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

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her

thought occurred to

"The eggs! I forgot

from Ethan’s embrace and ran to the kitchen

Ethan followed behind her.

who was extremely flustered, and

girl! I told you to keep an eye

he gently pulled her to the side while he cleaned

the corner, restlessly watching

"I’m sorry.

talking to Charis, so I rushed to you

Ethan had guessed this.

drying his freshly washed hands, he raised his eyes to look at Janet

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you enough

saying that, he spread out his arms and said

and leaned her face against his chest,

she murmured, "The Lesters treat you

I

has a huge grudge against

In Order To Survive Shelia didn’t notice

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

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

just being

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

a feeling that Shelia didn’t mean

poured the juice over the

this definitely

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

was holding out in her hand and didn’t make

roast some more

going to take the meat, Shelia smiled as if she had just

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

can rest assured and

high alert right then, watching Shelia with vigilant and

to be an easy-going person, this

had thought that Victor had gotten

saw his injuries, she knew she was wrong

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead

to look away and placed the

roast the

Shelia nodded and said,

took a bite

chewing for some time, she furrowed her brows and

really hard

was not cooked

gave you just now must be

tell me? You

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

aside, Shelia turned around

are you smiling? Van, you

I smiling?’ Victor never even realized that

his hand and gently touched

me to roast the

have gone a

and get some

not tired

just sit

propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down next

roasting the meat so skillfully, she blinked her eyes and said, "Van, you’re good at cooking

learned how to

in

"Survive in the wildness?"

the very first time that Shelia had

you go out of your way

Shelia did earlier, Victor also crushed some fruits and poured

a knife to slice the

what Shelia asked, his

a while, he said, "I

knew

because he wanted to be prepared in

that even under ner protection, Victor would find himself in

so that he would at least have a better chance to survive in case of an

"Alright."

Shelia continued to focus her gaze on the

eye, Victor caught a glimpse of Shelia’s profile

stretched out a hand to wipe off

and turned to look at Victor

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

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

"Is that so?"

rub her nose with the back of her

what about now? Is it still

"No,"

said, glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

other than roasting meat? I want to

Can you teach me?"

you want to learn

"In order to survive."

naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me "In order

shelia said casually.

Victor felt sad

the meat ready to be flipped? It’s on

Shelia pointed out.

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

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

.

whether or not to

was, after all, Shelia’s own

didn’t seem to

you

"Hmm,"

said after

"Is that a yes?"

eyes glowed, and she broke

two dimples, meanwhile, became

Victor nodded, "Okay."

broadly as she said, "Thanks so much,

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

"Orphanage?"

That’s where

the orphanage was taken over and the old woman was unwell

clouded as she

woman was a

great meals and gave me a lot of fresh

orphan…’ Victor pursed his

after you since the orphanage

didn’t you leave

Victor and answered, "I didn’t want

Shelia

okay with you being outdoors on your

head,

was desperate to visit

remain unknown to them, and

of the dingy ground, Shelia lay down

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

placed her hands behind her head, her

as she

to

you from doing

are people guarding

find me if I

no idea that

when I meet her again

said, blinking

black eyes remained fixed on Shelia

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

had a soft spot in

I was a lovely

appropriate to use this term to describe a

Victor concluded

description of her

twice, Victor asked her, "Since she was responsible for your upbringing, how come you got your name

unable to communicate since she was deaf,

to us by

poker card

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

orphanage, each kid was

the fruits, she put them on the cards and let us take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella erupted into laughter, which was maybe due to the reference to the

at the card–the King

I get the

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

am the only one with the King

meat was toasting as they

gave her the meat after he

all set

Eat, please."

her gut just

hand to her stomach and

much better than the meat

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after a good

rose to her feet, she said, "Let’s

rise when Shelia abruptly extended her hand

"Come on, get up."

pause, he took Shelia’s

Shelia used a dart to

lost track of time as they

had cooled

down on a stone and drank some

how far we’ll have to travel until we’re

get out

drank some water as

walking, and he was coughing up blood

said incoherently, "I’m

Let’s move forward."

still have

"Like never before…"

nodded and continued to hold

her forward motion, she murmured, "Van, you

you return, be sure

his gaze to the side

covered in mud after a day and a

you? What’s your

"Plan?"

was slow to

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

to continue my travels and explore the world’s

to the police station when I can no longer

answered with a

"Shelia."

to have made up his mind after staring at Shelia

"What’s the problem?"

come with me after we

you, I will defend

can count

me to come with

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

concerned that Shelia

a while before asking, "Are

"No, I’m not.

you the best I

Victor convinced her.

and smiled at

agree when we get out

"Sure."

moment they emerged from the woods, though,

the horizon, basking

the bodies of Victor

high noon and now, the

they saw a relatively spacious country

we’re out

local villagers if we walk a

We can…"

sentence, she

She was confused.

looked at Victor, wanting to know why he

"Van?"

expect you to

voice came, Shelia looked for the source of

that were parked not far

looking at them intently as he played with a

feel right away

to shield Victor, who in turn stood protectively in front of

off Norton, watching his every

voice that only Shelia could hear, Victor said,

even when it gets

were finding our way out of

you can get back

"And then?"

asked, her eyebrows

looked straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

meet villagers, borrow a mobile phone from them,

knew that Norton didn’t

to play a game with Victor by throwing him into the

he couldn’t escape this predicament,

Shelia a family, bring her back

not fulfill the promise he made in the

phone number on her

once you get hold of a mobile

he whispered.

is my grandmother’s

she will pick you up wherever you

down at

Shelia didn’t respond, Victor looked at her

"No."

her hand

eyes were

remember the number, nor

be a

Victor frowned.

he coughed violently as soon as he finished

remained adamant and clenched

to spread her palm and let Victor write the

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

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

each other! I’m

when saw Norton approaching

intuitively pulled

was seriously injured and keeping himself standing steadily was

be hard for him

walked up to them

Shelia stepped

patience with them, Norton pulled Shelia towards

was too fast for Victor to

"Let her go!"

firm

in hearing vexation in

you

mud on Shelia’s face

knew this would all the more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed over and tried to take Shelia back

tracks when

knife that Norton pressed

a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

said in a contemptuous tone and gave Victor a mocking

he

his fist and tried to steady

want

has nothing to do with

So, let her go!"

wow! This is so

Norton curled his lips.

don’t want to let

but I find

boring for you to die alone? I can do something about that and let her accompany

red eyes, Victor

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

was tensed

spat out blood and beg for mercy, she scoffed at

that all you

smile

his eyes narrowed in anger when he heard

you

said you

Shelia swallowed.

of accomplishment by

in you to do what

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to

she

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

Norton was indeed angry.

but he kept his voice

you really want to

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

and instructed them,

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

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared at

men did as they

and feet bound, Shelia was taken to

to ride a different

Norton was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor Woke Up

river was flowing

making her choke easily Victor saw how Shelia’s face became

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

gritted his teeth and yelled,

because of the gushing water, Shelia had

actually wanted Victor

she opened her

her eyes

at the exasperated expression on Victor’s

might be strong but he was

making me

good man? Why the hell should I

a cunning smile, Norton approached the rope, squatted down, and

to save her so

still some good in me, huh?

could just glare

it took to save

of the river, Norton

him appeared and

stood up and looked at Victor with a

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

the

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

continued, "You want to

holding Victor’s arms let go of him and took

his hand, Norton touched its tip with his thumb and warned, "But of

these two before the rope

goodbye to your good

moment she’s washed away, I’m afraid

flickering flame, Victor

of essence, so he quickly rushed up and fought against the two

and the most popular

course, even his weakest subordinates

was

not even be able to defeat one of the two

and burly men that could easily flip

a doubt, Victor was at

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

he was hit, Victor staggered and struggled to

strength left him, and he eventually

all

time, Victor’s face looked

stand, not ready

he could even get back on his

to subconsciously use his arm to block it,

was hit again, Victor spat out a mouthful of blood, and

point, Victor’s vision became

to fix his eyes on the rope, which

didn’t matter how many injuries

the fire was put out and the rope

trouble, so he was willing

as his mind wanted to go on, his body couldn’t

to the ground and lost

raining?’ After some time, Victor was somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling on his

eyes, but his vision was

lay there on the

help but wonder if he

yet, so he thought that

pierced every inch of his body made

stand up, but

could only move his hands a little bit,

his head to look at the river, only to

was no

"Ahem!"

coughed violently, spurting

grabbed unto the soil and opened his eyes as wide as

if he was waiting for something

for a long

know how much

found the person he had been

would raise her head from the river or come out from

to loss of blood and the excruciating pain he was experiencing,

lost consciousness

again, he was

subordinates found him near the

lasted for two days

out that Victor had fractures in

his chest and lungs were

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

an oxygen mask and struggled

danger yet, but all he

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

send people to search

days, but Shelia couldn’t

there was still no news about

playing card that got wet from the rain

was mostly covered with mud, but one could easily recognize

years later, Victor completely

he did after

King of Hearts card in a box and

on the marble tombstone aside

Shelia’s name

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

to rush him to the hospital, but he was declared

was also in that

two more years, he finished

small companies under the

sales of these companies from a very low level to one of the top

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

this time, Roger entered

of the bed, holding a bowl of

eat

been eating porridge

even stand the smell of porridge

and had no choice but

said, "Eat it again when you get

out, not intending to eat

the

Roger came to the hospital to visit Joey

the kid gradually

liked about him was that Roger would

much, he could at least taste something aside

Joey could only eat

around and was surprised

you say that

in advance to ask her if she wanted to eat something or

time, he would

important project meeting today, so he might

could still visit, it would

I couldn’t

hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "But

Rachel furrowed her

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

Circles The operation done to Victor

operating room opened and closed

do anything but wait outside until the procedure

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

that the

saved, but he wasn’t completely out

he was wheeled

not until two days ago that his vital

eligible to be transferred to the

still in a

to check Victor’s condition

wasn’t what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

wounds had healed, they still had an

his new injuries just made

said that only a miracle could save Victor’s

at least tell us when

asked in

afraid I can’t say that

but frown as he made

blunt,

chance that he’ll never wake up? Is he going to become

this, it was obvious that

there was

Rachel was

Rachel had the right

outside Joey’s

there were

to tell Rachel about this

the tragic news,

if she had already

Carson was

didn’t know when she

Victor had been in a coma for about half a

it might have been even

operating room for 70 hours

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

You can’t smoke here."

regained his senses, Carson

her indifferent expression, he didn’t bother continue

asked, "Anyway, how is the

"Joey? He’s fine.

checked him up yesterday and said that

his plaster will be removed ahead of the initial

turned his head and peeped through the glass panel on

saw Joey sleeping soundly

for a

I’m leaving

Carson turned around and

he really just visited to tell Rachel about the

that, he had nothing else

of an eye,

of Victor’s condition, Rachel didn’t

stayed in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four

the same time, Carson didn’t

expert, she was also convinced that Victor

the news that Victor had miraculously woke up from being in

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

for a long time without

was as if she was still judging Roger’s expression if he

Do you want to go

time, Rachel pressed her lips hard and

her sleeve and pulled her back

I want to see

was Joey, pleading in

failed to hide the fact that Victor was in a

the hospital, he actually had

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

Rachel didn’t have the

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

he just smiled

bad? They say bad people

don’t have to

at Joey’s bright eyes, she

few moments, she mustered

"Yes, of course."

following two weeks, Joey had a good

didn’t mention Victor, as if there was

night from time to time and look at the

him, but Rachel was aware that

"Okay…"

softened, and she

was in the second inpatient

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

him

the three of them went to Victor’s

they reached the

the floor of the

there was only one patient at this time, Carson was sitting

there were steps approaching, he furrowed his brows and

had seen this scene, Carson knew that he would have been

it’s the first time I’ve

What brings you here?"

he quickly set the document he was holding aside and raised

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking his

that? Do I look like someone who will be beaten easily?

circles around your

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at Joey’s

phone, opened its front camera, and looked at

realized that

haggard, and his eye bags were so big

of course, this was only to

have a good

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

"Ha-ha!"

but laugh after seeing the upset look on

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

stepped forward and pinched Joey’s face

"You, brat.

dare you tease your

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

have no

and I grew up

We are best friends.

one who picked

I became your

and crossed his arms in

don’t

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

his tongue as he withdrew his

low voice, "I also didn’t expect

as I said, it’s a fact that

you’d better change your attitude

didn’t say anything more, but he stuck out his tongue at

the corner of his eye, Carson recognized Roger standing

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

I heard that Mr.Sullivan has woken

I came here with Rachel and Joey

Roger explained.

to lose his composure just because of

"Oh, I see."

at the room and said, "His ward

He is resting inside.

can go and see him."Chapter 466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked

one knew what was going through her

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

walked towards

her, pushing Joey’s

were placed

was lost in

when he was about to sav

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked at

standing

a result, Joey could see him from the corner of

if he was

glance at

to

what Joey was

I take you

"No!"

replied in a very

serious look

am a

it wasn’t a problem

that moment, they were no longer in the

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

reaction to Joey’s words, Rachel looked at

was Roger, then her gaze fell on

the former, Carson soon observed that

him to take Joey

refused to pay any attention

that, he took out his phone and

a thumbs up without

pretended like he

read the plan you sent

talking, he headed towards the

very

screen lit up while he was still holding it

no call at all! Rachel saw what just

"It’s okay.

will take

He is actually right.

embarrassing for a boy like him to

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

he heard those words, they

ought to have been closer

days, they got

always in one

known to her, she still alienated

of things, Rachel still didn’t love

that it couldn’t be

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

and Joey headed towards

time, Carson came

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

quick glance at the phone in his

with the

"What?"

took a

a smile appeared on his

am through

choice! My

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

a fake smile

not very good

he had pretended to answer the call

nose and coughed to

want

to look

ward was

view, only the living room could

door open in no time and walked

said Victor would lie in

half a year’s rehabilitation

voice came

in a

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted Carson’s

saw a man in a suit coming out

He looked dejected.

was a document in

and Carson as soon as he came

first, then his face

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung around the man’s

It was quite noticeable.

the Sullivan Group and the director of

about

that the project plan had

attention was drawn to the name on the

surname was what

She turned to Carson.

at her,

"Well, this is Troy.

works as a member of the

exactly what she meant

was at a loss

many surnames in the

he had to

who Rachel

and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

nodded her head slightly

was

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

Bennet, I’m going back to the

and said,

should do that

what Carson said, Troy went out of sight in a blink of

looked at the

enough for her to see that Victor was sitting against the head of the

as bad

is well and

door and pushed it

leaned against

follow Rachel

document when

didn’t raise his head and say coldly,

her

was in a

pale despite the fact that he lowered

frowned and looked rather

operating room for more than seventy hours half a month

that she

to go

Victor heard the footsteps, his

at the person who

instead of speaking in his usual cold and stiff tone, he

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

were many guests around, I figured it

"The dance is over.

time to let

I reminded him.

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

few steps back to distance myself

still feel the warmth of his touch on

and i felt

my heart was

like

him were the happiest time of

even as I reminisced, I knew that those days were long gone

feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached

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

raising my glass and taking

a few to

this time, Elena

surprise waiting for you on the

you like to go upstairs

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when you get

mysterious smile appeared on

my confusion, I followed her to

were bright red rose petals scattered across the

also numerous balloons around

widened in

whole scene was

had no idea who had

person that came to mind was Charles, but I quickly cast

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

much effort on me,

of receiving this birthday surprise soon died

stared at the

sea was tranquil, and

of the cold sea breeze,

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

up to the sky, a deafening sound resonated

sounded like

the noise, I covered

squatted on the ground and curled

body began trembling uncontrollably, and i felt

abandoned warehouse

of breath I felt

pair of strong arms held me tightly "There’s no

I’m here."

above me, making

It was Charles.

nestled in his arms as tears burst from my eyes, Gently, he brushed my hair

have to be scared