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 met-too

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her

a thought occurred to

eggs! I forgot all

and ran to the kitchen in a

Ethan followed behind her.

who was extremely flustered, and he

told you to keep an eye on

the side while he cleaned up the mess himself in the

corner, restlessly

"I’m sorry.

so I rushed to you and forgot

Ethan had guessed this.

his freshly washed hands, he raised his

"It’s my fault.

you enough sense of

his arms and said gently,

face

she murmured, "The

and I just

probably has a

In Order To Survive

off the sweat collecting on her forehead in a casual

to tell me, then forget about

being

eyes at her, Victor said nothing, and silently retracted

Shelia didn’t mean him

fruits and poured the juice

this definitely

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

was holding out in her hand

roast some more for myself

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

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

can rest assured and eat it with

alert right then, watching

though Shelia happened to be an easy-going person,

that

she was wrong and

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead and

away and

the

wanted to help, Shelia nodded and said, "Okay, it’s perfectly fine if you don’t

bite

furrowed her

hard

was not

you just now must be

tell me? You

that Shelia spit the meat out, Victor didn’t say a word and

Shelia turned

Van, you did this deliberately,

I smiling?’ Victor never

lifted his hand and gently touched

roast the

gone a long

get

tired

just sit right

her hands propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded

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

to survive

in a deep

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Shelia had ever

of your way to learn

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

knife to

what Shelia

while, he said, "I have

knew the

learned that because he wanted to be prepared in

under ner protection, Victor would find

he would at least have a better chance to survive in case of

"Alright."

to focus her gaze on the burning

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

stretched out a hand to wipe off the

to look at Victor with a blank

Shelia’s eyes, he started

looked away, and

"Is that so?"

her nose with the back

about now? Is

"No,"

glancing

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

learn other than roasting meat? I want

Can you teach me?"

do you want

"In order to survive."

mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me

shelia said casually.

sad

flipped? It’s on the verge

Shelia pointed out.

on the meat’s exposed

meat over while he was still

.

whether or not

after all,

hand, didn’t seem to take

you please teach

"Hmm,"

said after a

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and

meanwhile,

Victor nodded, "Okay."

grinned broadly as she said, "Thanks so

ever encountered, except

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I

the orphanage was taken over and the

as she spoke

was a wonderful

younger, she prepared great meals and gave me a lot of

is an orphan…’ Victor

look after

you leave with the other

looked up at Victor and answered,

was the only home Shelia had known for so

they okay with you being outdoors on your

head, Shelia

was desperate to visit

remain unknown to them, and I don’t

spite of the dingy

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

hands behind her head, her

with disappointment as she gazed up at

want to visit

you from

people

me if

idea that

when I

said, blinking

on Shelia and

Van, it would be more than likely that

a soft spot in

that I

It didn’t seem appropriate to use

concluded that the

of her features,

"Since she was responsible for your upbringing, how

unable to communicate since she was deaf,

never referred to us by

poker card was in my

from her pocket as if it were a treasure

each kid was given a unique

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 card–the King

get the best

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

am the only one

was toasting as they

meat after he

set

Eat, please."

came from her gut just after

she put her hand to her stomach and

better than the meat i

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after a

to her feet,

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

Shelia used a dart to put marks on the

had lost track of

sun had cooled down

down on a stone and drank some

we’ll have

can get out

drank some water as

so much walking, and

"I’m sure

Let’s move forward."

still have

"Like never before…"

continued to

murmured, "Van, you look

be sure to eat

lowered his gaze to the side of her

mud after a day and a night in

you? What’s

"Plan?"

slow

your plans once we leave the forest? Where

my travels and explore the world’s

I can no

with

"Shelia."

made up his mind after staring

"What’s the problem?"

come with me after we get out

you, I

can count

want me to

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

that Shelia

before asking, "Are you joking

"No, I’m not.

promise to treat you the best I

Victor convinced her.

smiled

we get

"Sure."

they emerged from the woods,

horizon, basking the forest in a pale red glow that passed through the branches

glimmered on the bodies of Victor and

noon

tiredness was assuaged when they saw a

out

we’ll meet local villagers if we walk a

We can…"

her sentence, she

She was confused.

Victor, wanting

"Van?"

didn’t expect you to come out

looked for the source of

cars that were parked not far

them intently as he played with a

feel right away

shield Victor, who in turn stood protectively in

his eyes off

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

lost even when

our way out of the forest, I put marks all the

you can

"And then?"

her

looked straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

villagers, borrow a mobile phone from

knew that Norton didn’t intend to

play a game with Victor by

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

family, bring her back to see his grandmother, and

could not fulfill

Victor wrote a phone number on her palm with

once you

he whispered.

my

and she will pick you

down at her

Victor looked at her and asked in confusion,

"No."

pulled her hand

eyes were a

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

a

Victor frowned.

coughed violently

and clenched her

palm and let Victor

hear what Victor and Shelia were talking about, he could tell

"Tut,

strong feelings for each other! I’m so moved by

tensed up when

intuitively pulled Sheila behind

keeping himself standing steadily

hard for him

up

Shelia

patience with them, Norton pulled Shelia towards

for Victor to

"Let her go!"

kept a firm grip

found satisfaction in hearing

know you

he wiped the mud on Shelia’s face with

the more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed over and tried to take

when something silver flashed

was a knife that Norton

a mouthful of

"No."

"What are you saying?"

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

felt that he had

clenched his fist and tried to steady

want is my

to do with

So, let her go!"

wow! This is

Norton curled his lips.

want to

don’t where she comes from but

alone? I can do something about that and let her

red eyes,

knife pressed against her neck, all

was

out blood and beg for mercy, she

all you

smile plastered on

in anger when he heard Shelia’s

did you just

you are

Shelia swallowed.

sense of accomplishment by threatening two

in you to do what you intend

So, cut the crap.

kill

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to

she was

that Shelia would make Norton’s hackles rise and the man would do just

Norton was indeed angry.

kept his voice in check

like you

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help you

Norton said, laughing derisively.

and

squinted his eyes and asked anxiously, "What are you going

Norton didn’t answer.

glared at

did as they

and feet bound, Shelia was taken to one

made to ride a different

about where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor

river was

as the water rushed over, it inundated Shelia, making her

and the blue veins on his neck became very

teeth and yelled,

eyes because of the gushing water, Shelia

actually wanted Victor to run

she opened her

her eyes

on Victor’s face, Norton scoffed at

Victor might be strong but he was useless in this

making me laugh,

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

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

the sake of you wanting to save

good in me, huh? What do

just

do whatever it took

of the river, Norton squinted his eyes and

two men behind him appeared and stood between the

and looked at Victor with a

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the

only killed two people,

continued, "You want to

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

in his hand, Norton touched its tip with his thumb

these two before the

say goodbye to your good

I’m afraid that you won’t

at the flickering flame, Victor didn’t care

so he quickly rushed up and fought against the

a mercenary and the most popular leader the Roaring Tiger

course, even his weakest subordinates should be strong as

Victor was currently badly

not even be able to defeat one of the two weakest

burly men

a doubt, Victor was at a disadvantage

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

As soon as he was hit, Victor staggered and struggled

strength left him, and he eventually

broken scattered all

time, Victor’s face looked black with

tried to stand, not

on his feet,

his arm to block it, but it

spat out a mouthful of blood, and

point, Victor’s vision became

managed to fix his eyes on the rope, which was only a

how many injuries he

as the fire was put out and the rope was grasped, Shelia’s life

her into this trouble, so he was willing to

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

back to the ground and

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

to open his eyes, but his vision was still

on the ground, watching

help but wonder if he

hadn’t fully recovered yet, so

that pierced every inch of his body made

stand up, but he couldn’t move even an

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

at the river, only to find that there was

no trace of

"Ahem!"

coughed violently, spurting out

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

if he was

for a

fact, he didn’t even know how much time

found the person he had

hoped that someone would raise her head from the river or come out from

excruciating pain he was

he lost

Victor woke up again,

found him near

rescue him lasted for two

found out that Victor had fractures in eight

bones in his right knee were shattered, his chest and lungs

first thing Victor did after he woke up was ask Carolyn

still wearing an oxygen mask and struggled

was not completely out of danger

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

to send people to search for

lasted for seven days, but Shelia couldn’t be

was

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

with mud, but one could easily

years later, Victor

he did after fully

Hearts card in

nothing on the marble tombstone aside from

wasn’t even Shelia’s name on

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

him to the hospital, but he was

that year that Carolyn

more years, he finished his studies and finally

taking over several small companies under

companies from a very low level to one of the top in

outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed

entered the ward where

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

eat any

had been eating porridge

stand the smell

and had no choice but to

"Eat it again when you get

stuck his tongue out, not intending

at the

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

the kid gradually got

about him was that Roger

could

Joey could only eat them

Rachel turned around and was surprised to see

you say that you wouldn’t

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

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

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

visit, it would probably be

initially, I couldn’t

hesitated for a moment before finally

furrowed her

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

465 Dark Circles The operation done to Victor lasted

door of the operating room opened and closed

and Carson couldn’t do anything but

the operation began, the indicator light outside the room

indicated that the surgery was successfully

life was saved, but he wasn’t completely out

was wheeled to

days ago that his vital

be

still

field to

wasn’t what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

wounds had healed, they still had an

new injuries

that only a miracle could

least tell us when

asked in

can’t say that

help but frown as he

be blunt, please consider preparing for the worst-case

wake up? Is he going

it was obvious that this was

hundred percent, but there was a

was the first one to

Carson deemed that Rachel had the right to

against the wall outside Joey’s ward, holding a

slightly disoriented, and there were dark circles

to tell Rachel

the tragic news,

as if she had already prepared herself for something

Carson was a

know when she became this

in a coma for about half a month

might have

room for 70 hours before the

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

You can’t smoke here."

his senses, Carson put

her indifferent expression, he didn’t bother

the subject and asked, "Anyway,

"Joey? He’s fine.

checked him up yesterday and said that he has been

plaster will be removed ahead

turned his head and peeped through the glass panel

Joey sleeping soundly

stretched for a bit and said,

then, I’m leaving

turned around and left without

visited to tell Rachel

had

of an eye, two days eventually passed

aware of Victor’s

in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four

same time, Carson didn’t show

the diagnosis came from an expert, she was also

that Victor had miraculously

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

for a long time without being able to

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

Rachel… Do you want to go upstairs and see

time, Rachel pressed her lips

someone gently pulled her sleeve and pulled

want

was Joey, pleading in

the fact that Victor

in the hospital, he

been absent-minded and Victor hadn’t come up in any

found out the truth, Rachel didn’t have

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

just smiled and made a

Isn’t daddy bad? They say bad

we don’t have to worry

at Joey’s bright eyes, she felt a lump

a few moments, she

"Yes, of course."

had a good rest in

as if there was nothing wrong

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

keeping it all inside him,

"Okay…"

heart softened,

ward was in the second

was

Rachel simply let him sit in

wheelchair for him, and the three of them

enough, they reached the

elevator finally stopped at the floor of the ward

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

heard that there were steps approaching, he furrowed his brows and eventually

this scene, Carson knew that he

first time I’ve seen you

What brings you here?"

he quickly set the document he was holding aside and raised

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking

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

dark circles around

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at

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

that

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

of course, this was only to

good sleep for half a

was originally a handsome young man, but

"Ha-ha!"

help but laugh after seeing

innocent laughter, Carson realized that he was fooled

stepped forward and pinched Joey’s

"You, brat.

dare you tease your godfather? You have

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

no opinion regarding

I grew up

We are best friends.

the one who

that’s how I became

his eyebrows and crossed his arms in

if you don’t

using his uninjured hand and said,

clicked his tongue as he

in a slightly low voice, "I also didn’t

as I said, it’s a fact that you

you’d better change your attitude

but he

of the corner of his eye, Carson recognized

then tried to regain his composure and commented, "I see that you’re not busy today,

heard that

came here with Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

didn’t plan to lose his

"Oh, I see."

and said,

He is resting inside.

Rachel looked at the ward Carson

was going through

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

nodded and walked

followed her, pushing

were placed over his

in

about to sav something, Joey spoke

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked

not standing

see him from

his eyebrows as if he was giving

at him, Joey turned

to

overheard what Joey

about I take you

"No!"

replied in a very

serious

am

bathroom in Joey’s ward, so it wasn’t a

at that moment, they were no

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

Joey’s words, Rachel looked at both

Roger, then

bother the former, Carson soon observed that she was staring at

to take Joey to the

refused to pay

took out his phone and turned around as if

give Joey a thumbs up without Rachel

like he was

the plan

talking, he headed towards the

very good

up while he was

what just happened clearly and understood

"It’s okay.

will take

He is actually right.

like him to be taken to the

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

when he heard those words, they

Rachel ought to have been closer to him than

days, they got

them were always in one

best known to her, she still

things, Rachel

it

stop himself from thinking about the night Rachel was standing outside the operating room where

and Joey headed towards

some time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

quick glance at the phone

you through with the phone

"What?"

followed Rachel’s sight and took a peek

appeared on

am through

with no choice! My subordinates are too bad

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake smile on

not very good at

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

the tip of his nose and

want

raised her head in order to look through the glass panel on

was

point of view, only the living room

Rachel pushed the door open in no time and

said Victor would lie in the bed for

half a year’s

voice came

a stable

"Get out of here!"

interrupted Carson’s

saw a man in a suit coming out

He looked dejected.

document in his

Carson as soon as he came

at first, then his face

"Mr.Scott!"

hung

It was quite noticeable.

of the Sullivan Group and the director

no need asking about what just happened

man’s expression that the project plan had

must have been driven out! Her attention was drawn to the name

was what really interested

She turned to Carson.

back at her,

"Well, this is Troy.

of the Sullivan

what she meant by just looking at her

was at a

many surnames

he had to

recognized who

bowed and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

her head

was

had given him the scare of his life! Nonetheless, he was

Miss Bennet, I’m going back to the

waved his hand and said, "Very

should do

went out

at

that Victor was

condition doesn’t seem as bad

and can work

walked to the door

leaned against

follow Rachel

document when he heard

didn’t raise his head

cast her gaze on

in a hospital

his face was pale despite the fact that he

and looked

room for more than seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would have thought that the man in

she walked

you to go

heard the footsteps,

person

of speaking in his usual cold and stiff tone, he

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

it wouldn’t bode well if I lost my

"The dance is over.

to

I reminded him.

but he still loosened his grip on

a few steps back to distance myself from

still feel the warmth of his touch on my

blushed and i felt

heart

like I had returned to

the happiest time of my

days were long gone and I could never get them

feeling conflicted and

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached

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

glass and taking

it, I’d had a few to

this time, Elena

surprise waiting for

you like to go upstairs and take a look at

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when you get

smile appeared

confusion, I followed her to the

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

numerous balloons

widened in

say, this whole scene was picturesque and

had no idea who

to mind was Charles, but I quickly

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

on me,

receiving this birthday

stared at the night

was tranquil, and

the cold sea breeze, I felt even

a fireworks display lit up the sky, forming

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

like a

I

on the ground and

and i felt like my blood was running

the abandoned

breath I felt

of strong arms held me tightly "There’s no need

I’m here."

came from above me, making me feel

It was Charles.

tears burst from my eyes, Gently, he

don’t have to