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.

long time since they

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her

a thought occurred

I forgot all about

from Ethan’s embrace and ran to the kitchen in

Ethan followed behind her.

who was extremely flustered, and he couldn’t help

silly girl! I told you to keep an

side while he

the corner, restlessly watching Ethan clean up after

"I’m sorry.

so I rushed to you and forgot I was

Ethan had guessed this.

freshly washed hands, he raised his eyes

"It’s my fault.

you

he spread out his arms and said gently,

and leaned her face against his chest,

Patrick, she murmured, "The

and I just got

probably has a

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

in a casual manner, flipped the meat over, and went on

to tell me, then forget

being a little

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

that Shelia

poured the

definitely

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

meat Shelia was holding out in her hand and didn’t make a move to

more for myself

the meat, Shelia smiled as if

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

rest assured and

high alert right then, watching Shelia with vigilant and cold

happened to be an easy-going person, this

thought that Victor had

she knew she

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead and

to look away and

roast the rest

and said, "Okay, it’s perfectly fine if

took a bite out of the

for some time, she furrowed her brows and stuck

hard

was not cooked

meat I gave you just

tell me? You

meat out, Victor didn’t say a word and

her meat aside, Shelia turned

Van, you

I smiling?’ Victor never even realized

hand and gently

roast the

have gone a long

get

not tired

just sit

under her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down next to

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

to survive in the

in a

"Survive in the wildness?"

the very first time that Shelia had ever

go out of your way to

what Shelia did earlier, Victor also crushed some fruits and poured the

knife

he heard what Shelia

a while, he said,

Victor knew the reason

to be prepared

even under ner protection,

so that he would at least have a better

"Alright."

her gaze

his eye, Victor caught a glimpse of Shelia’s profile and the dust that rested on the tip

a hand

was startled and turned to look at Victor with a

looked straight into Shelia’s eyes, he started to

his hand, looked away, and

"Is that so?"

rub her nose with the back of her

about now? Is it still

"No,"

glancing

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

else did you learn other than roasting meat? I want

Can you teach me?"

want to

"In order to survive."

out of Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter 462

shelia said casually.

sad upon hearing

flipped? It’s on

Shelia pointed out.

Shelia, Victor saw a small burn on the meat’s

flipped the meat over while he was still thinking about what

.

or not to ask

all,

other hand, didn’t seem

you

"Hmm,"

after

"Is that a yes?"

and she broke

two dimples, meanwhile, became much more

Victor nodded, "Okay."

as she said,

I’ve ever encountered, except for my caretaker in the

"Orphanage?"

where

two years ago, the orphanage was taken over and the old woman

eyes clouded as she spoke

was a wonderful

prepared great meals and gave me a

orphan…’ Victor

look after you since the orphanage was taken

didn’t you leave with the

up at Victor and answered,

the only home Shelia

they okay with you being outdoors on

her head,

to visit her tomb, so I

remain unknown to them,

spite of the dingy ground,

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

placed her hands behind her

disappointment as she gazed

to

you from

people

me if I go

had no idea that I have a name

when I meet her

said, blinking her

remained fixed on Shelia and

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

spot in her

I was a lovely

seem appropriate to use this term

at Shelia, Victor concluded that the

apt description of

"Since she was responsible for your upbringing, how come

communicate since she was

to us by

a poker card was

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

orphanage, each kid was given a

take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella erupted into laughter, which was maybe due

at the card–the King

I get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

said, "I am the only one with

was toasting as they

meat after he re-applied

all set to

Eat, please."

came from her gut just after his words

to her stomach and ate the meat with a

meat i made myself! Van, you’re

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after a good

she rose to her feet, she said, "Let’s keep

to rise when Shelia abruptly extended her

"Come on, get up."

little pause, he took Shelia’s hand

Shelia used a dart to put marks on the

lost track of time as

sun had cooled

assisted Victor in sitting down on a stone

not sure how far we’ll have

get out before the sun

drank some water as

and he was coughing up blood

said incoherently, "I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

still have

"Like never before…"

continued to

murmured, "Van, you

you return, be sure to eat

to the side

face was covered in mud after a

What’s

"Plan?"

slow

we leave the forest? Where

don’t know… I want to continue my travels and explore

the police station when I can no longer walk and

answered with a

"Shelia."

to have made up his mind after

"What’s the problem?"

come with me after we get out

you, I will defend

count

me to come with

you? If you don’t want

that Shelia

before asking, "Are you

"No, I’m not.

you the

Victor convinced her.

and smiled at Victor, saying,

we get out of

"Sure."

they emerged from the woods, though,

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

light glimmered on the bodies of

been walking since high noon and now, the sun was

tiredness was assuaged when they saw a relatively

we’re out of

we’ll meet local villagers if we

We can…"

could finish her sentence,

She was confused.

wanting to know why he

"Van?"

didn’t expect you

voice came, Shelia looked for the source

saw three cars that were parked not far from

stood at the front, looking at them

could feel right away that they were

shield Victor, who in turn stood

off Norton, watching

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

get lost even when

of

and you can get back

"And then?"

her

straight

"Walk along this road.

meet villagers, borrow a mobile phone

Norton didn’t

with Victor by throwing him

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

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

fulfill the promise he made in

hand, Victor wrote a phone number on her

number once you get hold of a

he whispered.

my

her and she will pick

looked down

that Shelia didn’t respond, Victor looked at her

"No."

her

were a little

want to remember the number, nor do

a good

Victor frowned.

so anxious that he coughed violently as

remained adamant and clenched her

spread her palm and let Victor write the

about, he could tell that they were

said, "Tut, tut, tut, this

strong feelings for each other! I’m so

tensed up when

pulled

himself

for him

deliberately walked up to them

Shelia

with them, Norton pulled Shelia towards

was too fast for Victor to

"Let her go!"

kept a firm grip on Shelia’s

found satisfaction in hearing vexation

know you look

wiped the mud on Shelia’s face with his

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

stopped in his tracks when something

that Norton pressed

out a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

Victor a mocking smile, pretending not to hear

he had difficulty in

and tried to

want is my

has nothing to do

So, let her go!"

wow! This is so

Norton curled his lips.

want

comes from but I find your

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

red eyes,

her neck, all Shelia could do

body was

saw Victor spat out blood and beg for mercy, she

you can

his mocking smile plastered on his

narrowed in anger

you just

you are

Shelia swallowed.

sense of

have in you to

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill me,

"Shelia…"

desperately tried

that she was provoking

Shelia would make Norton’s hackles rise and the man would do

Norton was indeed angry.

he kept his voice in check as

Looks like you really want

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help you

Norton said, laughing derisively.

to his men and instructed them, "Tie her

asked anxiously, "What are you going to

Norton didn’t answer.

glared at

did as

feet bound, Shelia was

to ride a

thinking about where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464

river was flowing

over, it inundated Shelia, making her choke easily Victor saw

the blue veins on his neck became very

gritted his teeth and

because of the

actually wanted Victor to

moment she opened her mouth, she

her eyes became

expression on Victor’s face, Norton

that Victor might be strong but he was useless in this

making me

man?

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

wanting to save her so

me, huh?

just glare

do whatever it took

middle of the river, Norton squinted his eyes

after, two men behind him appeared and

stood up and looked at Victor

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

the

only killed two people, and the

continued, "You want to save her,

finished speaking, the two men who had been holding Victor’s arms let go

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

these two before

can say goodbye to

washed away, I’m afraid

flickering flame, Victor didn’t

was of essence, so he quickly rushed up and

the most

even his weakest subordinates

was currently

even be able

tall and burly men that could

a doubt, Victor was at a disadvantage from the

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

he was hit, Victor staggered and struggled to stand

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

his bones being broken scattered all over his body, making him

face looked black

still tried to stand, not

could even get back on his feet, he saw

was still able to subconsciously use his arm to block it, but it didn’t

he was hit again, Victor spat out a mouthful of

point, Victor’s vision

on the rope, which was only a few steps away from

how many injuries

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

trouble, so he was willing to

his mind wanted to go on, his

to the ground

it raining?’ After some time, Victor was somewhat awakened when

eyes, but his vision

lay there on the

wonder if he was

consciousness hadn’t fully recovered yet, so he thought that he

pain that pierced every inch of his body made Victor realize that he was

but he

bit, grabbing the

his best, he turned his head to look at the

no

"Ahem!"

spurting out more

he grabbed unto the soil and

river expectantly, as if he

waited for

even know how

the person he had been

head from the river or come out from somewhere and call

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

he lost

woke up again, he was finally

subordinates found him near

rescue him lasted for two

doctor’s diagnosis, it was found out that Victor had fractures in

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

up was ask Carolyn to send people to look

an

of danger yet, but

who Shelia was, but she could sense that she

people to search

days, but Shelia

and there was still no news

able to give Victor was a crumpled playing card that got wet from

with mud, but one could easily recognize

later, Victor

he did after fully recovering was buy

card in a

the marble tombstone

Shelia’s name

Victor’s recovery, while Karl was on a

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

in that year that Carolyn sent

he finished his studies and finally

several small companies under the control of the Sullivan

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

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

this time, Roger entered the ward where Rachel

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

can’t eat

eating porridge for about

couldn’t even stand

no choice but to put the bowl

it

out,

Roger standing at the door, so he

past half a month, Roger came to the hospital to visit Joey from time

gradually got acquainted

Joey liked about him was that Roger would bring some

eat too much, he could at least taste something aside from

could only eat them in

greeted Roger, Rachel turned around and was surprised

say that you wouldn’t come

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

say no every time, he

he said that he had an important project meeting today, so he

it would

initially, I

at Rachel, Roger hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "But I got a

furrowed her brows

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

465 Dark Circles The operation done to Victor lasted for more than

operating room opened and closed for several times as

Carson couldn’t do anything but wait outside until the

the operation began, the indicator

the surgery was

was saved, but he

was wheeled to

days ago that his vital signs became

to be transferred to the general

was still in a

the field to check Victor’s condition and give a

wasn’t what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

his old wounds had healed, they still

new injuries

the end, he said that only a

at least tell us when

asked in

afraid I can’t

but frown as he made

may be blunt, please consider preparing for the

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

say this, it was obvious that this was

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

for Carson and Lukas, Rachel was the first one to know

Carson deemed that Rachel had the

wall outside Joey’s ward, holding a

there were

down to tell Rachel about

Rachel heard the tragic news, her face didn’t

was as if she had already prepared

was

didn’t know when she became

had been in a coma for about half a

might have

operating room for 70 hours before the indication light

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

You can’t smoke here."

senses,

bother continue discussing

the subject and asked, "Anyway,

"Joey? He’s fine.

doctor checked him up yesterday and said that he has been recovering pretty

plaster will be removed ahead of the initial

peeped through the glass panel

saw Joey sleeping soundly

he stretched for a bit and said, "Good for

I’m leaving

around and left without looking

just visited to tell Rachel about the doctor’s diagnosis

from that, he had nothing else to

eye, two days eventually passed

Victor’s condition,

just stayed in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four

time, Carson didn’t show

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

news that Victor had miraculously

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

at Roger for a long time without being able to

as if she was still judging Roger’s expression if

Rachel… Do you want to go upstairs and

Rachel pressed her

her sleeve

I want to

Joey, pleading

failed to hide the fact that Victor was in a coma after obtaining

Joey woke up in the hospital, he actually

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

Rachel didn’t have the

did he pester Rachel to go to

smiled and made a

They say bad people

have to worry too

Joey’s bright eyes, she

a few moments, she mustered her courage

"Yes, of course."

following two weeks, Joey had a

Victor, as if there was nothing wrong

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

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

"Okay…"

softened,

was in the

it was inconvenient for him to walk all the way

him sit

the wheelchair for him, and the three of them went to Victor’s

enough, they reached

The elevator finally stopped at the floor

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

his brows and eventually

wer If Victor had seen this scene, Carson knew that he would have been very

first time I’ve seen you up

What brings you here?"

he quickly set the document

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his innocent

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

where did those dark circles around your

"Dark circles?"

choked

picked up his phone, opened its front camera, and

that Joey was

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

this was only to

have a good

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

"Ha-ha!"

laugh after seeing the upset look on Carson’s

innocent laughter, Carson realized that he was fooled by

Carson stepped forward and

"You, brat.

your godfather? You have

sharp pain on his face and retorted, "Huh? Who said that you

have no opinion

father and I grew up

We are best friends.

the one who picked

that’s how I became

eyebrows and crossed his arms in front

you don’t

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

as he withdrew his hand from

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

it’s a fact that you

better change your attitude towards

didn’t say anything more, but he stuck

of his eye, Carson recognized Roger

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

I heard that Mr.Sullivan has woken

Rachel and Joey

Roger explained.

to lose his composure just because

"Oh, I see."

Carson pointed at the room and

He is resting inside.

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

one knew what was going through

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

nodded and walked towards

her, pushing Joey’s

placed over

lost in thoughts

when he was about to sav something, Joey

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

and looked at the

not standing very

Joey could see him from

if he was giving Carson

at him, Joey

need to use

overheard what Joey was

I take

"No!"

replied in a very decisive

serious look

am a

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

they were no longer

ladies’ room, just like it wouldn’t be right for her to take him

to Joey’s words, Rachel looked at

it was Roger, then

want to bother the former, Carson soon observed that she

to take Joey

and refused to pay

his phone and turned around as if nothing

managed to give Joey a thumbs

pretended like he was answering

the plan you

headed

he wasn’t very

screen lit up while he was

all! Rachel saw what just happened clearly

"It’s okay.

will take Joey

He is actually right.

boy like him to be taken to the

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

when he heard those words, they displeased

that Rachel ought to have been closer to

past few days, they got

always in one

known to her, she

of things, Rachel

knew that it couldn’t be achieved

thinking about the night Rachel

Joey

some time, Carson

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

glance at the phone in his

you through with the

"What?"

Rachel’s sight and took a peek

a smile appeared on

am through with

was left with no choice! My subordinates are too bad at making

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake smile

very good

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

the tip of his nose and coughed to ease the

want to

in order to look through the glass panel on

was a

her point of view, only the living room

see Victor, Rachel pushed the door open in no

said Victor would lie in the bed for

has to undergo half a

voice came

in a stable condition now,

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted

and saw a man in a suit coming out of the

He looked dejected.

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.

was an employee of the Sullivan Group and the director

about what just happened

expression that the

have been driven out! Her attention was drawn to the name on

was what really

She turned to Carson.

her, she

"Well, this is Troy.

a member of the

what she meant by just looking at her

a loss for

were so many surnames in

had to

who Rachel

and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

her head

forehead was covered with

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

Miss Bennet, I’m going back

and said,

should do

what Carson said, Troy went out of

at the door

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

seem as bad

and can

the door and pushed

against the

didn’t follow Rachel

reading some document when he

didn’t raise his head and say

cast her

was in

tell that his face was pale despite the fact

frowned and looked

wasn’t a hundred percent sure that she waited outside the operating room for more than seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would

that she walked towards the bed

asked you to go

heard the footsteps, his

up at the person who was

cold and stiff tone,

POV: Even after we finished the dance, Charles

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

"The dance is over.

to

I reminded him.

Reluctance flashed through his eyes, but he still loosened his grip on

few steps back

reason, I could still feel

blushed and i felt

heart

moment, it felt like I

with him were the happiest time of my

days were

feeling conflicted and

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached

and began chatting

said, raising my glass and taking a sip of

it, I’d had a few to drink and

time, Elena came to

waiting for you on the

to go upstairs and take

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you

appeared on Elena’s

my confusion, I followed her to the

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

were also numerous balloons around the

eyes widened

must say, this whole

had no

person that came to mind was Charles, but

my lips, and somehow, I

effort on me, and yet

this birthday surprise

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

and

of the cold sea breeze, I felt

fireworks display lit up

shot up to the sky,

like

I covered my

squatted on the ground and curled

trembling uncontrollably, and i felt

abandoned warehouse kept flashing through my

out of breath I felt so dizzy that I

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

I’m here."

voice came from above me,

It was Charles.

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

have to be scared ever