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.

time since

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her teeth

a thought occurred

I

from Ethan’s embrace and ran

Ethan followed behind her.

at Janet, who was extremely flustered, and he couldn’t

silly girl! I told you to keep an eye on

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

the corner, restlessly watching

"I’m sorry.

talking to Charis, so I rushed to

Ethan had guessed this.

freshly washed hands, he raised his eyes to look

"It’s my fault.

give you

that, he spread out his arms and said

her face

from Patrick, she murmured,

you and I just got him into

has a

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

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

want to

being a

at her, Victor said nothing, and silently retracted the knife he

Shelia didn’t mean him

poured the juice over the

definitely

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

turned to look down at the meat Shelia was holding out in her

roast some more

the meat, Shelia smiled as if she had just realized

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

can rest assured and eat it

was on high alert right then, watching Shelia

be an easy-going person, this didn’t

that Victor had gotten

injuries, she knew she was wrong and he was

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead and

look away and placed the

roast the rest

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

a bite out of

time, she furrowed her brows and stuck out her

really hard

not cooked fully

meat I gave you just now

you tell me? You even finished

the meat out, Victor didn’t say a word

Shelia turned around and spotted Victor’s

you smiling? Van, you did this

never even realized that

his hand and gently touched the corner

me to roast the meat for

have gone

get

tired

sit right

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

you’re

learned how to survive

in

"Survive in the wildness?"

Shelia had ever heard of

out of your way to learn

did earlier, Victor also crushed some fruits and

used a knife

Shelia asked, his eyes

while, he said, "I

Victor knew

learned that because he wanted to be prepared in case of any

ner protection, Victor would find

would at least have a better chance

"Alright."

Shelia continued to focus her gaze on the

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

stretched out a hand to wipe off the

to look at Victor with a

into Shelia’s eyes, he started to feel a little

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

"Is that so?"

rub her nose with

what about now?

"No,"

said, glancing

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

else did you learn other than roasting meat? I want to learn

Can you teach me?"

you want to learn

"In order to survive."

mouth very naturally.Chapter

shelia said casually.

felt sad upon

flipped? It’s on the verge of

Shelia pointed out.

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

while he was still

.

or not

after all, Shelia’s own

other hand, didn’t seem to take

"Will you

"Hmm,"

after a

"Is that a yes?"

glowed, and she broke into

two dimples, meanwhile, became

Victor nodded, "Okay."

as she said, "Thanks so

kindest individual I’ve ever encountered, except for my caretaker in

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I was

orphanage was taken over and the old woman

eyes clouded as she

woman was a

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

an orphan…’ Victor pursed

after you since

leave with

Victor and answered,

home Shelia had known for so

with you

her head, Shelia said,

to visit her tomb, so

remain unknown to them,

dingy

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

hands behind her head, her lips

with disappointment as she gazed up

to

what keeps you

people guarding

find me if I

idea that I have a name

I meet her again in the

said, blinking

black eyes remained fixed on Shelia and he

you, Van, it would be more than likely that she

spot in her

that I was a

didn’t seem appropriate to use

Victor concluded that

an apt description of her features,

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

since she

never referred to

poker card was in my

it were a

each kid was given

take them as we

at the card–the King

I get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

am the

meat was toasting as they were

her the meat after he re-applied

set to

Eat, please."

gut just after his

her hand to her stomach and ate the

than the meat i made

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after

her feet, she said, "Let’s

nodded and was ready to rise when

"Come on, get up."

after a little pause, he took Shelia’s hand

Shelia used a dart to put

track of time as they

sun had cooled down

sitting down on a

not sure how far we’ll have to

out before the

some water

and he was coughing up blood for

said incoherently, "I’m sure

Let’s move forward."

have

"Like never before…"

nodded and continued to hold

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

be sure

his gaze to the side of her

after

What’s your

"Plan?"

slow

plans once we leave the

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

when I can no longer walk and

with a

"Shelia."

made up his mind after staring at Shelia for a

"What’s the problem?"

after we get

I will defend you if she

count

to

right with you? If you don’t want to, it doesn’t

was concerned that Shelia

a while before asking,

"No, I’m not.

to treat you the best

Victor convinced her.

nodded and smiled at Victor, saying,

agree when we get out of

"Sure."

they emerged from the woods, though,

the horizon, basking the

the bodies of

since high noon and now,

when they saw

we’re out of

local villagers if we

We can…"

Shelia could finish her sentence, she saw

She was confused.

Victor, wanting to know why he

"Van?"

expect you to

looked for the source of

saw three cars that were parked not far from

at them

feel right away that they

Victor, who in turn stood protectively in

off Norton,

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

even when it

way out of the

and you can

"And then?"

asked, her eyebrows

looked straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

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

knew that Norton didn’t

wanted to play a game with Victor by throwing him into

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

a family, bring her back

seemed that Victor could not fulfill the promise he

wrote a phone

number once you get hold of a

he whispered.

is my

she will pick you

looked down

Victor looked at her and asked in confusion,

"No."

her hand

were a

want to remember the number, nor do I

be a good

Victor frowned.

was so anxious that he coughed violently

and

palm and let Victor write

couldn’t hear what Victor and Shelia were talking about, he could

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

strong feelings for each other! I’m

tensed up when saw Norton

pulled Sheila

was seriously injured and keeping himself standing

would be hard for him to fight

walked up

and Shelia

patience with them, Norton

fast for

"Let her go!"

a firm grip

found satisfaction in hearing vexation in Victor’s

you look

wiped the mud

would all the more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed over and tried

his tracks when something silver flashed

a knife that Norton pressed

out a

"No."

"What are you saying?"

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

that he had difficulty in

and tried to

want

nothing to do with

So, let her go!"

wow! This is so

Norton curled his lips.

don’t want

from but

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

red eyes,

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

body was tensed

spat out blood

all you can do? Threaten

his mocking smile plastered on

in anger when he heard

did you

said you

Shelia swallowed.

of accomplishment

don’t have in you to do what

So, cut the crap.

kill me, then

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to

that she was

was afraid that Shelia would make Norton’s hackles rise and the

Norton was indeed angry.

voice in check as he talked to

you really want to

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help you with

Norton said, laughing derisively.

his men and instructed

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

Norton didn’t answer.

glared at

did as they

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

to ride a

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

river was flowing

rushed over, it inundated Shelia, making her choke

into fists, and the blue

gritted his teeth and yelled,

her eyes because of the gushing water, Shelia had

actually wanted Victor to

opened her mouth, she was choked

her

expression on Victor’s face, Norton

but he was useless

me

man? Why the hell

approached the rope, squatted down,

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

still some good in me, huh? What do you

just

would do whatever it took

was in the middle of the

him appeared and stood between the rope

slowly stood up and looked at Victor with

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the weakest among my

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

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

the two men who had been holding Victor’s arms let go of him and took

his hand, Norton touched its tip with

these two before the

say goodbye

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

at the flickering flame, Victor didn’t

quickly rushed up

mercenary and the most popular leader the Roaring

his weakest subordinates should be

was currently

even in his peak state, he might not even be

and burly men that

doubt, Victor was at a

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

hit, Victor

his strength left him, and he eventually knelt on the

of his bones being broken scattered all

Victor’s face

stand, not

back on his feet, he saw another

use his arm to block it, but it didn’t make much

hit again, Victor spat out a mouthful of blood,

this point, Victor’s vision

managed to fix his eyes on the rope, which was only a

matter how

put out and the rope was

so he was

go on, his

he fell back to the ground

awakened

open his eyes,

just lay there on the ground, watching

wonder if he was

fully recovered yet, so he thought that

of his

up, but

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

he turned his head to look at the river, only to find that there was nothing in

no

"Ahem!"

coughed violently, spurting

unto the soil and opened his eyes as

looked at the river expectantly, as if he was

waited for a long

fact, he didn’t even know how

never found the

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

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

he lost

up again, he

him near the

him lasted for two

found out that Victor had fractures in eight

lungs were inflamed, and the critically ill notice was

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

an oxygen

completely out of danger yet, but all he cared

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

delay to send people to

lasted for seven days, but Shelia

was still

was a crumpled playing card that got wet from the rain and then

could easily

later,

thing he did after fully recovering was buy a

in a box and

marble tombstone

Shelia’s name

the second year of Victor’s recovery, while Karl was on a business trip, he suffered a

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

was also in that year

more years, he finished his studies and

small companies under

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

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

this time, Roger entered

on the edge of the bed,

can’t eat

porridge for about half

now, he couldn’t even stand the smell

and had no choice but to put the bowl

"Eat it again when you get

his tongue out, not intending to

at the door, so

past half a month, Roger came to

gradually got acquainted

liked about him was that Roger

much, he could at

course, Joey could only

around and was surprised to see

that you wouldn’t come

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

she would say no every time, he would still

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

could still visit, it would probably be

I

Rachel, Roger hesitated for a moment before finally saying,

response, Rachel furrowed her brows in

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

Circles The operation done to Victor lasted

operating room opened and closed for several times as doctors

couldn’t do anything but wait outside until

fourth day since the operation began, the indicator light outside

the surgery was

but he wasn’t

he was wheeled to

until two days ago that his vital

to be transferred

was still in a

the field to check

it wasn’t what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

his old wounds had healed, they

injuries just

he said that only a miracle could save Victor’s

tell us when he will wake

in a

afraid I can’t say

couldn’t help but frown as

fact, if I may be blunt, please consider preparing for the worst-case

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

was obvious that

a hundred percent, but there was a huge chance that this was it

Lukas, Rachel was the first one to

deemed that Rachel had the right to

outside Joey’s ward, holding a cigarette

looked slightly disoriented, and there were dark circles round his

just went down to tell Rachel about

Rachel heard the tragic news, her face didn’t show

if she had already prepared

was a bit

when she

a coma for about

have been

there outside the operating room for 70 hours before the

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

You can’t smoke here."

if he regained his senses,

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

changed the subject and asked,

"Joey? He’s fine.

yesterday and said

his plaster will be removed ahead of

his head and peeped through

sleeping soundly in the

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

then, I’m

turned around and left

seemed that he really just visited to tell Rachel about the doctor’s diagnosis regarding Victor’s

from that, he had nothing else to

the blink of an eye, two days eventually passed

Victor’s condition, Rachel didn’t intend to

in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four hours a

didn’t show

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

that Victor had miraculously woke up

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

long time without being able

still judging Roger’s expression if he was saying the

Rachel… Do you want to go upstairs and see

Rachel pressed her lips hard and

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

I want to see

Joey, pleading in

Victor was

hospital, he actually had a

he found that Rachel had always been absent-minded and Victor

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

cry or say anything, nor did

just smiled and

They say bad people

don’t have to worry too much about

she felt a lump

a few moments, she mustered her

"Yes, of course."

Joey had a

mention Victor, as if there was

middle of the night from time to time and

a brave kid for keeping it all inside him, but

"Okay…"

softened, and

ward was in the second

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

Rachel simply let him sit in

the

they reached the

elevator finally stopped at the

was only one patient at this time, Carson was sitting on the sofa in the hall, dealing

he furrowed his brows and eventually saw

this scene, Carson knew that he

the first time

What brings you here?"

quickly set the document he was holding

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his

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

where did those dark circles around your

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at

opened its front camera, and looked at

that

were so big

of course, this was only to

good sleep

but even he was susceptible to

"Ha-ha!"

but laugh after seeing

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

his head, Carson stepped forward and pinched Joey’s

"You, brat.

tease your

his face and retorted, "Huh? Who said that you are my godfather?

have no

and I grew up

We are best friends.

one who picked

that’s how I became

and crossed his

even if you don’t want it, that

and said, "Humph! If I don’t want to admit it,

his tongue as he

"I also didn’t expect

it’s a fact that you can’t

better change

more, but he stuck

of his eye,

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

heard that

I came here with Rachel and

Roger explained.

to lose his composure just because

"Oh, I see."

room and said, "His ward is

He is resting inside.

Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward Carson pointed at,

was

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked towards the

her,

placed over

lost in thoughts

to sav something,

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked

standing

a result, Joey could see him from the corner

his eyebrows as if he was giving Carson a

taking a quick glance at him, Joey turned his

need to use

what Joey was

I

"No!"

in a very decisive

was a serious look on his

I am a

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

were no longer in the

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

words, Rachel looked

it was Roger, then her gaze

the former, Carson soon observed

him to take Joey to

to pay

took out his phone and turned around as

managed to give Joey a thumbs up

Carson pretended like he was

Mr.Ramos! I have read the plan you

talking, he headed

he wasn’t very

up while he was still holding it to

implied that there was no call at all! Rachel saw what just happened

"It’s okay.

take

He is actually right.

is very embarrassing for a boy like him to be taken to

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

he heard those words, they

ought to have been

few days, they got along

were always in one another’s

reasons best known to her, she still

things, Rachel still didn’t

knew that it couldn’t

the night Rachel was standing outside the operating room where

he and Joey headed towards the

time, Carson

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

a quick glance at the phone in

through with the

"What?"

took

smile appeared on

I am through with

left with no choice! My subordinates are too bad at

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

fake smile on

not very

that he had pretended to answer the call only moments ago,

of his nose and

want to go

order to look through the glass panel

ward was a

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

door open in no time

lie in the bed for two

has to undergo half a year’s rehabilitation

came from behind

in a stable condition

"Get out of here!"

interrupted

man in a suit coming out of the

He looked dejected.

a document in his

into Rachel and Carson as soon as

at first, then

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung around

It was quite noticeable.

an employee of the Sullivan Group and the

was no need asking about

the man’s expression that the project plan had been denied by

driven out! Her attention was

was what really interested

She turned to Carson.

he looked back at her,

"Well, this is Troy.

a member of the

exactly what she meant by just looking at her

was at a loss for

were so many surnames

he had to choose

who

and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

nodded her head

was

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

Miss Bennet, I’m going back

and said, "Very

should do

said, Troy went out of

at the

for her to see that Victor was sitting against the head

seem as

and can work

to the door

against

follow Rachel

reading some document when

didn’t raise his head

cast her

in a hospital

could still tell that his face was pale despite the

and looked rather

a hundred percent sure that she waited outside the operating room for more than seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would have thought that the man in front of

that she

asked you to go out,

heard the

looked up at the person who was

of speaking in his usual cold and stiff tone, he said softly,

Caroline’s POV: Even after we

figured it

"The dance is over.

to

I reminded him.

loosened his grip on my waist like

few steps back to distance

feel

and i

my heart was

moment, it felt like I had returned to

were the happiest

I reminisced, I knew that those days were long gone and I could never get them back

down, feeling conflicted

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

guests suddenly approached me and greeted

to ignore the burning gaze from behind me and began chatting with the guests

raising my glass and taking a sip of

knowing it, I’d had a few to drink

Elena came

surprise waiting for you on

go upstairs and take a look at

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when you

mysterious smile appeared

I followed her to

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

also numerous balloons around

eyes widened in

say, this whole scene

my birthday surprise?’ I had no idea

that came to mind was Charles, but I quickly cast

on my lips, and somehow, I began to despise

on me, and yet I

joy of receiving this birthday

the second floor, I stared at the night scene

sea was tranquil, and

cold sea breeze, I felt

display lit up

the fireworks shot up to the sky, a deafening sound resonated

like a

noise, I covered

squatted on the ground and curled

i felt

the abandoned

seconds, I was out of breath I felt so

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

I’m here."

came from above me, making me feel so

It was Charles.

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

don’t have to