My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire

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

Then she began to type out her reply to Brandon.

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

the staff member said through gritted teeth.

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

Ignoring her, Janet texted Brandon back.

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

The message from Brandon was a godsend.

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

Brandon replied with a long message.

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

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

The data was tampered with.

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

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

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

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

"How did you find that out?"

The platform was now owned by Lester Silk Fabric.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As she spoke, she tucked her phone away.

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

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

Janet ignored her.

She turned around and left without looking back.

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

"What’s up, Lind?"

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

Janet asked politely.

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

Tiffany looked at her warily and then nodded slowly.

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

"I want to call him and apologize,"

Janet answered simply.

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

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

There are enough discussions about you already,"

Tiffany scolded.

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

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

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

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

Janet reached for the card with a bright smile.

Of course she knew what she was doing.

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

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

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

Janet said, her voice as sweet as honey.

When Ritchie heard this, he was surprised.

Then, he sneered.

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

Janet had given up so soon.

"You’re scared, aren’t you?"

With a smug smile on his face, Ritchie smirked.

"Come to Lester Silk Fabric tomorrow.

You can apologize there in person."

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

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

he barked at his secretary.

"I want them here tomorrow.

Call some famous personalities in the fashion industry as well.

We need people in authority for the event."

The secretary nodded respectfully.

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

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

Get your ass back here."

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

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

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

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

"Get the biggest function hall for the press conference.

I want hundreds of people to be there.

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

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

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

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

1 Another evil grin spread on Ritchie’s face.

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

The secretary pursed his lips and jotted every detail down.

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

The sun shone bright and early the next day.

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

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

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

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

Tiffany remarked from beside her.

She turned to look Janet in the eye.

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

A faint smile appeared on Janet’s lips.

"You’ll find out soon enough.

Don’t worry.

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

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

The room finally settled down as Janet took her place.

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

"Sorry for taking up your time, everyone.

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

From a distance, Ritchie frowned and narrowed his eyes.

He could sense that something wasn’t right.

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

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

"She can’t have,"

the other man replied confidently.

"We’ve taken care to sweep everything.

All the evidence has been locked away.

I think she’s just bluffing."

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is your truth.

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

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

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

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

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

His secretary was also scared silly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Janet smiled and said in a calm voice.

Ritchie was exasperated to hear that.

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

"I thought you came here to apologize.

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

While smiling, Janet didn’t say a word.

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

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

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

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

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

The audience began to discuss this amongst themselves.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She said frantically, "I have no idea.

Don’t ask me…"

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

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

His secretary hurried to stop his curses.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now, she felt much better.

"It’s finally over!"

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

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

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

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

Related videos went viral on the Internet.

Suddenly, Janet’s phone started to ring.

It was Tiffany.

"Lind, I’m impressed.

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

You really knocked them dead!"

"Oh, my God! Seriously?"

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

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

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

There was a lot of positive feedback.

"Wow.

Heart.

Heart.

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

"She’s a lovely girl.

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

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

"Even though I’m a girl, I want her!"

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

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

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

Furious, Ritchie started trashing his office.

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

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

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

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

plummeted.

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

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

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

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

Ritchie glared at him, speechless.

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

"I’m not an idiot.

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

Things didn’t end there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am responsible for all of this.

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

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

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

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

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

She’s just an ordinary employee.

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

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

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

Janet pulled her chair and sat down.

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

"I can’t say I’m surprised.

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

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

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

"It doesn’t matter.

Look on the bright side.

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

Now, all eyes are on my work."

In the end, Luna was put behind bars.

And Janet had become an online celebrity.

Many people now knew her name and saw her designs.

Some even paid for it.

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

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

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

How’d you get the evidence?"

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

Janet froze.

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

"A very capable friend helped me get them."

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

Janet’s eyes twinkled.

"It’s a secret.

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

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

Gerda scratched her head and hurried back to her desk.

Janet couldn’t help but chuckle.

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

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

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

Janet couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Someone texted you."

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

"It seems your wife’s missing you."

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

Instantly, his expression darkened when he read the text.

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

Garrett asked seriously, the smile wiped from his face.

"Janet’s asking Brandon out for dinner."

Ethan put his phone down and sighed.

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

Garrett leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Yeah.

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

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

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

It’s not good for my heart either,"

he sighed.

Ethan frowned and started typing out a brisk reply.

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

You’re an employee of the Larson Group.

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

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

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

That’s thanks enough, Miss Lind,"

Ethan replied politely, keeping things professional.

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

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

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

Transfer her to a subsidiary company.

Then, bring Charis here."

Garrett was just about to take a nap.

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

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

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

"Why did you want to dismiss Janet?"

Ethan asked in a low voice.

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

"I just wanted to protect the company name,"

Charis answered defensively.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at her coldly.

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

No one other than me.

Understood?"

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

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

"I see how it is.

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

Ethan had already noticed that something was wrong with Charis.

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

She and her family had always valued their image.

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

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

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

Charis was a dignified woman.

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

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

She hadn’t cried in years.

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

She had been reluctant to leave him.

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

She and Brandon had worked together for years.

They had shared the company’s ups and downs.

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

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

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

"I met Brandon first,"

Charis muttered through gritted teeth.

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

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

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

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

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

But she couldn’t act as overtly as before.

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

She had to be more careful now.

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

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

Janet’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

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

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

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

But he couldn’t tell her this.

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

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

The manager of the shop at work fired me.

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

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

In fact, there was some truth to his story.

Ritchie had indeed caused him a lot trouble after all.

Hearing this, Janet’s heart immediately softened.

She walked over to help him with the vegetables.

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

I was worried something bad happened to you."

"The problem’s been solved.

Don’t worry,"

Ethan said with a reassuring smile.

That much was true.

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

"Your brother is really hard to deal with."

Janet pouted like a child.

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

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

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

Janet looked up at Ethan curiously.

Almost immediately, she saw the lust in his eyes.

His face was so beautiful.

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

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

Janet’s face turned as red as a tomato.

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

Then she focused on chopping the vegetables.

Amused, Ethan patted her on the head affectionately.

He really liked it when she blushed.

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

He had to admit it really turned him on.

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

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

Ethan stroked Janet’s hair.

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

A long forgotten name appeared on the screen.

It was Patrick Lester.

Chapter 324 Nora’s Birthday Ethan pursed his lips.

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

It was winter and the cold wind was unforgiving.

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

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

Janet’s voice broke the silence.

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

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

He was answering the phone out on the balcony again.

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

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

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

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

"I was busy just now,"

Ethan simply replied.

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

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

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

She wants you and your wife here."

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

— – Janet had overheard Patrick’s loud voice.

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

Ethan held her tighter and sighed.

"We are.

Patrick seldom summons me.

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

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

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

Janet smiled at him sweetly.

"I can tell that you’re fond of her."

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

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

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

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

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

She was the only Lester who ever cared about Ethan.

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

"She’s a kind lady,"

he said calmly.

long time since they last met-too

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her

thought occurred to

eggs! I forgot

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

Ethan followed behind her.

stared at Janet, who was extremely flustered, and

you to keep an eye

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

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

"I’m sorry.

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

Ethan had guessed this.

freshly washed hands, he raised

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you

that, he spread out his arms

obeyed and leaned her face

thinking about the invitation from Patrick, she

you and I

has a huge grudge against

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

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

to tell me,

being

said nothing, and silently retracted the knife he was hiding

feeling that Shelia didn’t

crushed some fruits and poured the juice over

definitely could be

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

out in her hand and didn’t make a

more for

to take the meat, Shelia smiled as

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

rest assured and eat it with

then, watching Shelia with

happened to be an easy-going person,

had thought that Victor

she was wrong

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead

to look away and

the rest for

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

took a bite out of

time, she furrowed

really hard to

not cooked

you just

me?

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

turned around and spotted

smiling? Van, you did

Victor never even realized that he was

his hand and gently touched the corner

me to roast the

gone a

and get

tired

sit

propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down

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

learned how to survive in

spoke in

"Survive in the wildness?"

first time that Shelia had ever heard of such

go out of your way to

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

a knife to slice

heard what Shelia asked,

while, he said, "I have no

fact, Victor knew the reason

because he wanted to

ahead of time that even under ner protection,

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

"Alright."

continued to focus her

Shelia’s profile and

a hand to

was startled and turned to look at Victor with a

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

retracted his hand, looked away, and explained,

"Is that so?"

ahead to rub her nose with the back

now? Is it still

"No,"

glancing

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

learn other than roasting meat? I want to learn

Can you teach me?"

you want

"In order to survive."

mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me "In order to

shelia said casually.

felt sad upon hearing

meat ready to be flipped? It’s on the

Shelia pointed out.

Shelia, Victor saw a small burn on the

while he was

.

thoughts about whether or not to ask

after all, Shelia’s own

hand, didn’t seem

"Will you

"Hmm,"

after a

"Is that a yes?"

eyes glowed, and she broke into a

dimples, meanwhile, became

Victor nodded, "Okay."

she said, "Thanks so much,

ever encountered, except

"Orphanage?"

where

years ago, the orphanage was taken over and the

eyes clouded as she

was

prepared great meals and gave me a lot of

an orphan…’ Victor pursed his

needed to look after you

didn’t you leave

at Victor and

Shelia had known for so

okay with you being outdoors

head, Shelia said,

visit her

whereabouts remain unknown to them, and I don’t

the dingy

sunshine that had been scattered by the

placed her hands behind her head, her lips

disappointment as she

want to visit

what keeps you from

people

if I

no idea that I have a

name when I meet her

blinking

fixed on Shelia and

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

spot in her heart for

that I was a

to use this

Victor concluded

apt description of her features, particularly

responsible for your upbringing, how come you got your

to communicate since she was deaf, mute, and

never referred to

poker card

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

the orphanage, each kid

she put them on the cards and let us take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella erupted into laughter, which was maybe due to

at the card–the King of

Did I get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

card and said, "I am the only

meat was toasting as they

her the meat after he

set

Eat, please."

came from her gut just after

was embarrassed, so she put her hand to her stomach and ate the meat with a greedy

better than the meat

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

after a good

rose to her feet, she said,

when Shelia abruptly

"Come on, get up."

pause, he took

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

of time as they

sun had

Victor in sitting down on a stone

how far we’ll have

out before the

some

was perhaps exhausted after so much walking, and he was

said incoherently, "I’m

Let’s move forward."

still have the

"Like never before…"

and continued to hold

her forward motion, she murmured,

you return, be sure to eat

his gaze to the side

was covered in mud after

you? What’s your

"Plan?"

slow

remarked, "What are your plans once we leave the

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

I can no longer walk and beg them

with a

"Shelia."

up his mind

"What’s the problem?"

with me after we get out

you, I will defend you if she

count

to come

it all right with you? If you

was concerned that Shelia

before asking, "Are you joking

"No, I’m not.

promise to treat you the best

Victor convinced her.

and smiled at Victor,

we get out

"Sure."

they emerged from the woods,

The sun started to disappear below the horizon, basking the forest in a pale red glow that passed through the branches

light glimmered on the bodies of Victor and

noon and now,

when they saw a relatively

we’re out of

villagers if

We can…"

Shelia could finish her sentence, she saw Victor

She was confused.

looked at Victor, wanting to

"Van?"

didn’t expect you to come out

came, Shelia looked for the

were

them intently as he played with

away that they were Victor’s

Victor, who in turn stood protectively in front

take his eyes off Norton, watching

could hear, Victor said, "Run into the

get lost even when it gets

were finding our way out of

you can get back

"And then?"

her eyebrows

looked straight

"Walk along this road.

a mobile phone

knew that Norton didn’t intend to

play a game with Victor

if he couldn’t escape this predicament, Shelia shouldn’t

had promised to give Shelia a family, bring her back to see

could not fulfill

phone

once you get hold of a mobile

he whispered.

my

will pick

looked down at

respond, Victor looked at

"No."

her hand

eyes were

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

be a good

Victor frowned.

so anxious that he coughed violently as soon as he finished

remained adamant and clenched

didn’t want to spread her palm and let Victor write the phone

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

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

each other!

up when

pulled

injured and keeping himself standing

would be hard for him to fight

deliberately walked up to them

Shelia stepped

patience with them, Norton pulled Shelia

fast for Victor to

"Let her go!"

kept a firm grip on

in hearing

you look

as he wiped the mud

more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor

tracks when something

a knife that Norton pressed

out a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

tone and gave Victor a mocking smile, pretending not to

felt that he

fist and tried to steady

want

to do

So, let her go!"

This

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want

don’t where she comes from but I find your reaction

alone? I can

red eyes, Victor breathed

her neck, all Shelia could do was

was tensed

when she saw Victor spat out blood and beg for mercy, she scoffed at

all you

smile plastered

anger when he heard Shelia’s disdainful

did you

you are a

Shelia swallowed.

sense of accomplishment by threatening two

more, you don’t have in you

So, cut the crap.

to kill

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to stop

knew that she was provoking

Norton’s hackles rise and the man would do just

Norton was indeed angry.

he kept his voice in check as he talked

like you really want

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help you with

Norton said, laughing derisively.

turned to his men and instructed them, "Tie

his eyes and asked anxiously, "What

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared at

men did as they were

feet bound, Shelia was taken to one of the

made to

racked his brain thinking about where Norton was

river was flowing

water rushed over, it inundated Shelia, making her

hands clenched into fists, and the blue veins on his neck became

and

open her eyes because of

Victor to

opened her mouth, she was choked

enough, her eyes became

on Victor’s

Victor might be strong but

me laugh,

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

approached the rope, squatted down,

of you wanting to save her so much, I will

in me, huh?

just glare

whatever it took to

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

men behind him appeared and stood between the rope and

and looked at Victor

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

are the

killed two people,

pause, Norton continued, "You want

speaking, the two men who had been holding

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

these two before the rope

you can say goodbye to your good

afraid that you

flame, Victor didn’t

he quickly rushed up

and the most popular

weakest subordinates should be strong

was currently

not even be able to defeat one of the two

were tall and burly men that could easily flip Victor

was at a

right in his abdomen one after another, and hit

was hit, Victor staggered and struggled to stand

he was hit repeatedly, his strength left him,

broken scattered all over

Victor’s face looked black with

to stand, not

on his feet, he

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

hit again, Victor spat out a mouthful of blood, and a tooth also fell

point, Victor’s vision

his eyes on the

matter how many injuries he

put out and the rope was

this trouble, so he was willing to do anything

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

fell back to the ground and lost his

somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling on

his eyes, but his vision was

lay there on the ground, watching the

couldn’t help but wonder if he was still

so he thought that

inch of his body made Victor realize

up, but he couldn’t move even

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

at the river, only to

no

"Ahem!"

spurting

he grabbed unto the soil and opened

looked at the river expectantly, as if he

waited for a long

he didn’t even know

never found the person he

would raise her head from the river or

excruciating pain he was experiencing, Victor

he lost

Victor woke up again, he was finally

found him near

lasted for

was found out that Victor had fractures in eight different

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

did after he woke up was ask

wearing an oxygen

out of danger yet, but all

sense that she must be a very important person

didn’t dare delay to send people to search for

for seven days, but Shelia couldn’t be

week passed and there was still no news

to give Victor was a crumpled playing card that

could easily recognize that it was the King

later, Victor completely

he did after fully recovering

King of Hearts card in a box and buried it under a

nothing on the marble tombstone

Shelia’s name

recovery, while Karl was on a business trip, he suffered a

to the hospital, but he was

also in that year that

finished his studies

small companies under the control of

shortest time, Victor raised the sales of these companies from a very low level to

prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed over the Sullivan

entered the

the edge of the bed, holding a bowl of porridge, and coaxing Joey to eat

can’t eat any

eating porridge for

couldn’t even stand

and had no choice but to put the bowl

she said, "Eat it again when you

stuck his tongue out, not intending

he saw Roger standing at the

came to the hospital to

the kid gradually

him was that Roger would bring some

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

only eat

Joey greeted Roger, Rachel turned around and

you say that you wouldn’t come

advance to ask her if she wanted to eat something or if she

he would still insist

said that he had an important project meeting today, so he

he could still visit, it would probably be

I

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

response, Rachel furrowed

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

465 Dark Circles The operation done to Victor

closed for

Carson couldn’t do anything but

the fourth day since the operation began, the indicator light outside the room

the surgery

was saved, but he wasn’t completely out of

was wheeled to

days ago that his vital signs

became eligible to be transferred to

was still

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

wasn’t what he

Victor sustained serious injuries.

healed, they still had

injuries

said that only a

us when

asked in

afraid I can’t

couldn’t help but frown as he made things

be blunt, please consider preparing for the worst-case

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

this, it was obvious that this was what he

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

for Carson and Lukas, Rachel was the first one to know

that Rachel had the

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

disoriented, and there were dark circles

went down to tell

when Rachel heard the tragic news,

if she had already

Carson was a bit

didn’t know when she became

a coma for about half a month after

might have been even

the operating room for 70 hours before the indication

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

You can’t smoke here."

senses, Carson put

expression, he didn’t bother

then changed the subject and asked, "Anyway, how

"Joey? He’s fine.

and said that

his plaster will be removed

his head and peeped through the glass panel

sleeping soundly in

he stretched for a bit

I’m leaving

Carson turned around and

to tell Rachel

he had nothing else to

eye, two days eventually

made aware of Victor’s condition, Rachel

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

same time, Carson didn’t show his face

diagnosis came from an expert, she was also convinced that Victor

the news that Victor had miraculously

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

stared at Roger for a long time without being able to

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

you want to go upstairs and

slowly This time, Rachel pressed her lips hard

pulled her sleeve

want

was Joey, pleading in a

Victor was in

in the hospital,

on, he found that Rachel had always been absent-minded and Victor hadn’t come

finally found out the truth, Rachel didn’t

say anything, nor did he pester Rachel to go

smiled and made

bad? They say bad

to worry too

bright eyes, she felt a lump in

a few moments, she

"Yes, of course."

Joey had a good rest in

as if there was nothing wrong going

that Joey would actually wake up in the middle of the night from

for keeping it all inside him, but Rachel

"Okay…"

softened,

in the

wound hadn’t fully healed yet, it was inconvenient for him to

simply let him sit in

him, and the three of them went to Victor’s ward

they reached

finally stopped at the floor of the ward where

only one patient at this time,

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

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

time

What brings you here?"

he quickly set the document he was

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking

who will be beaten

dark circles

"Dark circles?"

almost choked

opened its front camera, and looked

realized that Joey

his eye bags were so big that

was

hadn’t have a good

young man, but even he was susceptible

"Ha-ha!"

after seeing the upset

realized that he was fooled

stepped forward and

"You, brat.

dare you tease your godfather? You

"Huh? Who said that you are my godfather? I don’t remember recognizing you

have no

I

We are best friends.

one

I became

eyebrows and crossed his arms

if you don’t want it, that fact

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

as he withdrew his

low voice, "I also didn’t

I said, it’s a fact that you can’t

you’d better change your attitude towards

but he stuck out his tongue at

of his eye, Carson recognized Roger standing

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

that

came here with Rachel

Roger explained.

to lose his

"Oh, I see."

the room and said, "His

He is resting inside.

go and see him."Chapter 466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward Carson pointed at, she became

what was going

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked towards the

her,

arms were placed

lost in

to sav something,

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked at the little

not standing very far

could see him from the corner of his

if he was

taking a quick glance at him, Joey turned his

to

overheard what Joey

I

"No!"

replied in a very decisive

a serious look on his

am a

wasn’t

that moment, they were no longer

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

Joey’s words,

then her

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

she wanted him to

to pay any

took out his phone and

to give Joey a thumbs

like he was answering

Mr.Ramos! I have read the plan you sent to

he headed towards the

wasn’t very good

phone’s screen lit up while he was still holding it to

what just happened clearly and understood that

"It’s okay.

take Joey

He is actually right.

a boy like him to

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

heard those words, they displeased

that Rachel ought to have been closer to him than she

past few days, they

of them were always in one

to her, she still alienated

things, Rachel still

knew that it couldn’t

he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the night Rachel was standing outside the operating room where Victor was operated

he and Joey headed

some time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

quick glance at the phone in

with the phone

"What?"

sight and took

smile appeared on

am

My

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

fake smile on

not very good

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

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

you want to go

to look through the

was a

from her point of view, only the living room could be

Victor, Rachel pushed the door open in no time

Victor would lie in the bed

half a year’s

came from behind

is in a

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted

man in a suit coming out of

He looked dejected.

a document

and Carson as soon as

stunned at first,

"Mr.Scott!"

hung

It was quite noticeable.

the Sullivan Group

was no need asking about what just

from the man’s expression that the project plan had

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

was what really interested

She turned to Carson.

her, she raised

"Well, this is Troy.

member of the

meant by just

at a loss for

many surnames in

he had to choose

recognized who

and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

head slightly in

was covered

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

Miss Bennet, I’m going back

waved his hand and said,

do

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

at the

to see that Victor was sitting against the head

doesn’t seem as bad as

and

the door

against the

didn’t follow

document when he heard the

raise his head and

her gaze

was in a

could still tell that his face was pale despite the fact that he lowered

and looked

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

that she walked towards the

asked you to

heard the footsteps, his frown

up at the person

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

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

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

"The dance is over.

time to let

I reminded him.

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

a few steps back

still feel the warmth of

and i felt

my heart was

felt like I had returned to

with him were the happiest time

days were long

down, feeling

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

guests suddenly approached me and

and began

said, raising my glass and

few to drink and

Elena

surprise waiting for you on the

upstairs and take a look

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you get

appeared

her to the

were bright red rose petals scattered across the floorboard,

were also numerous balloons around

eyes widened

must say, this whole scene

birthday surprise?’ I had no

to mind was Charles, but I quickly cast aside that

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

spent this much effort on me, and yet

this

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

and yet my mind was

of the cold sea breeze,

of a sudden, a fireworks display lit

to the sky, a deafening sound resonated in

sounded like a

by the noise, I covered my ears at

squatted on the

began trembling uncontrollably, and i felt like my

at the abandoned warehouse kept

was out of breath I felt so

a pair of strong arms held

I’m here."

came from above me, making me feel so

It was Charles.

tears burst from my eyes, Gently,

have to be scared