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 they

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her

a thought

shouted, "The eggs! I forgot

from Ethan’s embrace and ran to

Ethan followed behind her.

extremely flustered, and he

girl! I told you to keep an eye

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

the corner, restlessly watching Ethan

"I’m sorry.

to Charis, so I rushed to you and forgot I was

Ethan had guessed this.

raised his

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you

he spread out his arms and said gently, "Come

and leaned her face against

thinking about the invitation from Patrick, she

and I

probably has a

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

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

want to tell

was just being

silently retracted the knife he was hiding behind

feeling that Shelia didn’t mean

crushed some fruits and poured the juice over

this definitely could be

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

down at the meat Shelia was holding out in her hand

roast some more for

meat,

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

can rest assured and

right then, watching Shelia

an easy-going person, this

thought that Victor had

injuries, she knew she was wrong and he

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead and

turned to look away and placed

the rest

he wanted to help, Shelia nodded and said, "Okay, it’s

took a bite out of

some time, she furrowed her brows and stuck out her

really hard to

was not cooked fully

just now must be the

didn’t you tell me? You even

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

meat aside, Shelia turned around and spotted Victor’s

Van, you did this

Am I smiling?’ Victor never even realized that he

hand and gently touched the corner of his

me to roast the meat for

gone a

and get some

tired

sit

her hands propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down next to

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

to

spoke in a

"Survive in the wildness?"

very first time that Shelia had ever heard of such

you go out of your way

Victor also crushed some

he used a knife to

he heard what Shelia asked, his

he said, "I have no

Victor knew

learned that because he wanted to

even under ner protection, Victor would find himself in

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

"Alright."

to focus her gaze on the burning

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

stretched out a hand to wipe

and turned to look at Victor with

Victor looked straight into Shelia’s eyes, he started to feel

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

"Is that so?"

to rub her nose with the

now? Is

"No,"

said, glancing over

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

learn other than roasting meat? I want to

Can you teach me?"

want

"In order to survive."

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

shelia said casually.

felt sad

be flipped? It’s on the verge

Shelia pointed out.

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

was still

.

or not

all,

didn’t seem

you please

"Hmm,"

said after

"Is that a yes?"

glowed, and she broke into a

dimples, meanwhile, became much

Victor nodded, "Okay."

grinned broadly as she said, "Thanks so much,

encountered,

"Orphanage?"

That’s where

taken over and

eyes clouded as

elderly woman was a wonderful

I was younger, she prepared great meals and gave me

an orphan…’ Victor pursed his

after you since

leave

and answered, "I didn’t want

Shelia had known for

okay with you being outdoors on your

her head, Shelia

I was desperate to visit her tomb,

to them, and I don’t intend to

dingy

that had been scattered by

placed her hands behind her

she gazed up

want to visit

you from

are people

me if I go

had no idea that

my name when I meet her again in

said, blinking her

eyes remained fixed on

"If she had the chance to see you, Van, it would be more than likely that she

had a soft spot in her heart

that I

appropriate to use

Shelia, Victor concluded that the adjective

apt description of her features,

for your upbringing, how come you

communicate since she was deaf, mute,

to us

card was

were a treasure and presented it to

kid was given a unique

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

stared at the card–the King

I get the

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

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

toasting as they

the meat after

set to

Eat, please."

growl came from her gut just after his

she put her hand to her

much better than the meat i made myself! Van,

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after a

rose to her feet, she

nodded and was ready to rise when Shelia abruptly extended her hand to

"Come on, get up."

little pause, he took Shelia’s hand in his and

used a dart to put

had lost track of time as

had cooled

assisted Victor in sitting down on

far we’ll have to travel until

get out before the

some

was perhaps exhausted after so much walking, and he was coughing up blood for

incoherently, "I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

have the

"Like never before…"

nodded and continued

her forward motion, she murmured, "Van, you

return, be sure to

lowered his gaze to

after a day and a night in the

What’s your

"Plan?"

slow to

are your plans once we leave the forest? Where will you be

travels and explore the world’s finest rivers

I can no longer

with a

"Shelia."

up his mind after staring at

"What’s the problem?"

me after we get out of

will like you, I will defend you if she

count

want me to come with

it all right with you? If

concerned that Shelia might

a while before asking, "Are you

"No, I’m not.

you the

Victor convinced her.

nodded and smiled at Victor, saying,

we get

"Sure."

from the woods,

the horizon, basking the forest in a pale red glow that passed through the branches

glimmered on the bodies of Victor and

been walking since high noon and now,

when they saw a relatively

out of

villagers if we walk a little

We can…"

Shelia could finish her sentence, she

She was confused.

Victor, wanting

"Van?"

i didn’t expect you to come out

came, Shelia looked for the source

were parked not

front, looking at them

right away that they

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

didn’t take his eyes off Norton,

Victor said, "Run into the forest when I tell you

get lost even when it gets

we were finding our way out of the forest, I put

marks and you can get back

"And then?"

her

straight into

"Walk along this road.

you meet villagers, borrow a mobile phone from them, and

Norton didn’t intend

game with Victor by

he couldn’t escape this predicament, Shelia

Shelia a family, bring her back to

fulfill the promise he made in

Shelia’s hand, Victor wrote a phone number

once you get

he whispered.

my grandmother’s

her and she will pick you up wherever

looked down

that Shelia didn’t respond, Victor looked at her and asked in

"No."

her hand

eyes were a little

don’t want to remember the number, nor do I

be a good

Victor frowned.

that he coughed violently as

adamant and clenched

didn’t want to spread her palm and let Victor

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

condescending sneer, he said, "Tut,

for each other! I’m so

tensed up when saw Norton

pulled Sheila

seriously injured and keeping himself standing steadily was taxing

be hard for him to

walked up to them

Shelia

Norton pulled Shelia

too fast for Victor to stop

"Let her go!"

kept a firm grip on

found satisfaction in hearing

you look

said as he wiped the mud on Shelia’s face with his

body pain, Victor rushed over

his tracks when

a knife that Norton pressed

spat out a mouthful of

"No."

"What are you saying?"

gave Victor a mocking

he had difficulty in

clenched his fist and tried

want is

to do with

So, let her go!"

This is so

Norton curled his lips.

don’t want to let her

but I find

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

eyes, Victor

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

was tensed

spat out blood and beg

you can

his mocking smile

his eyes narrowed in anger when he

did you

you

Shelia swallowed.

sense of accomplishment by threatening two

have in you to do what

So, cut the crap.

kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

desperately tried

knew that she was

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

Norton was indeed angry.

he kept his voice in check as

really? Looks like you really want

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help you with

Norton said, laughing derisively.

to his men and instructed them, "Tie her

and asked anxiously, "What

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared

did as they were

Shelia was taken to one of

was made to

Norton was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor

was

Shelia, making her choke easily Victor saw

and the blue veins on his

his teeth and yelled, "Let

open her eyes because of

wanted Victor

opened her mouth, she was

her

at the exasperated expression on Victor’s face, Norton scoffed at

that Victor might be strong but he was useless in this

me

a good man? Why the hell should I

a cunning smile, Norton approached the rope, squatted

of you wanting to save her so much, I will give you a

in me, huh? What do

could just glare at

would do whatever it took to

the middle of the

two men behind him appeared and

looked at

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

the weakest among

killed two people, and the one on the

"You want to save

as Norton finished speaking, the two men who had been holding Victor’s arms let go of him and took a few

in his hand, Norton touched its tip with his

before the rope

you can say goodbye

I’m afraid that

the flickering flame, Victor didn’t care about anything

so he quickly rushed up and

mercenary and the most

subordinates should be

Victor was currently badly

not even be able to

and burly men that

was at a disadvantage

men punched Victor right in his abdomen one

he was hit, Victor staggered and struggled to

left him, and he eventually knelt on

of his bones being broken scattered all over his

time, Victor’s face looked black with

still tried to stand,

before he could even get back on his feet,

use his arm

out a mouthful of blood, and

this point, Victor’s

eyes on the rope, which was

didn’t matter how

out and the rope was

trouble, so he was willing to

to go on, his body

to the ground and lost

After some time, Victor was somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of

open his eyes, but his vision was

just lay there on the ground, watching

couldn’t help but wonder if he

yet, so he thought that he might

pierced every inch of

stand up, but he couldn’t move

only move his hands a little bit,

the river, only to find that there was nothing in

no trace of

"Ahem!"

coughed violently, spurting out

he grabbed unto the soil and opened his eyes

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

for

know how

the

her head from the river or come

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

he lost consciousness

Victor woke up again, he was

subordinates found him near the

him lasted for two days

diagnosis, it was found out that Victor had fractures in

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

did after he woke up was ask Carolyn to send

an

out of danger yet, but all he

was, but she could sense that she must be a very

people to search for

search lasted for seven days,

passed and there was still no news

Carolyn was able to give Victor was a crumpled playing card that got wet from the rain

but one could easily

years later,

did after fully recovering was buy

the King of Hearts card in a box

marble tombstone

wasn’t even Shelia’s

Karl was on

rush him to the hospital, but he was declared

in that year that Carolyn

finished his

small companies under the control of the Sullivan

these companies from a very

ability, Carolyn gradually handed over

time, Roger entered the

saw her sitting on the edge of the bed, holding

eat any

porridge for

he couldn’t even stand the

choice but to

it again when you get

his tongue out, not intending

he saw Roger standing at the

month, Roger came to the hospital to visit

kid gradually

Roger

could

course, Joey could only eat

Rachel turned around and was surprised to

say that you wouldn’t come

time Roger came here, he would send Rachel a message in advance to ask her if she

he would still insist

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

visit, it would probably be

I couldn’t

hesitated for a moment before

response, Rachel furrowed her brows in

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

done to Victor lasted for more than

operating room opened and closed for several

anything but wait outside

on the fourth day since the operation began, the indicator light outside the

that the surgery was

but he wasn’t completely out of

he was wheeled

until two days ago that his vital signs

be transferred

was still

field to check Victor’s condition and give a

it wasn’t what he

Victor sustained serious injuries.

healed, they still had

new injuries

only

tell us when he will

asked in a

afraid I can’t

expert couldn’t help but frown as he made

be blunt, please consider

up? Is he going

was obvious that this was what he

but there was a huge chance that this was

and Lukas, Rachel was the first one to know

deemed that Rachel had

outside Joey’s

looked slightly disoriented, and there were dark circles round

tell Rachel about this

when Rachel heard the tragic news,

already prepared herself for something like

Carson was

didn’t know when she became this

in a coma for about half a

have been even

room for 70

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."

he regained his senses,

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

subject and asked, "Anyway, how is the

"Joey? He’s fine.

yesterday and said that

expected that his plaster will be removed ahead

through the

Joey sleeping soundly in

stretched for

then, I’m

turned around and

to tell Rachel about the doctor’s diagnosis

had nothing else to

the blink of an eye,

was made aware of Victor’s

stayed in Joey’s ward almost

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

came from an expert, she was also convinced that Victor would never wake

the news that Victor had

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

for a long time without being able to speak a

was as if she was still judging

Rachel… Do you want to go upstairs and

This time, Rachel pressed her lips hard and remained

nowhere, someone gently pulled her sleeve and pulled her back from her deep

I want to see

was Joey, pleading in a

Victor

hospital, he actually had a vague

on, he found that Rachel had always been absent-minded and Victor hadn’t come up in any

truth, Rachel didn’t have the heart to

did he pester Rachel

just smiled and made

bad? They say bad people live

we don’t have to worry

she felt

few moments, she mustered her courage

"Yes, of course."

had a good

Victor, as if there was nothing wrong

wake up in the middle of the night from time to time and look

brave kid for keeping it all inside him, but Rachel was aware that he missed Victor so

"Okay…"

heart softened,

ward was in

healed yet, it was inconvenient

Rachel simply let him sit

pushed the wheelchair for him, and the three

they reached the

The elevator finally stopped at the floor of the ward where Victor

was only one patient at this time, Carson was sitting on the

furrowed his brows and eventually saw

Carson knew that he would have been very

guy, it’s the first time I’ve seen you up

What brings you here?"

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

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his innocent

like someone who will be beaten

did those dark circles

"Dark circles?"

choked at Joey’s

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

realized that Joey

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

was only to

good

but even he was susceptible to stress

"Ha-ha!"

couldn’t help but laugh after seeing

laughter, Carson realized that he was

head, Carson stepped forward and pinched

"You, brat.

dare you tease your godfather? You have guts,

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

no opinion

I grew up

We are best friends.

the one who

I became

eyebrows and crossed his arms

even if you don’t want it, that fact won’t

his uninjured hand and said,

as he withdrew his hand

also didn’t expect that I would have

a fact that you

you’d better change

anything more, but he stuck out

of the corner of his

commented, "I see that

heard that Mr.Sullivan

Rachel

Roger explained.

to lose his composure just because of Carson’s

"Oh, I see."

the room and

He is resting inside.

and see him."Chapter 466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked

one knew what was going through

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked towards the

followed her, pushing

placed over his

was lost in

to sav something, Joey

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked at the little

standing very

see him

his eyebrows as if he was giving

glance at him, Joey turned

to use the

what Joey was

about I take you

"No!"

in a

was a serious look on his

I am

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

at that moment, they were no longer

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

to Joey’s words, Rachel looked at

Roger, then

to bother the former, Carson soon observed

him to take Joey to

to pay any attention

he took out his phone and turned around

to give Joey a

pretended like he

the plan you

headed towards the nurses’

very good at

up while he was

no call at all! Rachel saw what just happened clearly and

"It’s okay.

will take

He is actually right.

for a boy like him to be taken to

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

when he heard those words, they

Rachel ought to have been closer to him than

past few days, they got along

of them were always in one

for reasons best known to

things,

knew that it couldn’t be achieved

the night Rachel was standing

he and Joey headed towards the

some time, Carson came

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

glance at the

with the phone

"What?"

Rachel’s sight and took a peek at

a smile appeared on

I am through with

no choice! My subordinates are

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

a fake smile on her

not very

Rachel knew that he had pretended to answer the call only moments ago, the smile on his face

and

you want to go

order to look through the glass panel

was

living room could

see Victor, Rachel pushed the door open in

Victor would lie in the bed for

half a year’s

voice came

a stable condition now,

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted

and saw a man in a suit coming out

He looked dejected.

was a document in his

ran into Rachel and Carson as soon as

stunned at first, then his face

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung around the

It was quite noticeable.

the Sullivan Group and

asking about what just happened to

the man’s expression that the

Her attention was drawn to the name on the

what

She turned to Carson.

back at her, she raised her

"Well, this is Troy.

member of

exactly what she meant by

at a

so many surnames in

had

recognized who Rachel

and

"Miss Bennet."

her head slightly in

forehead was covered

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

Miss Bennet, I’m going back

waved his hand and said,

do that

said, Troy went out of

looked at the

enough for her to see that Victor was sitting against

doesn’t seem as

is well and

to the door and pushed

against the door

follow Rachel

was reading some document when he

his head and say

cast her

was in a

pale despite the

frowned and looked

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

was so entranced that she

asked you to go out,

heard the footsteps, his

the person

his usual cold and stiff

Gift Caroline’s POV: Even after we finished the dance,

guests around, I figured it wouldn’t bode well if I lost my

"The dance is over.

to let

I reminded him.

Reluctance flashed through his eyes, but he still loosened his grip on

a few steps back to distance myself

I could still feel the warmth of his

and i felt rather

heart

like I had returned

days with him were the happiest time

knew that those days were

feeling

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached me

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

my glass and taking a sip of

to

time, Elena came

surprise waiting for you on the

upstairs and take a

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when you

smile appeared on Elena’s

my confusion, I followed her to the deck on the

bright red rose petals scattered across the floorboard, forming a

also numerous balloons

widened

whole scene was picturesque and

my birthday surprise?’ I had no

was Charles, but

possibly be him?’ A bitter smile appeared on my lips, and somehow, I began to despise myself for having

this much effort on me, and yet I still

joy of receiving this birthday surprise

I stood on the second floor, I stared

sea was tranquil, and

cold sea breeze, I felt

of a sudden, a fireworks display lit up the sky, forming the words

sky, a

sounded like a

by the noise, I covered my ears

squatted on the

body began trembling uncontrollably, and i felt like my

incident at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing through

out of breath I felt so dizzy that I

of strong arms held

I’m here."

above me,

It was Charles.

arms as tears burst from my eyes, Gently, he brushed my hair and tried

to be scared ever