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

a thought occurred to

"The eggs! I

free from Ethan’s embrace and ran

Ethan followed behind her.

at Janet, who was extremely flustered, and he

I told you to

side while he

the corner, restlessly watching Ethan clean

"I’m sorry.

so I rushed

Ethan had guessed this.

freshly washed hands, he raised his eyes to look

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you enough sense

saying that, he spread out his arms and said gently,

leaned her face against his chest,

about the invitation from Patrick, she

I just

probably has a huge

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

off the sweat collecting on her forehead in a casual

really don’t want to tell me, then forget

just being

said nothing, and silently retracted the knife he was

feeling that Shelia

and poured the juice over

definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

out in her hand

some more for

take the meat, Shelia smiled as if she had

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

rest assured and eat

on high alert right then, watching Shelia with vigilant

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

that Victor had

she was wrong and he was on guard

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead

turned to look away and placed the meat

the rest

help, Shelia nodded and

a bite out

chewing for some time, she furrowed her

hard to

not cooked fully

you just

me?

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

her meat aside, Shelia turned around

are you smiling? Van, you

Victor never even realized that

gently touched the corner of

roast the meat for

gone

and get

tired at

sit

hands propped under her chin, Shelia

skillfully, she blinked her eyes and said, "Van, you’re

learned how to survive in

spoke in

"Survive in the wildness?"

very first time that Shelia had ever heard of such

go out of your way to

earlier, Victor also crushed some fruits and poured the juice over

a knife to

heard what Shelia asked, his eyes darkened

he said, "I have

knew the

because he wanted to be prepared

time that even under ner protection,

so that he would at least have a better

"Alright."

Shelia continued to focus her gaze on

of Shelia’s profile and the

hand to wipe

was startled and turned to look at Victor with

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

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

"Is that so?"

her nose with the back of

about now?

"No,"

glancing over

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

did you learn other than roasting

Can you teach me?"

do you want to learn

"In order to survive."

of Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter

shelia said casually.

felt sad upon

flipped? It’s

Shelia pointed out.

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

flipped the meat over while he was still thinking about what she

.

whether or not to ask her

after all, Shelia’s own

on the other hand, didn’t seem to take

you please teach

"Hmm,"

after a

"Is that a yes?"

and she broke into a

two dimples, meanwhile,

Victor nodded, "Okay."

grinned broadly as she

ever encountered, except for

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I was

was taken over and the

clouded as she spoke about

was

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

is an orphan…’ Victor

after you since the orphanage was taken

didn’t you leave with the

Victor and

the only home Shelia had known for so

they okay with you being

head, Shelia

desperate to visit her tomb,

whereabouts remain unknown to them,

spite of the dingy ground, Shelia lay

was bathed in shards of sunshine that had been scattered by the trees and fallen to the

behind her head,

disappointment as she gazed

want to

what keeps you from doing

are people guarding

find me if I

idea that I

tell her my name when I meet her again in

said, blinking her

fixed on Shelia and

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

spot in her heart for adorable

that I was

seem appropriate to use this

Shelia, Victor concluded

of

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

to communicate since she was deaf, mute,

never referred to us

poker card

removed it from her pocket as if it were a treasure and presented

orphanage, each kid was given

as we pleased,

the

I get the

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

"I am the only one with

toasting

meat after he re-applied the

all set

Eat, please."

came from her gut

to her

than the meat i

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

after a

she rose to her feet,

rise when Shelia abruptly

"Come on, get up."

after a little pause, he

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

had lost track of time as they

sun had cooled

on a stone

far we’ll have to

can get out before the

drank some water

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

incoherently, "I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

have

"Like never before…"

and continued to

murmured, "Van, you

return, be sure to eat

his gaze to

covered in mud after a

you? What’s your

"Plan?"

was slow to

"What are your plans once we

my travels and

to the police station when I can no longer walk

with

"Shelia."

have made up his mind after staring at Shelia for

"What’s the problem?"

me after we

my grandma will like you, I will defend

count

want me to come with

If

was concerned that Shelia might

while before asking, "Are you joking right

"No, I’m not.

you the best I

Victor convinced her.

and smiled

we get

"Sure."

emerged from the

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

light glimmered on the

been walking since high noon and now,

tiredness was assuaged when they

we’re out of the

meet local villagers if we

We can…"

her sentence,

She was confused.

at Victor, wanting

"Van?"

expect you

looked for the source of

that were parked not far from

stood at the front, looking at them intently as he played with a

feel right away that they

shield Victor, who in turn stood protectively in front

his eyes off

that only Shelia could hear, Victor said, "Run into

lost even when it

of the forest, I

and you can

"And then?"

her

looked straight

"Walk along this road.

you meet villagers, borrow a mobile phone from them,

Norton didn’t intend to let him

a game with Victor by throwing him into

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

bring her back to see his grandmother, and treat her as his

fulfill the promise he made

hand, Victor wrote a phone number

call the number once you

he whispered.

is my

will pick you up wherever

down at

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

"No."

her hand

were a

don’t want to remember the number, nor do

a

Victor frowned.

anxious that he coughed violently as soon as

and clenched her

palm and let Victor write the phone number

Victor and Shelia were talking about, he could tell that they were reluctant to leave

he said, "Tut, tut, tut, this

feelings for each other! I’m so moved

tensed up when saw Norton

pulled Sheila behind

was seriously injured and keeping himself standing steadily was taxing for

would be hard for him to fight off

deliberately walked up

and Shelia

them, Norton

was too fast for Victor to

"Let her go!"

kept a firm

satisfaction in hearing

know you look

the mud on Shelia’s face

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

tracks when something silver flashed through his

a knife that

spat out a

"No."

"What are you saying?"

a mocking smile, pretending not to hear what

felt that he had

fist and tried to steady

want is

has nothing to do

So, let her go!"

wow! This

Norton curled his lips.

don’t want to let her

don’t where she comes from but I find your

for you to die alone? I can do

red eyes, Victor breathed

the knife pressed against her neck, all Shelia could

was

blood and beg for mercy, she

that all you can do?

mocking smile plastered on

narrowed in anger when

you

said you are a

Shelia swallowed.

a sense of accomplishment by threatening two

more, you don’t have in you to

So, cut the crap.

want to kill me,

"Shelia…"

desperately tried

that she was

that Shelia would make Norton’s hackles rise and

Norton was indeed angry.

but he kept his voice in check as he talked

you really

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

his men and

and asked anxiously, "What

Norton didn’t answer.

glared at

men did as

Shelia

made to ride a

thinking about where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor Woke

was

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

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

his teeth and yelled,

of the

Victor to run

she opened her mouth, she was choked by

her eyes

the exasperated expression on Victor’s face, Norton scoffed

but he was useless in this kind

me

that I’m a good man? Why the

Norton approached the rope, squatted down,

sake of you wanting to save her so much,

some good in me, huh? What do you

just

do whatever it took to save

the river, Norton squinted his eyes and snapped his

him appeared and

slowly stood up and looked at Victor with

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

the weakest among

only killed two people,

continued, "You want to save her, right? Knock them

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

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

two before the rope

say goodbye to your

I’m afraid

the flickering flame, Victor didn’t

of essence, so he quickly rushed up

most popular leader the Roaring

his weakest subordinates should be

Victor was currently badly

his peak state, he might not even be able to defeat

were tall and burly men that could easily flip Victor

a doubt, Victor was at a disadvantage

in his abdomen one after another,

was hit, Victor staggered and struggled to stand

because he was hit repeatedly, his strength left him,

his bones being broken scattered all over his

time, Victor’s face looked black with

to stand,

he could even get back on his feet,

subconsciously use his arm to block

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

this point, Victor’s vision

on the rope, which was only a few steps

how many

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

her into this trouble, so he was willing to do anything to rescue

his mind wanted to go on, his

to the ground and

some time, Victor was somewhat awakened

open his eyes, but his vision was still

on the ground, watching

wonder if

so he thought

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

but he

only move his hands a little bit, grabbing the mud under

his best, he turned his head to look at the river,

was no

"Ahem!"

coughed violently, spurting out more

unto the soil and opened his eyes as wide as he

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

waited for a

didn’t even know

found the person he had

hoped that someone would raise her head from the river

pain

he lost

up again,

found him near

operation to rescue him lasted for two days

found out that Victor had fractures in

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

still wearing an

not completely out of danger yet,

even know who Shelia was, but she could sense that she must be a very important person due to his concern for

send people

search lasted for seven days, but Shelia couldn’t

passed and there was

playing card

but one could easily recognize

later, Victor completely

first thing he did after fully recovering was

in a box and buried it under a

on the marble

wasn’t even Shelia’s name

of Victor’s recovery, while Karl was on a business trip, he suffered a sudden heart

to the hospital, but he was declared dead on

that year that Carolyn sent

more years, he finished his

began taking over several small companies under the control

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

prove his outstanding ability,

Roger entered

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

eat any

porridge for about half a

even stand the smell of

sighed and had no choice but to put the

"Eat it again when you

out, not intending

the door, so he politely

month, Roger came to the

the kid gradually got acquainted

liked about him was that Roger would bring some snacks when he

eat too much, he could

only

Roger, Rachel turned around and was surprised

say that you

he would send Rachel a message in advance to ask her

she would say no every time, he would still insist

he said that he had an important project meeting today,

it would probably be

I couldn’t

moment before finally saying, "But I got a

furrowed her

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

to Victor lasted for more than 70

operating room opened and closed for several

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

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

that the surgery

saved, but he wasn’t

he was wheeled to the

not until two days ago that his vital

became eligible to be transferred

was still in a

to check Victor’s condition and give

it wasn’t what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

old wounds had healed, they

new injuries just

the end, he said that only a miracle

tell us when he will

asked in a

can’t say that

expert couldn’t help but frown as

fact, if I may be blunt, please consider

saying there’s a chance that he’ll never wake up? Is he going to become

the expert didn’t say this, it was

was a huge

was the first one to know about

that Rachel had the

Joey’s ward, holding a cigarette between

disoriented, and there were

just went down to tell Rachel about

the tragic news, her

as if she had already prepared herself for something

was a

she became this

Victor had been in a coma for

might have

also there outside the operating room for 70 hours before the indication light

silence, Rachel glanced at the cigarette in Carson’s hand and reminded him

You can’t smoke here."

regained his senses, Carson

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

changed the subject and asked, "Anyway, how

"Joey? He’s fine.

him up yesterday and said that he has been

fact, it’s expected that his plaster will be removed ahead

through the

Joey sleeping soundly

faint smile, he stretched for a bit and

then, I’m leaving

saying that, Carson turned around and left

seemed that he really just visited to tell Rachel about

had nothing else

the blink of an eye, two

Victor’s condition, Rachel didn’t intend

stayed in Joey’s ward

time, Carson didn’t show his

she was also convinced that Victor would never wake

news that Victor had miraculously

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

for a long time without being able to

she was still judging Roger’s expression if he was saying the

you want to go upstairs

asked slowly This time, Rachel pressed

gently pulled her sleeve and

I want to see

was Joey, pleading in a soft

Victor was in a coma after

Joey woke up in the hospital, he

always been absent-minded and Victor hadn’t come up in

when Joey finally found out the truth, Rachel didn’t have

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

smiled and made a

bad? They say bad people live

have to worry too much

Joey’s bright eyes, she felt a lump

moments, she

"Yes, of course."

following two weeks, Joey had a good rest in the

mention Victor, as if there was nothing wrong going

the night from time to time and look at

inside him,

"Okay…"

softened, and she

ward was in the second

Joey’s wound hadn’t fully healed yet, it was inconvenient for him to walk

simply let him sit in

him, and the three

they

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

patient at this

were steps approaching, he furrowed his brows and eventually saw three people approaching like

seen this scene, Carson knew that he

time

What brings you here?"

quickly set the document he was

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking

Do I look like someone who will be beaten easily? Ha! I’m

circles around your

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at

opened its front camera, and looked at

realized that Joey was

looked totally haggard, and his eye bags were

of course, this was only to

have a good

a handsome young man, but even he was

"Ha-ha!"

laugh after seeing the upset

that he

his head, Carson stepped forward and

"You, brat.

you tease your godfather? You

said that you are my godfather? I

no opinion regarding

father and I grew up

We are best friends.

the one who

that’s how I became your

raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms in front of

even if you don’t

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

as he withdrew his hand from

"I also didn’t expect that I would have a godson

a fact

you’d better change

more, but he stuck out his tongue at

of the corner of his eye, Carson recognized Roger standing

commented, "I see that

I heard that Mr.Sullivan has

I came here with Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

plan to lose his composure just

"Oh, I see."

room and said,

He is resting inside.

466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward Carson pointed

knew what was going through her

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked towards the

followed her, pushing Joey’s

placed over

was lost in

he was about to sav something, Joey

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked at the

standing

a result, Joey could see him from the corner of

if he was

taking a quick glance at him, Joey

need to use

overheard what Joey

I

"No!"

replied in a very

a serious look

am

wasn’t

they were no

to the ladies’ room,

reaction to Joey’s words, Rachel looked

then

former, Carson soon observed that she

wanted him to take Joey to

refused to pay any attention

took out his phone and turned

managed to give Joey a thumbs up

like he was

have read the plan

talking, he headed towards the nurses’

very

lit up while he

saw what just happened clearly and understood that it was all a

"It’s okay.

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 displeased

have been closer

few days, they got along

of them were always in one

reasons best known to

look of things, Rachel still didn’t

it

thinking about the night Rachel was standing outside the operating

he and Joey headed towards the

some time, Carson came

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

quick glance at the phone

you through with the phone

"What?"

and took a peek at

smile appeared

I am

choice! My subordinates are too bad at

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake

very good at

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

the tip of his nose and coughed to ease the

you want to go

order to look through the glass panel on

ward was

the living room could be seen,

Victor, Rachel pushed the door open

would lie

has to undergo half a year’s

voice came from

in a stable

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted

man in a suit coming out of

He looked dejected.

a document

Carson as soon as he

stunned at first,

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung around the man’s

It was quite noticeable.

employee of the Sullivan Group and the director of

no need asking about

that the

was drawn

was what

She turned to Carson.

he looked back at her, she raised

"Well, this is Troy.

a member of the Sullivan Group’s project

she meant

at a loss

so many

he had to

recognized who Rachel

bowed and

"Miss Bennet."

head slightly in

forehead was

scare of his life! Nonetheless, he was still

I’m going back to

hand and

should do that

he heard what Carson said, Troy went out

at

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

condition doesn’t seem as

well and can

walked to the door

against the door

didn’t follow Rachel

document when he heard

raise his head

her gaze

in

still tell that his face was pale despite

and

that she waited outside the operating room for more than seventy

she walked towards the bed

to

heard the footsteps,

the person who was

his usual cold and stiff

461 The Birthday Gift Caroline’s POV: Even after we finished the dance, Charles kept his

I figured it wouldn’t bode well if I lost

"The dance is over.

to

I reminded him.

he still loosened

steps back

feel the warmth of his touch on my

and i

my heart

moment, it felt like I had returned to the

were the happiest time

reminisced, I knew that those days were long

down, feeling conflicted

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

guests suddenly approached

behind me and began chatting with the

my glass and taking

to drink and was starting to get

this time, Elena came

a surprise waiting for you on

like to go upstairs and take a look

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when

appeared on

I followed her to the deck on the second

there were bright red rose petals scattered across

also numerous balloons around the

widened in

whole scene was picturesque and

my birthday surprise?’ I had no idea

mind was Charles, but I quickly cast

appeared on my lips, and somehow, I

this much effort on me, and yet I still

of receiving this birthday

the second floor, I stared at the

and yet

sea breeze,

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

fireworks shot up to the sky, a deafening

sounded like

the noise, I covered

the

and i felt like my blood

abandoned warehouse kept flashing through

out of breath I

was having a panic attack, a pair of strong

I’m here."

from above me, making me feel so

It was Charles.

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

don’t have to