatient

was inconvenient for him to walk

simply let him sit in a

the wheelchair for him, and the

they reached

at the

only one patient at this

there were steps approaching, he furrowed his brows and eventually saw

scene, Carson knew that he would have

first time I’ve

What brings you here?"

document he was holding aside and raised

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking

someone who will be beaten

where did those dark circles around your

"Dark circles?"

choked

picked up his phone, opened its

realized that Joey

bags were so big that it seemed like

was only

hadn’t have a good

young man, but even he

"Ha-ha!"

after seeing the upset look

seemingly innocent laughter, Carson realized that he was fooled by this little guy

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

"You, brat.

dare you tease your godfather? You

a sharp pain on his face and retorted, "Huh? Who said that you are my godfather? I

no

and I grew

We are best friends.

the one who

how I became

eyebrows and crossed his arms in

you, even if you don’t

and said, "Humph! If I don’t want to admit it, no

clicked his tongue as he withdrew

in a slightly low voice, "I also didn’t expect that I would have a godson

as I said, it’s a fact that you can’t

better change your attitude towards

say anything more, but he stuck out his

his eye, Carson recognized Roger

to regain his composure and commented, "I see that you’re not

I heard that

with Rachel

Roger explained.

didn’t plan to lose his composure just

"Oh, I see."

and said,

He is resting inside.

Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward

was going

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked

her, pushing

placed over his

was lost in thoughts for

was about to sav something, Joey spoke before

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

and looked at the

was not standing very

see him from the corner of

if he was giving Carson

at him, Joey turned his gaze

need to use the

overheard what Joey

I take

"No!"

replied in a very

a serious

I am

was a bathroom in Joey’s ward, so it wasn’t a problem for Rachel

were no

to the ladies’ room,

to Joey’s words,

Roger, then her gaze

want to bother the former, Carson soon observed that she was

him to

refused to pay any

and turned around as if nothing

give Joey a thumbs

Carson pretended like he was answering the

Mr.Ramos! I have read the

he headed

wasn’t very

up while he

all! Rachel saw what just happened clearly and understood that it was all

"It’s okay.

will take Joey

He is actually right.

a boy like him to

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

heard those words, they displeased

have been closer to

days, they

were always in one

reasons best known to her,

things, Rachel still didn’t love

knew that it couldn’t be achieved

from thinking about the night Rachel was standing outside the operating room where Victor

and Joey

time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

a quick glance at the phone in

with the

"What?"

sight and took a peek at

smile appeared

I am through with

was left with no choice! My subordinates are too bad at making

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

a fake smile on

very good

Carson realized that Rachel knew that he had pretended to answer

nose and coughed

you want

to look through the glass panel on

ward was

of view, only the living room could be seen, and

pushed the door open in no time and

said Victor would lie in the bed

has to undergo half

voice came from behind

is in a stable condition now,

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted Carson’s

man in a suit coming out of the

He looked dejected.

a document in

Rachel and Carson as

was stunned at first,

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung around the

It was quite noticeable.

Sullivan Group and the

no need asking about what just happened to

that the project plan had been denied

must have been driven out! Her attention was

what really

She turned to Carson.

back at her, she raised her eyebrows

"Well, this is Troy.

of the Sullivan

meant by just looking

was at a loss for

so many

he had to

recognized who Rachel

bowed and mentioned her

"Miss Bennet."

head slightly in

forehead was covered with

scare of his life! Nonetheless, he was still holding the

Bennet, I’m going back to the

waved his hand and said, "Very well

do

out of sight in

at the door

for her to see that Victor was sitting against

as

well and can work

to the door and pushed

against the

didn’t follow Rachel

reading some document when

head

cast her gaze on

in a

pale despite the fact that he lowered

frowned and

for more than seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would have thought that the man

she walked

you to

the footsteps,

looked up at the person who

cold and stiff tone,

The Birthday Gift Caroline’s POV: Even after we

were many guests around, I figured it wouldn’t bode well if I

"The dance is over.

time to let

I reminded him.

his eyes, but he still loosened his grip on my waist like

steps back to

for some reason, I could still feel the warmth

and i

my heart was

moment, it felt like I had returned to the

were the

were long gone and I could

feeling conflicted

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached me

myself to ignore the burning gaze from behind me and began chatting with the guests with a smile on my face

said, raising my glass and taking a sip

knowing it, I’d had a few to drink and was starting

time, Elena came

a surprise waiting for you on the

like to go upstairs and take a look at

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you get

smile appeared on

confusion, I followed her to the deck on

that there were bright red

numerous balloons around

widened in

must say, this whole scene

this my birthday surprise?’ I had no idea who had

was Charles, but I

bitter smile appeared on my lips, and somehow, I began to despise myself for

had never spent this much effort on me, and yet I still couldn’t

joy of receiving this birthday surprise soon died

floor, I stared at

and

the cold sea

display lit up the sky, forming the

up to the sky,

sounded like

noise, I

the

and i felt like

abandoned warehouse kept flashing through my

I was out of breath I felt so dizzy that I almost

a pair of strong arms held

I’m here."

from above

It was Charles.

tears burst from my eyes, Gently, he brushed my

have to be