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.

a long time since they last

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her teeth

thought occurred

shouted, "The eggs! I

broke free from Ethan’s embrace and ran

Ethan followed behind her.

who was extremely flustered, and he

I told you to keep an eye

her to the side while he

the corner, restlessly watching Ethan clean up

"I’m sorry.

so I rushed

Ethan had guessed this.

hands, he raised his

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you

that, he spread out his arms and

and leaned her face against his chest, blushing

invitation from Patrick, she

I just got

has a

there?"Chapter 461 In Order To Survive Shelia didn’t

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

you really don’t want to tell me, then

just being a

nothing, and silently retracted the

feeling that Shelia didn’t mean

crushed some fruits and poured

definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

look down at the meat Shelia was holding out in her hand and didn’t make

roast some more for

meat, Shelia smiled as if she had

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

can rest assured and eat it with

was on high alert right then, watching Shelia

be an easy-going person, this didn’t

thought that Victor had gotten

saw his injuries, she knew she was wrong and he was on guard against

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead and

turned to look away and placed the

the

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

bite out

chewing for some time, she furrowed her brows and

really hard

was not cooked fully

gave you just now must be the

me?

meat out, Victor didn’t say a word

meat aside, Shelia turned around and spotted

you smiling? Van, you

Victor never even

gently touched the

to roast the meat for

have gone

get some

tired

sit

Shelia proceeded to sit down next

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

how to survive in

spoke in a

"Survive in the wildness?"

first time that Shelia had

go out of your way

some fruits and poured the juice over the

a knife

what Shelia asked, his

a while, he said, "I

fact, Victor knew the reason

learned that because he wanted to be prepared

knew ahead of time that even under ner protection, Victor would find himself in

him to learn more skills so that he would at least have a

"Alright."

continued to focus her gaze on

Shelia’s profile and the

out a hand to

to look at

into Shelia’s eyes, he started to feel

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

"Is that so?"

ahead to rub her nose with the back

what about now? Is it

"No,"

glancing over

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

else did you learn other than roasting meat?

Can you teach me?"

do you want to learn

"In order to survive."

words came out of Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come

shelia said casually.

felt sad upon hearing

be flipped? It’s on the verge of

Shelia pointed out.

Victor saw a small burn on the meat’s exposed

was still thinking

.

whether or not to ask her about

after all,

hand, didn’t

asked, "Will you please teach

"Hmm,"

after

"Is that a yes?"

glowed, and she broke

meanwhile, became much

Victor nodded, "Okay."

as she said, "Thanks so

kindest individual I’ve ever encountered,

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I

was taken over and

as she

was a wonderful

she prepared great meals and

is an orphan…’ Victor pursed

look after you since the orphanage

didn’t you leave

looked up at Victor and answered, "I

Shelia had known for so

they okay with you being outdoors on

head, Shelia said,

desperate to visit her tomb,

remain unknown to them, and I don’t intend to

spite of the dingy ground, Shelia lay

shards of sunshine that had been

placed her hands behind her head, her lips

sighed with disappointment as she

want to visit

what keeps you

people guarding

find me if I

no idea that I

her my name when I meet her again

blinking

black eyes remained fixed on

Van, it would be more than

had a soft spot in her heart for

said that I was

didn’t seem appropriate to use this term to

Shelia, Victor concluded that the

description of

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

to communicate since she

never referred to us by

poker card was

removed it from her pocket as if it were

the orphanage, each kid was given

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

the card–the King of

Did I get the best

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

am the only

meat was toasting as they

gave her the meat after

set to

Eat, please."

growl came from her gut

she put her hand to her stomach and

better than the meat i

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after

her feet, she

and was ready to rise when Shelia abruptly extended

"Come on, get up."

was taken aback, and after a little pause, he

way, Shelia used a dart to put marks on the

lost track of time

sun had cooled down

Victor in sitting down on a stone and

how far we’ll

out before the

some

after so much walking, and he was

"I’m

Let’s move forward."

still have the

"Like never before…"

and continued to hold

forward motion, she murmured, "Van,

be sure to

his gaze to

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

What’s your

"Plan?"

slow

are your plans once we leave the forest? Where

continue my travels and explore the world’s finest

can no longer walk and beg them to

answered with

"Shelia."

appeared to have made up his mind after staring at Shelia for a

"What’s the problem?"

come with me after we get out of

grandma will like you, I will

can count

want me to come

it all right with you? If

was concerned that Shelia might

before asking,

"No, I’m not.

to treat you

Victor convinced her.

and smiled at

when we get out of

"Sure."

emerged from the woods, though,

The sun started to disappear below the horizon, basking the forest in a pale red

glimmered on the

had been walking since high noon and now, the sun

tiredness was assuaged when they saw a relatively spacious country

out of the

we’ll meet local villagers if

We can…"

finish her sentence, she saw

She was confused.

at Victor, wanting to know why

"Van?"

well, well, i didn’t expect you

came, Shelia looked for the source of

were parked

at them intently as

away that they were Victor’s

to shield Victor, who in turn stood protectively in front

take his eyes off Norton, watching

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

won’t get lost even when it gets

we were finding our way out of

these marks and you

"And then?"

asked, her

looked straight into

"Walk along this road.

meet villagers, borrow a mobile phone from them,

Norton didn’t intend to

game with Victor by throwing

if he couldn’t escape this predicament,

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

fulfill

a phone number on her palm

once you get

he whispered.

my

will pick you up wherever

looked down at

looked at her and

"No."

pulled her hand

eyes were a

want to remember the number,

a good

Victor frowned.

that he coughed violently as

and clenched her

to spread her palm and let

were talking about, he could tell that they

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

each other! I’m so

tensed up when

intuitively pulled Sheila behind

was seriously injured and keeping himself standing steadily was

would be hard for him to fight off

deliberately walked up to them

Shelia

patience with them, Norton

too fast for Victor to stop

"Let her go!"

a firm grip on Shelia’s

hearing vexation in Victor’s

you look

the mud on Shelia’s face with his

Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed over and

tracks when something

that Norton

spat out a mouthful of

"No."

"What are you saying?"

said in a contemptuous tone and gave Victor a mocking smile, pretending

he

his fist and tried to steady

you want

has nothing to

So, let her go!"

wow! This is

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want to let her

from but I find your reaction quite

think it’s boring for you to die alone? I

red eyes, Victor

knife pressed against her neck, all Shelia

body was

saw Victor spat out blood

all you can do? Threaten

smile plastered

in anger when he

you

said you are

Shelia swallowed.

just feel a sense of accomplishment

in you to do what you intend

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

tried to stop

knew that she was

Norton’s hackles rise

Norton was indeed angry.

kept his voice in check as

like you really want

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help you

Norton said, laughing derisively.

to his men and instructed them,

asked anxiously,

Norton didn’t answer.

glared at

men did as

hands and feet bound, Shelia

was made to

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

was flowing

over, it inundated Shelia, making her

fists, and the blue veins on

gritted his teeth and

open her eyes because of the gushing water, Shelia had difficulty

actually wanted Victor

opened her mouth, she was choked

enough, her

exasperated expression on Victor’s face, Norton scoffed at

might be strong but he was useless in

making me laugh,

a good man? Why the hell should

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

of you wanting to save her so

me, huh? What

just glare

it took to save

middle of the river, Norton squinted his eyes and snapped

appeared and stood between

slowly stood up and looked at Victor with a wry

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the weakest

killed two people, and the one on the

a brief pause, Norton continued, "You want

who had been holding Victor’s

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

these two before the rope

goodbye to your good

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

at the flickering flame, Victor didn’t

rushed up

a mercenary and the most popular leader the Roaring

subordinates

Victor was currently

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

of them were tall and burly men that could easily

doubt, Victor was at

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

was hit, Victor

because he was hit repeatedly, his strength left him, and he

bones being broken scattered all over

this time, Victor’s face looked black with

stand,

could even get back on his

subconsciously use his arm to

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

this point, Victor’s vision became

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

how

put out and

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

wanted to go on, his body couldn’t

the ground and lost his

somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain

his eyes,

the ground, watching the raindrops

wonder if he was still

fully recovered yet, so he

that pierced every inch of

stand up, but he couldn’t move even

little bit, grabbing the

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

was no trace of

"Ahem!"

spurting out more

soil and opened his

if he

for

know

the

from the river or come out from somewhere and call his

of blood and the excruciating pain he was experiencing, Victor couldn’t

he lost consciousness

woke up again, he was finally

subordinates found him near

him lasted

that Victor had fractures in eight

and lungs were inflamed, and the critically ill notice was issued six

first thing Victor did after he woke up was

was still wearing an oxygen mask and

life was not completely out of danger yet, but all

but she could sense that she must be

didn’t dare delay to send people to

seven days, but Shelia couldn’t

week passed and there was still no news

able to give Victor was a crumpled playing card that got wet from the rain and then dried

one could easily recognize that it was the King of

later,

did after fully recovering

card in a box and buried it under

on the marble

wasn’t even Shelia’s name on

of Victor’s recovery, while Karl was on

to the hospital, but

in that year

two more years, he finished his

companies under the

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

to prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually

Roger entered the

bed, holding a bowl of porridge, and coaxing Joey to

eat any

had been eating porridge for about half a

stand the

and had no choice

it again

stuck his tongue out,

standing at the door, so he politely

past half a month, Roger came to the hospital to

the kid gradually

Roger would bring some snacks when he

he could at

only eat them in

around and

you say that you

Rachel a message in advance to ask her if

no every time, he would still insist on getting her

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

still visit, it would probably

I couldn’t

Roger hesitated for a moment before

furrowed her brows in

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

The operation done to

opened and closed for several times as doctors

couldn’t do anything but wait outside until

the operation began,

that the

he wasn’t

was wheeled to

days ago that his

eligible to be transferred to the general

was still

the field to check

what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

wounds had healed, they

injuries

the end, he said that only a miracle could save Victor’s

us when he will wake

in a

afraid I can’t say

frown as he made

I may be blunt, please

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

it was obvious that this was what he

hundred percent, but there was

Carson and Lukas, Rachel was the first one to know

Carson deemed that Rachel had

wall outside Joey’s ward, holding a cigarette between his

there

to tell

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

if she had already prepared

was a bit

when she

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

have been even

room for

in Carson’s hand and reminded him in

You can’t smoke here."

if he regained his senses, Carson put out the

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

and asked,

"Joey? He’s fine.

him up yesterday and said that he has been recovering

that his plaster will be removed ahead of the

turned his head and peeped through the glass panel

sleeping soundly in

for a bit and said, "Good for

I’m

turned around and left

to tell Rachel about the doctor’s diagnosis

that, he had nothing else to

blink of an eye, two

of Victor’s condition, Rachel didn’t intend to visit

stayed in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four hours a

time, Carson didn’t show his face to her

diagnosis came from an expert, she was

news that Victor

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

stared at Roger for a long time without being

judging Roger’s expression if he was

want to go upstairs and see

time, Rachel pressed

nowhere, someone gently pulled her sleeve and pulled her back

want

Joey, pleading in a soft

Victor was in

up in the hospital, he actually had a vague

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

when Joey finally found out the truth, Rachel

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

just smiled

daddy bad? They say bad people live long

have to worry too much about

eyes, she felt a lump

moments, she mustered

"Yes, of course."

weeks, Joey had

didn’t mention Victor, as if

the night from time

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

"Okay…"

heart softened,

in the second

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

simply let him

the wheelchair for him, and the three of them went to

they

finally stopped at the floor of the

patient at

he furrowed his brows

scene, Carson

it’s the first time I’ve seen

What brings you here?"

Joey as he quickly set the document he was

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking his innocent

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

circles around your

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at Joey’s

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

realized that

looked totally haggard, and his eye bags were so big that it seemed

was

hadn’t have a good sleep for

was originally a handsome young man, but

"Ha-ha!"

seeing the upset

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

his head, Carson stepped forward

"You, brat.

tease your godfather? You have

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

have no opinion regarding

and I grew up

We are best friends.

one who

how I

raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms in

you, even if you don’t want

away using his uninjured hand and said, "Humph!

his tongue as he withdrew his hand

"I also didn’t expect that I would

as I said, it’s a fact that

change your

say anything more, but he

of his eye,

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

that Mr.Sullivan has woken

with Rachel and

Roger explained.

to lose his composure just because

"Oh, I see."

room and

He is resting inside.

see him."Chapter 466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel

knew what was

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked

her, pushing Joey’s

were placed over his

was lost in thoughts

when he was about to sav something,

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked

not standing

Joey could see him from the

as if he was giving Carson

a quick glance at him, Joey turned his

I need to

overheard what Joey

I take you

"No!"

replied in a very decisive

serious

I am a

in Joey’s ward, so it wasn’t a problem

at that moment, they were no longer

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

to Joey’s words,

it was Roger, then her gaze fell

former, Carson

she wanted him to take Joey to the

to pay

took out his phone and

to give Joey a thumbs

he was answering

I have read the plan you sent to

headed

he wasn’t very

while he was still holding it to his

there was no call at all! Rachel saw what just

"It’s okay.

will take Joey

He is actually right.

very embarrassing for a boy like him to be taken to

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

those words,

ought to have been closer

past few days, they got along

of them were always

known to her, she still

the look of things,

it couldn’t be

he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the night Rachel was standing outside

and Joey

some time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

quick glance at the phone in

through with the phone

"What?"

sight and took a peek

a smile appeared on his

am through

with no choice! My

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake smile

very good at

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

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

you want

to look through the glass panel on the

ward was a

only the living room could be

see Victor, Rachel pushed the door open in no time and

would lie in the bed for

undergo half a year’s rehabilitation

voice came

in a

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted

saw a man in a suit coming

He looked dejected.

document in his

ran into Rachel and Carson as soon as he came

at first, then

"Mr.Scott!"

hung around

It was quite noticeable.

Group and the

was no need asking about what

the man’s expression that the project plan had

have been driven out! Her attention was drawn to

what really interested

She turned to Carson.

he looked back at her, she raised her

"Well, this is Troy.

a member of the Sullivan Group’s project

she meant by just looking at her

at a loss

so many surnames

had to

recognized who

and

"Miss Bennet."

nodded her head

forehead was covered with

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

Miss Bennet, I’m going back to

his hand and

should do that

Troy went out of sight

at the door

that Victor was sitting against the head of the bed at

doesn’t seem as bad as you

is well and can work

walked to the door and

against the door

didn’t follow

reading some document when he heard the

raise his head

her gaze

in a hospital

still tell that his face was pale despite the fact that he

and looked

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

she walked towards the

to

heard the footsteps, his

up at the person who was walking

his usual cold and stiff tone, he said

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

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

"The dance is over.

to

I reminded him.

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

back to distance myself from

could still feel the warmth of

face blushed and i

heart

felt like

with him were the happiest time

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

down, feeling conflicted and

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached

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

glass and taking

it, I’d had a few to drink and was starting to

this time, Elena came

a surprise waiting for you on the second

like to go upstairs and

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you

smile appeared

to

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

were also numerous

widened

whole scene was picturesque and

surprise?’ I had no idea

that came to mind was Charles, but I quickly

on my lips, and

spent this much effort on me, and yet I still couldn’t

of receiving this

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

and

of the cold sea breeze, I felt even

lit up

sky, a deafening sound

sounded like a

by the noise, I covered my ears at

the

uncontrollably, and i felt like my

horrible incident at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing through

I was out of breath I

strong

I’m here."

from above me, making me feel

It was Charles.

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

don’t have to be scared ever