My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire

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

Then she began to type out her reply to Brandon.

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

the staff member said through gritted teeth.

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

Ignoring her, Janet texted Brandon back.

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

The message from Brandon was a godsend.

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

Brandon replied with a long message.

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

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

The data was tampered with.

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

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

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

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

"How did you find that out?"

The platform was now owned by Lester Silk Fabric.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As she spoke, she tucked her phone away.

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

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

Janet ignored her.

She turned around and left without looking back.

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

"What’s up, Lind?"

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

Janet asked politely.

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

Tiffany looked at her warily and then nodded slowly.

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

"I want to call him and apologize,"

Janet answered simply.

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

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

There are enough discussions about you already,"

Tiffany scolded.

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

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

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

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

Janet reached for the card with a bright smile.

Of course she knew what she was doing.

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

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

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

Janet said, her voice as sweet as honey.

When Ritchie heard this, he was surprised.

Then, he sneered.

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

Janet had given up so soon.

"You’re scared, aren’t you?"

With a smug smile on his face, Ritchie smirked.

"Come to Lester Silk Fabric tomorrow.

You can apologize there in person."

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

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

he barked at his secretary.

"I want them here tomorrow.

Call some famous personalities in the fashion industry as well.

We need people in authority for the event."

The secretary nodded respectfully.

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

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

Get your ass back here."

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

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

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

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

"Get the biggest function hall for the press conference.

I want hundreds of people to be there.

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

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

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

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

1 Another evil grin spread on Ritchie’s face.

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

The secretary pursed his lips and jotted every detail down.

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

The sun shone bright and early the next day.

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

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

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

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

Tiffany remarked from beside her.

She turned to look Janet in the eye.

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

A faint smile appeared on Janet’s lips.

"You’ll find out soon enough.

Don’t worry.

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

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

The room finally settled down as Janet took her place.

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

"Sorry for taking up your time, everyone.

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

From a distance, Ritchie frowned and narrowed his eyes.

He could sense that something wasn’t right.

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

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

"She can’t have,"

the other man replied confidently.

"We’ve taken care to sweep everything.

All the evidence has been locked away.

I think she’s just bluffing."

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is your truth.

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

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

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

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

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

His secretary was also scared silly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Janet smiled and said in a calm voice.

Ritchie was exasperated to hear that.

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

"I thought you came here to apologize.

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

While smiling, Janet didn’t say a word.

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

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

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

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

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

The audience began to discuss this amongst themselves.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She said frantically, "I have no idea.

Don’t ask me…"

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

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

His secretary hurried to stop his curses.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now, she felt much better.

"It’s finally over!"

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

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

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

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

Related videos went viral on the Internet.

Suddenly, Janet’s phone started to ring.

It was Tiffany.

"Lind, I’m impressed.

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

You really knocked them dead!"

"Oh, my God! Seriously?"

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

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

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

There was a lot of positive feedback.

"Wow.

Heart.

Heart.

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

"She’s a lovely girl.

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

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

"Even though I’m a girl, I want her!"

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

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

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

Furious, Ritchie started trashing his office.

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

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

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

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

plummeted.

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

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

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

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

Ritchie glared at him, speechless.

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

"I’m not an idiot.

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

Things didn’t end there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am responsible for all of this.

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

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

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

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

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

She’s just an ordinary employee.

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

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

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

Janet pulled her chair and sat down.

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

"I can’t say I’m surprised.

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

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

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

"It doesn’t matter.

Look on the bright side.

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

Now, all eyes are on my work."

In the end, Luna was put behind bars.

And Janet had become an online celebrity.

Many people now knew her name and saw her designs.

Some even paid for it.

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

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

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

How’d you get the evidence?"

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

Janet froze.

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

"A very capable friend helped me get them."

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

Janet’s eyes twinkled.

"It’s a secret.

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

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

Gerda scratched her head and hurried back to her desk.

Janet couldn’t help but chuckle.

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

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

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

Janet couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Someone texted you."

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

"It seems your wife’s missing you."

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

Instantly, his expression darkened when he read the text.

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

Garrett asked seriously, the smile wiped from his face.

"Janet’s asking Brandon out for dinner."

Ethan put his phone down and sighed.

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

Garrett leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Yeah.

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

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

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

It’s not good for my heart either,"

he sighed.

Ethan frowned and started typing out a brisk reply.

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

You’re an employee of the Larson Group.

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

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

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

That’s thanks enough, Miss Lind,"

Ethan replied politely, keeping things professional.

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

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

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

Transfer her to a subsidiary company.

Then, bring Charis here."

Garrett was just about to take a nap.

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

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

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

"Why did you want to dismiss Janet?"

Ethan asked in a low voice.

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

"I just wanted to protect the company name,"

Charis answered defensively.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at her coldly.

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

No one other than me.

Understood?"

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

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

"I see how it is.

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

Ethan had already noticed that something was wrong with Charis.

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

She and her family had always valued their image.

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

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

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

Charis was a dignified woman.

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

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

She hadn’t cried in years.

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

She had been reluctant to leave him.

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

She and Brandon had worked together for years.

They had shared the company’s ups and downs.

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

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

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

"I met Brandon first,"

Charis muttered through gritted teeth.

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

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

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

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

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

But she couldn’t act as overtly as before.

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

She had to be more careful now.

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

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

Janet’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

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

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

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

But he couldn’t tell her this.

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

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

The manager of the shop at work fired me.

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

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

In fact, there was some truth to his story.

Ritchie had indeed caused him a lot trouble after all.

Hearing this, Janet’s heart immediately softened.

She walked over to help him with the vegetables.

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

I was worried something bad happened to you."

"The problem’s been solved.

Don’t worry,"

Ethan said with a reassuring smile.

That much was true.

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

"Your brother is really hard to deal with."

Janet pouted like a child.

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

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

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

Janet looked up at Ethan curiously.

Almost immediately, she saw the lust in his eyes.

His face was so beautiful.

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

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

Janet’s face turned as red as a tomato.

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

Then she focused on chopping the vegetables.

Amused, Ethan patted her on the head affectionately.

He really liked it when she blushed.

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

He had to admit it really turned him on.

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

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

Ethan stroked Janet’s hair.

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

A long forgotten name appeared on the screen.

It was Patrick Lester.

Chapter 324 Nora’s Birthday Ethan pursed his lips.

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

It was winter and the cold wind was unforgiving.

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

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

Janet’s voice broke the silence.

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

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

He was answering the phone out on the balcony again.

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

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

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

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

"I was busy just now,"

Ethan simply replied.

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

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

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

She wants you and your wife here."

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

— – Janet had overheard Patrick’s loud voice.

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

Ethan held her tighter and sighed.

"We are.

Patrick seldom summons me.

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

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

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

Janet smiled at him sweetly.

"I can tell that you’re fond of her."

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

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

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

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

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

She was the only Lester who ever cared about Ethan.

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

"She’s a kind lady,"

he said calmly.

long time since

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her

a thought occurred

"The eggs! I forgot all

from Ethan’s embrace and ran to the kitchen in a

Ethan followed behind her.

extremely flustered, and he couldn’t

silly girl! I told you to keep an

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

stood in the corner, restlessly watching Ethan clean up after

"I’m sorry.

I

Ethan had guessed this.

hands, he raised his

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you enough

out his arms and said gently, "Come

and leaned her face against his chest, blushing

invitation from Patrick, she murmured, "The Lesters

you and I just got him

a huge

Order To Survive Shelia didn’t notice what was going

a casual manner, flipped the meat over,

really don’t want to

being a

and silently retracted the

a feeling that Shelia

poured the

definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

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

more

going to take the meat, Shelia smiled as

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

and

right then, watching Shelia with vigilant and cold

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

thought that Victor had

she saw his injuries, she knew she was

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead and

turned to look away and

roast the

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

bite out of

some time, she furrowed her brows

really hard to

was not cooked

you just now must be the

tell me? You even

spit the meat out, Victor didn’t say a word and only continued to

Shelia turned around and spotted Victor’s smiling

Van, you did

I smiling?’ Victor never even

lifted his hand and gently touched the corner of

me to roast the meat for

have gone

and get

tired

just sit

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

said, "Van, you’re

how to survive

in

"Survive in the wildness?"

time that Shelia had ever heard

of your

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

he used a knife to slice

heard what Shelia asked,

while, he said, "I have

Victor knew the reason

because he wanted to be prepared

of time that even under ner protection, Victor would find

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

"Alright."

her

of Shelia’s profile and the dust that rested on the tip of her

hand to wipe

look at

eyes,

away, and explained,

"Is that so?"

to rub her nose with the back of

what about now? Is it

"No,"

said, glancing

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

you learn other than roasting

Can you teach me?"

do you want to

"In order to survive."

mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me "In

shelia said casually.

felt sad

be flipped? It’s on the verge of

Shelia pointed out.

recall by Shelia, Victor saw a small burn on the

flipped the meat over while he was

.

whether or not

all,

hand, didn’t seem to

you please teach

"Hmm,"

said after a

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she broke

two dimples, meanwhile, became much more

Victor nodded, "Okay."

grinned broadly as she said, "Thanks so much,

I’ve ever encountered, except for my caretaker

"Orphanage?"

where I was

taken over

clouded as she spoke about

was a

great meals and gave me a lot

is an orphan…’ Victor pursed

after you since the

leave

and answered,

home Shelia had known for so

okay with you being outdoors

head, Shelia

I was desperate to visit

remain unknown to them, and I don’t intend to

the dingy ground, Shelia lay

of sunshine that had been

behind her

she gazed

want to

keeps you from

people

me if I go

had no idea that I

name when I meet her again in the

said, blinking

on

see you, Van, it would be more than likely

spot in her heart for

said that I was

appropriate to use this term

concluded that the adjective

apt description of her features, particularly

asked her, "Since she was responsible for your upbringing,

communicate since she

to

poker card was in

from her pocket as if it were a treasure

kid was

and let us take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella erupted into laughter, which was maybe due

at the

I get the best

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

retracted the card and said, "I am the only one with the

was toasting as they were

meat

set

Eat, please."

gut just after his

her stomach and ate the meat with a greedy

better than the meat

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after a good

to her feet, she said,

rise when Shelia

"Come on, get up."

after a little pause,

way, Shelia used a dart to put marks on

had lost track of time as

had cooled

on a stone and

not sure how far we’ll

get out

drank some water as

was perhaps exhausted after so much walking, and

incoherently, "I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

have

"Like never before…"

nodded and continued

her forward motion, she murmured, "Van, you look

return, be sure to eat

to the side of her

small face was covered in mud after a

you? What’s your

"Plan?"

slow

we leave the forest? Where

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

the police station when I can no

answered with a

"Shelia."

have made up his mind after staring at Shelia for

"What’s the problem?"

after we get out of

sure my grandma will like you, I will defend you if

can count

want me to

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

was concerned that

paused for a while before asking, "Are you

"No, I’m not.

to treat you

Victor convinced her.

smiled at

we get

"Sure."

emerged from the

463 Let Her Go The sun started to disappear below the horizon, basking the forest in a pale red

the bodies of

since high noon and now, the

they

out of the

we’ll meet local villagers if

We can…"

Shelia could finish her sentence, she saw

She was confused.

at Victor, wanting

"Van?"

expect you

voice came, Shelia looked for

cars that were parked not far

looking at them intently as he played

could feel right away that they were

who in turn stood protectively

his eyes off Norton, watching his every

Victor said, "Run into the

won’t get lost even when it

out of the forest,

marks and you can

"And then?"

asked, her

looked straight

"Walk along this road.

a mobile

didn’t intend to let him

to play a game with Victor by

that if he couldn’t escape

family, bring her back

that Victor could not fulfill the promise he

Victor wrote a phone number on her palm with his

number once you get

he whispered.

is my grandmother’s

she will pick you up wherever you

down at

didn’t respond, Victor looked

"No."

her hand

eyes were a little

want to remember the number,

be a

Victor frowned.

so anxious that he coughed violently as soon as he finished

adamant and clenched

didn’t want to spread her palm

about, he could tell that they were reluctant to

sneer, he said, "Tut, tut, tut, this is

each other! I’m so moved by

tensed up when saw

pulled

keeping himself

hard for him to fight

deliberately walked up to

Shelia stepped

patience with them, Norton pulled Shelia towards

fast for Victor to stop

"Let her go!"

kept a firm grip

in hearing

know you

mud on Shelia’s face with

incense Victor, Disregarding body pain,

his tracks when something

a knife that Norton pressed against

out a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

a contemptuous tone and gave Victor a mocking smile, pretending not

he had difficulty in

clenched his fist and

you want

has nothing to do with

So, let her go!"

This is

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want

she comes from but

alone? I can do

eyes,

against her neck, all Shelia could do was raise

was tensed

out blood and beg for

all you can

smile plastered on his

narrowed in anger when he heard Shelia’s

did you just

you are a

Shelia swallowed.

just feel a sense of accomplishment by

you to do

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill me,

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to

knew that she was

Norton’s hackles rise and

Norton was indeed angry.

kept his voice in check as he talked to

really? Looks like you really

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

turned to his men and instructed them, "Tie her

eyes and asked anxiously, "What are

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared at

did as

Shelia

made to ride a different

racked his brain thinking about where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor

was

her choke easily Victor saw how

blue veins on his neck became

his teeth and yelled, "Let

open her eyes because of the gushing water, Shelia had

actually wanted Victor to run

her mouth, she was choked by

enough, her eyes

expression on Victor’s face, Norton

but he was useless

me laugh,

think that I’m a good man? Why

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

sake of you wanting to save her so

in me, huh? What do you

could just

do whatever it took

was in the middle of the river, Norton squinted his eyes and snapped

men behind him appeared and

stood up and looked at Victor with

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the weakest among

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

pause, Norton continued, "You want

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

with his thumb and warned, "But of course, you have to hurry

these two before the

say goodbye to your

moment she’s washed away, I’m afraid that you won’t

flame, Victor didn’t

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

was a mercenary and the most popular

weakest subordinates should be

Victor was

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

and burly men that could easily

was at a

in his abdomen one after another, and hit

hit, Victor staggered and

left him, and he eventually knelt on

all over his body, making him

face looked

stand, not ready to give

could even get back on his feet, he saw another

still able to subconsciously use his arm to block

a mouthful of blood, and a tooth

this point, Victor’s vision became

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

how many

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

into this trouble, so he was willing

to go

to the ground and lost

Victor was somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling

eyes,

on the

wonder if he was still

consciousness hadn’t fully recovered yet, so

inch of

stand up, but he couldn’t move

a little bit, grabbing the mud under his hands

head to look at the river, only

was no

"Ahem!"

coughed violently, spurting out more

and opened his

river expectantly, as if he was waiting for something

for

know how much time passed

the

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

pain he was experiencing, Victor couldn’t

lost

Victor woke up again, he was

him near

operation to rescue him lasted for two days

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

in his right knee were shattered, his chest and lungs were inflamed, and the

did after he woke up was

was still wearing an

was not completely out of danger yet, but

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

people

for seven days, but

there was still no news

playing card that got wet from the

mostly covered with mud, but one could easily recognize that it was the King

later, Victor

did after fully recovering was buy

card in a box and buried

was nothing on the marble tombstone aside from the

wasn’t even Shelia’s

while Karl was on

to the

It was also in that year that Carolyn

he finished his studies and finally

several small companies under the control of the Sullivan

raised the sales of these companies from a very low level

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

time, Roger entered the ward where Rachel

the edge of the bed, holding a bowl of

eat

had been eating porridge for about

couldn’t even stand

had no choice but to put

she said, "Eat it again when

out, not

he saw Roger standing at the door, so he politely

to the hospital to visit Joey from time

gradually got acquainted

Joey liked about him was that Roger would bring some

could at least

Joey could only

greeted Roger, Rachel turned around and was surprised to see

say that you wouldn’t

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

no every time, he

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

it would probably be

I couldn’t

a moment before finally saying, "But

Rachel furrowed

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

done to

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

do anything but

day since the operation began, the indicator

indicated that the surgery

saved, but he wasn’t

wheeled

ago that

be transferred

he was still

to

it wasn’t what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

healed, they still

new injuries

that only a miracle could

you at least tell us when he will

asked in

can’t

expert couldn’t help but frown as he made things

if I may be blunt, please consider preparing

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

was

hundred percent, but there was a huge

Rachel was the first one to know

deemed that Rachel had the right

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

there were dark circles round

went down to tell Rachel about this important

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

had already prepared

fact, Carson was a

when she became

was when Victor had been in a coma for about

have been

room for 70 hours before the

the cigarette in Carson’s hand and reminded him

You can’t smoke here."

senses,

he didn’t bother continue discussing about Victor’s

asked,

"Joey? He’s fine.

checked him up yesterday and said that he has been recovering

fact, it’s expected that his plaster will be removed

through the

saw Joey sleeping soundly

he stretched for a

then, I’m leaving

turned around and left without

visited to tell

had nothing

blink of an eye,

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

Joey’s ward almost twenty-four hours a

time, Carson didn’t show his face

diagnosis came from an expert, she was also convinced

news that Victor had

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

at Roger for a long time without being

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

Rachel… Do you want to go upstairs

Rachel pressed

sleeve and

want

Joey, pleading in a

that Victor was in a coma after obtaining

up in the hospital, he actually had

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

the truth, Rachel didn’t

say anything, nor did he pester Rachel

he just smiled and made a

They say bad

to

at Joey’s bright eyes, she felt a lump in

a few moments, she mustered her courage and

"Yes, of course."

following two weeks, Joey had a good rest in

if

the night

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

"Okay…"

softened, and she

ward was in the second

yet, it was inconvenient for him to walk all the

simply let him sit in

and the three of them went

they

stopped at the floor of the ward where

VIP ward, and there was only one patient at this time, Carson was

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

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

it’s the first time I’ve seen

What brings you here?"

asked Joey as he quickly set the document he

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his innocent

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

those dark circles around

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at

up his phone, opened its front camera, and

that Joey

eye bags were so big that it seemed like someone punched

of course, this was only to

hadn’t have a good sleep

a handsome young man, but even he was

"Ha-ha!"

seeing the

that

his head, Carson stepped forward

"You, brat.

you tease your

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

no opinion

I grew

We are best friends.

the one

I became

raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms in front

even if you don’t want it,

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

clicked his tongue as he withdrew his hand from Joey’s

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

as I said, it’s a fact that

better change

anything more, but he stuck out

of the corner of his eye, Carson recognized

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

I heard that

came here with Rachel

Roger explained.

his composure just because of

"Oh, I see."

room and said,

He is resting inside.

Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward Carson pointed at, she

knew what was

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

nodded and walked towards the

her, pushing Joey’s

placed over his

was lost in thoughts for

to sav something,

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked at the little

not standing very

see him from

raised his eyebrows as if he was giving Carson a

taking a quick glance at him, Joey turned

to use

overheard what

I take you

"No!"

replied in a very decisive

serious look on

am

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

were no

for Rachel to take a boy to the ladies’ room, just like

words, Rachel

then her gaze fell on

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

wanted him to take Joey

refused to pay any attention to Rachel’s

and turned

managed to give Joey a

Carson pretended like he was answering the

Mr.Ramos! I have read the plan you

talking, he headed

very

up while he was

was no call at all! Rachel saw what just happened clearly

"It’s okay.

take Joey

He is actually right.

like him to be taken to the bathroom by

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

when he heard those words, they displeased

Rachel ought to have

few days, they

of them were always in one another’s

known to her, she

things, Rachel still didn’t love

that it couldn’t

stop himself from thinking about the night Rachel was

Joey headed

time, Carson

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

at the

through with the

"What?"

took a peek at his

a smile appeared

am through

no choice! My subordinates are too bad

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

fake smile on

very good

that he had pretended to answer

nose and coughed to

you want

look through

was a

her point of view, only the living room

Rachel pushed the door open in no time and walked

lie in the bed

has to undergo half

came from

in a stable condition now,

"Get out of here!"

interrupted Carson’s

a man in a suit coming

He looked dejected.

was a document

Carson as soon as he

was stunned at first,

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung around

It was quite noticeable.

the Sullivan Group and the director of the project

no need asking about what

that the project plan had been

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

what really interested

She turned to Carson.

back at her, she raised

"Well, this is Troy.

of the Sullivan Group’s project

knew exactly what she meant by just

was at a loss for

were so many

had to

who

bowed and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

nodded her head slightly

forehead was covered with

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

I’m going back to

and said,

should do that

Troy went out of sight in a

looked at the door

to see that Victor was sitting against the head of the

condition doesn’t seem as bad

is well and can work

door and

against the

follow Rachel

reading some document when he heard

raise his head and

her

was in a hospital

tell that his face was pale despite the fact that he

frowned and looked

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

entranced that she walked towards the bed

you to

Victor heard the footsteps,

up at the person

cold and stiff tone, he said

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

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

"The dance is over.

time to let

I reminded him.

eyes, but he still loosened his grip on my waist like i

steps back

could still feel the warmth of his touch on

face blushed and i

my heart was

moment, it felt like I

were the happiest

those days were long gone and I could never get

feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

guests suddenly approached

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

glass and taking

it, I’d had a few to drink

this time, Elena came to

waiting for

like to go upstairs and take a look

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you get

smile appeared on Elena’s

followed her to the deck on

got there, I saw that there were bright red

were also numerous balloons around

widened

this whole scene was

this my birthday surprise?’ I had no

mind was Charles, but I

him?’ A bitter smile appeared on my lips, and somehow, I began to despise myself for having

never spent this much effort on me, and yet I

this birthday

the second floor, I stared at the night scene around

tranquil, and yet

cold sea breeze,

sudden, a fireworks display lit up

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

sounded like a

I covered my ears at

the

trembling uncontrollably, and i felt like my blood was

abandoned warehouse kept flashing through my

I felt

was having a panic attack, a pair of strong

I’m here."

familiar voice came from above me, making me

It was Charles.

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

have to be scared ever