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 they

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her

thought occurred to

I

embrace and ran to the kitchen in

Ethan followed behind her.

who was extremely

you to keep an

side

Janet stood in the corner, restlessly

"I’m sorry.

so I rushed to

Ethan had guessed this.

raised his eyes

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you enough

he spread out his

and leaned her face against

thinking about the invitation from Patrick, she murmured, "The Lesters treat you

I just

probably has a huge grudge against

461 In Order To Survive Shelia didn’t notice what was

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don’t want to tell me, then forget

was just being a

eyes at her, Victor said nothing, and silently retracted the knife he was hiding behind his

Shelia

fruits and poured the juice

this definitely

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more

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and eat

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that Victor had

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ahead

turned to look away and placed the meat

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to help, Shelia nodded and said, "Okay, it’s perfectly fine

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gave you just now must

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aside, Shelia turned around and

Van, you did this

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gently

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chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down next to

blinked her eyes and said, "Van, you’re good

how to survive in

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go out of

some fruits and poured the juice over the

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"Alright."

focus her gaze

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

a hand

and turned to look at Victor with a blank

straight into Shelia’s eyes, he

and explained,

"Is that so?"

nose with the back

now?

"No,"

said, glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

did you learn other than roasting meat?

Can you teach me?"

want

"In order to survive."

of Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter 462

shelia said casually.

felt sad

ready to be flipped? It’s

Shelia pointed out.

burn on the meat’s exposed side when he looked

he was still thinking about what

.

thoughts about whether or

all, Shelia’s own

hand, didn’t seem to take

asked, "Will you please teach

"Hmm,"

after

"Is that a yes?"

and she

two dimples, meanwhile,

Victor nodded, "Okay."

she

ever encountered, except for my caretaker

"Orphanage?"

where I was

the orphanage was taken over and the old woman was

clouded as

woman was a wonderful

was younger, she prepared great meals

is an orphan…’ Victor

after you since

leave with the

looked up at Victor and answered,

was the only home Shelia had known for

with you

head,

visit her tomb,

to them, and I don’t intend to

dingy ground, Shelia lay

of sunshine that had been scattered by the trees and

her hands behind her head, her lips

she gazed up

want to

you from doing

are people

if

that I

name when I meet her

blinking her

remained fixed on Shelia and

the chance to see you, Van, it would be more than likely that

had a soft spot in her

said that I was

to use this

Shelia, Victor concluded that

apt description of her features,

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

communicate since she was deaf, mute, and

referred to us

card

pocket as if it were a treasure and presented it

kid was

we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella erupted into laughter, which was maybe due to the reference to

at the card–the King

get the best

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

am the only

meat was toasting

her the meat after

set to

Eat, please."

her gut just

put her hand to her

better than the meat i made myself!

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after a good

her feet, she

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

"Come on, get up."

pause, he took Shelia’s hand

hard way, Shelia used a dart

track of

had

down on

we’ll have to

we can get out before the sun

drank some water

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

incoherently, "I’m sure

Let’s move forward."

have the

"Like never before…"

nodded and continued to hold

she murmured, "Van, you

be sure to eat

to the side of her

small face was covered in mud after a day and a night

What’s your

"Plan?"

slow

we

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

I can no longer walk and beg them to take

with a

"Shelia."

have made up his mind after staring

"What’s the problem?"

with me after we

sure my grandma will like you, I will defend

can count on

want me to

you? If you don’t want

that Shelia

a while before asking,

"No, I’m not.

treat you the best

Victor convinced her.

and smiled at Victor, saying,

when we get

"Sure."

emerged from the woods,

basking the forest in a pale red

light glimmered on the bodies

walking since high noon and

tiredness was assuaged when they saw a relatively spacious country

out of

if we walk a

We can…"

finish her sentence, she saw Victor

She was confused.

Victor, wanting to

"Van?"

well, well, i didn’t expect you to come out

voice came, Shelia looked for the source

saw three cars that were

at the front, looking at them intently

could feel right away that

instinctively moved to shield Victor, who in turn stood

take his eyes off Norton, watching his every

said, "Run into the forest

get lost even when it

out of

and you can get

"And then?"

asked, her

looked straight

"Walk along this road.

you meet villagers, borrow a mobile phone from

knew that Norton didn’t intend to

game with Victor by throwing him into the

that if he couldn’t escape this predicament,

a family, bring her back to see his grandmother,

fulfill

phone number on her palm

once you get

he whispered.

my

her and she will pick

down at

that Shelia didn’t respond, Victor looked at her

"No."

her hand

were a little

to remember the number, nor

a good

Victor frowned.

so anxious that he coughed violently as

adamant and

spread her palm and let Victor

Victor and Shelia were talking about, he could tell

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

strong feelings for each other! I’m so moved by

up when saw Norton

pulled Sheila behind

seriously injured and keeping himself standing steadily

for him to fight off

walked up

and Shelia stepped

with them, Norton pulled

fast for Victor

"Let her go!"

firm grip on

in hearing vexation in Victor’s

know you

wiped the mud on Shelia’s face with his

all the more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain,

his tracks when something silver

was a knife that

a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

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

felt that he

his fist and tried to steady

you want is

has nothing to do with

So, let her go!"

wow! This is

Norton curled his lips.

don’t want to let

where she comes from but I find your reaction quite

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

red eyes, Victor

her neck, all Shelia could

was

out blood and beg for mercy, she scoffed at

you

mocking smile plastered on

his eyes narrowed in anger when he

did you just

you are

Shelia swallowed.

sense of accomplishment

you don’t have in you to do

So, cut the crap.

to kill me,

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to stop

knew that she was

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

Norton was indeed angry.

his voice in check as he talked to

really? Looks like you really want

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

men and instructed them,

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

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared at

did as they

feet bound, Shelia was taken to one of

was made to ride a

where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor Woke

river was flowing

it inundated Shelia, making her choke easily Victor saw how Shelia’s face became paler by

and the blue

gritted his teeth and yelled, "Let

to open her eyes because of the gushing

wanted Victor to

opened her mouth, she was choked by

her

exasperated expression on Victor’s face, Norton scoffed at

be strong but he was useless in this

me

you think that I’m a good man? Why the hell should

rope, squatted down,

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

in me, huh? What do you

could just glare

whatever it took to

was in the middle of the

two men behind him appeared and stood

and looked at Victor with

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

are the weakest among my

two people, and the one

want to save her,

had been holding Victor’s arms let go of him and took a few steps

the knife in his hand, Norton touched its tip with his thumb and warned,

these two before

say goodbye

away, I’m afraid

at the flickering flame, Victor

so he quickly rushed up and

and the most

weakest subordinates should be strong

was currently

he might not even be able to defeat one

of them were tall and burly

was at a disadvantage

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

soon as he was hit,

left him, and

scattered all over his body, making him

Victor’s face looked black

to stand, not ready to give

get back on his feet, he saw another punch

able to subconsciously use his arm to block

Victor spat out a mouthful of blood, and a tooth also fell

this point, Victor’s

the

didn’t matter how many

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

into this trouble, so he was

as his mind wanted to go on, his

the ground and

some time, Victor was somewhat awakened when he felt

to open his eyes,

the ground,

but wonder if he

yet, so he

every inch of his body made Victor realize that he

up, but he

only move his hands a little bit, grabbing the

turned his head to look at the river, only to find that

was no trace of

"Ahem!"

violently, spurting out more

he grabbed unto the soil and opened his eyes as wide as

expectantly, as if he was waiting for something

waited for a long

he didn’t even know how

the person

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

the excruciating pain he was

lost

Victor woke up again, he was finally

subordinates found him near

operation to rescue him lasted for two days

that

shattered, his chest and lungs

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

was still wearing an oxygen mask

life was not completely out of danger yet,

know who Shelia was, but she could sense that she

send people to search for Shelia along the

for seven days, but Shelia couldn’t

was still no news

card that got wet from

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

years later, Victor completely

he did after

card in a box and buried it

marble

Shelia’s name

recovery, while Karl was on

to rush him to the hospital,

was also in that year that Carolyn sent Victor

years, he finished his studies

small companies under the control

shortest time, Victor raised the sales of these companies from a very low level to one of the

ability, Carolyn gradually handed

time, Roger entered the ward

he saw her sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a bowl of porridge, and coaxing Joey

can’t eat

had been eating porridge for about

stand

had no choice but to put

she said, "Eat it again

stuck his tongue out,

the door, so

to the hospital

kid gradually got acquainted with

that Roger

too much, he could at least

could only eat them in

greeted Roger, Rachel turned around and was surprised to see

that you wouldn’t come

to

say no every time, he would still insist

said that he had an important project meeting

he could still visit, it would probably be

initially, I

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

response, Rachel furrowed her brows

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

Circles The operation done to

the operating room opened and closed for several times as doctors went in

anything but wait outside until the procedure

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

the surgery

but he

was wheeled to the

was not until two days ago that his vital

became eligible to be transferred to the

still in

field to check Victor’s condition and give

wasn’t what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

healed, they still had

new injuries just made

end, he said that only a miracle

you at least tell us when he will

asked in a

afraid I can’t

expert couldn’t help but frown as

may be blunt, please consider preparing for

that he’ll never wake up? Is he

was obvious that this was what he

hundred percent, but there was a huge chance that

Rachel was the first one

deemed that Rachel had the right

outside Joey’s

there were dark circles round

to tell Rachel about this important

tragic news, her face

she had already prepared herself for something like

Carson was a

when she became

had been in a coma for about half a

might have been

there outside the operating room for

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

You can’t smoke here."

his senses, Carson put

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

changed the subject and asked, "Anyway,

"Joey? He’s fine.

doctor checked him up yesterday and said that he has been recovering

it’s expected that his plaster will be removed

head and peeped through the glass panel

sleeping soundly in the

for a bit and said, "Good

I’m leaving

saying that, Carson turned around and

that he really just visited to tell

had nothing

the blink of an eye, two days eventually passed

made aware of Victor’s

stayed in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four

the same time, Carson didn’t

expert, she was

that Victor had miraculously woke up

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

for a long time without

judging Roger’s

Rachel… Do you want to

This time, Rachel pressed

pulled her sleeve and pulled

I want to

Joey, pleading

hide the fact that Victor was in a coma

woke up in the hospital, he actually had a

been absent-minded and Victor hadn’t

finally found out the truth, Rachel didn’t have the heart

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

just smiled

They say bad people

have to worry too

Joey’s bright eyes, she felt a lump in

moments, she mustered her courage

"Yes, of course."

following two weeks, Joey had a good

Victor, as if there was

the night from time to time and look at the

a brave kid for keeping it all inside him, but Rachel

"Okay…"

heart softened, and she

ward was in the second

wound hadn’t fully healed yet, it was inconvenient for him

Rachel simply let him sit in a

the wheelchair for him, and the three of them went to Victor’s

enough, they reached the

the floor of the ward where

and there was only one patient at

heard that there were steps approaching, he furrowed his brows and

If Victor had seen this scene, Carson knew that

time

What brings you here?"

the document he was holding aside and

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking

you ask that? Do I look like someone who will be beaten easily? Ha! I’m the one who

where did those dark circles

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at

panic, he picked up his phone, opened its

realized that Joey was

his eye bags were so big

course, this was only

hadn’t have a good sleep for half

but even he was

"Ha-ha!"

couldn’t help but laugh after seeing the upset

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

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

"You, brat.

your godfather? You have guts,

said that you are my godfather? I don’t remember

have no

and I

We are best friends.

one

that’s how I

raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms in front

if you don’t want it, that

his uninjured hand and said,

as he withdrew his hand from

also didn’t

it’s a

change your

say anything more, but he stuck

his eye,

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

that Mr.Sullivan has woken

here with Rachel

Roger explained.

lose his composure

"Oh, I see."

pointed at the room and said, "His ward

He is resting inside.

go and see him."Chapter 466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward Carson pointed at,

one knew what was going through

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

nodded and walked towards the

her,

arms were placed

in thoughts

to sav

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked at the little

standing very

a result, Joey could see him

his eyebrows as if

quick glance at him,

to use the

overheard what Joey

I take you

"No!"

in a very decisive

a serious

I am a

ward, so it wasn’t a problem for Rachel to take him to the

they were

for Rachel to take a boy to the ladies’ room, just like it

Joey’s words,

then her gaze

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

she wanted him to take Joey to the

and refused to pay any attention

phone and turned

to give Joey a thumbs up without

pretended like he was answering

Mr.Ramos! I have read the plan you

talking, he headed towards

wasn’t very

phone’s screen lit up while he was

there was no call at all! Rachel saw what

"It’s okay.

will take

He is actually right.

him to be taken to the

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

heard those words, they

to have been closer to him than she

few days, they

were always

reasons best known to her,

look of things,

that it

thinking about the night Rachel was standing

Joey

some time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

quick glance at the

you through with the

"What?"

followed Rachel’s sight and took a peek at his

a smile appeared on his

I am

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

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

a fake

very good

had pretended to answer the call only

the tip of his nose and coughed to

want to

order to look through the glass

ward was

view, only the living room could be

Victor, Rachel pushed the door open in no

lie in the

half a year’s rehabilitation

voice came from

is in a

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted Carson’s

a man in

He looked dejected.

document in

Rachel and Carson as soon

stunned at first, then

"Mr.Scott!"

hung around

It was quite noticeable.

of the Sullivan Group and

need asking about what just happened to

expression that

was

what really interested

She turned to Carson.

her, she raised

"Well, this is Troy.

a member of the Sullivan Group’s project

knew exactly what she meant by just looking

a loss

so many

he had to choose

who Rachel

bowed and

"Miss Bennet."

head slightly in

was

Nonetheless, he was still holding the

Bennet, I’m going back to

and

do that

Carson said, Troy went out of sight in a

at

Victor was sitting

doesn’t seem as bad as you

and can work

the door

leaned against the

didn’t follow

reading some document when he heard the

his head and

her

in

was pale

frowned and

sure that she waited outside the operating room for more than seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would have thought

was so entranced that she walked towards the

you to go

the footsteps, his

person who was

cold and stiff tone,

The Birthday Gift Caroline’s POV: Even after we

I figured it wouldn’t bode well

"The dance is over.

to

I reminded him.

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

took a few steps back

feel the warmth of his touch on

face blushed and

my heart was

a moment, it felt like I had returned to the

were the happiest time

as I reminisced, I knew that those days were long

feeling conflicted and

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached me and greeted

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

said, raising my glass and taking a sip of

it, I’d had a few to

time, Elena came

waiting for you

upstairs and

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when

smile appeared

confusion, I followed her to the deck on

saw that there were bright red rose petals scattered across the floorboard, forming

also numerous balloons around

widened in

whole scene was

had no idea

came to mind was Charles, but

bitter smile appeared on my lips, and

much effort on

of receiving this birthday

the second floor, I stared at the night

tranquil, and yet my mind

of the cold sea breeze, I felt even

fireworks display lit up the sky, forming the words

the sky, a deafening sound

sounded like a

by the noise, I covered my ears at

the ground and curled

uncontrollably, and i felt like my blood was running

horrible incident at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing through

seconds, I was out of breath I felt

I was having a panic attack, a pair of strong arms held me

I’m here."

voice came from above me, making me feel

It was Charles.

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

have to