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.

been a long time since they last

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her teeth

a thought

I forgot

and ran

Ethan followed behind her.

was extremely flustered, and he couldn’t

you to keep an

pulled her to the side while he cleaned up the mess himself in the

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

"I’m sorry.

were talking to Charis, so I rushed to you and forgot I

Ethan had guessed this.

he raised his eyes to

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you

his arms

leaned her face against

about the invitation from Patrick, she murmured, "The Lesters

and I just got

probably has a huge grudge against

In Order To

a casual manner, flipped the meat over, and went

want to tell me,

just being

and silently retracted

Shelia

and poured the juice over the

this definitely could be

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

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

more

that Victor wasn’t going to take the meat, Shelia

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

assured and

high alert right then, watching

be an easy-going

thought that Victor had gotten

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

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead

look away

the rest for

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

took a bite out

some time, she furrowed her brows and stuck out her

really hard to

was not

you just now

didn’t you tell me?

didn’t say a word and

Shelia turned around

are you smiling? Van, you

Victor never even realized that he was

and gently touched the corner of

roast

gone

get some

tired at

just sit right

hands propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit

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

learned how to survive

spoke in a deep

"Survive in the wildness?"

that Shelia had ever heard of such

did you go out of

some fruits and poured

knife to

Shelia

a while, he said, "I have no

Victor knew the

wanted to be prepared in case

that even under ner protection,

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

"Alright."

Shelia continued to focus her

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

out a hand to wipe

and turned to look at Victor with

Victor looked straight into Shelia’s eyes, he

his hand, looked away, and explained, "Your

"Is that so?"

ahead to rub her nose with the

now? Is

"No,"

glancing over

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

learn other than roasting

Can you teach me?"

want to

"In order to survive."

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

shelia said casually.

sad upon hearing

meat ready to be flipped? It’s on the

Shelia pointed out.

a small burn on the meat’s exposed side when he

was still thinking about what she just

.

whether or not to

after all, Shelia’s

other hand, didn’t seem

you please

"Hmm,"

said after

"Is that a yes?"

glowed, and she broke into a

dimples, meanwhile, became much

Victor nodded, "Okay."

she said, "Thanks

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

"Orphanage?"

where

taken over and

clouded as

elderly woman was a wonderful

younger, she prepared great meals and

orphan…’ Victor pursed his

was needed to look after you since the

you leave

looked up at Victor and

Shelia

they okay with you being outdoors

her head,

I was desperate to visit her tomb, so I

remain unknown to them,

the dingy ground, Shelia lay down

been scattered by the trees and fallen to

behind her head, her lips

as she gazed up

to

keeps you from

people

if

no idea that I have

tell her my name when I meet her again in the

blinking her

fixed on Shelia and he

chance to see you, Van, it would be more than likely that she

had a soft spot in her heart for

I was

It didn’t seem appropriate to use this term

concluded that the

apt description of her features, particularly her

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

was unable to communicate since

to us by

a poker card was in

it were a treasure and presented it to

the orphanage, each kid was given

put them on the cards and let us take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’

at the

Did I get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

the card and said, "I am the only one

toasting as they

her the meat after he re-applied

set to

Eat, please."

growl came from her gut just after his

her stomach

It’s much better than the meat i made myself! Van,

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

after

she rose to her feet, she

was ready to rise when Shelia abruptly extended her hand to

"Come on, get up."

aback, and after a little pause, he took Shelia’s hand

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

of time as they

had cooled

sitting down on a stone and drank

sure how far we’ll have

can get out before the sun

drank some

exhausted after so much walking, and he was coughing up blood

"I’m sure

Let’s move forward."

have the

"Like never before…"

continued

forward motion, she murmured, "Van,

you return, be sure

his gaze to the side

mud after a day

you? What’s your

"Plan?"

slow to

plans once we leave the forest? Where will

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

police station when I can no longer walk

answered with

"Shelia."

mind after staring at

"What’s the problem?"

come with me after we get out of

sure my grandma will like you, I

can count

to

right with you? If you

that Shelia

before asking, "Are you joking

"No, I’m not.

promise to treat you the best

Victor convinced her.

and smiled at

agree when we get out

"Sure."

from the

the horizon, basking the forest in a

the bodies of Victor and

high noon and

was assuaged when they saw a

we’re out

meet local villagers if we walk a

We can…"

finish her sentence, she

She was confused.

looked at Victor, wanting to know

"Van?"

i didn’t expect you to

came, Shelia looked for the

three cars that were

front, looking at them intently as he

right away that

moved to shield Victor, who in turn stood

didn’t take his eyes off Norton,

Shelia could hear, Victor said,

won’t get lost even when it gets

we were finding our way out of the

marks and you can

"And then?"

her

straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

a mobile phone

Norton didn’t intend to let

to play a game with Victor

that if he couldn’t escape this predicament,

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

fulfill the promise he made in

Victor wrote a phone number on

you get hold of a mobile

he whispered.

my grandmother’s

pick you up wherever you

looked down at

Victor looked at her and asked

"No."

her hand

eyes were a

remember the

be a

Victor frowned.

was so anxious that he coughed violently

remained adamant and clenched her

spread her palm and let Victor

if Norton couldn’t hear what Victor and Shelia were talking about, he

he said, "Tut, tut, tut, this

strong feelings for each other! I’m so moved

when saw

intuitively pulled

seriously injured and keeping himself

for him to fight off

deliberately walked up to them

Shelia

with them, Norton pulled Shelia towards

fast for Victor

"Let her go!"

kept a firm grip on

found satisfaction in hearing vexation in

you

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

Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed

in his tracks when something silver flashed through his

was a knife that Norton pressed against

out a

"No."

"What are you saying?"

in a contemptuous tone and gave Victor a mocking smile, pretending not to hear what Victor had

that he had

clenched his fist and tried to steady

you want is my

has nothing to do

So, let her go!"

wow! This

Norton curled his lips.

don’t want to let her

comes from but I

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

eyes, Victor

against her neck,

body was

she saw Victor spat out blood and beg

that all you

mocking smile plastered on his

in anger when he heard

did you just

said you

Shelia swallowed.

of accomplishment by

have in you to do what you

So, cut the crap.

kill

"Shelia…"

tried to

that she was provoking

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

Norton was indeed angry.

voice in check as he

Looks like you

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help you

Norton said, laughing derisively.

turned to his men and

eyes and asked anxiously, "What are you

Norton didn’t answer.

glared

did as they were

hands and feet bound, Shelia was taken to

made to ride

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

river was flowing

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

into fists, and the blue

gritted his teeth and yelled, "Let

to open her eyes because of the gushing water,

actually wanted Victor to run

her mouth,

her eyes

on Victor’s face, Norton

but he was useless in this kind

making me

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

approached the rope, squatted down, and blew

you wanting to save her so much,

still some good in me,

just glare

it took to save

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

after, two men behind him appeared and stood

and looked at Victor

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

are the weakest among my

people, and the

a brief pause, Norton continued, "You want to

holding Victor’s arms let go of him and

with the knife in his hand, Norton touched its tip with his thumb and warned,

two before

say goodbye to

I’m afraid that you won’t

the flickering flame, Victor didn’t care about anything

he quickly rushed up and fought

and the most popular leader the Roaring

course, even his weakest subordinates

was currently badly

his peak state, he might not even be

and burly men that could easily flip Victor

was at a disadvantage

punched Victor right in his abdomen one after another, and hit his back with their

As soon as he was hit,

because he was hit repeatedly, his strength left

scattered all over his body, making him feel

this time, Victor’s face

to stand, not ready

even get back on his feet, he

arm to block

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

Victor’s vision

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

didn’t matter how many

as the fire was put out and the rope

he was willing to do

his mind wanted to go on,

fell back to the ground and lost his

somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling

open his eyes, but

the ground,

wonder if he

so he thought that he might

inch of his body made Victor realize that he was

wanted to stand up, but he couldn’t move

hands a little bit, grabbing the mud

his best, he turned his head to look at the river, only to find that there was nothing in

was no trace of

"Ahem!"

spurting out

grabbed unto the soil and opened his eyes

if he

for a long

fact, he didn’t even know how much

the person

would raise her head from the river or come

of blood and the excruciating pain he

lost consciousness

woke up again, he was finally

found him near

lasted for two days and

out that Victor had fractures in eight different

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

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

wearing an

completely out of danger yet,

know who Shelia was, but she could sense that she must be a very important

dare delay to send people to

search lasted for seven days, but Shelia

week passed and there was

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

mostly covered with mud, but one could easily recognize that it

years later, Victor

he did after fully recovering was buy a

Hearts card in a box and buried

was nothing on the marble tombstone aside

Shelia’s name on

Victor’s recovery, while Karl was on a business trip, he suffered

the hospital, but

was also in that year that Carolyn sent

he finished his studies

over several small companies under the control of the

time, Victor raised the sales of these companies from a very low level to one of the

Victor was able to prove his outstanding ability,

Roger entered the ward where Rachel

saw her sitting on the edge of the bed,

eat

porridge for

stand the smell of

no choice

"Eat it

tongue out, not intending to

Roger standing at the door, so he

half a month, Roger came to the hospital to visit

the kid gradually got acquainted

was that Roger

too much, he could at least taste something aside

could only

Rachel turned around and was

that you

advance to ask her if she wanted

time, he would still

asked, he said that he had an important project meeting today, so he might not

visit, it would probably

initially, I couldn’t

Roger hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "But

response, Rachel furrowed

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

Dark Circles The operation done to Victor lasted for

door of the operating room opened and closed for several times

but wait outside until

began, the indicator light outside the room was turned

indicated that the surgery was

but he wasn’t

was wheeled

was not until two days ago

became eligible to be

he was still in a

expert in the field to check Victor’s

wasn’t what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

his old wounds had healed, they still had

new injuries

he said that only a miracle

us when he will

asked in a gloomy

can’t say

expert couldn’t help but frown as he made

be blunt, please

up? Is he going to become a

say this, it was obvious that this was what

was a huge chance that this was it for

Lukas, Rachel was the first one

Carson deemed that Rachel

against the wall outside Joey’s

looked slightly disoriented, and there were

went down to tell Rachel about this important

heard the tragic news, her face didn’t

had already prepared herself for

Carson was

didn’t know when she

when Victor had been in a coma for about half a month after

it might have been even

the operating room for 70 hours before the indication light turned

and reminded

You can’t smoke here."

his senses, Carson put out the

expression, he didn’t bother

asked,

"Joey? He’s fine.

checked him up yesterday and said that he has

will be removed ahead of

through the glass

saw Joey sleeping

faint smile, he stretched for a

I’m leaving

Carson turned around and

tell Rachel about

that, he had nothing

eye, two days eventually passed

Victor’s condition, Rachel

stayed in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four

time, Carson didn’t show his face to her

the diagnosis came from an expert, she was also convinced

news that Victor had miraculously woke up from being in

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

long time without being able

as if she was still judging

to go upstairs and

time, Rachel pressed her lips hard and remained

gently pulled her sleeve and pulled

want to

pleading in a

failed to hide the fact that Victor

Joey woke up in the hospital,

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

truth, Rachel didn’t have the

did he pester

just smiled and made

Isn’t daddy bad? They say bad people

have to worry too much about

eyes, she

a few moments, she mustered

"Yes, of course."

weeks, Joey had a

mention Victor, as if there was nothing wrong going

would actually wake up in the middle of the night from time to time and look at

it all inside him, but Rachel was aware that

"Okay…"

softened, and she

was in the second inpatient

was inconvenient for

Rachel simply let him sit in

the three

they

the floor of the

ward, and there was only one patient at this time, Carson was

he furrowed his brows and

Carson knew that he would have been very

it’s the first time I’ve seen

What brings you here?"

as he quickly set the document he was holding aside

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking his innocent

who will be beaten easily?

dark circles around your eyes come

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at Joey’s

he picked up his phone, opened its

that Joey was

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

was

a good sleep

was originally a handsome young man, but even he was

"Ha-ha!"

seeing the upset look on

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

forward and

"You, brat.

dare you tease your godfather? You

on his face and retorted, "Huh? Who said that you are my

no

father and I grew

We are best friends.

the one

that’s how I became

crossed his arms

even if you don’t want it, that

Carson’s hand away using his uninjured hand and said, "Humph! If I

tongue as he withdrew

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

a fact that

you’d better change your attitude

he

the corner of his eye,

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

heard that Mr.Sullivan has

I came here with Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

plan to lose his composure just because

"Oh, I see."

Carson pointed at the room and said,

He is resting inside.

Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward Carson pointed at,

what was going through

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked

her, pushing Joey’s

were placed

lost in thoughts for a

when he was about to sav something,

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

and looked

standing very

a result, Joey could see him from the corner

as if he was giving Carson

quick glance at

need to use

what Joey

about I

"No!"

in a very decisive

was a serious

am

Joey’s ward, so it wasn’t a problem for Rachel to take him to the

moment, they were no longer in the

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

words,

was Roger, then her gaze

didn’t want to bother the former, Carson soon observed

to take Joey to

coughed and refused to pay any attention to Rachel’s

he took out his phone and turned around as

managed to give Joey a

Carson pretended like he was

have read the plan

he headed towards

very good at

while he was still holding it to

no call at all! Rachel saw what just happened clearly and understood that

"It’s okay.

will take Joey

He is actually right.

like him to be taken

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

he heard those

Rachel ought to have been closer to him than she

few days, they

of them were always in one

to her, she still alienated

the look of things,

that it couldn’t be achieved

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

Joey headed towards

time, Carson

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

quick glance at the phone in his

you through with the

"What?"

and took a peek at his

smile appeared

am through with

no choice! My subordinates

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

a fake smile on

not very good

that he had pretended to answer the call only moments

the tip of his nose and coughed to ease the awkwardness

want

look through the

was

her point of view, only the living room

couldn’t see Victor, Rachel pushed the door open in no time and

Victor would lie in the bed for

half a

voice came from behind

a stable condition now,

"Get out of here!"

interrupted Carson’s

in a

He looked dejected.

document in

ran into Rachel and Carson as soon as he came

stunned at first,

"Mr.Scott!"

hung around the man’s

It was quite noticeable.

the Sullivan Group and the director

about what just

from the man’s expression that the project plan had

out! Her attention was drawn to the

what really

She turned to Carson.

looked back at her, she raised her

"Well, this is Troy.

of the

meant

at a loss for

so many surnames in the

had to choose

recognized who

and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

head

was covered

Nonetheless, he was still holding

Miss Bennet, I’m going back to

and said,

do

Carson said, Troy went out of sight in a blink

at the door

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

condition doesn’t seem as bad as you

is well and can

walked to the door

against

didn’t follow

document when he heard

didn’t raise his head

cast her gaze

in

his face was pale despite

and looked

than seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would

that she walked towards the

to go out, didn’t

Victor heard the footsteps, his frown

looked up at the person who was walking towards

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

after we finished

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

"The dance is over.

time to let

I reminded him.

his eyes, but he still loosened his

back to distance myself from

still feel the warmth of

face blushed and i felt rather

heart was

moment, it felt like I had

the happiest time of

as I reminisced, I knew that those days were long gone and I could never get them back

feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached

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

my glass and taking

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

time, Elena came to

surprise waiting for you

go upstairs and

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when

smile appeared

my confusion, I followed her to the deck on

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

were also numerous balloons

eyes widened

must say, this whole scene

birthday surprise?’ I had no idea who had

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

on my lips, and somehow, I began to despise myself for having such

effort on me, and yet I still couldn’t

receiving this birthday

second floor, I stared at the night scene around me

was tranquil, and yet

cold sea breeze,

lit up the sky, forming the words

to the sky, a deafening sound resonated in the

sounded like a

I

on the ground and curled

began trembling uncontrollably, and i felt

the abandoned warehouse kept flashing through

seconds, I was out of breath I

panic attack, a pair of strong arms held me tightly "There’s

I’m here."

from above

It was Charles.

as tears burst from my eyes, Gently, he brushed

have to be scared