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.

a long time since they

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her

a thought

eggs! I forgot

and

Ethan followed behind her.

at Janet, who was extremely flustered,

silly girl! I told you to keep

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

the corner, restlessly

"I’m sorry.

talking to Charis, so I rushed

Ethan had guessed this.

drying his freshly washed hands, he raised his eyes

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you enough

he spread out his arms and said gently,

face against

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

I just got him into

has a huge grudge against

go there?"Chapter 461 In Order To Survive Shelia didn’t notice what was going

her forehead in a casual

don’t want to tell me,

just being

said nothing, and silently retracted the knife he was hiding behind his

a feeling that Shelia didn’t mean him

some fruits and poured the juice

definitely

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

at the meat Shelia was holding out in her

more for

the meat, Shelia smiled as if

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

can rest assured and eat

was on high alert right then,

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

that Victor

knew she was

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead

away

the rest

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

bite out of the

she furrowed her

really hard to

not cooked fully

gave you just

tell me?

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

aside, Shelia turned around and spotted Victor’s

smiling? Van, you did

smiling?’ Victor never even realized that he

his hand and gently touched the corner of

to roast the meat for

gone a

and get some

tired

just sit right

her hands propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down next to

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

to survive in the

in

"Survive in the wildness?"

first time that Shelia had ever heard of such

go out of your way to learn

Victor also crushed some fruits and

knife

Shelia asked,

a while, he said, "I

fact, Victor knew the

that because he wanted to be prepared

under ner

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

"Alright."

her gaze on the burning

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

a hand to wipe

to look

Shelia’s eyes, he started to feel

away, and explained, "Your nose has dirt on

"Is that so?"

nose with the

what about now? Is it still

"No,"

glancing over

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

other than roasting meat? I want to

Can you teach me?"

you want

"In order to survive."

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

shelia said casually.

Victor felt sad

meat ready to be flipped? It’s on

Shelia pointed out.

by Shelia, Victor saw a small burn on the meat’s exposed side when he looked at

while he was still thinking

.

whether or not to ask her

after all,

the other hand, didn’t seem to

you please

"Hmm,"

said after

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she broke

meanwhile, became

Victor nodded, "Okay."

as she said, "Thanks so

encountered, except for my caretaker in

"Orphanage?"

where

ago, the orphanage was taken over and

clouded as she spoke

woman was a

meals and gave

an orphan…’

guardian was needed to look after you since the orphanage

didn’t you leave with the

at Victor and answered,

Shelia had known for

with you

head, Shelia said,

visit her tomb,

whereabouts remain unknown to them,

spite of the dingy ground, Shelia lay down

sunshine that had been scattered by the trees

behind her head,

with disappointment as she gazed up

want to visit

what keeps you

people guarding

me if I

no idea that I have

when I meet her again in

said, blinking

eyes remained fixed on

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

in her

that I was a lovely

didn’t seem appropriate to use this term to describe

concluded that the

description of her features,

thinking twice, Victor asked her, "Since she was responsible for your

was unable to communicate since she

to us by

a poker card was in

it were a treasure and presented it to Victor as

each kid was

take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella erupted into laughter, which was maybe due to the reference

the

I get the

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

am the only one with

toasting

meat after

set

Eat, please."

growl came from her gut

she put her hand to her stomach and ate the meat with

than the meat i

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after a good

feet, she said, "Let’s keep

rise when

"Come on, get up."

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

Shelia used a dart to put marks on the

of

sun had

in sitting down on a stone and drank some

far we’ll have to travel until

out

drank some water

much walking, and he was coughing

said incoherently, "I’m

Let’s move forward."

have the

"Like never before…"

and continued to

she murmured, "Van, you look rather

return, be

his gaze to

covered in mud after a day

you? What’s

"Plan?"

slow to

we leave the forest? Where will

want to continue my travels and explore the world’s finest rivers

the police station when I can no longer walk and beg them to take me

with

"Shelia."

up his mind after staring at Shelia for a long

"What’s the problem?"

come with me after we get

grandma will like you, I will defend you

can count on

to come

with you? If you don’t

concerned that Shelia

before asking, "Are you joking

"No, I’m not.

treat you the best I

Victor convinced her.

smiled at

when we get out

"Sure."

from the woods, though, everything

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

glimmered on the bodies of

noon and now, the sun

assuaged when they

out

meet local villagers if we walk a

We can…"

finish her sentence,

She was confused.

wanting

"Van?"

well, well, i didn’t expect you

for the source of

that were parked

at the front, looking at them intently as he played

away that they were

to shield Victor, who in turn stood protectively in

his eyes off

that only Shelia could hear, Victor said, "Run into the forest when I tell you

won’t get lost even when it

we were finding our way out of the forest, I

these marks and you can get back

"And then?"

her

straight into

"Walk along this road.

mobile phone from them, and call this

Norton didn’t

to play a game with Victor by throwing him into

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

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

could not fulfill the promise he made

hand, Victor wrote a phone

you get

he whispered.

my grandmother’s

her and she will pick

just looked down

didn’t respond, Victor looked at her and

"No."

her

were a little

want to remember the number,

be a good

Victor frowned.

was so anxious that he coughed violently

adamant and clenched

spread her palm and let

Victor and Shelia were talking about, he could tell that

"Tut, tut, tut,

feelings for each other! I’m

tensed up when saw Norton

intuitively pulled

injured and keeping himself standing

for

up

Shelia stepped

them, Norton pulled Shelia

fast for Victor to

"Let her go!"

firm

found satisfaction in hearing vexation in

you

wiped the mud on Shelia’s face with his

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

when

knife that

out a

"No."

"What are you saying?"

and gave Victor a mocking

he had difficulty

his fist and

you want

has nothing to do

So, let her go!"

This is

Norton curled his lips.

don’t want to let her

comes from but I find your

to die alone? I can do something about that

eyes, Victor breathed

pressed against her neck, all Shelia could do was raise her

body was

when she saw Victor spat out blood and beg

you can do? Threaten

smile plastered

his eyes narrowed in anger when

you just

you

Shelia swallowed.

sense of

you to do what you

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to

that she was provoking

Norton’s hackles rise and the man would

Norton was indeed angry.

his voice

Looks like you really

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help you with

Norton said, laughing derisively.

men and instructed them,

eyes and asked anxiously,

Norton didn’t answer.

glared

men did as they

hands and feet bound, Shelia

to ride a different

his brain thinking about where Norton was taking them.Chapter

was flowing

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

blue

his teeth and yelled, "Let her

her eyes because of

Victor to run

she opened her mouth,

her eyes became

exasperated expression on

thought that Victor might be strong but he was useless in this kind of

me

I’m a good man? Why the hell should

approached the rope,

wanting to save

still some good in me, huh? What

just glare

do whatever it

who was in the middle of the river, Norton

appeared and stood

looked at Victor with a wry

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

are the weakest among

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

want to save her,

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

his hand, Norton touched its tip with his thumb and warned, "But of course, you

these two before the rope

can say goodbye to your good

afraid that you won’t

flame, Victor didn’t

was of essence, so he quickly rushed up and fought against the

mercenary and the most popular leader the Roaring Tiger

course, even his weakest subordinates

was

his peak state, he might not even be able to defeat one

them were tall and burly men that could

was at a disadvantage from the very

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

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

his strength left him, and he

all over his body, making him feel

face looked black

to stand, not ready

get back on his feet, he saw

subconsciously use his arm to block it, but it didn’t make much

a

Victor’s vision became

fix his eyes on the

matter how many

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

he was

wanted to go on, his body

the

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

open his eyes, but

lay there on the ground, watching the

couldn’t help but wonder if he

yet, so he thought

pain that pierced every inch of his body made Victor realize

up, but he couldn’t

little bit, grabbing the mud under his hands

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

was no

"Ahem!"

spurting out more

soil and opened his eyes as

river expectantly, as if

waited for

fact, he didn’t even know how much time

never found the person he

would raise her head from the river or come out from somewhere and call

of blood and the excruciating pain he

lost consciousness

woke up again, he

subordinates found him near the

operation to rescue him lasted for two

diagnosis, it was found out that Victor

knee were shattered, his chest and lungs were

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

still wearing an oxygen mask and

of danger yet, but all he

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

to send people

lasted for seven days, but

and there was still no news about

card that got wet from the rain and then

but one could easily recognize that it was the

later, Victor completely

did after fully recovering

put the King of Hearts card in a box and buried

marble tombstone aside

Shelia’s name

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

tried to rush him to the hospital, but he was

also in that year

years, he finished his studies and

began taking over several small companies under the

Victor raised the sales of these companies from a

ability, Carolyn gradually

At this time, Roger entered the ward where

of the bed, holding a bowl of porridge, and

can’t eat any

porridge for about half a

now, he couldn’t even stand the smell

had no choice but

said, "Eat it again when you

his tongue out, not

at the door, so he politely greeted,

half a month, Roger came to

the kid gradually

him was that Roger would bring some snacks

couldn’t eat too much, he could at least taste

only

Roger, Rachel turned around and was surprised to see

say that you wouldn’t

a message in advance to ask

every time, he would

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

he could still visit, it would probably be very late

initially, I couldn’t

Roger hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "But I got a

furrowed

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

Circles The operation done to Victor

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

anything but wait outside until the procedure

the operation began, the indicator light outside the

that the

saved, but he wasn’t completely out

he was wheeled to

not until two days ago that his vital

to be transferred to the

still in a

expert in the field to check Victor’s

wasn’t what he

Victor sustained serious injuries.

old wounds had healed, they still

his new injuries just made

that only

you at least tell us when

asked in

I can’t say

but frown as he made

blunt, please consider

a chance that he’ll never wake up? Is he going to become a vegetable for the

the expert didn’t say this, it was

a hundred percent, but there was a huge chance that this

Carson and Lukas, Rachel was the

deemed that Rachel had the

Joey’s ward,

disoriented, and there were

down to tell Rachel about this important

when Rachel heard the tragic news, her face didn’t show

she had already prepared herself

was a bit

when she became this mentally

been in a coma for

have been even

outside the operating room for 70 hours before the indication

moment of silence, Rachel glanced at the cigarette in Carson’s hand and reminded him

You can’t smoke here."

he regained his senses, Carson put out the

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

the subject and asked,

"Joey? He’s fine.

him up yesterday and said that he has been

will be

through

Joey sleeping soundly in

stretched for a bit and said, "Good

I’m

around and left

to tell

from that, he had nothing else to

of an eye, two days eventually

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

just stayed in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four hours a

Carson didn’t

an expert, she was also convinced

Roger broke the news that Victor had miraculously woke up

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

time without being able

she was still judging Roger’s expression if he was

you want to go upstairs

slowly This time, Rachel pressed her lips hard and

gently pulled her sleeve and

want to

pleading in

the fact that Victor was

up in the hospital, he actually had a vague

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

when Joey finally found out the truth, Rachel

nor did he

just smiled and made

daddy bad? They say bad

to worry too much about

eyes, she felt a lump in her

few moments, she

"Yes, of course."

two weeks, Joey had a good

Victor, as if there was nothing wrong

of the night from time to time

a brave kid for keeping it all inside him, but Rachel was aware that he

"Okay…"

heart softened,

ward was in the

it was inconvenient for

him

him, and the three of them

enough, they reached the

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 the sofa in the hall, dealing with

approaching, he furrowed his brows and eventually saw three people approaching like a

this scene, Carson knew that he would have been very

time

What brings you here?"

as he quickly set the document he was holding aside

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking

who

circles

"Dark circles?"

choked at Joey’s

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

that Joey was

looked totally haggard, and his eye bags were so

of course, this was only

good

young man, but even he was susceptible

"Ha-ha!"

but laugh after seeing the upset look on Carson’s

that he was fooled by this little

head, Carson stepped forward and pinched Joey’s face

"You, brat.

dare you tease your godfather?

Who said that

have no

I grew up

We are best friends.

one

I

eyebrows and crossed his

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

hand and said, "Humph! If I don’t want to admit

he

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

as I said, it’s a fact that

change

but he stuck out his tongue

his eye, Carson recognized Roger standing

commented, "I see that

I heard that

I came here with Rachel and

Roger explained.

his composure just

"Oh, I see."

and said, "His ward is

He is resting inside.

Cooperation Rachel

what was going

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

walked towards the

her,

arms were placed

lost in

to sav something, Joey spoke before

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked at

standing very far

could see him from the corner of

as if he was giving

a quick glance at

I need to use

overheard what Joey was

about I take you

"No!"

a very decisive

was a serious look on his

I am a

ward, so it wasn’t

moment, they were no

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

reaction to Joey’s words,

was Roger, then

didn’t want to bother the former, Carson soon

wanted him to

to pay any

phone and

give Joey a thumbs

he

the plan you sent

he headed towards

he wasn’t very good

up while he was still holding

at all! Rachel saw what just happened clearly and understood that it was all

"It’s okay.

take Joey

He is actually right.

for a boy like him to be taken

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

heard those words, they displeased

to have been closer

past few days, they got

of them were always in one

best known to her, she

things, Rachel still didn’t love

it couldn’t be

couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the night Rachel was standing outside the operating

he and Joey headed towards the

some time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

quick glance at the phone in

with the phone

"What?"

sight and took a

appeared

am through with

was left with no choice! My subordinates are too bad at making

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake

very good at

realized that Rachel knew that he had pretended to answer the call

touched the tip of his nose and coughed to ease

want to go

order to look through the glass

ward was a

point of view, only the living room could be seen,

door open in no time

doctor said Victor would lie in the bed

to undergo half a year’s

voice came

a stable condition now,

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted

saw a man in a suit coming out of

He looked dejected.

a document in

ran into Rachel and Carson as

stunned at first,

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung around

It was quite noticeable.

Sullivan Group and

no need asking about what just happened

man’s expression that the project plan

Her attention was drawn to the name

what really

She turned to Carson.

at her, she raised her

"Well, this is Troy.

of the

she meant by

was at a

were so many surnames in the

he had

recognized who Rachel

and

"Miss Bennet."

head slightly in

was

his life! Nonetheless, he was still holding the document

Bennet, I’m going back to

his hand and said,

do

said, Troy went out of sight in a blink

looked at the door

was sitting

as bad

is well and can work

the door and pushed it

against the door

follow Rachel

some document when

didn’t raise his head and say

her

was in a hospital

that his face was pale despite the fact

and

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

she walked towards the bed

to go out,

Victor heard the footsteps, his

person

speaking in his usual cold and stiff tone, he said

Even after we finished the dance, Charles kept his hand on

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

"The dance is over.

to

I reminded him.

he still loosened his grip on my waist like i told

few steps back to distance myself from

some reason, I could still feel the warmth of his touch

blushed and i felt rather

my heart

like I

the happiest time of

those days were

feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached me and

forced myself to ignore the burning gaze from behind me and began chatting with the guests with a smile on

my glass and

I’d had a few to drink and was starting to get

time, Elena came to

for

upstairs and take a

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you

appeared on

followed her to the deck on

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

were also numerous balloons around the

eyes widened

say, this whole scene was

this my birthday surprise?’ I had no idea who had prepared

to mind was Charles,

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

effort on me, and

joy of receiving this birthday

floor, I stared at

sea was tranquil, and yet my mind was

of the cold sea breeze, I

fireworks display lit up the sky,

shot up to the sky, a

sounded like a

by the noise, I covered

the ground

i felt like

horrible incident at the abandoned

I felt so dizzy that I

I was having a panic attack, a pair of strong arms held me tightly

I’m here."

voice came from above me, making me feel so

It was Charles.

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

have to