My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire

Pleasantly surprised, Janet looked up from her phone and sneered at the HR staff.

Then she began to type out her reply to Brandon.

"Miss Lind, please sign on the resignation notice,"

the staff member said through gritted teeth.

She grew angrier when she saw that Janet began to tinker with her phone.

Ignoring her, Janet texted Brandon back.

"Are you serious, Mr.Larson? What did you find?"

The message from Brandon was a godsend.

She was just about to accept the fact that the Larson Group had given up on her.

Brandon replied with a long message.

"Upon investigating the matter, we found out that Lester Silk Fabric took over the platform recently.

Luna didn’t upload the design drafts a year ago, but a few days ago.

The data was tampered with.

Lester Silk Fabric used their connections and managed to get to your works before the show officially began.

They asked Luna to make a collection based on your works and posted them on the platform.

They tampered with the date and time stamp of the post to frame you for plagiarism."

Janet had already guessed that it was Lester Silk Fabric behind this, but she had no idea how they did it.

"How did you find that out?"

The platform was now owned by Lester Silk Fabric.

How could they have let Brandon investigate them? "We have tech guys here.

They were the ones who found evidence of them tampering with the platform’s database.

Even if they had altered the original date of uploading, our tech guys were able to retrieve it.

We also have a video confession of the staff who tampered with the data."

Brandon’s words lifted a weight off of Janet’s heart.

He sent two videos to Janet and said, "We’ve done what we could.

You should be able to take it from here now, right?"

All of a sudden, Janet felt a surge of energy.

She stood up with a confident smile and said to the HR staff member, "I didn’t do anything wrong and I knew that the company won’t fire me because of some groundless accusation!"

As she spoke, she tucked her phone away.

The staff member gritted her teeth and glared at her angrily.

"Janet Lind, you plagiarized someone else’s work yet you feel no shame?"

Janet ignored her.

She turned around and left without looking back.

******* Tiffany looked up in surprise when Janet entered her office.

"What’s up, Lind?"

"Miss Fisher, can I have Ritchie Lester’s number?"

Janet asked politely.

In Tiffany’s eyes, she looked inexplicably relaxed, as though her career wasn’t in danger.

Tiffany looked at her warily and then nodded slowly.

"I have his number, but may I ask why you need it?"

"I want to call him and apologize,"

Janet answered simply.

"Lind, are you crazy? Go back to work.

You didn’t plagiarize anything, so keep a low profile for now.

There are enough discussions about you already,"

Tiffany scolded.

After saying that, she lowered her head and continued to work.

But Janet stayed glued to the spot, staring at her with fierce determination.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Tiffany relented and held up Ritchie’s business card.

She said in a resigned tone, "I don’t know what you’re up to, but I hope you know what you’re doing."

Janet reached for the card with a bright smile.

Of course she knew what she was doing.

That evening, Ritchie received a call from an unknown number.

"Mr.Lester, this is Janet Lind from the Larson Group.

After giving it some thought, I want to apologize in public,"

Janet said, her voice as sweet as honey.

When Ritchie heard this, he was surprised.

Then, he sneered.

He was under the impression that Ethan’s wife was a stubborn woman, but it turned out he was wrong about her.

Janet had given up so soon.

"You’re scared, aren’t you?"

With a smug smile on his face, Ritchie smirked.

"Come to Lester Silk Fabric tomorrow.

You can apologize there in person."

Chapter 318Press Conference Ritchie had a devious grin on his face when he hung up the phone.

"Call all the designers under Lester Silk Fabric and the people in charge of the fashion week,"

he barked at his secretary.

"I want them here tomorrow.

Call some famous personalities in the fashion industry as well.

We need people in authority for the event."

The secretary nodded respectfully.

He was about to leave when Ritchie stopped him in his tracks.

"Where the hell are you going? I’m not finished yet.

Get your ass back here."

The poor man scurred back, cursing his boss in his mind.

ver "Invite every media outlet in Seacisco, especially the ones that prioritize viewership over anything.

And make sure to tell them to hype up the event as much as they can!"

Ritchie sat back on his chair as his plan began to take shape.

"Get the biggest function hall for the press conference.

I want hundreds of people to be there.

Oh, and don’t forget to arrange for a live stream, too.

Contact our usual sponsors and tell them their products will be displayed throughout the feed.

We might as well make some money while we’re at it.

And remember-our main goal is to discredit Janet and end her fashion career for good."

1 Another evil grin spread on Ritchie’s face.

He wanted to screw that woman over so badly that she could never get back on her feet again.

The secretary pursed his lips and jotted every detail down.

This time, he made sure that his boss was finished before leaving the office.

The sun shone bright and early the next day.

Just as planned, the press conference was held at the largest meeting hall in Lester Silk Fabric.

Cameras littered all around the room, squeezed in among the throng of people who came to watch the spectacle.

Even as she swept a glance over the crowd, Janet didn’t feel panicked in the slightest.

"It looks like the Lester Silk Fabric really wants to do you in,"

Tiffany remarked from beside her.

She turned to look Janet in the eye.

"You’re not just going to stand there and let yourself be bullied in public, are you? What’s your plan?"

A faint smile appeared on Janet’s lips.

"You’ll find out soon enough.

Don’t worry.

I’m not particularly inclined to suffer any misplaced grievances, either."

With that, she walked onto the stage, all calm and grace.

The room finally settled down as Janet took her place.

Without wasting her time, she whipped out a flash drive and held it up for all to see.

"Sorry for taking up your time, everyone.

In order to convey my sincerity more properly, I have prepared a couple of videos for today’s press conference."

From a distance, Ritchie frowned and narrowed his eyes.

He could sense that something wasn’t right.

Why was Janet so composed in such a situation? If anything, she should be mortified and humiliated right now, especially in front of all these people.

What was she up to? He leaned over to his secretary and asked in a hushed voice, "Did she find something?"

"She can’t have,"

the other man replied confidently.

"We’ve taken care to sweep everything.

All the evidence has been locked away.

I think she’s just bluffing."

At this point, Janet had already plugged the drive to a computer, and one of the videos was playing on the widescreen Ritchie’s eyes widened like saucers as they watched an employee of Lester Silk Fabric tampering with the time stamp on the website.

The scene changed, and this time, the same man was sobbing hysterically as he divulged what he had done.

n The clips ended, and a deafening silence fell in the room.

Janet took the microphone and said, "As you can see, this is what really happened.

Lester Silk Fabric managed to get hold of my designs prior to the show.

After that, one of their designers, Luna Mccoy, posted my entire portfolio online and edited the details to make it look like she was the original designer.

There is your truth.

Once again, I thank each of you for coming to hear me out today.

If you have further questions, kindly direct them to Mr.Lester.

I’m sure he can give you better answers than I can."

She gave Ritchie a meaningful look, then, and gestured in his direction with a wave of her hand.

2 As soon as she did, the crowd burst into an uproar.Chapter 319 The Ensuing Drama Shocked, Ritchie cursed out loud, "Fuck that bitch!"

His secretary was also scared silly.

Glaring daggers at him, Ritchie was pissed off and kicked him in the ass.

Pointing his finger at the big screen, he cursed again, "What the fuck are you doing standing here for? Turn off the projector right now!"

The secretary stumbled to the stage and proceeded to turn it off.

Ritchie snorted, smoothed over his suit and made his way onto the stage.

This happened to be his territory, not Janet’s.

He lifted his chin and approached her, holding his head up high.

"Janet Lind, you better be careful with what you say.

As far as I can see, you were just making things up so that you can get yourself out of your predicament!"

As he said this, he turned his eyes from her and exclaimed, "Give yourself up.

Apologize right this moment! Don’t waste any more of our time here!"

W "Then why did you turn off the projector if I was, indeed, making things up? That’s a sign of guilt.

If you’re so sure of yourself, you should allow me to show everyone the proof.

I’m sure that everyone here is smart enough to tell if I actually made up the evidence or not,"

Janet smiled and said in a calm voice.

Ritchie was exasperated to hear that.

He clenched his teeth tightly and pointed his finger at the door.

"I thought you came here to apologize.

If you’re not going to do that, why don’t you leave this place immediately?!"

While smiling, Janet didn’t say a word.

Instead, she turned to the audience before her and said word by word, "Everyone should know the truth by now.

I’m going to sue Lester Silk Fabric for slandering my name."

After finishing her speech, she didn’t bother to argue with Ritchie anymore and went ahead to leave the stage.

This scene was live streamed and everyone saw for themselves what had happened.

Everyone in the room and the audience in the live stream room was shocked to say the least.

The audience began to discuss this amongst themselves.

Even though Janet had only played the videos once, the reporters had gone out of their way to record them.

"Mr.Lester, could you please offer an explanation for what happened just now?"

"Lester Silk Fabric and the Larson Group have been rivals for years now.

Was this why you decided to slander Miss Lind in this way? In order to taint the Larson Group’s name?"

"If your statement about Janet plagiarizing one of your designers’ pieces was true, is there any evidence to back up your statement?"

The reporters all turned to look at Ritchie and kept on asking him and Luna questions.

"Miss Mccoy, are you going to make a statement? After all, weren’t you the one who accused Miss Lind of plagiarism in the first place? What are your thoughts on the current situation?"

"Did Mr.Lester instruct you to do this?"

"Tell us, what’s the nature of the relationship between the two of you?"

Being ambushed by the reporters, Luna’s mind went blank and she felt very embarrassed.

She said frantically, "I have no idea.

Don’t ask me…"

Under the dazzling flashing lights of the cameras, Ritchie couldn’t even keep his eyes open.

He kept cursing out loud while pushing the reporters in front of him away and saying, "Get the hell out of my way! Turn off your damn lights! You’re blinding me!"

His secretary hurried to stop his curses.

If Ritchie’s father found out about this, he would be very angry.

Having been spoiled by the Lester family since he was a child, Ritchie happened to be very irritable at this moment.

Before he took over the company, his parents had to repeatedly remind him to control that temper of his His secretary cleared the way for him while speaking to the reporters.

"Please, sirs, madams, Mr.Lester can’t answer all of your questions right now.

We’ll announce on our official website if we have any comments."

Finally, Ritchie and the senior executives of Lester Silk Fabric were able to escape the madness of the room.

Chapter 320 Take The Blame When she got home, Janet kicked off her heels and collapsed into bed.

Now, she felt much better.

"It’s finally over!"

After resting for a while, she got up and turned on the computer.

She briskly posted the evidence on the forums Luna had posted to slander her before.

A few hours later, the forums came to life as users discussed this matter heatedly.

The dramatic turning-of-tables that had happened at the press briefing soon made headlines.

Related videos went viral on the Internet.

Suddenly, Janet’s phone started to ring.

It was Tiffany.

"Lind, I’m impressed.

Have you seen the comments on the post? Everyone’s calling you a warrior.

You really knocked them dead!"

"Oh, my God! Seriously?"

Janet moved her cursor to check the comments Tiffany was talking about.

She had been focused on the media’s reports until now and didn’t know what people were saying in the comments.

When Janet read the comments, she found that the video of her talking on the stage had been spread all over the Internet.

There was a lot of positive feedback.

"Wow.

Heart.

Heart.

She’s so elegant and generous! And a fierce warrior too!"

"She’s a lovely girl.

Such a polite and beautiful goddess plagiarized someone else’s work? I doubt it!"

"She’s so pretty, I’d kiss her all day!"

"Even though I’m a girl, I want her!"

Janet buried her face in her hands, her cheeks blushing furiously.

She had never been praised by so many strangers in her life.

The next day, in the Lester Silk Fabric building… "Nonsense! These reports are all bullshit! How dare they call me rude?"

Furious, Ritchie started trashing his office.

He was in trouble, but there was nothing he could do.

In recent years, Lester Silk Fabric and the Larson Group had become two very high profile companies.

What with Janet’s fiasco, the media was having a field day.

In the span of just twenty-four hours, the reputation of Lester Silk Fabric was destroyed and its stock price.

plummeted.

"There’s nothing we can do to refute the evidence that Janet posted online.

What we can do now is to try our best to keep the news from spreading.

Mr.Lester, it was your idea to bring in more reporters there…"

the secretary reminded Ritchie in a trembling voice, picking up the documents Ritchie had thrown on the ground.

Ritchie glared at him, speechless.

He picked up another stack of papers from the table and threw them at the secretary’s face.

"I’m not an idiot.

You don’t need to remind me what I said."

Things didn’t end there.

Brandon sent people from the Larson Group’s legal department to help Janet file a lawsuit against Lester Silk Fabric.

The second they got the notice of the lawsuit, Lester Silk Fabric responded quickly and held a press conference in the afternoon.

Luna expressionlessly read a script in front of countless reporters, her face pale as a ghost under the limelight.

"I admit that I peeked at Janet Lind’s work before the show started.

Then I bribed an employee to tamper with the upload date on the database.

I falsely accused her of plagiarizing my work, and I did all this to gain fame and attention.

I am responsible for all of this.

My actions have nothing to do with Lester Silk Fabric."

In the Larson Group, Janet stopped the video on her phone and sighed.

"No class! Lester Silk Fabric made an ordinary employee take the fall!"

Chapter 321 Ask Brandon Out For Dinner Gerda clicked her tongue unhappily.

"Everyone knows they’re using Luna as a scapegoat.

She’s just an ordinary employee.

How on earth could she manage to do all of this? Lester Silk Fabric is really heartless."

The other designers had also seen the video circulating the Internet.

They began to discuss in hushed voices, but the general consensus was that Lester Silk Fabric was a cold blooded company.

Janet pulled her chair and sat down.

There was no point in dwelling on it now that things had been settled.

"I can’t say I’m surprised.

Now that Luna has taken the blame, we can’t do anything to Lester Silk Fabric."

"And what about those designs? Are they really not gonna put them back on the show?"

Gerda puffed out her chest indignantly Janet smiled at her colleague gently.

"It doesn’t matter.

Look on the bright side.

I have gained considerable fame because of everything that’s happened.

Now, all eyes are on my work."

In the end, Luna was put behind bars.

And Janet had become an online celebrity.

Many people now knew her name and saw her designs.

Some even paid for it.

When the dust settled, Janet poured all her energy into her work.

She had been so busy with this matter the past few days, so now she could finally focus on other things.

"By the way, Lind, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.

How’d you get the evidence?"

Gerda was talking about the videos that Janet had posted on the Internet, which had amassed more than a million views.

Janet froze.

After a few seconds, she broke into a smile and waved her hand dismissively.

"A very capable friend helped me get them."

Gerda nudged her arm and asked curiously, "What friend? A boyfriend perhaps?"

Janet’s eyes twinkled.

"It’s a secret.

Gerda, is it just me or do you have a lot of time on your hands? Have you finished your design for this month? Don’t come running to me again when the deadline approaches."

"Ah! My God! I still have thirty-four drawings to finish!"

Gerda scratched her head and hurried back to her desk.

Janet couldn’t help but chuckle.

Suddenly, she thought of the tall and straight back of Brandon.

Now that she thought about it, she realized that Lester Silk Fabric had gone through all this trouble just to set her up.

It must have cost Brandon a lot to get his hands on the evidence.

Janet couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

Brandon had helped her countless times, but she hadn’t really ever met him in person.

She owed Brandon too much and she doubted she could ever repay him.

After thinking about it for a long time, Janet finally plucked up the courage to send a message to Brandon.

"Mr.Larson, would you be willing to let me treat you to dinner? You’ve helped me a lot and I’d like to express my gratitude somehow."

2 After hitting send, Janet put down her phone and wrung her hands nervously.

The chairman of the Larson Group had probably tasted all the splendid dishes this world had to offer.

But it was a token of her appreciation.Chapter 322 A Warning At the CEO’s office of the Larson Group.

The Larson Group’s stock price had fluctuated over the past few days.

Now that the situation was favorable for the Larson Group and its stock price had more than recovered, Ethan decided to seize the opportunity to put more pressure on the Lester Silk Fabric.

Garrett hadn’t slept properly in the past three days, dealing with the bad press: He was yawning sleepily when Ethan’s phone pinged.

"Someone texted you."

When he saw the name on Ethan’s phone’s screen, Garrett snickered.

"It seems your wife’s missing you."

Ethan smacked Garrett on the back of the head and grabbed the phone.

Instantly, his expression darkened when he read the text.

"What is it? Why’s your face like that?"

Garrett asked seriously, the smile wiped from his face.

"Janet’s asking Brandon out for dinner."

Ethan put his phone down and sighed.

"If I refuse, she’ll be very disappointed."

Garrett leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Yeah.

You can’t have dinner with Janet without her seeing your face.

Last time, when you and Janet went to the company’s masquerade ball, you almost exposed yourself.

It’d be unwise to take such a risk again.

It’s not good for my heart either,"

he sighed.

Ethan frowned and started typing out a brisk reply.

"Thank you, but there’s no need for you to treat me to dinner.

You’re an employee of the Larson Group.

I helped you to protect the reputation of the company."

Janet read his message and quickly replied, "But Mr.Larson, you could’ve just dismissed me."

"If I dismiss any employee when something like this comes up, how will we keep the talented ones? Keep up the good work.

That’s thanks enough, Miss Lind,"

Ethan replied politely, keeping things professional.

1 He had deliberately distanced Brandon from her ever since what happened last time.

He didn’t want her to suspect him of anything Reading his reply, Janet had no choice but to give up.

Ethan put down his phone, kicked the sofa Garrett was lying down on, and said, "I want you to relocate the one who had tried to force Janet to resign.

Transfer her to a subsidiary company.

Then, bring Charis here."

Garrett was just about to take a nap.

Hearing Ethan’s orders, he helplessly peeled his eyes open and stood up from the sofa.

He muttered under his breath, "This job will definitely be the death of me."

Charis had expected that Ethan would want to have a talk with her, but when she received the notice, her heart still skipped a beat.

"Why did you want to dismiss Janet?"

Ethan asked in a low voice.

He shoved his hands into the pocket of his slacks, and the light from the window elongated his shadow on the floor.

"I just wanted to protect the company name,"

Charis answered defensively.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at her coldly.

"From now on, I’ll take care of all matters related to Janet.

No one other than me.

Understood?"

Ethan’s cold voice sent a shiver down Charis’s spine.

She winced and smiled bitterly, as though she had been wronged.

"I see how it is.

You don’t trust me now? Brandon, I don’t have any ulterior motives, I swear.

Ethan had already noticed that something was wrong with Charis.

He never brought it up before because he didn’t want her to look bad.

She and her family had always valued their image.

"I’m just warning you not to act against Janet.

Otherwise, don’t blame me if I disregard our long term friendship."

Chapter 323 A Long Forgotten Name After a moment’s silence, Charis said in a low voice, "I see."

Charis was a dignified woman.

Before Ethan could say anything more, she turned around and walked out of his office, As soon as the door closed behind her, tears welled up in her eyes..

Ever since they first met, Brandon had never said such harsh words to her before, nor had he looked at her with such cold eyes.

She hadn’t cried in years.

The last time was when she said goodbye to Brandon before going abroad.

She had been reluctant to leave him.

But now, she felt bad about Brandon’s attitude towards her.

She and Brandon had worked together for years.

They had shared the company’s ups and downs.

But all of a sudden, with Janet now in the picture, Brandon suddenly was ruthless towards her.

Tears rolled down Charis’s cheeks as she realized just how important Janet was to Brandon.

The hot tears dripped from her chin to the carpeted floor.

"I met Brandon first,"

Charis muttered through gritted teeth.

Charis didn’t like to be candid with her shrewdness.

The reason why she had tried to fire Janet was to win Brandon’s heart.

In Charis’s eyes, Janet wasn’t good enough for him.

But now that Brandon had taken a liking to her, Charis figured he would deeply fall in love with her and she would eventually lose him for good.

Thinking of this, Charis was more determined than ever to separate Janet and Brandon..

But she couldn’t act as overtly as before.

Brandon had just warned her not to interfere with Janet’s work ever again.

She had to be more careful now.

On the other side… After Janet got off work, she went home, only to find that Ethan had come home early today.

"Oh, the workaholic is back! I’m surprised you still remember the way home!"

Janet’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

Looking at the man who was busy cooking in the kitchen, she was not happy.

After all, she hadn’t seen Ethan for two or three days.

That was because Ethan had been busy dealing with the plagiarism issue the past few days.

But he couldn’t tell her this.

While cracking the eggs into a bowl, he found an excuse.

"When I crossed Ritchie’s path, he made a lot of trouble.

The manager of the shop at work fired me.

I’ve been working part time the past few days while looking for a stable job."

Then, he paused and said sincerely, "I’m sorry that I haven’t been here for you these days."

In fact, there was some truth to his story.

Ritchie had indeed caused him a lot trouble after all.

Hearing this, Janet’s heart immediately softened.

She walked over to help him with the vegetables.

"So, what happened? You didn’t tell me the truth.

I was worried something bad happened to you."

"The problem’s been solved.

Don’t worry,"

Ethan said with a reassuring smile.

That much was true.

Ethan had really solved the problem that had been plaguing them the past few days.

"Your brother is really hard to deal with."

Janet pouted like a child.

After transferring the egg into the pan, Ethan turned and his eyes landed on Janet’s earlobe.

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he gulped.

"How about having dinner and then a little bit of exercise to unwina: "What kind of exercise?"

Janet looked up at Ethan curiously.

Almost immediately, she saw the lust in his eyes.

His face was so beautiful.

It was as though God had chiseled his face to perfection.

His eyes stared deep into hers, filled with burning desire.

Janet’s face turned as red as a tomato.

She quickly lowered her head and said shyly, "You’re so naughty!"

Then she focused on chopping the vegetables.

Amused, Ethan patted her on the head affectionately.

He really liked it when she blushed.

He could feel that she liked him, but she always pretended to refuse him.

He had to admit it really turned him on.

But the romantic atmosphere was instantly soiled by the sound of the phone ringing.

"Keep an eye on the eggs, okay? Don’t let them burn."

Ethan stroked Janet’s hair.

Then, he took off his apron and walked to the living room to pick up his phone.

A long forgotten name appeared on the screen.

It was Patrick Lester.

Chapter 324 Nora’s Birthday Ethan pursed his lips.

He glanced back at the kitchen at Janet, then opened the glass door to step out onto the balcony He was a little surprised to see that Patrick was calling him.

It was winter and the cold wind was unforgiving.

Ethan stood on the balcony, letting the wind blow his hair.

"Why on earth are you answering the phone outside? Isn’t it cold out there?"

Janet’s voice broke the silence.

Ethan was lost in his thoughts and didn’t notice when Janet slid the door open and poked her head out.

Narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously, she looked at the phone in Ethan’s hand.

He was answering the phone out on the balcony again.

Was it Charis calling again? "It’s Patrick Lester."

Amused by the quirky expression on her face, he pulled her into his arms and finally answered the phone.

"Ethan, why the hell did you keep me waiting?"

Patrick’s irritated voice came from the other end of the line.

"I was busy just now,"

Ethan simply replied.

Patrick didn’t give a damn about whatever Ethan was up to.

There was something he needed to talk about with Ethan, so he went straight to the point.

"Your grandma’s birthday is coming up and we’re throwing her a party.

She wants you and your wife here."

Without waiting for Ethan’s response, he hung up abruptly.

— – Janet had overheard Patrick’s loud voice.

She looked up at Ethan and asked hesitantly, "So are we going?"

Ethan held her tighter and sighed.

"We are.

Patrick seldom summons me.

There’ll be nothing but trouble if we disobey him.

Besides, I haven’t seen my grandma in a very long time.

It’s only right that I be there on her birthday."

Janet smiled at him sweetly.

"I can tell that you’re fond of her."

It was true that Ethan’s expression softened when he spoke of his grandmother.

Nora Lester, Ethan’s grandma, was a distant relative of the Larson family.

She had known Ethan’s mother when she was a girl.

Although she didn’t approve of what Patrick had done, she couldn’t do anything about her son’s decisions.

She had always felt sorry for Ethan and used to secretly send him money.

She was the only Lester who ever cared about Ethan.

Thinking of this, Ethan rested his chin on the top of Janet’s head.

"She’s a kind lady,"

he said calmly.

time since they last

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her

thought occurred to

"The eggs! I forgot all about

and ran to

Ethan followed behind her.

stared at Janet, who was extremely

you to keep an eye

he gently pulled her to the side while he cleaned up the mess

stood in the corner, restlessly watching

"I’m sorry.

were talking to Charis, so I rushed

Ethan had guessed this.

raised his

"It’s my fault.

give you

he spread out his arms and

obeyed and leaned her face

she

I just got him

has a huge grudge against

In Order To Survive Shelia didn’t notice what was

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

don’t want to

being a

at her, Victor said nothing, and silently retracted the knife he was hiding behind

that Shelia didn’t

some fruits and poured

definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

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

more for

the meat, Shelia smiled

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

and

on high alert right then, watching Shelia

an easy-going person, this didn’t mean

had thought that Victor had

she knew she

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead

to look away and placed the meat

roast the rest

Shelia nodded and said, "Okay,

took a bite out of

for some time, she furrowed her

really hard to

not cooked fully

just now must be the

you tell me?

Victor didn’t say a word and

meat aside, Shelia turned around and

you smiling? Van, you did this

Victor never even realized that he

hand and gently touched the corner

to roast the meat

have gone a

and get

not tired at

just sit right

under her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit

you’re good at cooking meat, aren’t you? Did you

to survive in

in a

"Survive in the wildness?"

was the very first time that Shelia had ever heard

go out of your

also crushed some fruits and poured the juice over the

a knife

what Shelia asked,

a while, he said, "I have

fact, Victor knew the

because he wanted to be prepared in case of

under ner protection, Victor would find himself in danger

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

"Alright."

Shelia continued to focus her gaze

eye, Victor caught a glimpse of Shelia’s profile and the dust

out a hand to wipe off

startled and turned to look at Victor with

into Shelia’s eyes, he

looked away, and explained, "Your nose has dirt on

"Is that so?"

ahead to rub her nose with

about now?

"No,"

said, glancing over

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

what else did you learn other than roasting meat? I want

Can you teach me?"

want to learn

"In order to survive."

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

shelia said casually.

Victor felt sad upon

the meat ready to be flipped?

Shelia pointed out.

by Shelia, Victor saw a small burn on

over while he was still thinking about

.

second thoughts about whether or not to ask her

all, Shelia’s

other hand, didn’t

asked, "Will you

"Hmm,"

after

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she broke

dimples, meanwhile, became

Victor nodded, "Okay."

broadly as she said, "Thanks

ever encountered,

"Orphanage?"

That’s where

over and the old

clouded as she spoke

was a wonderful

she prepared great meals

orphan…’ Victor pursed his

guardian was needed to look after you since the orphanage

didn’t you leave with the other

up at Victor and answered,

home Shelia had known for

okay with you

head,

desperate to visit her tomb, so I

unknown to them,

dingy

that had been scattered by the trees

placed her hands behind her head, her lips

with disappointment as she

to visit

what keeps you

people

me if I go

that I have

when I meet her again in

said, blinking her

fixed on Shelia

you, Van, it would be more than likely that she would

had a soft spot in her heart

that I was a

didn’t seem appropriate to use

Victor concluded that

an apt description of

"Since she was responsible for your

was unable to communicate since she was deaf, mute,

to us by

poker card was

pocket as if it were a treasure and presented

each kid was

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

the card–the King of

I get the best

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

card and said, "I am the

toasting

the meat

all set to

Eat, please."

from her gut

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

meat i

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after a good

she rose to her feet,

when Shelia

"Come on, get up."

and after a little pause, he took

Shelia used a dart to put marks on

lost track of time as they

sun had cooled

down on a stone and

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

get out before the

drank some water as

and he was

said incoherently, "I’m

Let’s move forward."

have the

"Like never before…"

and continued

forward motion, she murmured,

you return, be sure

gaze to the side of her

covered in mud after a

you? What’s your

"Plan?"

slow to

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

continue my travels and explore

can no longer walk and beg them to

with a

"Shelia."

up his mind after staring at Shelia for

"What’s the problem?"

after we get

you, I will defend you if she doesn’t

can count on

want me to come

with you? If you don’t want

that

a while before asking,

"No, I’m not.

promise to treat you the best I

Victor convinced her.

and smiled

agree when we get out of

"Sure."

moment they emerged from the woods, though, everything

started to disappear below the horizon, basking the forest in

light glimmered on the bodies of Victor and

high noon and now, the

when they saw

out of the

if

We can…"

her sentence, she saw Victor

She was confused.

looked at Victor, wanting to know why he

"Van?"

didn’t expect you to

Shelia looked for the source of the

were parked

stood at the front, looking at them intently as he

right away that they were Victor’s

moved to shield Victor, who in turn

didn’t take his eyes off

a voice that only Shelia could hear, Victor said, "Run

get lost even when it gets

out of

these marks and you can

"And then?"

asked, her

straight

"Walk along this road.

borrow a mobile phone

that Norton didn’t intend

game with Victor by throwing him into the

he couldn’t escape this predicament, Shelia

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

not fulfill the promise he made in

wrote a phone number on her palm with his

the number once you get

he whispered.

is my grandmother’s

and she will pick you up wherever

just looked down

Victor looked at

"No."

pulled her

eyes were a

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

be a

Victor frowned.

was so anxious that he coughed violently as soon as

and

her palm and let

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

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

for each other! I’m so

tensed up when saw Norton

intuitively pulled Sheila

was seriously injured and keeping himself

would be hard for

walked up

Shelia stepped

Norton pulled

too fast for Victor

"Let her go!"

firm

in hearing

you

said as he wiped the mud on Shelia’s face with his

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

his tracks when something

that

a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

tone and gave Victor a mocking smile, pretending not to

he had difficulty

clenched his fist and tried

you want is my

nothing to do

So, let her go!"

This

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want to let her

from but I find your reaction quite

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

eyes, Victor

pressed against her neck, all Shelia could do was

body was

saw Victor spat out blood and beg for mercy, she scoffed

that all you

his mocking smile plastered on

his eyes narrowed in anger when

did you just

said you

Shelia swallowed.

sense of accomplishment

have in you

So, cut the crap.

to kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

desperately tried

that she was provoking

Shelia would make Norton’s hackles rise and

Norton was indeed angry.

his voice in

you really

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

men and instructed them,

asked anxiously, "What are you going

Norton didn’t answer.

glared

did as they

her hands and feet bound, Shelia was

to ride a

his brain thinking about where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor Woke Up "Ahem!

was flowing

soon as the water rushed over, it inundated Shelia, making her choke easily Victor saw how Shelia’s face became paler by the

blue veins on

gritted his teeth and yelled, "Let her

because of the gushing water, Shelia

actually wanted Victor to

the moment she opened her mouth, she was choked by

her eyes became

on Victor’s face, Norton

strong but he was useless in this

me

a good man? Why the hell should

rope, squatted down, and blew the

of you wanting to save

in me, huh? What do you

just

do whatever it

who was in the middle of the river, Norton

after, two men behind him appeared and stood between the rope

stood up and looked at Victor with a

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

the weakest among my

has only killed two people, and the one

continued, "You want to save

finished speaking, the two men who had been holding Victor’s arms let go of him and took a few

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

these two before the

goodbye

I’m afraid that

flame, Victor didn’t

quickly rushed up and fought against

and the most popular leader

his weakest subordinates should be strong as

Victor was currently badly

might not even be able to defeat one of the two weakest subordinates

of them were tall and burly men that could easily flip Victor

a doubt, Victor was at a disadvantage

right in his abdomen one after

As soon as he was hit,

was hit repeatedly, his strength left him, and he eventually knelt on

pain of his bones being broken scattered all over his

Victor’s face looked black with

stand,

get back on his feet, he saw

was still able to subconsciously use his arm to block it,

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

this point, Victor’s

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

matter how many injuries he

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

into this trouble, so he was willing to do

to go on, his body couldn’t

back to the ground and lost his

After some time, Victor was somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling

his eyes, but his vision

there on the

but wonder if

consciousness hadn’t fully recovered yet, so

every inch of his body made Victor realize that

up, but

his hands a little bit, grabbing the mud under his hands

his best, he turned his head to look at the river, only to find

no trace

"Ahem!"

violently, spurting

and opened his

as if he was

for

even know how much

found the person he had

raise her head from the river or come out

of blood and the excruciating pain he

lost

woke up again, he

found him near the

operation to rescue him lasted

it was found out that Victor had fractures in eight different body

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

woke up was ask Carolyn to send people to look for

wearing an oxygen mask and struggled

was not completely out of danger

that she must be a very important person

people to search

for seven days, but Shelia

passed and there was

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

but one could easily recognize that it

years later, Victor completely

after fully recovering was buy a

put the King of Hearts card in a box

was nothing on the marble tombstone aside from

even Shelia’s

of Victor’s recovery, while Karl was on a

to rush him to the hospital,

in that

two more years, he finished his studies

began taking over several small companies under the control of the Sullivan

time, Victor raised the sales of these companies from a

his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed over

Roger entered the ward

edge of the bed, holding a bowl of porridge, and

eat any

eating porridge

couldn’t even stand the smell of porridge

and had no choice but

it again when you get

his tongue out, not intending

standing at the door, so he politely greeted,

a month, Roger came to

the kid gradually

him was that Roger

too much, he could at least

only

Rachel turned around and was

that

he would send Rachel a message in advance to ask her if she wanted to eat something

would say no every time, he would still insist on getting

Roger asked, he said that he had an important

could still visit, it would probably be very late

initially, I couldn’t

Rachel, Roger hesitated for a moment before

furrowed her brows in

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

operation done to

of the operating room opened and closed for several

and Carson couldn’t do anything but wait outside until the procedure was

fourth day since the operation began,

the surgery was successfully

life was saved, but he wasn’t

he was wheeled to the

until two days ago that his vital

eligible to be transferred to

he was still in a

an expert in the field to check Victor’s condition and give

what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

old wounds had healed, they still had

his new injuries just

end, he said that only a miracle

tell us when he will wake

in a

afraid I can’t say

but frown as he made

if I may be blunt, please consider preparing for

a chance that he’ll never wake up? Is he going

this, it was obvious that

was a huge chance that this

and Lukas, Rachel was the first

that Rachel had

leaned against the wall outside Joey’s ward, holding

disoriented, and there were dark circles round

tell

tragic news,

she had already prepared herself

Carson was a bit

know when she

had been in a coma for about

it might have been even

there outside the operating room for 70 hours before the indication

cigarette in Carson’s hand and reminded him in

You can’t smoke here."

his senses, Carson put out

expression, he didn’t bother continue discussing about

then changed the subject and asked, "Anyway, how is the

"Joey? He’s fine.

yesterday and said that he has been

will be removed ahead of the initial

through the glass panel on the

sleeping soundly in the

he stretched for a

I’m

turned around

seemed that he really just visited to tell Rachel about the

he had nothing else

blink of an eye, two

made aware of Victor’s condition, Rachel

Joey’s ward

same time, Carson didn’t show his

the diagnosis came from an expert, she was also convinced that Victor would never

broke the news that Victor had miraculously woke

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

time without

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

want to

asked slowly This time, Rachel pressed her lips hard and

of nowhere, someone gently pulled her sleeve

I want

Joey, pleading in

the fact that Victor was in a coma after

up in the hospital, he

he found that Rachel had always been absent-minded and Victor

Rachel didn’t have the heart to

anything, nor did he pester Rachel to go

smiled

bad? They say

have to worry

Joey’s bright eyes, she

a few moments, she

"Yes, of course."

following two weeks, Joey had

as if there was nothing

of the night from time to time and look at the ceiling with his eyes

all inside him, but Rachel

"Okay…"

softened, and she

ward was in the second

was inconvenient for him to walk all the

Rachel simply let him sit in

him, and the three of them went to

enough, they reached

at the floor of the

turned out that the entire floor was a VIP ward, and there was only one patient at this time, Carson was sitting on the sofa in the

approaching, he furrowed his brows and eventually saw three

Victor had seen this scene, Carson knew that he

first time I’ve seen

What brings you here?"

set the document

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his

Beaten? Why would you ask that? Do I look like someone who will be beaten easily? Ha! I’m the one who beats others,

circles around your

"Dark circles?"

almost choked

phone, opened its front camera, and looked at his

that Joey

bags were so

course, this was only

a good sleep for

young man, but

"Ha-ha!"

after seeing the upset look on Carson’s

seemingly innocent laughter, Carson realized that

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

"You, brat.

you tease your godfather?

Who said that you are my godfather? I don’t

have no opinion

father and I grew up

We are best friends.

one

I

eyebrows and crossed his arms in front of his

for you, even if you don’t want it, that

tried to pull Carson’s hand away using his uninjured hand and said, "Humph!

his tongue as he withdrew his

in a slightly low voice, "I also didn’t expect that I would have a godson

I said, it’s a

you’d better change your attitude towards

but he stuck out his tongue at

his eye, Carson recognized

regain his composure and commented,

heard that Mr.Sullivan has woken

came here with Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

plan to lose his composure

"Oh, I see."

the room and

He is resting inside.

and see him."Chapter 466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at

one knew what was going through her

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

walked

followed her, pushing Joey’s

arms were placed

lost in thoughts for a

about to

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked at the

not standing very far

result, Joey could see him from

raised his eyebrows as if he was giving

at him, Joey turned his

I need to

overheard what

I take

"No!"

in a very

a serious look

am

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

moment, they were no longer in

for Rachel to take a boy to the ladies’ room,

reaction to Joey’s words,

Roger, then

want to bother the former, Carson soon observed that

she wanted him to take Joey to the

refused to pay any attention to

took out his phone and turned around as if nothing

give Joey a

like he was answering

Mr.Ramos! I have read the plan you sent

he headed towards the

very

lit up while he was still holding

that there was no call at all! Rachel saw what just happened clearly and understood that it was all a

"It’s okay.

will take Joey

He is actually right.

is very embarrassing for a boy like him

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

he heard those

Rachel ought to have been closer to him than she

days, they got

of them were always

best known to her, she still

of things,

knew that it couldn’t be

Rachel was

he and Joey headed

time, Carson came

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

glance at the phone in his

through with the phone

"What?"

and took a peek at his

smile appeared on

I am through

left with no choice! My subordinates are too

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake

very good

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

the tip of his nose and coughed to ease the

you want to go

her head in order to look through

was a

only the living room could be seen, and it was

Victor, Rachel pushed the door open in

said Victor would lie in the bed

has to undergo half a year’s rehabilitation

voice came from

is in a stable condition now,

"Get out of here!"

interrupted Carson’s

a man in a suit coming out of

He looked dejected.

a document in his

into Rachel and Carson as

was stunned at first, then his face

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung around

It was quite noticeable.

Sullivan Group and the director

need asking about what

could tell from the man’s expression that the project plan

driven out! Her attention was drawn to

surname was what really

She turned to Carson.

he looked back at her, she raised her eyebrows

"Well, this is Troy.

a member of the

she meant

was at a loss

so many

he had

who Rachel

bowed and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

her head slightly

forehead was covered

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

Bennet, I’m going back to the

waved his hand and said,

should do that

Troy went out of sight

looked at

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

doesn’t seem as bad as you

well and

door and pushed it

against the

didn’t follow

some document when he heard

his head

cast her gaze

was in

pale despite the fact

frowned and looked rather

the operating room for more than seventy hours half a month ago,

so entranced that she walked towards the

asked you to go

the footsteps, his

up at the person who was walking

speaking in his usual cold and stiff tone, he said softly, "Rachel, you are

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

around, I figured it wouldn’t

"The dance is over.

to

I reminded him.

still loosened his grip on

a few steps back

reason, I could still feel the warmth of his touch on my

blushed and i felt rather

heart

it felt like I had

the happiest time

as I reminisced, I knew that those days were long

looked down, feeling conflicted and

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached me and

behind me and began chatting with the guests with a smile on

my glass and taking a sip

had a few to drink and was starting

this time, Elena came

for you on

to go upstairs and take a look at

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when you

mysterious smile appeared on Elena’s

to the deck

bright red rose petals scattered across

also numerous

eyes widened

must say, this whole scene was picturesque and

I had no idea who

that came to mind was

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

on me, and

receiving this

stared at the night scene around

was tranquil, and

sea breeze, I felt even

a fireworks display lit up the sky,

sky,

like a

the noise, I covered

squatted on the ground and

trembling uncontrollably, and i felt

the abandoned warehouse kept flashing through

breath I felt so dizzy that I

pair of strong arms held

I’m here."

came from above me,

It was Charles.

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

to be scared