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.

had been a long time

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her teeth

thought

I

and ran to the

Ethan followed behind her.

Janet, who was extremely flustered,

I told you to keep an eye on the

he gently pulled her to the side while he

the corner, restlessly watching Ethan

"I’m sorry.

talking to Charis, so I rushed

Ethan had guessed this.

he raised his eyes to look

"It’s my fault.

give you enough sense

out his arms and

face against his

from Patrick, she murmured, "The Lesters treat you badly, especially

you and I

a huge grudge against

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

in a casual manner, flipped the meat

if you really don’t want to tell me, then forget

just being a

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

Shelia didn’t

some fruits and poured the juice over

definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

was holding out in her hand and didn’t make

some more for myself

the meat, Shelia smiled as if she

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

rest assured and eat

right then, watching Shelia

though Shelia happened to be an easy-going person, this

thought that

his injuries, she knew she was wrong and he was on

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead and

away

roast the rest for

wanted to help, Shelia nodded and

bite out

furrowed her brows and stuck

hard to

not

meat I gave you just now

tell me? You even

say a word and only continued to roast

Shelia turned around and spotted Victor’s smiling

Van, you

Am I smiling?’ Victor never even realized that he

and gently

me to roast the meat

gone a

and get

not tired

just sit

chin, Shelia proceeded to sit

meat so skillfully, she blinked her eyes and said, "Van, you’re good at cooking meat, aren’t you? Did you

learned how to survive

spoke in

"Survive in the wildness?"

the very first time that Shelia had ever heard of such

go out of your way to learn

also crushed some fruits and poured the

knife to slice

Shelia asked,

he said,

fact, Victor knew the reason

he wanted to be prepared in case

ahead of time that even under ner protection, Victor

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

"Alright."

Shelia continued to focus her

of Shelia’s profile and the dust that rested on

hand

startled and turned to look at

eyes, he started

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

"Is that so?"

her nose with the back of her

about now?

"No,"

said, glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

learn other than roasting meat? I want to

Can you teach me?"

you want to

"In order to survive."

naturally.Chapter

shelia said casually.

sad

ready to be flipped? It’s on the verge of being

Shelia pointed out.

Shelia, Victor saw a small burn on the meat’s exposed side when he looked at

while he was still

.

or

all, Shelia’s

didn’t

you

"Hmm,"

after a

"Is that a yes?"

eyes glowed, and she

two dimples, meanwhile,

Victor nodded, "Okay."

as she said, "Thanks

individual I’ve ever encountered, except for

"Orphanage?"

where I

the orphanage was taken over and the

eyes clouded as she spoke about

woman was a

prepared great meals and gave

orphan…’

after you since the orphanage was

leave with the

and answered, "I didn’t want

was the only home Shelia had

they okay with you being outdoors

head, Shelia said,

visit her tomb, so I

to them, and I don’t intend

spite of the dingy ground, Shelia

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

her hands behind her head,

disappointment as she

want to visit

keeps you from

are people guarding

if

idea that I have a name

when I meet her

said, blinking

black eyes remained fixed on Shelia

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

in her heart

that I was

seem appropriate to use

at Shelia, Victor concluded that the

of her features,

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

to communicate since she was deaf,

to us

a poker card was in

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

each kid was given a unique

let us take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella erupted into laughter, which

at the

Did I get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

said, "I am the only one with the

toasting as they

her the meat after he re-applied the

set to

Eat, please."

came from her gut just after his

put her hand to her stomach and ate

the meat i made myself! Van, you’re

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after a

to her feet,

ready to rise when Shelia abruptly extended her hand

"Come on, get up."

was taken aback, and after a little pause,

Shelia used a dart to put marks on the tree

had lost track of time as they

had cooled

down on

far we’ll have to travel

out before the sun

some

exhausted after so much walking, and he was

"I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

have

"Like never before…"

nodded and continued to hold

motion, she murmured, "Van, you look

be

lowered his gaze to the side

was covered in mud after a day and a

What’s

"Plan?"

slow to

"What are your plans once we leave the forest? Where

my travels and explore

station when I can no

with a

"Shelia."

made up his mind after staring at Shelia

"What’s the problem?"

come with me after we

like you, I

can count

want me to

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

was concerned that Shelia

for a while before asking, "Are you joking

"No, I’m not.

promise to treat you the best

Victor convinced her.

smiled at

we get

"Sure."

moment they emerged from

disappear below the horizon, basking the forest in a pale red

on the bodies of Victor

high noon

they saw

out

we’ll meet local villagers if we walk a

We can…"

could finish her sentence, she saw Victor

She was confused.

wanting to know why

"Van?"

didn’t expect you

looked for the source

saw three cars that were parked not far from

them intently as

away that they were

to shield Victor, who in

off

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

lost even when it gets

we were finding our way out of the forest,

these marks and you can get back

"And then?"

asked, her

straight into

"Walk along this road.

mobile phone from them, and

knew that Norton didn’t intend

to play a game with

escape this predicament, Shelia

promised to give Shelia a family, bring her back to see his grandmother, and treat her as his

that Victor could not fulfill the promise he made in

phone number

once you get hold

he whispered.

my

will pick you up wherever you

down at

respond, Victor looked at her and asked

"No."

pulled her hand

were

remember the number, nor do I want

be a

Victor frowned.

so anxious that he coughed violently

adamant and clenched her

want to spread her palm and let Victor

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

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

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

when

pulled Sheila behind

was seriously injured and keeping himself standing steadily

for him to fight

up

and Shelia

them, Norton

fast for Victor to stop

"Let her go!"

firm

in hearing vexation in

you

the mud on Shelia’s face with

more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed

his tracks when something silver

a knife that Norton pressed against Shelia’s

a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

tone and gave Victor a

that he had difficulty

and tried to steady

want

nothing to do with

So, let her go!"

This is so

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want to let her

where she comes from but I

for you to die alone?

red eyes, Victor breathed

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

body was tensed

she saw Victor spat out blood and beg for mercy,

you can do? Threaten

his mocking smile plastered on

in anger when he heard

did you

said you

Shelia swallowed.

of

you to

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

tried to

she was provoking

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

Norton was indeed angry.

voice in check as he talked

you

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

and instructed them, "Tie her

squinted his eyes and asked anxiously, "What are you

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared

as they

and feet bound, Shelia was taken to

was made to

thinking about where Norton was taking them.Chapter

was

the water rushed over, it inundated Shelia, making her choke

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

his teeth and yelled, "Let

her eyes because of the

Victor to run

the moment she opened her mouth,

her eyes

the exasperated expression on Victor’s face,

strong but he was

me laugh,

I’m a good man? Why the

Norton approached the rope, squatted down, and blew the unsteady

to save her so much, I will

good in me, huh? What

could just glare at

do whatever it took to save

the river, Norton squinted his eyes and

after, two men behind him appeared and stood between the

up and looked at

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

the weakest

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

pause, Norton continued, "You want to save

been holding Victor’s arms

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

before the

goodbye to your

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

flickering flame, Victor didn’t

of essence, so he quickly rushed up and

mercenary and the most popular leader the Roaring

weakest subordinates should be

Victor was currently badly

even be able to defeat one of the

of them were tall and burly men that

Victor was at a disadvantage

over to them, the two men punched Victor right in his

he was hit, Victor staggered and struggled

hit repeatedly, his strength left him, and he eventually

all over his body, making

face

stand, not ready to

back on his feet, he saw

use his arm to block it, but it

out a mouthful of

Victor’s vision

to fix his eyes on the rope, which was only

matter how many injuries he

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

this trouble, so he was willing to do anything

go on, his body couldn’t keep

back to the ground and lost

awakened when he

open his eyes, but his

there on the ground, watching the

help but wonder if he was

so he thought

pain that pierced every inch of his body made Victor realize

Victor wanted to stand up, but he couldn’t move even an

bit, grabbing the mud under his hands in

best, he turned his head to look at the

no

"Ahem!"

coughed violently, spurting

soil and

river expectantly, as if he

for a

he didn’t even know how much time passed

he never found the person he had

from the river or come

blood and the excruciating pain he was experiencing,

he lost consciousness

Victor woke up again,

him near

to rescue him lasted

was found out that Victor had fractures in eight different body

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

was ask Carolyn to send people to look for

was still wearing an

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

sense that she must

didn’t dare delay to send people to search for Shelia

search lasted for seven days, but Shelia couldn’t

and there was

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

one could easily recognize

years later, Victor

first thing he did after fully recovering

put the King of Hearts card in a box and buried it under a

marble tombstone aside from the

wasn’t even Shelia’s

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

tried to rush him to the hospital, but he was

was also in that year that Carolyn sent

finished his studies and finally

companies under the

from a very low level to one of the

was able to prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed

Roger entered the ward where Rachel

of the bed, holding a

can’t eat any

porridge

stand the

choice

it again when you

his tongue out, not

the door, so he politely greeted,

the past half a month, Roger came to

the kid gradually got

about him was that Roger would bring some

too much, he could at least taste

could only eat

greeted Roger, Rachel turned around and was surprised to

that you wouldn’t

in advance to ask her if she wanted to eat something

he

night, when Roger asked, he said that he had an important project meeting today,

visit, it would probably be very late

initially, I couldn’t

Roger hesitated for a moment

response, Rachel furrowed her

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

465 Dark Circles The operation done to

room opened and closed for

but wait outside

began, the indicator light outside the room was turned

the surgery was successfully

he

wheeled to

days ago that his vital signs

became eligible to be

still in

the field to check Victor’s

what he

Victor sustained serious injuries.

wounds had healed, they still had

new injuries just made matters

said that only a miracle could

tell us when he will

asked in a

can’t say

but frown as he

may be blunt,

wake up? Is he going to become a vegetable for the rest of

it was obvious that

hundred percent, but there was a huge chance that this

was the first one to

that Rachel had

Joey’s ward, holding a cigarette between

there were

just went down to tell Rachel about

heard the tragic news, her face didn’t show

as if she had already prepared herself for something like

Carson was a bit

didn’t know when she became this

was when Victor had been in a coma for about half a month after the

might have been even

there outside the operating room for 70 hours

in Carson’s hand and reminded

You can’t smoke here."

his senses, Carson

he didn’t bother continue

the subject and asked, "Anyway, how is the

"Joey? He’s fine.

yesterday and said that he has

will be

head and peeped through the glass panel on the

saw Joey sleeping soundly in the

faint smile, he stretched for a bit

I’m leaving

around and left

to tell Rachel about the doctor’s

had

blink of an eye, two days

she was made aware of Victor’s condition, Rachel didn’t intend

ward almost twenty-four

didn’t show his

diagnosis came from an expert, she was also convinced that Victor would

now, Roger broke the news that Victor had miraculously

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

long time without being able to speak a

still judging Roger’s expression if

Rachel… Do you want to

asked slowly This time, Rachel pressed her lips hard and

pulled her sleeve and pulled

want to

Joey, pleading

the fact that Victor

woke up in the hospital, he

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

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

did he pester Rachel to go to the

he just smiled and made

daddy bad? They say

to

she felt

she mustered her courage

"Yes, of course."

two weeks, Joey had

as if there was

that Joey would actually wake up in the middle of the night from time to time and look at the ceiling with his eyes wide

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

"Okay…"

heart softened, and she

was in the second

yet, it was inconvenient for him to walk

let him sit in a

him, and the three of

they reached

at the floor of

floor was a VIP ward, and there was only one patient

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

seen this scene, Carson knew that

guy, it’s the first time I’ve

What brings you here?"

quickly set the document he was

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking

like someone who will be beaten easily?

those dark circles

"Dark circles?"

choked

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

that Joey was

and his eye bags were so big

course, this was only to

good sleep

originally a handsome young man, but even he was susceptible to stress and

"Ha-ha!"

couldn’t help but laugh after seeing the upset look

laughter, Carson realized that he was fooled by

head, Carson stepped forward and pinched

"You, brat.

dare you tease your godfather? You have guts,

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

no opinion regarding

and I

We are best friends.

one

I became

crossed his arms in front of his

don’t want it, that fact won’t

tried to pull Carson’s hand away using his uninjured hand and said, "Humph! If I don’t want to admit it, no one

tongue as he withdrew his hand from

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

a

you’d better change your attitude

anything more, but he stuck

of his eye, Carson recognized

commented, "I see

I heard that Mr.Sullivan has

Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

didn’t plan to lose his composure just because of Carson’s

"Oh, I see."

Carson pointed at the room and said, "His

He is resting inside.

Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at the

what was going

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked

followed her, pushing Joey’s

placed

was lost in thoughts for

about to sav something, Joey

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

and looked at the little

was not standing very

him from the corner

if

quick glance at him, Joey turned

I need to use the

overheard what

I take

"No!"

a very

was a serious look on his

I am a

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

moment, they were no longer in

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

reaction to Joey’s words, Rachel

it was Roger, then her gaze fell on

Carson soon observed that she

wanted him to take Joey to

to pay any attention to Rachel’s

that, he took out his phone and turned around as if nothing had

Joey a thumbs up without Rachel

Carson pretended like he was

read the plan you

talking, he headed towards the

very good

phone’s screen lit up while he was still holding it to

Rachel saw what

"It’s okay.

will take

He is actually right.

boy like him to be taken to the bathroom

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

heard those words, they

have been closer to him than

few days, they got along really

them were always in one

known to her, she still alienated

things, Rachel still didn’t

knew that it couldn’t be achieved

couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the night Rachel was standing outside the operating room where Victor was operated

he and Joey

some time, Carson came

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

at the phone in

through with

"What?"

followed Rachel’s sight and took a peek at

smile appeared on his

I am through

left with no choice! My

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

a fake smile on her

not very

pretended to answer the call only moments ago, the

touched the tip of his nose and coughed to ease the awkwardness of

you want to go

her head in order to look through

ward was

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

pushed the door open in no time and walked

Victor would lie in the bed for two

undergo half a

came

in a stable

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted

and saw a man in a suit coming out of

He looked dejected.

document in his

Carson

stunned at first, then

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung

It was quite noticeable.

an employee of the Sullivan Group and the director of the project

no need asking about what

man’s expression that the project plan had been denied

out! Her attention was drawn to the name

surname was what really interested

She turned to Carson.

back at her, she raised her

"Well, this is Troy.

of the Sullivan Group’s project

knew exactly what she meant by just

was at a

many surnames in the

had to choose

who

and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

her head slightly

forehead was covered with

given him the scare of his life! Nonetheless, he

I’m going back

his hand and said,

do that

Troy went out of sight in a

at

that Victor was sitting against

as bad

and can work

walked to the door and

leaned against the door

didn’t follow

reading some document

didn’t raise his head and say coldly,

cast her gaze on

in

was pale despite the fact that he lowered

frowned and

she waited outside the operating room for more than seventy hours half

she walked

to go

heard the footsteps, his frown

the person who was walking

and

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

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

"The dance is over.

to let

I reminded him.

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

a few steps back to distance myself from

could still feel the warmth of his touch on

face blushed and i felt rather

my heart was

moment, it felt like I had returned

the happiest time

days were

looked down, feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached

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

glass and taking a sip of

few to drink and was starting to get

this time, Elena came to

waiting for you on

upstairs

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when you

mysterious smile appeared

my confusion, I followed her to

I got there, I saw that there were bright red rose

were also numerous balloons around

eyes widened in

this whole scene

this my birthday surprise?’ I had no

was Charles, but I quickly cast aside that

smile appeared on my lips, and somehow, I began to despise

on me, and yet I still couldn’t forget

this birthday surprise soon died

stood on the second floor, I stared at the night scene around me in

was tranquil, and yet my mind was

the cold sea breeze, I felt

a sudden, a fireworks display lit up the sky, forming the words "Marry

sky, a deafening

like

I

squatted on the ground and

and i felt like my blood was running

at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing through

I felt so dizzy

a panic attack, a pair of strong arms held me tightly "There’s

I’m here."

voice came from above me, making me

It was Charles.

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

don’t have to be