My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire

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

Then she began to type out her reply to Brandon.

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

the staff member said through gritted teeth.

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

Ignoring her, Janet texted Brandon back.

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

The message from Brandon was a godsend.

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

Brandon replied with a long message.

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

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

The data was tampered with.

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

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

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

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

"How did you find that out?"

The platform was now owned by Lester Silk Fabric.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As she spoke, she tucked her phone away.

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

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

Janet ignored her.

She turned around and left without looking back.

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

"What’s up, Lind?"

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

Janet asked politely.

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

Tiffany looked at her warily and then nodded slowly.

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

"I want to call him and apologize,"

Janet answered simply.

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

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

There are enough discussions about you already,"

Tiffany scolded.

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

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

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

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

Janet reached for the card with a bright smile.

Of course she knew what she was doing.

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

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

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

Janet said, her voice as sweet as honey.

When Ritchie heard this, he was surprised.

Then, he sneered.

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

Janet had given up so soon.

"You’re scared, aren’t you?"

With a smug smile on his face, Ritchie smirked.

"Come to Lester Silk Fabric tomorrow.

You can apologize there in person."

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

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

he barked at his secretary.

"I want them here tomorrow.

Call some famous personalities in the fashion industry as well.

We need people in authority for the event."

The secretary nodded respectfully.

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

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

Get your ass back here."

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

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

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

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

"Get the biggest function hall for the press conference.

I want hundreds of people to be there.

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

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

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

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

1 Another evil grin spread on Ritchie’s face.

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

The secretary pursed his lips and jotted every detail down.

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

The sun shone bright and early the next day.

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

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

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

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

Tiffany remarked from beside her.

She turned to look Janet in the eye.

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

A faint smile appeared on Janet’s lips.

"You’ll find out soon enough.

Don’t worry.

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

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

The room finally settled down as Janet took her place.

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

"Sorry for taking up your time, everyone.

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

From a distance, Ritchie frowned and narrowed his eyes.

He could sense that something wasn’t right.

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

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

"She can’t have,"

the other man replied confidently.

"We’ve taken care to sweep everything.

All the evidence has been locked away.

I think she’s just bluffing."

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is your truth.

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

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

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

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

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

His secretary was also scared silly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Janet smiled and said in a calm voice.

Ritchie was exasperated to hear that.

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

"I thought you came here to apologize.

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

While smiling, Janet didn’t say a word.

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

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

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

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

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

The audience began to discuss this amongst themselves.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She said frantically, "I have no idea.

Don’t ask me…"

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

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

His secretary hurried to stop his curses.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now, she felt much better.

"It’s finally over!"

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

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

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

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

Related videos went viral on the Internet.

Suddenly, Janet’s phone started to ring.

It was Tiffany.

"Lind, I’m impressed.

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

You really knocked them dead!"

"Oh, my God! Seriously?"

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

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

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

There was a lot of positive feedback.

"Wow.

Heart.

Heart.

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

"She’s a lovely girl.

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

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

"Even though I’m a girl, I want her!"

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

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

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

Furious, Ritchie started trashing his office.

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

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

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

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

plummeted.

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

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

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

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

Ritchie glared at him, speechless.

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

"I’m not an idiot.

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

Things didn’t end there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am responsible for all of this.

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

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

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

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

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

She’s just an ordinary employee.

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

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

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

Janet pulled her chair and sat down.

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

"I can’t say I’m surprised.

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

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

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

"It doesn’t matter.

Look on the bright side.

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

Now, all eyes are on my work."

In the end, Luna was put behind bars.

And Janet had become an online celebrity.

Many people now knew her name and saw her designs.

Some even paid for it.

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

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

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

How’d you get the evidence?"

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

Janet froze.

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

"A very capable friend helped me get them."

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

Janet’s eyes twinkled.

"It’s a secret.

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

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

Gerda scratched her head and hurried back to her desk.

Janet couldn’t help but chuckle.

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

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

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

Janet couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Someone texted you."

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

"It seems your wife’s missing you."

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

Instantly, his expression darkened when he read the text.

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

Garrett asked seriously, the smile wiped from his face.

"Janet’s asking Brandon out for dinner."

Ethan put his phone down and sighed.

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

Garrett leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Yeah.

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

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

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

It’s not good for my heart either,"

he sighed.

Ethan frowned and started typing out a brisk reply.

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

You’re an employee of the Larson Group.

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

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

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

That’s thanks enough, Miss Lind,"

Ethan replied politely, keeping things professional.

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

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

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

Transfer her to a subsidiary company.

Then, bring Charis here."

Garrett was just about to take a nap.

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

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

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

"Why did you want to dismiss Janet?"

Ethan asked in a low voice.

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

"I just wanted to protect the company name,"

Charis answered defensively.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at her coldly.

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

No one other than me.

Understood?"

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

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

"I see how it is.

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

Ethan had already noticed that something was wrong with Charis.

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

She and her family had always valued their image.

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

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

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

Charis was a dignified woman.

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

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

She hadn’t cried in years.

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

She had been reluctant to leave him.

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

She and Brandon had worked together for years.

They had shared the company’s ups and downs.

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

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

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

"I met Brandon first,"

Charis muttered through gritted teeth.

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

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

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

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

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

But she couldn’t act as overtly as before.

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

She had to be more careful now.

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

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

Janet’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

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

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

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

But he couldn’t tell her this.

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

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

The manager of the shop at work fired me.

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

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

In fact, there was some truth to his story.

Ritchie had indeed caused him a lot trouble after all.

Hearing this, Janet’s heart immediately softened.

She walked over to help him with the vegetables.

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

I was worried something bad happened to you."

"The problem’s been solved.

Don’t worry,"

Ethan said with a reassuring smile.

That much was true.

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

"Your brother is really hard to deal with."

Janet pouted like a child.

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

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

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

Janet looked up at Ethan curiously.

Almost immediately, she saw the lust in his eyes.

His face was so beautiful.

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

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

Janet’s face turned as red as a tomato.

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

Then she focused on chopping the vegetables.

Amused, Ethan patted her on the head affectionately.

He really liked it when she blushed.

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

He had to admit it really turned him on.

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

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

Ethan stroked Janet’s hair.

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

A long forgotten name appeared on the screen.

It was Patrick Lester.

Chapter 324 Nora’s Birthday Ethan pursed his lips.

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

It was winter and the cold wind was unforgiving.

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

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

Janet’s voice broke the silence.

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

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

He was answering the phone out on the balcony again.

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

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

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

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

"I was busy just now,"

Ethan simply replied.

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

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

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

She wants you and your wife here."

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

— – Janet had overheard Patrick’s loud voice.

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

Ethan held her tighter and sighed.

"We are.

Patrick seldom summons me.

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

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

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

Janet smiled at him sweetly.

"I can tell that you’re fond of her."

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

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

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

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

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

She was the only Lester who ever cared about Ethan.

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

"She’s a kind lady,"

he said calmly.

long time since they last

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her

a thought occurred to

"The eggs! I forgot all about

Ethan’s embrace and ran to the kitchen in

Ethan followed behind her.

who was extremely

I told you to keep an eye on the

head, he gently pulled her to the side while he cleaned up

in the corner, restlessly watching

"I’m sorry.

so I

Ethan had guessed this.

raised

"It’s my fault.

give you enough sense of

out his arms and said gently, "Come

obeyed and leaned her face against his

invitation from Patrick, she

and I just got

has a huge grudge against

bad happen if we just go there?"Chapter 461 In Order To Survive

a casual manner, flipped the meat over, and went on to roast

you really don’t want to tell me,

being a little

Victor said nothing, and silently retracted the

that Shelia didn’t mean

crushed some fruits and poured the juice

definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

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

roast some more

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

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

assured and eat it with

on high alert right then, watching Shelia with vigilant and

an easy-going person, this didn’t mean that she

had thought that

she knew she was wrong

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead and

away

the rest

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

bite out

time, she furrowed her brows and stuck out

hard to

not

you just now

me?

out, Victor didn’t say a word and only continued to roast

turned around and spotted Victor’s

you did this

Am I smiling?’ Victor never even realized that he was

and gently touched the

roast the meat for

have gone a long

get

not tired at

sit right

chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down

and said, "Van, you’re good at cooking meat, aren’t you? Did

to

in a deep

"Survive in the wildness?"

that Shelia had ever heard of such

go out of your

also crushed some fruits and

he used a knife to slice the

he heard what Shelia asked, his eyes

said,

fact, Victor knew the reason

that because he wanted to be prepared in case

under ner protection,

skills so that he would at least have a better

"Alright."

her gaze on the

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

stretched out a hand to wipe off

was startled and turned to look at

straight into Shelia’s eyes, he started

retracted his hand, looked away, and

"Is that so?"

ahead to rub her nose with the back of

what about now?

"No,"

said, glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

did you learn other than roasting meat? I want to learn

Can you teach me?"

do you want to

"In order to survive."

mouth very naturally.Chapter 462

shelia said casually.

felt sad upon hearing

be flipped? It’s on the verge of being

Shelia pointed out.

on the meat’s exposed

while he was still thinking about

.

whether or not to ask her about

after all, Shelia’s

other hand, didn’t seem to take it

"Will you please

"Hmm,"

said after a

"Is that a yes?"

and

meanwhile,

Victor nodded, "Okay."

she said, "Thanks so much,

individual I’ve ever encountered, except

"Orphanage?"

where

was taken over and

clouded as she

woman was

great meals and gave me a lot of fresh

an orphan…’ Victor pursed

to look after you since the orphanage was

you leave with

and answered,

home Shelia had known

with you being outdoors

head,

to visit

whereabouts remain unknown to them,

dingy

sunshine that had been scattered by the trees and fallen to the

hands behind her

sighed with disappointment as she

want to

you

people guarding the

find me if I

idea that I have a name

name when I meet

said, blinking

on Shelia and

continued, "If she had the chance to see you, Van, it would be more than likely that she

had a soft spot in her

said that I was a

to use this term to describe

Shelia, Victor concluded that the

an apt description of

responsible for your upbringing, how come you got your

communicate since she was deaf,

to us by

card was in

it were a treasure and presented it

orphanage, each kid was

woman split the fruits, she put them on the cards and let us take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella erupted into laughter, which was maybe due to the reference to

the

get the

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

and said, "I am the only one with the

was toasting as they

gave her the meat

set

Eat, please."

came from her gut

her stomach and

meat

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after a good

to her feet, she said,

was ready to rise when Shelia

"Come on, get up."

a little pause, he took

used a dart to

had lost track of time

had

assisted Victor in sitting down on a stone

not sure how far we’ll have to

can get out before the

drank some

much walking, and he was

said incoherently, "I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

still have the

"Like never before…"

continued to hold

she murmured,

you return, be

to the side

mud after a day and a night in

you? What’s

"Plan?"

slow

we

travels

go to the police station when I can no longer

with a

"Shelia."

appeared to have made up his mind

"What’s the problem?"

me after we get out

grandma will like you, I will defend

count

to come

you? If

that Shelia might

paused for a while before asking, "Are you joking right

"No, I’m not.

promise to treat you

Victor convinced her.

and smiled at Victor,

when we get out

"Sure."

emerged from the woods, though, everything

basking the forest in a pale red

glimmered on the bodies of

walking since high noon and now, the

tiredness was assuaged when they saw a

we’re out of the

villagers if we walk a

We can…"

sentence, she saw

She was confused.

at Victor, wanting to know why he

"Van?"

didn’t expect you to

looked for the source

were parked not far

at them intently as he played with

right away that they were

who in turn stood protectively in front of

eyes off Norton,

Shelia could hear, Victor said, "Run into the forest when I

lost even when it gets

our way out of the

you can get

"And then?"

asked, her

straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

villagers, borrow a mobile phone from them,

Norton didn’t intend to let

wanted to play a game with Victor by throwing him into

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

a family, bring her back

Victor could not fulfill the promise he made in the

phone number

once you get hold of a mobile

he whispered.

my

her and she will pick

down at

respond, Victor looked at

"No."

pulled her

eyes were a

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

a

Victor frowned.

so anxious that he coughed

and

palm and let Victor

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

a condescending sneer, he said, "Tut, tut,

for each other! I’m

when saw Norton approaching

intuitively pulled Sheila behind

seriously injured and keeping himself standing steadily

would be hard for him to

up to

and Shelia stepped

them, Norton pulled Shelia towards

for

"Let her go!"

a firm grip

in hearing

know you

said as he wiped the mud on

all the more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor

his tracks when something silver flashed through his

knife that Norton pressed

a mouthful of

"No."

"What are you saying?"

Victor a mocking smile,

felt that he

fist and tried to steady

want

to do

So, let her go!"

This is

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want to let

don’t where she comes from but I find

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

red eyes, Victor breathed

of the knife pressed against her neck, all Shelia

was

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

all you can do?

smile

his eyes narrowed in anger when he heard

you just

said you are

Shelia swallowed.

a sense of accomplishment by threatening

have in you to do

So, cut the crap.

kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to stop

knew that she was provoking

was afraid that Shelia would make Norton’s hackles rise and the man

Norton was indeed angry.

looked fierce, but he kept his voice in check

like you really

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

turned to his men and instructed them, "Tie her

his eyes and asked anxiously,

Norton didn’t answer.

glared

as they

and feet bound, Shelia was taken to one of

made to ride a different

thinking about where Norton was taking them.Chapter

was

rushed over, it inundated Shelia, making her choke easily Victor saw how Shelia’s face

blue veins

his teeth and yelled,

to open her eyes because of the

wanted Victor to

opened her mouth, she was choked by

enough, her eyes

at the exasperated expression on Victor’s face,

be strong but he

making me laugh,

I’m a good man? Why the

smile, Norton approached the rope,

for the sake of you wanting to save

still some good in me, huh? What

could just glare at

it took to

was in the middle of the river, Norton squinted

behind him appeared and stood between the rope

stood up and looked at

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

are the

killed two people, and the one on the right has

Norton continued, "You want to save her, right? Knock

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

its tip with his thumb and warned, "But

before

say goodbye

away, I’m afraid that you won’t even

flame, Victor didn’t care about

so he quickly rushed

was a mercenary and the most popular leader the

his weakest subordinates should

was currently badly

be able

burly men that could easily flip

at a disadvantage from

to them, the two men punched Victor right in his abdomen

soon as he was hit, Victor staggered and struggled to stand

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

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

this time, Victor’s face looked

tried to stand, not ready to give

even get back on his feet, he saw another

to subconsciously use his arm to block it, but

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

point, Victor’s vision

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

didn’t matter how many injuries

long as the fire was put out and

into this trouble, so he was willing to

go on,

to the ground and

it raining?’ After some time, Victor was somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling

struggled to open his eyes, but

there on the ground, watching the

help but wonder if he was

so

that pierced every inch of his body

up, but he couldn’t

hands a little bit,

his head to look at the

was no trace

"Ahem!"

violently, spurting out more

grabbed unto the soil and opened his eyes as wide as he

looked at the river expectantly, as if he was waiting

for a long

he didn’t even know

the person he

head from the river or come out from somewhere and call

blood and the excruciating pain

lost

up again, he

him near the

him lasted for

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

knee were shattered, his chest and lungs were inflamed, and

woke up was ask Carolyn to send people to

wearing an

life was not completely out of danger yet, but all he cared

even know who Shelia was, but she could sense that she must be a very important person due to his

she didn’t dare delay to send people to search for Shelia

search lasted for seven days, but Shelia

week passed and there was

able to give Victor was a crumpled playing card

one could easily recognize that

years later, Victor

he did after

of Hearts card in a box and buried

on the marble tombstone aside

wasn’t even Shelia’s

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

the hospital,

also in that

finished his studies

small companies under the control of the

sales of these companies from a very low

prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed

time, Roger entered

the bed, holding a bowl of porridge, and

eat

eating porridge for

stand the smell of

sighed and had no choice but to put the

"Eat it again

out, not intending to

saw Roger standing at the door, so he politely

a month, Roger came to

kid gradually got

about him was that Roger would bring some snacks when

Joey couldn’t eat too much, he could at least taste something aside from

only eat them in

Joey greeted Roger, Rachel turned around and

say that you wouldn’t

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

he would still insist

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

visit, it would

I

at Rachel, Roger hesitated for a moment

Rachel furrowed her brows

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

The operation done to Victor lasted for more

operating room opened and closed for several

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

since the operation began, the

indicated that the

saved, but he wasn’t

he was wheeled to the

days ago that his vital signs

eligible to be transferred

still in a

the field to

it wasn’t what he

Victor sustained serious injuries.

his old wounds had healed, they still had an

his new injuries

said that only a miracle

at least tell us

asked in a

can’t say

couldn’t help but frown

blunt, please consider preparing for

he’ll never wake up? Is

the expert didn’t say this, it was obvious that this was

a hundred percent, but there was a huge chance that

and Lukas, Rachel was

Carson deemed that Rachel had the right to

leaned against the wall outside Joey’s ward, holding a cigarette

there were dark circles round his

just went down to tell Rachel about

heard the tragic news, her face didn’t show

if she had already prepared herself for something like

Carson was

didn’t know when she

Victor had been in a coma for about half a

it might have been

there outside the operating room for 70 hours before the indication light turned

at the cigarette in Carson’s hand and reminded

You can’t smoke here."

regained his senses, Carson put out the

bother

the subject and asked, "Anyway, how

"Joey? He’s fine.

up yesterday and said that he

plaster will be removed ahead of the initial

and peeped through

saw Joey sleeping soundly

he stretched for a bit and

I’m leaving

Carson turned around and left without looking

tell Rachel about the

he had nothing else

an eye, two

Victor’s condition,

in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four hours

Carson didn’t show his face to

an expert, she was also convinced that Victor would never

Roger broke the news that Victor had miraculously

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

long time without being able to speak

still judging Roger’s

Do you want to go upstairs and

pressed

sleeve and pulled her

I want to see

pleading in a

the fact that Victor was in

Joey woke up in the hospital,

Rachel had always been absent-minded and Victor hadn’t

out the truth, Rachel didn’t have the

nor did he pester Rachel to go to the ICU to

just smiled and made a

They say bad people live long

to worry

at Joey’s bright eyes, she

moments, she mustered her courage and

"Yes, of course."

weeks, Joey had a good

Victor, as if there was

that Joey would actually wake up in the middle of the night from time to

inside him, but Rachel was aware that he missed Victor

"Okay…"

heart softened,

ward was in

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

let him sit

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

enough, they reached the

at the floor of the

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

that there were steps approaching, he furrowed his brows

Victor had seen this scene, Carson knew that

it’s the first time I’ve seen you up

What brings you here?"

asked Joey as he quickly set the document he was holding aside and

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his innocent

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

those dark circles around your

"Dark circles?"

choked

panic, he picked up his phone, opened

that

bags were so big that

this was only to be

hadn’t have a good sleep for

handsome young man, but even he

"Ha-ha!"

laugh after seeing the upset look

innocent laughter, Carson realized that he

head, Carson stepped forward and pinched Joey’s

"You, brat.

you tease your godfather? You have guts,

retorted, "Huh? Who said

have no opinion regarding

I

We are best friends.

the one

how I became

raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms

don’t want it, that fact

Carson’s hand away using his uninjured hand and said, "Humph! If I don’t want to

his tongue as he withdrew his hand

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

it’s a fact that you

you’d better change

didn’t say anything more, but he stuck out

of the corner of his eye, Carson

composure and commented, "I see that you’re not busy today,

heard that Mr.Sullivan

I came here with Rachel and

Roger explained.

lose his

"Oh, I see."

and said, "His ward is over

He is resting inside.

go and see him."Chapter 466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward Carson pointed at, she became

one knew what was going through

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

walked towards the

her,

placed

in thoughts for

was about to sav something, Joey spoke before

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked at

not standing very

Joey could see him from

raised his eyebrows as if he was giving

at him, Joey turned his

I need to use

what Joey

I take you

"No!"

a

serious look on

I am

it wasn’t a problem for Rachel to

at that moment, they were no longer

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

reaction to Joey’s words, Rachel looked at both

was Roger, then

didn’t want to bother the former, Carson soon

she wanted him to take Joey to the

to pay

took out his phone and

a

like he was

read the plan you

he headed

wasn’t very

screen lit up while he was still holding it

was no call at all! Rachel saw what just happened

"It’s okay.

take Joey

He is actually right.

him to be taken to the bathroom by

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

heard those

to have been closer to him

few days, they got

of them were always in one

for reasons best known to her, she

of things, Rachel

it couldn’t

stop himself from thinking about the night Rachel was standing outside

he and Joey headed towards the

time, Carson

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

a quick glance at the phone in his

through with the phone

"What?"

took a peek at

appeared on his

I am

left with no choice! My subordinates are

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake

very

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

nose and coughed to ease the

want to

to look through the glass panel

was

living room could be seen, and it

pushed the door open in no time

lie in

has to undergo half a year’s

voice came from behind

in a stable condition now,

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted

stopped and saw a man in a suit coming out

He looked dejected.

document in his

and Carson as soon as he

was stunned at first,

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung around

It was quite noticeable.

Group and

about

man’s expression that the project plan had been denied

driven out! Her attention was drawn to the name on the work

surname was what really

She turned to Carson.

her, she

"Well, this is Troy.

a member of the

meant by just

was at a

were so many surnames

he had

who Rachel

and mentioned her

"Miss Bennet."

head slightly in

was covered

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

going back to the

and said,

should do

he heard what Carson said, Troy went out of

looked at the door

was sitting against the head of the bed at

doesn’t seem as bad as

is well and can

to the door and pushed it

leaned against

didn’t follow Rachel

document when he

raise his head and say

her

was in a hospital

still tell that his face was pale despite the fact

and

that she waited outside the operating room for more than seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would have thought

so entranced that she walked towards the bed

asked you to go

heard the footsteps, his

up at the person who was walking

usual cold and stiff tone, he said softly, "Rachel,

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

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

"The dance is over.

to

I reminded him.

flashed through his eyes, but he still loosened his grip

took a few steps back to distance myself

could still feel the warmth of his

and i

my heart

like I

days with him were the happiest time

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

feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached me and greeted

forced myself to ignore the burning gaze from behind me and began chatting with the

my glass and taking a

had a few to drink and was starting to get

time, Elena came to

a surprise waiting for you on the

go upstairs and take a

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you

smile appeared on Elena’s

my confusion, I followed her to

were bright red rose petals scattered

also numerous balloons around the

widened

must say, this whole scene was picturesque and

I had

came to mind was Charles, but

bitter smile appeared on my lips, and

had never spent this much effort on me, and yet I still couldn’t forget

joy of receiving this birthday surprise soon died

I stared at the

and yet my mind was

cold sea

display lit up the sky, forming the

the fireworks shot up to the sky,

sounded like

I covered my ears

the ground and curled

trembling uncontrollably, and i felt like

abandoned

I

having a panic attack, a pair of strong

I’m here."

from above me, making me

It was Charles.

his arms as tears burst from my eyes, Gently, he brushed my hair and tried to comfort

to be