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 teeth

a thought

eggs! I

free from Ethan’s embrace and ran to the

Ethan followed behind her.

who was extremely flustered, and he couldn’t

told you to keep

he gently pulled her to the side

her thumbs, Janet stood in the corner, restlessly watching Ethan clean up

"I’m sorry.

I rushed to you and

Ethan had guessed this.

freshly washed hands, he raised his eyes

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you

saying that, he spread out his arms and

face against his chest,

about the invitation from Patrick, she

and I just got

a

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

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

want to tell me, then forget about

being a little

silently retracted the knife he was hiding behind

a feeling that Shelia didn’t

and poured the

this definitely could be

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

was holding out

more

wasn’t going to take the meat, Shelia smiled as if she

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

assured and eat it with

then, watching Shelia with

Shelia happened to be an easy-going person, this didn’t

thought that

knew she

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead and

away and placed

the rest for

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

bite

time, she furrowed her brows

hard to

was not

meat I gave you just now must be

didn’t you tell me? You even

meat out, Victor didn’t say a

Shelia turned around and spotted Victor’s

you smiling? Van, you

never

hand and gently touched the corner of his

roast the meat

have gone a long

and get

not tired

sit

under her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down

her eyes and said, "Van, you’re

learned how to

spoke in a deep

"Survive in the wildness?"

Shelia had ever heard of such a

go out of

some

knife to slice

he heard what Shelia asked,

while, he said,

knew

learned that because he wanted to be

under ner protection, Victor would find himself in

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

"Alright."

continued to focus her gaze on the

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

a hand

to look at Victor

Shelia’s eyes, he

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

"Is that so?"

to rub her nose

what about now?

"No,"

glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

than roasting meat?

Can you teach me?"

do you want

"In order to survive."

words came out of Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me "In order to

shelia said casually.

sad

flipped? It’s on the verge of being

Shelia pointed out.

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

was still thinking about what

.

whether or not

was, after all,

didn’t

"Will you

"Hmm,"

said after a

"Is that a yes?"

and

dimples, meanwhile, became much more

Victor nodded, "Okay."

she said, "Thanks

encountered, except for my

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I was

was taken over and the old woman was

as

was

she prepared great meals and gave me a lot

an orphan…’ Victor

to look after you since the orphanage

you leave with

and

the only home Shelia had

you being outdoors on your

her head, Shelia said,

to visit her tomb, so

whereabouts remain unknown to them, and I

dingy ground,

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

her hands behind her head, her

disappointment as she

want to visit

keeps you from

are people guarding

find me if

no idea that I have a name

tell her my name when I meet her again

blinking

on Shelia and he

see you, Van, it would be more

had a soft spot in

that I was

appropriate to use

Shelia, Victor concluded

description of her features, particularly her

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

communicate since she was

never referred to

poker card was in

if it were a treasure and presented it to

orphanage, each kid was given

cards and let us take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella erupted into

stared at the card–the King

I get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

"I am the

was toasting as

meat after he re-applied the

set to

Eat, please."

her gut just

was embarrassed, so she put her hand to her stomach and ate the

better than the meat

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after a good

her feet, she said, "Let’s keep

to rise when Shelia abruptly extended her hand to

"Come on, get up."

a little pause, he took Shelia’s hand in his and replied,

hard way, Shelia used a dart to put marks on the

track of

had cooled

sitting down on a stone and drank

far we’ll have to travel until

out before the sun

drank some

and he was coughing up blood for

incoherently, "I’m sure

Let’s move forward."

have the

"Like never before…"

continued

forward motion, she murmured, "Van, you look

be sure to eat

his gaze to the side

in mud after a

What’s your

"Plan?"

slow to

plans once we leave the forest? Where will you

continue my travels and

go to the police station when I can no longer walk and beg them to take

with a

"Shelia."

up his mind after staring at Shelia

"What’s the problem?"

come with me after we get

my grandma will like you, I will defend you if she doesn’t like

can count

want me to

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

was concerned that Shelia might

a while before asking, "Are you

"No, I’m not.

to treat you the

Victor convinced her.

smiled

we get out of the

"Sure."

from

horizon, basking the

on the bodies of Victor

walking since high noon and now, the sun was

when they saw a relatively

we’re out of

local villagers if we walk a

We can…"

could finish her sentence,

She was confused.

looked at Victor, wanting to know why he

"Van?"

expect you to come

Shelia looked for the source

were

them

could feel right away that they were

to shield Victor, who in turn

off Norton, watching his every

Shelia could hear, Victor said, "Run into the

lost even when

our way out of the

you can

"And then?"

her eyebrows

looked straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

mobile phone from them, and call

knew that Norton didn’t

play a game with Victor by throwing

felt that if he couldn’t escape this

Shelia a family, bring her back to

could not fulfill the promise

hand, Victor wrote a phone number

number once you get hold of a mobile

he whispered.

my grandmother’s

pick

down

respond, Victor looked

"No."

her

were a little

don’t want to remember the number, nor do I

be a

Victor frowned.

was so anxious that he coughed violently as soon

remained adamant and clenched

just didn’t want to spread her palm and let Victor write the

about, he could tell that

sneer, he said, "Tut, tut,

for each other!

tensed up when saw

intuitively pulled Sheila

injured and keeping himself

would be hard for him to fight

walked up

and Shelia stepped

Norton pulled Shelia

was too fast for

"Let her go!"

kept a firm grip on

hearing vexation

know you look

wiped the mud on Shelia’s face with his

incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed over and

his tracks when

that Norton pressed against

out a

"No."

"What are you saying?"

contemptuous tone and gave Victor a mocking

he had difficulty in

and tried to steady

you want

has nothing to do

So, let her go!"

This is so

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want to let her

don’t where she comes from but I find

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

red eyes, Victor

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

body was tensed

out blood and beg for

you can

kept his mocking smile

eyes narrowed in anger

you

you are

Shelia swallowed.

a sense of accomplishment by

in you to

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to

knew that she was provoking

make Norton’s hackles rise and the man would

Norton was indeed angry.

looked fierce, but he kept his voice

like you

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help you

Norton said, laughing derisively.

to his men and instructed them,

and asked anxiously, "What are

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared

men did as

hands and feet bound, Shelia was taken to one

made to ride a

where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor Woke

was

inundated Shelia, making her choke

the blue veins on

gritted his teeth and yelled, "Let her

of the gushing water, Shelia had difficulty

Victor

the moment she opened her mouth, she

enough, her eyes became

exasperated expression on Victor’s face,

strong but he was useless in this kind of

making me laugh,

you think that I’m a good man? Why the hell should I

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

the sake of you wanting to save her so

some good in me, huh? What do

just glare

it took to

Shelia, who was in the middle of the river, Norton squinted his eyes and snapped his

him appeared and

up and looked at Victor with

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the weakest among my

killed two people, and the one on the right has killed

brief pause, Norton continued, "You want to save her,

men who had been holding Victor’s arms let go

with his thumb and warned, "But of course, you have to

these two before

say goodbye to

moment she’s washed away, I’m afraid that you won’t even find her

Victor didn’t care about

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

most

course, even his weakest subordinates should be strong as

Victor was currently badly

he might not even be able to defeat one of the two

and burly men that could easily

at a

Victor rushed over to them, the two men punched Victor right in his abdomen one after another, and hit his back with

As soon as he was hit, Victor

left him, and he eventually

pain of his bones being broken scattered all over his body, making him feel somewhat

Victor’s face looked

stand, not ready to give

could even get back on his feet,

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

a mouthful of blood, and a tooth also

Victor’s

still managed to fix his eyes on the rope, which was only a few steps away from

matter how

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

so he was willing

much as his mind wanted to go on, his body couldn’t keep up any

back to the

Victor was somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling on

eyes, but his vision was

there on the ground, watching

help but wonder if

recovered yet, so he thought that he

soon enough, the sharp pain that pierced every inch of his body

to stand up, but he couldn’t move

little bit,

head to look at the river, only to find that there was nothing in it

no trace of

"Ahem!"

coughed violently, spurting out

soil and opened his eyes as wide

at the river expectantly, as if he was waiting for something to

for

even know

found the person he had been

head from the

the excruciating pain he was

lost

woke up again, he was

found him near the

him lasted for two days

was found out that Victor had fractures

his chest and lungs were inflamed, and

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

an oxygen mask and struggled

of danger yet, but all he cared about was

was, but she could sense that she must be a very important person due to his concern for

dare delay to send people to search for Shelia along the

search lasted for seven days,

passed and there was still

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

covered with mud, but one could easily

later, Victor

he did after fully

the King of Hearts card in a box and buried it

nothing on the marble tombstone aside from

even Shelia’s

the second year of Victor’s recovery, while Karl was

the hospital,

It was also in that year that Carolyn sent

finished his studies

companies under the control of the

these companies from a very

ability,

At this time, Roger entered the ward

her sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a bowl of porridge, and

eat

had been eating porridge for about half a

he couldn’t even stand the smell of

choice but to

she said, "Eat it again when

stuck his tongue out, not intending to

the door, so he politely greeted,

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

kid gradually got

him was that Roger would bring some snacks when

could at least

course, Joey could only

turned around

say that

advance to ask her if she wanted to

would say no every time, he would still

that he had an important

still visit, it would probably

I

a moment before finally

furrowed her

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

The operation done to Victor

room opened and closed for several times as doctors went

do anything but wait outside until

on the fourth day since the operation began, the indicator light

the surgery

saved, but he wasn’t completely

wheeled to

until two days ago that his vital signs

to be transferred to the

he was still in

field to

wasn’t what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

his old wounds had healed,

new injuries just made

that only

you at least tell us

in a gloomy

can’t say that

but frown as he made things

may be blunt,

a chance that he’ll never wake up? Is he going to become a vegetable for the rest of

was

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

was the first

that Rachel had the

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

and there were dark

down to tell Rachel

Rachel heard the tragic news, her

she had already prepared herself for

was a bit

when she

a coma

might have

outside the operating room for 70 hours before

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

You can’t smoke here."

he regained his senses, Carson put out the

expression, he didn’t bother

changed the subject and asked,

"Joey? He’s fine.

him up yesterday and said that

that his plaster will be removed ahead of

head and peeped through the glass panel on the

Joey sleeping soundly

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

then, I’m

turned around

he really just visited to tell Rachel about the doctor’s diagnosis

from that, he had

an eye,

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

Joey’s ward almost twenty-four hours a

the same time, Carson didn’t show his face to

from an expert, she was also

now, Roger broke the news that Victor had miraculously woke up from

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

at Roger for a long time without being able to speak

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

to

pressed her

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

want to see

was Joey, pleading

Victor

up in the hospital, he actually had

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

found out the truth, Rachel

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

smiled and

Isn’t daddy bad? They say

we don’t have to worry too much

at Joey’s bright eyes, she felt a lump in

few moments, she mustered her courage

"Yes, of course."

Joey had a good rest

Victor, as if

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

all inside him, but Rachel was aware that he missed Victor

"Okay…"

heart softened, and

ward was in the second

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

Rachel simply let him sit in

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

they reached the

the floor of

one patient at

approaching, he furrowed his

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

the first time I’ve seen you up

What brings you here?"

the document he was holding aside and raised

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking his

Why would you ask that? Do I look like someone who

those dark circles

"Dark circles?"

choked at

he picked up his phone, opened

realized that Joey was

eye bags were so big that

course, this was only

have a good sleep

a handsome young man, but even

"Ha-ha!"

laugh after seeing the upset look on

laughter, Carson realized that he was

his head, Carson stepped forward and pinched Joey’s face

"You, brat.

you tease your godfather? You have guts,

said that you are my

have no opinion

and I grew up

We are best friends.

one who

how I became

and crossed his arms in front of his

you, even if you don’t want it,

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

as he withdrew his

slightly low voice, "I also didn’t expect that I would

a fact that

change your attitude towards

but he

of the corner of his eye, Carson

composure and commented, "I see

I heard that Mr.Sullivan

with Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

didn’t plan to lose his composure just because of

"Oh, I see."

pointed at the room and said,

He is resting inside.

Cooperation Rachel looked at the

one knew what was going through

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

walked

her, pushing Joey’s

arms were placed over

was lost in thoughts

was about to sav something, Joey spoke before

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked

not standing very far

see him from the

his eyebrows as if he was giving Carson

at him, Joey turned his

need to use

overheard what Joey

I

"No!"

a very

serious look on

am a

so it wasn’t

that moment, they were no longer

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

reaction to Joey’s words, Rachel looked at both

it was Roger, then

to bother the former, Carson soon observed that

him to take Joey to

pay any attention to

phone and

to give Joey a thumbs

he was answering

Mr.Ramos! I have read the plan

talking, he headed

wasn’t very good

he was still holding it

at all! Rachel saw what just happened clearly and understood that it was all a

"It’s okay.

will take

He is actually right.

him to be taken to

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

heard those words, they

have been

few days, they got along

always in

known to her, she still

of things,

knew that it couldn’t be achieved

thinking about the night Rachel was standing outside the operating room where Victor was operated

Joey headed

some time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

a quick glance at the phone in

you through with

"What?"

sight and took a peek at his

appeared on his

am

My subordinates are too bad at

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

fake smile on

very good

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

of his nose and coughed

want

look through the

was

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

door open in no time and walked

doctor said Victor would lie in the bed for two

to undergo half

came

in a

"Get out of here!"

interrupted

in a suit coming out of the

He looked dejected.

a document in his

Rachel and Carson as soon as he came

at first, then his face

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung around the

It was quite noticeable.

an employee of the Sullivan Group and the director of the

about what just happened

could tell from the man’s expression that

Her attention was drawn to the name on the work

was what really

She turned to Carson.

back at her, she raised

"Well, this is Troy.

of the Sullivan Group’s project

what she meant by just looking at

a

were so many surnames in

he had to choose

recognized who

and mentioned her

"Miss Bennet."

nodded her head slightly

forehead was

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

Miss Bennet, I’m going back

waved his hand and said, "Very well

should do that

went out of

looked at the door

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

as

and can work

to the door and

leaned against

follow Rachel

reading some document when

he didn’t raise his head and say coldly, "Get

cast her gaze on

was in a hospital

his face was pale despite the fact that he lowered his

and looked rather

room for more than seventy hours half a month

was so entranced that she walked towards the

asked you to

the footsteps, his

up at the person who was walking

in his usual cold and stiff tone,

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

around, I figured it wouldn’t bode well

"The dance is over.

to

I reminded him.

loosened his grip on

steps back to distance

could still feel the warmth of his touch on

blushed and i felt rather

my heart

moment, it felt like I

days with him were the happiest time of my

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

down, feeling conflicted

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached

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

and

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

Elena came to

waiting for you on

to go upstairs and

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when

mysterious smile appeared on

followed her to the deck on the second

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

were also numerous balloons

eyes widened

this whole scene was

surprise?’ I had no idea who had prepared

mind was Charles, but I quickly

smile appeared on my lips, and somehow, I

had never spent this much effort on me, and yet I still

joy of receiving this birthday

stood on the second floor, I stared at the night

was tranquil, and yet

sea breeze, I felt even

display lit up the sky, forming the words "Marry

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

sounded like a

I covered

squatted on the ground and

and i felt like my blood

at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing through my

out of breath I felt

panic attack, a pair of strong arms

I’m here."

from above me,

It was Charles.

tears burst from my eyes,

to be scared ever