My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire

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

Then she began to type out her reply to Brandon.

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

the staff member said through gritted teeth.

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

Ignoring her, Janet texted Brandon back.

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

The message from Brandon was a godsend.

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

Brandon replied with a long message.

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

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

The data was tampered with.

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

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

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

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

"How did you find that out?"

The platform was now owned by Lester Silk Fabric.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As she spoke, she tucked her phone away.

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

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

Janet ignored her.

She turned around and left without looking back.

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

"What’s up, Lind?"

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

Janet asked politely.

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

Tiffany looked at her warily and then nodded slowly.

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

"I want to call him and apologize,"

Janet answered simply.

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

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

There are enough discussions about you already,"

Tiffany scolded.

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

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

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

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

Janet reached for the card with a bright smile.

Of course she knew what she was doing.

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

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

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

Janet said, her voice as sweet as honey.

When Ritchie heard this, he was surprised.

Then, he sneered.

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

Janet had given up so soon.

"You’re scared, aren’t you?"

With a smug smile on his face, Ritchie smirked.

"Come to Lester Silk Fabric tomorrow.

You can apologize there in person."

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

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

he barked at his secretary.

"I want them here tomorrow.

Call some famous personalities in the fashion industry as well.

We need people in authority for the event."

The secretary nodded respectfully.

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

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

Get your ass back here."

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

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

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

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

"Get the biggest function hall for the press conference.

I want hundreds of people to be there.

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

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

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

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

1 Another evil grin spread on Ritchie’s face.

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

The secretary pursed his lips and jotted every detail down.

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

The sun shone bright and early the next day.

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

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

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

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

Tiffany remarked from beside her.

She turned to look Janet in the eye.

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

A faint smile appeared on Janet’s lips.

"You’ll find out soon enough.

Don’t worry.

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

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

The room finally settled down as Janet took her place.

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

"Sorry for taking up your time, everyone.

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

From a distance, Ritchie frowned and narrowed his eyes.

He could sense that something wasn’t right.

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

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

"She can’t have,"

the other man replied confidently.

"We’ve taken care to sweep everything.

All the evidence has been locked away.

I think she’s just bluffing."

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is your truth.

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

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

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

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

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

His secretary was also scared silly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Janet smiled and said in a calm voice.

Ritchie was exasperated to hear that.

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

"I thought you came here to apologize.

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

While smiling, Janet didn’t say a word.

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

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

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

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

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

The audience began to discuss this amongst themselves.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She said frantically, "I have no idea.

Don’t ask me…"

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

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

His secretary hurried to stop his curses.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now, she felt much better.

"It’s finally over!"

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

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

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

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

Related videos went viral on the Internet.

Suddenly, Janet’s phone started to ring.

It was Tiffany.

"Lind, I’m impressed.

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

You really knocked them dead!"

"Oh, my God! Seriously?"

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

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

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

There was a lot of positive feedback.

"Wow.

Heart.

Heart.

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

"She’s a lovely girl.

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

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

"Even though I’m a girl, I want her!"

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

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

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

Furious, Ritchie started trashing his office.

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

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

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

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

plummeted.

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

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

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

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

Ritchie glared at him, speechless.

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

"I’m not an idiot.

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

Things didn’t end there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am responsible for all of this.

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

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

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

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

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

She’s just an ordinary employee.

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

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

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

Janet pulled her chair and sat down.

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

"I can’t say I’m surprised.

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

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

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

"It doesn’t matter.

Look on the bright side.

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

Now, all eyes are on my work."

In the end, Luna was put behind bars.

And Janet had become an online celebrity.

Many people now knew her name and saw her designs.

Some even paid for it.

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

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

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

How’d you get the evidence?"

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

Janet froze.

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

"A very capable friend helped me get them."

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

Janet’s eyes twinkled.

"It’s a secret.

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

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

Gerda scratched her head and hurried back to her desk.

Janet couldn’t help but chuckle.

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

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

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

Janet couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Someone texted you."

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

"It seems your wife’s missing you."

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

Instantly, his expression darkened when he read the text.

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

Garrett asked seriously, the smile wiped from his face.

"Janet’s asking Brandon out for dinner."

Ethan put his phone down and sighed.

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

Garrett leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Yeah.

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

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

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

It’s not good for my heart either,"

he sighed.

Ethan frowned and started typing out a brisk reply.

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

You’re an employee of the Larson Group.

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

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

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

That’s thanks enough, Miss Lind,"

Ethan replied politely, keeping things professional.

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

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

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

Transfer her to a subsidiary company.

Then, bring Charis here."

Garrett was just about to take a nap.

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

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

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

"Why did you want to dismiss Janet?"

Ethan asked in a low voice.

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

"I just wanted to protect the company name,"

Charis answered defensively.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at her coldly.

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

No one other than me.

Understood?"

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

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

"I see how it is.

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

Ethan had already noticed that something was wrong with Charis.

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

She and her family had always valued their image.

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

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

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

Charis was a dignified woman.

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

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

She hadn’t cried in years.

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

She had been reluctant to leave him.

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

She and Brandon had worked together for years.

They had shared the company’s ups and downs.

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

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

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

"I met Brandon first,"

Charis muttered through gritted teeth.

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

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

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

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

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

But she couldn’t act as overtly as before.

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

She had to be more careful now.

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

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

Janet’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

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

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

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

But he couldn’t tell her this.

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

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

The manager of the shop at work fired me.

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

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

In fact, there was some truth to his story.

Ritchie had indeed caused him a lot trouble after all.

Hearing this, Janet’s heart immediately softened.

She walked over to help him with the vegetables.

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

I was worried something bad happened to you."

"The problem’s been solved.

Don’t worry,"

Ethan said with a reassuring smile.

That much was true.

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

"Your brother is really hard to deal with."

Janet pouted like a child.

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

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

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

Janet looked up at Ethan curiously.

Almost immediately, she saw the lust in his eyes.

His face was so beautiful.

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

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

Janet’s face turned as red as a tomato.

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

Then she focused on chopping the vegetables.

Amused, Ethan patted her on the head affectionately.

He really liked it when she blushed.

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

He had to admit it really turned him on.

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

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

Ethan stroked Janet’s hair.

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

A long forgotten name appeared on the screen.

It was Patrick Lester.

Chapter 324 Nora’s Birthday Ethan pursed his lips.

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

It was winter and the cold wind was unforgiving.

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

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

Janet’s voice broke the silence.

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

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

He was answering the phone out on the balcony again.

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

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

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

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

"I was busy just now,"

Ethan simply replied.

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

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

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

She wants you and your wife here."

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

— – Janet had overheard Patrick’s loud voice.

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

Ethan held her tighter and sighed.

"We are.

Patrick seldom summons me.

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

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

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

Janet smiled at him sweetly.

"I can tell that you’re fond of her."

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

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

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

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

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

She was the only Lester who ever cared about Ethan.

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

"She’s a kind lady,"

he said calmly.

time since

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her teeth

a thought

eggs! I

broke free from Ethan’s embrace and ran to the kitchen in

Ethan followed behind her.

who was extremely flustered, and he

told you to keep an eye

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

Janet stood in the corner, restlessly watching Ethan clean up

"I’m sorry.

Charis, so I rushed to

Ethan had guessed this.

drying his freshly washed hands, he raised his eyes

"It’s my fault.

you enough sense

spread out his arms and said gently, "Come

obeyed and leaned her face

invitation from Patrick, she murmured, "The Lesters treat you badly, especially

you and I

probably has a huge grudge

if we just go there?"Chapter 461 In Order To Survive Shelia didn’t notice what was going on at

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

if you really don’t want to tell me, then forget

was just being a little

silently retracted the knife he

a feeling that Shelia didn’t mean him

some fruits and poured the juice over

this definitely could be

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

out in her hand and

roast some more

meat, Shelia smiled as if she had

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

can rest assured and

alert right then, watching Shelia

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

that Victor

his injuries, she knew she

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead and

look away and placed the meat

roast the rest for

and said, "Okay, it’s perfectly fine if you don’t

a bite

she furrowed her

really hard to

was not cooked

just now must

you tell me? You

say a

her meat aside, Shelia turned around

you smiling? Van, you

Am I smiling?’ Victor never even

lifted his hand and gently touched the

roast the

have gone a

and get some

tired at

sit right

under her chin, Shelia

she blinked her eyes and said, "Van, you’re good at cooking meat, aren’t you? Did you learn this skill all by yourself?"I

to survive

spoke in a deep

"Survive in the wildness?"

that Shelia had ever

of

did earlier, Victor also crushed some fruits and poured the juice

he used a knife to

he heard what Shelia asked,

while, he said, "I have

Victor knew the reason

that because he wanted to be prepared in case of

time that even under ner protection, Victor would find himself

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

"Alright."

Shelia continued to focus her gaze on the

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

a hand to wipe

and turned to look at Victor with

straight into Shelia’s eyes, he started to feel a

looked away, and explained, "Your nose

"Is that so?"

ahead to rub her nose

about now? Is it

"No,"

said, glancing over

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

than roasting

Can you teach me?"

want

"In order to survive."

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

shelia said casually.

sad upon

meat ready to be flipped? It’s on

Shelia pointed out.

small burn on the meat’s exposed

meat over while he was still

.

about whether or

after all,

didn’t seem to

you please

"Hmm,"

after a

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she broke into a

dimples, meanwhile,

Victor nodded, "Okay."

she said,

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

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I was

orphanage was taken over and the

eyes clouded as she

was a wonderful

prepared great meals and gave me a lot

orphan…’ Victor pursed his

was needed to look after

leave

at Victor and

Shelia had known for

with you being outdoors on

her head, Shelia said,

I was desperate to visit her tomb,

to them, and I don’t

of the dingy ground,

sunshine that had been scattered by the trees and

placed her hands behind her head, her

disappointment as she gazed up at

want to visit

you from

are people

me if I go

no idea that I have

tell her my name when I meet her again in

blinking her

remained fixed on Shelia and he said

see you, Van, it

had a soft spot in her heart

I was a

to use this term to

at Shelia, Victor concluded that the adjective

an apt description of her

for your upbringing, how come you got your name

unable to communicate since

to us

poker card was

it from her pocket as if it were a treasure and presented it to Victor as she

the orphanage, each kid was

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

the card–the King

get the

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

am the only one with the

was toasting as

gave her the meat

set to

Eat, please."

from her gut

was embarrassed, so she put her hand to her

meat i made myself! Van, you’re

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after a good

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 in his and

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

had lost track of time as they

sun had cooled down

Victor in sitting down on a stone

we’ll have to travel

get out before the sun

some

exhausted after so much walking, and

said incoherently, "I’m sure

Let’s move forward."

have

"Like never before…"

and continued

forward motion, she murmured, "Van, you look

you return, be sure

gaze to the side

covered in mud after a day and a night

What’s your

"Plan?"

was slow

we leave the forest? Where

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

I can no longer

answered with a

"Shelia."

have made up his mind after staring at Shelia for

"What’s the problem?"

after we get

sure my grandma will like you, I will

count on

to

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

that

for a while before asking,

"No, I’m not.

promise to treat you

Victor convinced her.

and smiled at Victor, saying,

we get out of

"Sure."

moment they emerged from the woods, though, everything

horizon, basking the

glimmered on the bodies of Victor

walking since high noon and now, the sun was

tiredness was assuaged when they saw a

out

local villagers if we walk

We can…"

could finish her sentence, she saw

She was confused.

wanting to know why

"Van?"

expect you

Shelia looked for the source

cars that were parked

stood at the front, looking at them intently as

feel right away

Victor, who in turn stood protectively

off Norton, watching his every

said, "Run into the forest when

lost even when it

we were finding our way out of the forest, I put marks all

marks and you

"And then?"

asked, her

straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

a mobile phone from them, and call this

didn’t intend to let

just wanted to play a game with Victor

escape this

family, bring her back to see his grandmother, and treat her as his own

fulfill the promise he made in

wrote a phone number on her palm with his

you

he whispered.

my

will pick you up wherever you

looked down

looked at her

"No."

pulled her hand

were a little

don’t want to remember the number, nor do

a good

Victor frowned.

that he coughed violently as soon

adamant and clenched her

to spread her palm and

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

said, "Tut, tut,

strong feelings for each other! I’m

tensed up when saw

intuitively pulled Sheila

himself

for him to

walked up to them

Shelia

Norton pulled Shelia

was too fast for

"Let her go!"

firm grip on

in hearing vexation

you look

mud on

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

when something silver flashed through

a knife that Norton pressed against Shelia’s

spat out a

"No."

"What are you saying?"

a mocking smile, pretending not to hear what

he had difficulty

fist and tried to

you want is

has nothing to do with

So, let her go!"

This is

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want

don’t where she comes from but

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

red eyes,

pressed against her neck,

was tensed

she saw Victor spat out blood and beg

that all you

his mocking smile plastered on his

his eyes narrowed in anger when

you

you

Shelia swallowed.

a sense of accomplishment by

you to do what you

So, cut the crap.

to kill me, then

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to

she

make Norton’s hackles rise and the

Norton was indeed angry.

his voice

like you really want

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

to his men and

and asked anxiously, "What are you

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared

men did as they were

and feet bound, Shelia was taken to

to ride a different

was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor Woke

river was

her choke easily Victor saw how Shelia’s face became paler by the

hands clenched into fists, and the blue veins on his

and yelled, "Let

open her eyes because of the gushing water, Shelia had difficulty

wanted Victor to

moment she opened her mouth, she was

her eyes

exasperated expression on

might be strong but

me

you think that I’m a good man? Why

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

sake of you wanting to save her so

good in me, huh? What

could just glare at

it

middle of the river, Norton squinted his

men behind him appeared and stood between the

up and looked at

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the weakest among

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

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

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

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

two before the rope

goodbye to your good

afraid that you

at the flickering flame, Victor didn’t care about anything

he quickly rushed

was a mercenary and the most

weakest subordinates should be

Victor was currently badly

he might not even be able to defeat one of the

tall and burly men that could easily flip

was at a

punched Victor right in his abdomen

As soon as he was hit,

repeatedly, his strength left

all over his body, making him feel somewhat

face looked black

to stand, not

back on his feet,

was still able to subconsciously use his arm

a mouthful of blood, and a tooth

Victor’s vision

on the rope, which was only

didn’t matter how many injuries he

was put out and the rope was grasped, Shelia’s

her into this trouble, so he was willing to do anything

wanted to go

the

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

his eyes, but his

just lay there on the ground, watching the

wonder if he was

recovered yet, so he

the sharp pain that pierced every inch of his body made Victor realize

to stand up, but he couldn’t move even

only move his hands a little bit,

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

no trace of

"Ahem!"

spurting

soil and opened his

river expectantly, as if he was waiting for something to

waited for a long

even know how

the person he

head from the river or

pain he was experiencing,

he lost

Victor woke up again, he

subordinates found him near

operation to rescue him lasted for

out that Victor had fractures in eight

his chest and lungs were

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

was still wearing an oxygen mask and struggled

out of danger yet, but

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

people to

for seven days, but Shelia couldn’t be

week passed and there was still no

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

surface was mostly covered with mud, but one could easily

later,

he did after fully recovering was buy

card in

was nothing on the marble tombstone aside

wasn’t even Shelia’s name on

was on a business trip, he

to rush him to the hospital,

also in that year that Carolyn sent Victor

years, he finished his studies

began taking over several small companies

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

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

Roger entered

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

eat

eating porridge for

he couldn’t even stand the smell of

sighed and had no choice but to put the

it again when

tongue out, not intending to eat

at the door, so he

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

kid gradually got

liked about him was that Roger would bring some

much, he could at least taste something

Joey could only eat them in

around and was surprised

say that you

to ask her if she wanted

would say no every time, he would still

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

he could still visit, it would probably be

initially, I couldn’t

for a moment before finally saying, "But

response, Rachel furrowed her brows

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

to Victor lasted

of the operating room opened and closed for several times as doctors went in and

anything but wait outside

began, the indicator light outside the

indicated that the surgery was

but he wasn’t completely

wheeled

not until two days ago that his vital

eligible to be

still in a

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

what he

Victor sustained serious injuries.

had healed, they still

his new injuries just

end, he said that only a miracle

you at least tell us when

asked in

afraid I can’t say

help but frown as he made

fact, if I may be blunt, please consider preparing

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

was obvious

was not a hundred percent, but there was a huge chance that this was

for Carson and Lukas, Rachel was the

Carson deemed that Rachel had the right

the wall outside Joey’s

and there were dark

down to tell Rachel about this important

the tragic news, her face

she had already prepared herself for something

was

know when she became this mentally

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

it might have been even

for 70 hours before the indication light turned

the cigarette in Carson’s hand and reminded him in a low voice, "This is the area for

You can’t smoke here."

his senses,

expression, he didn’t bother continue discussing about Victor’s grim

and asked, "Anyway,

"Joey? He’s fine.

him up yesterday and said that he has been

that his plaster will be removed

his head and peeped through the glass panel on

Joey sleeping

stretched for a bit and said, "Good for

then, I’m leaving

Carson turned around and left without looking

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

from that, he had nothing else to

blink of an eye, two days eventually passed

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

Joey’s ward almost twenty-four hours

Carson didn’t show

diagnosis came from an expert, she was also convinced that

Roger broke the news that Victor

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

time without being able to speak

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

want to go

asked slowly This time, Rachel pressed her lips

pulled her sleeve and pulled her back from

I want

pleading in a

hide the fact that Victor was in a coma after obtaining serious

the hospital, he

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

truth, Rachel

nor did he pester Rachel to go to the ICU

just smiled and made

say

don’t have to

bright eyes, she felt a lump in

a few moments, she mustered her courage and

"Yes, of course."

two weeks, Joey had

as if there was nothing wrong

Joey would actually wake up in the middle of the night

it all inside him, but Rachel was

"Okay…"

heart softened, and

was in the

it was inconvenient for him to walk all the

simply let him sit in

and the three of them went to Victor’s

they reached

The elevator finally stopped at the floor of the ward where

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

there were steps approaching, he furrowed his brows and

had seen this scene, Carson knew that he would

first time I’ve seen you

What brings you here?"

as he quickly set the document he was holding aside and raised his

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking

would you ask that? Do I look like someone who will be beaten easily?

where did those dark circles around your

"Dark circles?"

choked

picked up his phone, opened its front camera, and looked at his

that

and his eye bags were so big that it seemed like someone punched

course, this was only to

a good

young man, but even he was susceptible to

"Ha-ha!"

laugh after seeing the

realized that

Carson stepped forward and pinched

"You, brat.

your godfather? You

"Huh? Who said that you are

have no

I grew

We are best friends.

the one

how I became

his eyebrows and crossed his

even if you don’t want

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

his tongue as he withdrew his hand from Joey’s

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

I said, it’s a fact that you

better change your attitude

didn’t say anything more, but he stuck out

corner of his

and commented,

I heard that Mr.Sullivan has

here with Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

plan to lose his composure just

"Oh, I see."

the room and said, "His ward is over

He is resting inside.

see him."Chapter 466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward Carson

one knew what was going

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

walked towards

followed her,

arms were placed over

in thoughts for a

he was about to sav

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked at the

not standing

him from

raised his eyebrows as if he was giving Carson

taking a quick glance at him, Joey turned his gaze

I need to

what

I

"No!"

replied in a very

serious

am

it wasn’t a problem

were no

room,

Joey’s words, Rachel looked

then

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

to take Joey

and refused to pay any

his phone and turned around as if nothing

a thumbs up

pretended like he was answering

Mr.Ramos! I have read the plan you

talking, he headed

wasn’t very good at

phone’s screen lit up while he

saw what just

"It’s okay.

will take

He is actually right.

a boy like him to be taken to the

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

heard those words, they

thought that Rachel ought to have been closer

days, they got along really

them were always in

reasons best known to

things, Rachel still

it couldn’t be

the night Rachel was standing outside

and Joey headed towards the

time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

at

with

"What?"

took a peek at

smile appeared on

I am through

left with no choice! My subordinates are too

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

a fake smile

not very good at

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

of his nose and coughed to ease

want to go

look through the glass

ward was a

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

door open in

would lie in the bed

undergo half a

voice came from behind

is in a stable condition now,

"Get out of here!"

interrupted

a man in a suit coming out

He looked dejected.

was a document

Carson as

at first, then his

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung around the man’s

It was quite noticeable.

an employee of the Sullivan Group and the director of the project

need asking about

could tell from the man’s expression that

Her attention was drawn to the name

was what really

She turned to Carson.

back at her,

"Well, this is Troy.

as a member of the

meant by just looking at her

at a loss

were so many surnames

he had

who Rachel

bowed and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

nodded her head slightly in

forehead was covered with

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

Miss Bennet, I’m going back to

his hand and said, "Very well

should do

what Carson said, Troy went out of sight in a blink

looked at the door

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

doesn’t seem as

well and can

walked to the door

leaned against

follow Rachel

was reading some document when he heard the

didn’t raise his head and

her gaze on

was in a

that his face was pale

frowned and looked rather

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

was so entranced that she walked towards the

to go out,

the footsteps, his

up at the person who was walking towards

instead of speaking in his usual cold and stiff tone, he said

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

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

"The dance is over.

to

I reminded him.

through his eyes, but he still loosened

a few steps back to distance myself from

still feel the warmth of

and i felt

heart

it felt like I

him were the

knew that those days were

down, feeling conflicted and

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached me and

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

and taking a sip

had a few to drink and was starting to get

Elena came to

waiting for you on the second

upstairs and take a

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you

smile appeared

followed her to the deck on the second

red rose

were also numerous

eyes widened

must say, this whole scene was picturesque and

surprise?’ I had no idea

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

could it possibly be him?’ A bitter smile appeared on my

this much effort on me, and

of receiving this

I stared at the

sea was tranquil, and yet my mind was

sea breeze, I

sudden, a fireworks display lit

to the sky, a deafening sound resonated in the

sounded like a

noise, I covered

the ground and curled

body began trembling uncontrollably, and i felt like

the abandoned

was out of breath I felt so dizzy that I almost

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

I’m here."

came from above me, making me feel

It was Charles.

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

to be scared ever