My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire

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

Then she began to type out her reply to Brandon.

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

the staff member said through gritted teeth.

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

Ignoring her, Janet texted Brandon back.

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

The message from Brandon was a godsend.

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

Brandon replied with a long message.

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

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

The data was tampered with.

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

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

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

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

"How did you find that out?"

The platform was now owned by Lester Silk Fabric.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As she spoke, she tucked her phone away.

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

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

Janet ignored her.

She turned around and left without looking back.

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

"What’s up, Lind?"

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

Janet asked politely.

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

Tiffany looked at her warily and then nodded slowly.

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

"I want to call him and apologize,"

Janet answered simply.

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

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

There are enough discussions about you already,"

Tiffany scolded.

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

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

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

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

Janet reached for the card with a bright smile.

Of course she knew what she was doing.

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

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

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

Janet said, her voice as sweet as honey.

When Ritchie heard this, he was surprised.

Then, he sneered.

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

Janet had given up so soon.

"You’re scared, aren’t you?"

With a smug smile on his face, Ritchie smirked.

"Come to Lester Silk Fabric tomorrow.

You can apologize there in person."

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

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

he barked at his secretary.

"I want them here tomorrow.

Call some famous personalities in the fashion industry as well.

We need people in authority for the event."

The secretary nodded respectfully.

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

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

Get your ass back here."

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

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

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

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

"Get the biggest function hall for the press conference.

I want hundreds of people to be there.

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

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

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

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

1 Another evil grin spread on Ritchie’s face.

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

The secretary pursed his lips and jotted every detail down.

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

The sun shone bright and early the next day.

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

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

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

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

Tiffany remarked from beside her.

She turned to look Janet in the eye.

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

A faint smile appeared on Janet’s lips.

"You’ll find out soon enough.

Don’t worry.

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

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

The room finally settled down as Janet took her place.

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

"Sorry for taking up your time, everyone.

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

From a distance, Ritchie frowned and narrowed his eyes.

He could sense that something wasn’t right.

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

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

"She can’t have,"

the other man replied confidently.

"We’ve taken care to sweep everything.

All the evidence has been locked away.

I think she’s just bluffing."

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is your truth.

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

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

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

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

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

His secretary was also scared silly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Janet smiled and said in a calm voice.

Ritchie was exasperated to hear that.

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

"I thought you came here to apologize.

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

While smiling, Janet didn’t say a word.

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

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

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

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

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

The audience began to discuss this amongst themselves.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She said frantically, "I have no idea.

Don’t ask me…"

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

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

His secretary hurried to stop his curses.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now, she felt much better.

"It’s finally over!"

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

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

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

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

Related videos went viral on the Internet.

Suddenly, Janet’s phone started to ring.

It was Tiffany.

"Lind, I’m impressed.

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

You really knocked them dead!"

"Oh, my God! Seriously?"

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

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

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

There was a lot of positive feedback.

"Wow.

Heart.

Heart.

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

"She’s a lovely girl.

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

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

"Even though I’m a girl, I want her!"

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

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

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

Furious, Ritchie started trashing his office.

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

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

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

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

plummeted.

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

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

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

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

Ritchie glared at him, speechless.

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

"I’m not an idiot.

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

Things didn’t end there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am responsible for all of this.

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

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

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

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

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

She’s just an ordinary employee.

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

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

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

Janet pulled her chair and sat down.

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

"I can’t say I’m surprised.

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

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

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

"It doesn’t matter.

Look on the bright side.

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

Now, all eyes are on my work."

In the end, Luna was put behind bars.

And Janet had become an online celebrity.

Many people now knew her name and saw her designs.

Some even paid for it.

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

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

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

How’d you get the evidence?"

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

Janet froze.

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

"A very capable friend helped me get them."

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

Janet’s eyes twinkled.

"It’s a secret.

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

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

Gerda scratched her head and hurried back to her desk.

Janet couldn’t help but chuckle.

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

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

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

Janet couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Someone texted you."

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

"It seems your wife’s missing you."

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

Instantly, his expression darkened when he read the text.

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

Garrett asked seriously, the smile wiped from his face.

"Janet’s asking Brandon out for dinner."

Ethan put his phone down and sighed.

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

Garrett leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Yeah.

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

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

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

It’s not good for my heart either,"

he sighed.

Ethan frowned and started typing out a brisk reply.

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

You’re an employee of the Larson Group.

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

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

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

That’s thanks enough, Miss Lind,"

Ethan replied politely, keeping things professional.

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

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

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

Transfer her to a subsidiary company.

Then, bring Charis here."

Garrett was just about to take a nap.

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

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

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

"Why did you want to dismiss Janet?"

Ethan asked in a low voice.

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

"I just wanted to protect the company name,"

Charis answered defensively.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at her coldly.

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

No one other than me.

Understood?"

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

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

"I see how it is.

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

Ethan had already noticed that something was wrong with Charis.

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

She and her family had always valued their image.

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

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

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

Charis was a dignified woman.

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

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

She hadn’t cried in years.

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

She had been reluctant to leave him.

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

She and Brandon had worked together for years.

They had shared the company’s ups and downs.

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

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

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

"I met Brandon first,"

Charis muttered through gritted teeth.

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

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

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

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

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

But she couldn’t act as overtly as before.

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

She had to be more careful now.

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

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

Janet’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

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

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

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

But he couldn’t tell her this.

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

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

The manager of the shop at work fired me.

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

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

In fact, there was some truth to his story.

Ritchie had indeed caused him a lot trouble after all.

Hearing this, Janet’s heart immediately softened.

She walked over to help him with the vegetables.

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

I was worried something bad happened to you."

"The problem’s been solved.

Don’t worry,"

Ethan said with a reassuring smile.

That much was true.

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

"Your brother is really hard to deal with."

Janet pouted like a child.

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

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

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

Janet looked up at Ethan curiously.

Almost immediately, she saw the lust in his eyes.

His face was so beautiful.

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

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

Janet’s face turned as red as a tomato.

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

Then she focused on chopping the vegetables.

Amused, Ethan patted her on the head affectionately.

He really liked it when she blushed.

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

He had to admit it really turned him on.

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

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

Ethan stroked Janet’s hair.

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

A long forgotten name appeared on the screen.

It was Patrick Lester.

Chapter 324 Nora’s Birthday Ethan pursed his lips.

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

It was winter and the cold wind was unforgiving.

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

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

Janet’s voice broke the silence.

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

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

He was answering the phone out on the balcony again.

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

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

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

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

"I was busy just now,"

Ethan simply replied.

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

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

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

She wants you and your wife here."

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

— – Janet had overheard Patrick’s loud voice.

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

Ethan held her tighter and sighed.

"We are.

Patrick seldom summons me.

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

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

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

Janet smiled at him sweetly.

"I can tell that you’re fond of her."

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

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

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

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

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

She was the only Lester who ever cared about Ethan.

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

"She’s a kind lady,"

he said calmly.

time since they last met-too

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her teeth

thought occurred

eggs! I forgot all

embrace and ran to the kitchen in a

Ethan followed behind her.

was extremely

silly girl! I told you to keep an eye

to the side while he cleaned

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

"I’m sorry.

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

Ethan had guessed this.

his freshly washed hands, he raised his eyes to look at

"It’s my fault.

give you enough

out his arms

leaned her face against his chest, blushing

invitation from Patrick, she murmured,

and I

probably has a

461 In Order To Survive Shelia didn’t notice what was going

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

really don’t want to

just being a

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

that Shelia didn’t mean

some fruits and poured

definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

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

some more

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

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

rest assured and eat it

right then, watching Shelia with vigilant and

though Shelia happened to be an easy-going person,

thought that Victor had gotten

knew she

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead

to look away and placed

the rest for

that he wanted to help, Shelia nodded and

bite out of the

furrowed her brows and stuck

hard

was not cooked

just now must be

me? You

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

Shelia turned around and

smiling? Van, you did this deliberately, didn’t

smiling?’ Victor never even realized that he was

gently touched the

to roast the meat for

have gone a long

get some

tired at

just sit right

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? Did

how to

in

"Survive in the wildness?"

was the very first time that Shelia had

go out of your way

crushed some fruits

knife to slice the

he heard what Shelia asked,

a while, he said,

Victor knew the reason

learned that because he wanted to be prepared in case of

of time that even under ner

so that he would at least have a better

"Alright."

to focus her gaze on the

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

stretched out a hand to wipe off the

and turned to look at Victor with a blank

straight into Shelia’s eyes, he started

and explained, "Your nose has dirt

"Is that so?"

to rub her nose with the back of

what about now? Is it still

"No,"

glancing over

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

did you learn other than

Can you teach me?"

want to learn

"In order to survive."

of Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter

shelia said casually.

felt sad upon hearing

ready to be flipped? It’s on the verge

Shelia pointed out.

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

flipped the meat over while he was still thinking about what she

.

thoughts about whether or not to ask

was, after all,

the other hand, didn’t seem to

"Will you please teach

"Hmm,"

after a

"Is that a yes?"

and she broke into

meanwhile, became much more

Victor nodded, "Okay."

broadly as she said, "Thanks

ever encountered, except for my

"Orphanage?"

That’s where

two years ago, the orphanage was taken over and

eyes clouded as she spoke

was a wonderful

meals and gave me a lot of fresh

an orphan…’

guardian was needed to look after you

didn’t you leave with

at Victor and

Shelia had known

they okay with you being outdoors

her head, Shelia said,

visit her tomb, so

remain unknown to them,

spite of the dingy ground, Shelia lay down

bathed in shards of sunshine that had been scattered by

behind her head, her

sighed with disappointment as she gazed up

to visit

keeps you from doing

people

me if I

no idea that

when I meet her again

said, blinking

fixed on Shelia and he

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

a soft spot in

that I was a lovely

appropriate to use this term

Shelia, Victor concluded that the adjective

an apt description of her features,

was responsible for your upbringing, how

was unable to communicate since she was

never referred to us by

card was in my

her pocket as if it were a

each kid was

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

stared at the card–the King

Did I get the

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

said, "I am the only one with the

meat was toasting as they were

gave her the meat after he re-applied

all set

Eat, please."

came from her gut just

put her hand to her stomach

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

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after a good

her feet, she said, "Let’s

when Shelia abruptly extended her hand to

"Come on, get up."

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

Shelia used a dart to put

lost track of

had

in sitting down on a stone and drank some

we’ll have to travel until

out before

drank some

so much walking, and

incoherently, "I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

have

"Like never before…"

and continued to

motion, she murmured, "Van, you

you return, be sure

to

after a day and

What’s

"Plan?"

was slow

plans once we leave the forest?

I want to continue my travels and

no longer walk and beg

answered with a

"Shelia."

appeared to have made up his mind after staring at Shelia for

"What’s the problem?"

after we get out

my grandma will like you, I will

can count on

me to come

it all right with you? If you don’t want

that Shelia might

a while before asking, "Are

"No, I’m not.

you the best

Victor convinced her.

and smiled

when we get out of

"Sure."

moment they emerged from the woods, though,

below the horizon, basking

on the bodies of Victor and

been walking since high noon and now, the

assuaged when they saw a relatively spacious

out

we’ll meet local villagers if we

We can…"

finish her sentence, she saw Victor

She was confused.

looked at Victor, wanting to know why he

"Van?"

i didn’t expect

for the

were parked

at the front, looking at them intently as he

could feel right away that they

in turn stood protectively in front

didn’t take his eyes off Norton,

voice that only Shelia could hear, Victor said, "Run into

won’t get lost even when

were finding our way out of the forest, I put

these marks and you can get back

"And then?"

her

straight into

"Walk along this road.

you meet villagers, borrow a mobile phone from them, and call

that Norton didn’t intend to

wanted to play a game with Victor by throwing him

couldn’t escape this predicament, Shelia

her back to see his grandmother, and

that Victor could not fulfill the promise he made in the

phone number on her palm with his

call the number once you get hold of a mobile

he whispered.

my

pick you up wherever you

just looked down at her

respond, Victor looked at her and asked in

"No."

pulled her

eyes were

to remember the number, nor do I want

be a good

Victor frowned.

so anxious that he coughed violently as

and clenched

her palm and let Victor

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

sneer, he said, "Tut, tut,

each other! I’m so moved by

tensed up when

pulled Sheila behind

was seriously injured and keeping himself standing steadily was taxing for

be hard for him to fight

deliberately walked up

Shelia

them, Norton pulled

for Victor to stop

"Let her go!"

a firm

hearing vexation

you look

mud on Shelia’s face with

Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed over and tried to take Shelia back

he stopped in his tracks when something silver flashed through

a knife that Norton pressed against Shelia’s

a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

tone and gave Victor a mocking

he had

fist and

you want

to do with

So, let her go!"

This is

Norton curled his lips.

want to let

from but I

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

red eyes,

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

body was tensed

she saw Victor spat out blood and beg for mercy,

you

his mocking smile plastered

in anger when

you just

said you

Shelia swallowed.

a sense of accomplishment by

you don’t have in you to do what you intend to

So, cut the crap.

kill

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to stop

that she was provoking

Norton’s hackles rise and the man would do just what she was

Norton was indeed angry.

kept his voice in

you really

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help you with

Norton said, laughing derisively.

to his men and instructed them, "Tie her

his eyes and asked anxiously, "What are you

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared at

as

Shelia

was made to ride a

about where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor Woke Up

river was flowing

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

blue veins

his teeth and

of the gushing water, Shelia

wanted Victor

moment she opened her

her

on Victor’s face, Norton scoffed at

strong but

me laugh,

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

a cunning smile, Norton approached the rope,

for the sake of you wanting to save her so much, I

in me, huh? What do

just glare

it took to

was in the middle of the river,

two men behind him appeared and stood

slowly stood up and looked at

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

the

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

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

holding Victor’s arms let go of

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

two before the

you can say goodbye

washed away, I’m afraid that you won’t even find her

flame, Victor didn’t care about anything

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

mercenary and the most popular

even his weakest subordinates

Victor was

not even be able to defeat one of the two weakest subordinates of

them were tall and burly men

was at a disadvantage from

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

as he was hit,

repeatedly, his strength left him, and he eventually knelt on the

all over his body, making him feel

Victor’s face

stand, not

even get back on

arm to block it, but it didn’t

Victor spat out a mouthful of blood, and a tooth also

Victor’s

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

didn’t matter how many

out and the rope was grasped, Shelia’s life could be

this trouble, so he was willing to

as his mind wanted to go

back to the ground

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

struggled to open his eyes, but his vision was

lay there on the ground, watching the raindrops

help but wonder

hadn’t fully recovered yet, so he thought that

pierced every inch of his body made

up, but he couldn’t

little bit, grabbing the mud under his hands in

head to look at the river, only to find that there was

no trace of

"Ahem!"

coughed violently, spurting

himself, he grabbed unto the soil and opened his eyes

at the river expectantly, as if he was

waited for a long

know how much time passed

found the

head from the river or come

excruciating pain he

he lost

woke up again, he was finally

found him near

to rescue him lasted for two days and

doctor’s diagnosis, it was found out that Victor had

and lungs

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

was still wearing an oxygen mask and struggled

not completely out of danger

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

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

lasted for seven days, but

and there was

give Victor was a crumpled playing card that

could easily recognize that it was

later, Victor

did after fully recovering was buy a

Hearts card in a box

the marble tombstone aside from the

even Shelia’s

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

tried to rush him to the hospital, but he was declared

was also in that year that Carolyn sent

years, he finished his studies and finally

several small companies under

raised the sales of these companies from a very low

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

entered the

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

can’t eat any

eating porridge

even stand the

choice but to put the

said, "Eat it again when you get

stuck his tongue out, not intending to

Roger standing at the door, so he politely

In the past half a month, Roger came to the hospital to

gradually got

Joey liked about him was that Roger would

eat too much, he could at least taste something aside from

Joey could only

Roger, Rachel turned around and was surprised

you say that you wouldn’t come

Roger came here, he would send Rachel a message in advance to ask her if she wanted to

would say no every time, he would still insist

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

still visit, it would

I couldn’t

for a moment before finally saying,

Rachel furrowed

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

465 Dark Circles The operation done to Victor

opened and closed for several times as

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

since the operation began, the indicator light outside the

indicated that the surgery

he wasn’t completely out of

he was wheeled to the

not until two days ago

became eligible to be transferred to the

he was still in a

the field to check Victor’s

what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

wounds had healed, they still had

new injuries just made

he said that only a miracle could save

at least tell us when he will

in a gloomy

I can’t

help but frown

be blunt,

he’ll never wake up? Is he going to become a vegetable for the rest of his

didn’t say this, it was obvious that this was what he

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

Carson and Lukas, Rachel was the

that Rachel had the

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

slightly disoriented, and there were dark circles

went down to tell Rachel about

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

as if she had already prepared herself

was a bit

know when she became

was when Victor had been in a coma

it might have been

the operating room for 70 hours before the indication

Carson’s hand and reminded him in a

You can’t smoke here."

if he regained his senses, Carson

bother continue discussing

the subject and asked,

"Joey? He’s fine.

him up yesterday and said that he has

will be

his head and peeped through the

Joey sleeping soundly

stretched for a bit and said,

then, I’m

Carson turned around and

that he really just visited to tell

had

eye, two days eventually

Victor’s condition, Rachel didn’t intend

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

didn’t

came from an expert, she was also convinced that Victor

the news that Victor had miraculously woke

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

for a long time without being able to speak

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

Do you want to

Rachel pressed

gently pulled her sleeve and pulled her back from

I want to

Joey, pleading in

Victor was in a coma after

woke up in the hospital,

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

the truth, Rachel didn’t have the heart

anything, nor did he pester Rachel to go to the ICU to

he just smiled

Isn’t daddy bad? They say bad

don’t have to worry too much

bright eyes, she felt a lump in

moments, she

"Yes, of course."

weeks, Joey had a good rest

mention Victor, as if there

knew that Joey would actually wake up in the middle of the night from time to time and look at the ceiling

him, but Rachel was aware that he missed

"Okay…"

softened, and

was in

was inconvenient for him to

let him sit in a

for him, and the three of them

enough, they

stopped at the floor of the ward where

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

there were steps approaching, he furrowed his brows and eventually saw three people

wer If Victor had seen this scene, Carson knew that he would have been very

it’s the first time I’ve

What brings you here?"

as he quickly set the document he was holding

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking

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

those dark circles

"Dark circles?"

almost choked

phone, opened its front camera, and looked at

that Joey

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

this was only

a good sleep for half a

man, but even he was susceptible to stress

"Ha-ha!"

help but laugh after seeing the upset look on

realized that he was fooled by this

Carson stepped forward and pinched Joey’s

"You, brat.

you tease your godfather? You

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

no

and I grew

We are best friends.

one

how I became your

his eyebrows and crossed his arms in front

even if you don’t want it,

uninjured hand and said, "Humph!

as he withdrew his hand from

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

said, it’s a fact that

you’d better change your attitude towards

anything more, but he stuck out his tongue

of his eye, Carson

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

I heard that Mr.Sullivan

Rachel

Roger explained.

plan to lose his

"Oh, I see."

pointed at the room and said, "His ward is over

He is resting inside.

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

was going through her

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

nodded and walked towards the

her,

arms were placed

in thoughts for

was about to sav something, Joey

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked at the little

standing very

could see him from the

raised his eyebrows as if he

taking a quick glance at him, Joey

need to use

what Joey was

I

"No!"

in a

a serious look on his

am a

was a bathroom in Joey’s ward, so it wasn’t a problem for Rachel

at that moment, they were no longer in the

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

Joey’s words, Rachel looked at

Roger, then her gaze fell

former, Carson soon observed that

to take

coughed and refused to pay any attention

out his phone and turned around as if nothing had

give Joey a thumbs

pretended like he was

I have read the plan you sent to

talking, he headed towards the nurses’

very

while he was still holding

Rachel saw what just happened

"It’s okay.

take

He is actually right.

embarrassing for a boy like him

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

heard those words,

Rachel ought to have been closer

past few days, they got along really

were always in one another’s

for reasons best known to

things,

knew that it couldn’t be achieved

about the night Rachel was standing outside the

Joey

time, Carson came

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

at the phone in

through with the phone

"What?"

followed Rachel’s sight and took a peek

appeared

I am through with

choice! My subordinates are too bad

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake

very good

he had pretended to answer

touched the tip of his nose and coughed to ease the awkwardness

want

head in order to look through the glass panel on

was a

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

pushed the door open

Victor would lie

half

voice came from

in a stable condition now,

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted Carson’s

and saw a man in

He looked dejected.

was a document in

ran into Rachel and Carson as soon as he

stunned at first, then

"Mr.Scott!"

hung around

It was quite noticeable.

of the Sullivan Group and the director of the project

asking about

tell from the man’s expression that

have been driven out! Her attention was drawn

surname was what really

She turned to Carson.

looked back at her, she raised

"Well, this is Troy.

works as a member of the

meant by just looking at her

at a loss for

many surnames in

he had

recognized who

bowed and mentioned her

"Miss Bennet."

nodded her head

forehead was

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

going back to the

and said,

should do

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

at the door

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

seem as bad as

well and can

walked to the door and

leaned against the door

didn’t follow

reading some document when he heard the

his head and say coldly,

her

in a hospital

face was pale despite the fact that he

frowned and

for more than seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would have

that she

asked you to go out, didn’t

Victor heard the

up at the person who was walking

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

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

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

"The dance is over.

time to let

I reminded him.

his eyes, but he still loosened

took a few steps back to distance myself from

some reason, I could still feel the warmth of his

face blushed and

heart

like I had returned to the

the happiest time of my

were long gone and I could never get

feeling

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached me and

gaze from behind me and began chatting with the guests with a smile on my

and taking a

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

this time, Elena came to

a surprise waiting for you

go upstairs and

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you

mysterious smile appeared

followed her to

there were bright red rose petals scattered across

numerous

eyes widened in

say, this whole scene was picturesque and

I had no idea

mind was Charles, but I quickly

be him?’ A bitter smile appeared on my lips, and

on

receiving this birthday surprise soon died

stood on the second floor, I stared at the night scene around me

sea was tranquil, and yet

cold sea breeze, I felt

a sudden, a fireworks display lit up the sky, forming the

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

like a

by the noise, I covered my ears at

on the ground

began trembling uncontrollably, and i

horrible incident at the abandoned warehouse kept

of breath I

pair of strong arms held

I’m here."

familiar voice came from above me,

It was Charles.

my

have to be