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 since

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her teeth

thought occurred

"The eggs! I forgot all about

Ethan’s embrace and ran to the kitchen in a

Ethan followed behind her.

at Janet, who was extremely flustered, and

you to keep an eye on

her to the side while he cleaned up the mess himself in the

corner, restlessly watching Ethan clean up

"I’m sorry.

so I rushed

Ethan had guessed this.

freshly washed hands, he raised his eyes

"It’s my fault.

give you

his

and leaned her face against his chest,

she murmured, "The Lesters treat you badly, especially

you and I just got him

a huge grudge

we just go there?"Chapter 461 In Order To

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

to tell me,

just being a little

his eyes at her, Victor said nothing, and silently

had a feeling that Shelia didn’t mean him

crushed some fruits and poured the juice over

this definitely could be

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

Shelia was holding out in

roast some more

going to take the meat, Shelia smiled as if she

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

rest assured and eat it

high alert right then, watching

be an easy-going person, this didn’t mean that she was

had thought that Victor had gotten

after she saw his injuries, she knew she was wrong and he was

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead and

away and

roast the rest for

and said, "Okay, it’s perfectly fine

took a bite out of the

for some time, she furrowed her

really hard to

was not

meat I gave you just now

didn’t you tell me? You even

Victor didn’t say a word and

turned around and spotted Victor’s smiling

you smiling? Van, you did this deliberately, didn’t

Am I smiling?’ Victor never even realized that he

gently touched the corner of his

me to roast the meat

have gone a long

and get

tired

just sit right

hands propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down

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

how to survive

in a

"Survive in the wildness?"

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

out of your way to learn

some fruits

knife to slice

Shelia asked, his eyes darkened

while, he said,

fact, Victor knew

because he wanted to be prepared in case of any

under ner protection,

skills so that he would at least have a better chance to survive in case

"Alright."

continued to focus her gaze on the burning

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

stretched out a hand to wipe off

and turned to look

looked straight into Shelia’s eyes, he started

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

"Is that so?"

to rub her nose with the back of her

now?

"No,"

glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

other than roasting meat? I want

Can you teach me?"

do you want to

"In order to survive."

came out of Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me

shelia said casually.

felt sad upon

flipped? It’s

Shelia pointed out.

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

over while he was still thinking about what she

.

thoughts about whether or not to ask

was, after all, Shelia’s own

other hand, didn’t seem

"Will you please

"Hmm,"

said after a

"Is that a yes?"

and she broke

two dimples, meanwhile,

Victor nodded, "Okay."

she said, "Thanks so much,

individual I’ve ever encountered, except

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I was

orphanage was taken over and the old woman was unwell and

as

woman was a

I was younger, she prepared great meals and gave me a lot of

orphan…’ Victor pursed

guardian was needed to look after you since the orphanage was taken

you leave with the other

at Victor and answered, "I didn’t want to

Shelia had known for so

okay with you being outdoors on

her head, Shelia

desperate to visit her tomb, so I

them, and I don’t

dingy

been scattered by the trees and fallen

placed her hands behind her

disappointment as she gazed up at the

to visit

you from doing

people guarding the

if

that I have

my name when I

blinking her

remained fixed on Shelia and he

had the chance to see you, Van, it would be more

soft spot in her

said that I was a lovely

to use this term

at Shelia, Victor concluded that

apt description of her features, particularly

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

to communicate since she was deaf, mute, and

never referred to us

card

it from her pocket as if it were a treasure and presented it to Victor

each kid was given

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

stared at the card–the King of

Did I get the

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

and said, "I am the only one with

meat was toasting as

her the meat after

all set to

Eat, please."

gut just

she put her hand to her stomach and ate the meat with

much better than the meat i

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

after

she rose to her feet,

was ready to rise when Shelia abruptly extended her hand to

"Come on, get up."

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

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

of time as they

had cooled

in sitting down on a stone and drank some

far we’ll have to travel until

get out before

drank some water as

and he was coughing up blood for the second

"I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

still have the

"Like never before…"

continued to hold

forward motion, she murmured, "Van, you look rather

return, be sure to

his gaze to the side of her

small face was covered in mud after a day and a

What’s

"Plan?"

was slow to

"What are your plans once we leave the forest?

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

no longer walk and

answered with

"Shelia."

to have made up his mind after staring at

"What’s the problem?"

me after

my grandma will like you, I will

can count

want me to

it all right with you? If you don’t

concerned that Shelia

a while before asking, "Are you joking

"No, I’m not.

promise to treat you the best I

Victor convinced her.

and smiled at Victor,

when we get out

"Sure."

they emerged from the woods,

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

the bodies of Victor

walking since high noon and now, the sun

they saw

out of the

we’ll meet local villagers if we

We can…"

finish her sentence, she

She was confused.

at Victor, wanting to know why he

"Van?"

well, i didn’t expect you to come out

looked for the

cars that were parked

stood at the front, looking at them

feel right away that they were Victor’s

Victor, who in turn stood protectively in front

didn’t take his eyes off

could hear, Victor said, "Run

get lost even when it gets

of

these marks and you

"And then?"

asked, her eyebrows

looked straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

meet villagers, borrow a mobile

didn’t

to play a game with Victor by

couldn’t escape this predicament,

to give Shelia a family, bring her back

fulfill the promise he made in the

wrote a phone number

once you

he whispered.

is my grandmother’s

and she will pick you up

looked down at

Shelia didn’t respond, Victor looked at her

"No."

pulled her hand

were a

remember the

be a

Victor frowned.

so anxious that he coughed violently

adamant and clenched her

want to spread her palm and let Victor write the phone number

what Victor and Shelia were talking about, he

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

each other!

tensed up when saw Norton approaching

intuitively pulled

was seriously injured and keeping himself standing steadily

hard for

up to

Shelia stepped

with them, Norton pulled Shelia

for Victor to

"Let her go!"

kept a firm grip

hearing vexation in Victor’s

you

the mud on Shelia’s face

pain, Victor rushed over

he stopped in his tracks when something

a knife that

spat out a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

said in a contemptuous tone and gave Victor a mocking smile, pretending not

he

and

you want is my

to do

So, let her go!"

This is

Norton curled his lips.

don’t want to let her

comes from but

do you think it’s boring for you to die alone? I can

red eyes, Victor

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

was tensed

when she saw Victor spat out blood and beg for mercy, she scoffed at

you

kept his mocking smile plastered on his

eyes narrowed in anger when he

did you

you

Shelia swallowed.

just feel a sense of

you to do

So, cut the crap.

want to kill me,

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to stop

knew that she

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

Norton was indeed angry.

he kept his voice in check as he talked to

like you really want to

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help you

Norton said, laughing derisively.

and

eyes and asked anxiously, "What are you

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared at

men did as they were

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

made to

Norton was

was

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

clenched into fists, and the blue veins

gritted his teeth and yelled, "Let her

of

Victor

her mouth, she was choked by

enough, her

at the exasperated expression on

that Victor might be strong but he was useless in this

me laugh,

good man? Why the

cunning smile, Norton approached the rope, squatted

you wanting to save

good in me,

just

do whatever it took to

in the middle of the river, Norton squinted his

after, two men behind him appeared and stood between

up and looked at Victor with

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

are the weakest among my

on my left has only killed two people, and the one on the right has killed

continued, "You want to save her,

had been holding Victor’s arms let go of

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

before

you can say goodbye to your

afraid that you won’t even find

Victor

quickly rushed up

a mercenary and the most popular leader the

subordinates should

was currently

even be able

them were tall and burly

at a disadvantage from the very

Victor right in his abdomen one after another, and hit his back with

as he was hit, Victor staggered and

was hit repeatedly, his strength left him, and he eventually knelt on

broken scattered all over his body,

face

tried to stand, not ready to give

he could even get back on his feet, he saw another punch

subconsciously use his arm to block it,

again, Victor spat out a mouthful

point, Victor’s vision

managed to fix his eyes on the

matter how many injuries

long as the fire was put out and the rope was grasped, Shelia’s life could be

into this trouble, so he was

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

back to the ground and lost his

somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling

open his eyes,

the

help but wonder if

fully recovered yet, so he thought that he

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

up, but he

move his hands a little bit, grabbing the mud

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

was no trace

"Ahem!"

violently, spurting out

himself, he grabbed unto the soil and opened his eyes as

at the river expectantly, as if he was waiting for something to

for

know how much

found the person he had been

from the river or come out from somewhere and call his

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

he lost consciousness

up again, he was finally

him near the

lasted for two

a doctor’s diagnosis, it was found out that Victor had

bones in his right knee were shattered, his chest and lungs were inflamed, and the critically

did after he woke up was ask Carolyn to send people to look

was still wearing an oxygen mask and struggled

life was not completely out of danger yet, but all he cared

could sense that she must be a very important person due to his concern for

send people to search for Shelia along the

lasted for seven days, but

week passed and there was still no

crumpled playing card that got wet from the rain and then dried by the

could easily recognize that it was

years later, Victor completely

he did after fully recovering

Hearts card in a

on the marble tombstone

even Shelia’s name

was on a business trip, he

rush him to the hospital, but he was declared dead on

in that

years, he finished

began taking over several small companies under the

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

able to prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed over the

Roger entered the ward

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

eat

been eating porridge for about

even stand the smell of porridge

sighed and had no choice but to put

said, "Eat it again when you

out,

Roger standing at the door, so he

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

the kid gradually got acquainted

Roger would bring some

too much, he could at least

Joey could only eat them

around

that

would send Rachel a message in advance to ask her if she wanted to

he would

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

visit, it would probably be

initially, I couldn’t

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

response, Rachel furrowed her

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

done to Victor lasted

opened and closed for several times as doctors went in

couldn’t do anything but wait

fourth day since the operation began, the indicator light

the surgery was successfully

he wasn’t completely

wheeled to

two days ago that his

eligible to be transferred to

he was still

invited an expert in the field to check

what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

had healed, they still had

new injuries just

the end, he said that only a

least tell us when

asked in

I can’t say

couldn’t help but frown as he made

fact, if I may be blunt, please consider preparing

never wake up? Is he going to become a vegetable for

say this, it was

was

Carson and Lukas, Rachel was the

Rachel had the right

against the wall outside Joey’s ward,

slightly disoriented, and there were dark circles

tell Rachel

Rachel heard the tragic news, her face didn’t

if she had already

Carson was a bit

she became this

in a coma for about half a month after

have been

there outside the operating room for 70 hours before

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

You can’t smoke here."

regained his senses, Carson put

he didn’t bother continue discussing

then changed the subject and asked, "Anyway, how is the

"Joey? He’s fine.

up yesterday and said that he has been recovering pretty

that his plaster will

through the glass panel on

Joey sleeping soundly in the

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

then, I’m leaving

turned around and left

to tell

that, he had

of an eye,

aware of Victor’s condition,

just stayed in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four

didn’t show his face to her

diagnosis came from an expert, she was

that Victor had miraculously woke up from being in

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

Roger for a long time without being able

if she was still judging Roger’s

to go upstairs

slowly This time, Rachel pressed her lips hard and

gently pulled her sleeve

want to see

was Joey, pleading in

the fact that Victor was in a coma after

the hospital, he

had always been absent-minded and Victor hadn’t come up in any of their

truth, Rachel didn’t have the heart to hide

full truth, Joey didn’t cry or say anything, nor did he pester Rachel to go

just smiled and made

daddy bad? They say

we don’t have to worry too much

bright eyes, she felt a lump in her

moments, she mustered

"Yes, of course."

two weeks, Joey had a good

didn’t mention Victor, as if there was nothing wrong going

of the night from time to time

kid for keeping it all inside him, but Rachel was

"Okay…"

softened, and

in the second

yet, it was

him sit in

wheelchair for him, and the three

enough, they reached

The elevator finally stopped at the floor of the

was only one patient at this time, Carson

that there were steps approaching, he furrowed his

Victor had seen this scene, Carson knew that he would have been

time I’ve seen

What brings you here?"

as he quickly set the document he was holding aside and raised

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his

I look like someone who will be beaten easily? Ha! I’m the one who beats others,

where did those dark circles around your eyes

"Dark circles?"

almost choked

panic, he picked up his phone, opened its front camera,

that Joey was

were so big that it

course, this was only

have a good sleep for half a

originally a handsome young man, but

"Ha-ha!"

laugh after seeing the upset look on Carson’s

seemingly innocent laughter, Carson realized that he was

forward

"You, brat.

tease your godfather?

his face and retorted, "Huh? Who said that you are my godfather? I don’t remember

have no

father and I

We are best friends.

the one

that’s how I

his arms in front of

you don’t want it,

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

his tongue as he

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

it’s a

change

he

of his eye, Carson

then tried to regain his composure and commented,

that

came here with Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

his composure

"Oh, I see."

room and said, "His

He is resting inside.

Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward Carson pointed at, she became

one knew what was going

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked towards the

followed her, pushing

arms were placed over

in thoughts

to sav something, Joey

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked

standing very far

Joey could see him from the corner of his

if

after taking a quick glance at

to use

overheard what Joey

I

"No!"

replied in a

was a serious look on

I am

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

were no longer

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

Joey’s words, Rachel looked

was Roger, then her gaze fell

bother the former, Carson

she wanted him to take Joey to

and refused to pay any attention

out his phone and turned around

a thumbs up without Rachel

like he was

the plan

headed towards the nurses’

wasn’t very

he was still holding it

call at all! Rachel saw what just

"It’s okay.

will take Joey

He is actually right.

is very embarrassing for a boy like him to be taken

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

when he heard those words, they

have

they got along really

always in

best known to her, she still alienated

look of things, Rachel still didn’t

it couldn’t be achieved

couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the night Rachel was standing

Joey headed

some time, Carson came

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

glance at

you through with the phone

"What?"

took a peek

a smile appeared on

I am

choice! My subordinates are too

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

fake

not very good at

to answer the call only moments ago, the

his nose and coughed to

you want to go

in order to look through the glass

was

the living room could be

Rachel pushed the door open

lie in the

undergo half a

voice came

in a

"Get out of here!"

interrupted Carson’s

and saw a man in a suit coming

He looked dejected.

document in his

Carson as

stunned at first, then his face

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung around the

It was quite noticeable.

Group and the director

about

the man’s expression that

was drawn to

surname was what really

She turned to Carson.

at her, she raised her eyebrows

"Well, this is Troy.

as a member of the Sullivan Group’s project

she meant by just looking at

at a loss

so many surnames

had to choose

recognized who

and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

her head slightly

was covered

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

Bennet, I’m going

and said,

do that

Troy went out of sight in a blink of an

looked at

to see that Victor was sitting against the head of the bed at that given

condition doesn’t seem as bad

and can work

door and pushed it

against the door

didn’t follow Rachel

some document

head and say coldly,

cast her

in a hospital

that his face was pale despite the fact that he lowered his

and looked

the operating room for more than seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would have thought

so entranced that she

asked you to go

the

at the person who was walking towards

usual cold and stiff tone, he said softly, "Rachel, you are

Even after we finished

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

"The dance is over.

time to let

I reminded him.

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

took a few steps back to distance

could still feel the warmth of

and i

my heart was

a moment, it felt like I had returned to

with him were the happiest time

that those days were long gone and I could never get

down, feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

guests suddenly approached me

the burning gaze from behind me and began chatting with the guests with a

said, raising my glass and taking a

few to drink and was

this time, Elena came

for you

like to go upstairs and take a look at

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you

appeared on

my confusion, I followed her to

red

were also numerous balloons around the

eyes widened in

say, this whole

this my birthday surprise?’ I had no idea

person that came to mind was Charles, but I quickly cast aside that

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

never spent this much effort on

joy of receiving this birthday

I stared at the night scene

was tranquil, and yet my

cold sea breeze, I

a sudden, a fireworks display lit up

the sky, a deafening sound resonated in

like a

by the noise, I covered

the ground

uncontrollably, and i

incident at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing

I felt

I was having a panic attack, a pair of strong

I’m here."

came from above me,

It was Charles.

i nestled in his arms as tears burst from my eyes, Gently, he brushed my hair

don’t have to be