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.

had been a long time since they

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her teeth

a thought occurred to

I forgot all

and ran to the kitchen in

Ethan followed behind her.

was extremely flustered, and

you to keep an eye on

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

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

"I’m sorry.

so I rushed to you and forgot I was

Ethan had guessed this.

his freshly washed hands, he raised his

"It’s my fault.

you

saying that, he spread out his arms

leaned her face against

she murmured,

and I just got him

has a huge grudge

461 In Order To Survive Shelia didn’t

collecting on her forehead in a casual manner, flipped

really don’t want to tell me, then forget about

being

his eyes at her, Victor said nothing, and silently retracted the knife he

had a feeling that Shelia

fruits and poured the juice over

definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

Shelia was holding out in her hand

roast some more

to take the meat, Shelia

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

can rest assured and eat it with

alert right then,

though Shelia happened to be an easy-going person, this didn’t mean that

thought that

she saw his injuries, she knew she was wrong and

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead and

look away and placed the

the

he wanted to help, Shelia nodded and

bite out of

furrowed her brows and

hard to

was not cooked fully

just now must

me? You even

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

aside, Shelia turned around

you did this deliberately, didn’t

I smiling?’ Victor never even realized that he was

gently touched the corner of

to roast the meat for

have gone

and get

not tired at

just sit right

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

"Van, you’re good at cooking meat,

learned how to survive in

in a deep

"Survive in the wildness?"

time that Shelia

you go out of your way

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

he used a knife to slice the

Shelia asked, his eyes darkened

he said, "I

Victor knew the reason

because he wanted to

ner protection, Victor would find himself in

at least have a better chance to survive in case of an

"Alright."

to focus her gaze on

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

stretched out a hand to wipe off

look at Victor with

eyes, he

looked away, and explained, "Your nose

"Is that so?"

went ahead to rub her nose with the back of

about now? Is it

"No,"

said, glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

what else did you learn other than roasting

Can you teach me?"

do you want

"In order to survive."

Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me

shelia said casually.

felt sad upon

ready to be flipped? It’s on the verge

Shelia pointed out.

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

while he was still thinking about what she just

.

whether or

all, Shelia’s own

on the other hand, didn’t seem to take

you please

"Hmm,"

said after a

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and

dimples, meanwhile, became much

Victor nodded, "Okay."

broadly as she said, "Thanks so

are the kindest individual I’ve ever encountered, except for my caretaker

"Orphanage?"

where

over and the old woman was

clouded as she spoke about

woman was

younger, she prepared great meals and gave me a

is an orphan…’ Victor

look after you since the

leave

up at Victor and answered, "I didn’t

the only home Shelia had known for so

they okay with you

head, Shelia said,

to visit her tomb,

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

the dingy ground, Shelia lay

sunshine that had been scattered by the trees and fallen to

placed her hands behind her head, her lips

as she gazed up

want to

keeps you from doing

people guarding

me if I go

idea that I have a name

I meet

blinking

eyes remained fixed on Shelia

Van, it would be more than likely

a soft spot in her

I

didn’t seem appropriate to use this term to describe

Shelia, Victor concluded that the

apt description of

"Since she was responsible for your upbringing, how come you got your

since she was deaf, mute, and

referred to us

card was in my

it were a treasure and presented it to Victor

orphanage, each kid was

split the fruits, 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 the reference to the

stared at the card–the King

Did I get the

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

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

toasting as

gave her the meat

set

Eat, please."

growl came from her gut

so she put her hand to her stomach and

the meat i made myself! Van,

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

after a good

feet,

rise when Shelia abruptly extended her hand to

"Come on, get up."

aback, and after a little pause,

hard way, Shelia used a dart to put

track of time

sun had cooled down

Victor in sitting down on a stone

how far we’ll have

can get out

drank some water as

and he

"I’m

Let’s move forward."

have

"Like never before…"

nodded and continued to

she murmured,

you return, be sure to eat

his gaze to

small face was covered in mud after a day and

you? What’s your

"Plan?"

slow

remarked, "What are your plans once we

continue my travels and explore the world’s finest

to the police station when I can no longer walk and

with a

"Shelia."

mind after staring at Shelia for a long

"What’s the problem?"

me after we get out of

will like you, I will

count

me to come with

with you? If you don’t want to,

concerned that Shelia might

while before asking, "Are

"No, I’m not.

you the best

Victor convinced her.

and smiled

we get out of the

"Sure."

they emerged from the woods,

basking the forest in a pale red glow that passed

the bodies of Victor and

been walking since high noon and

when they

out

villagers if we walk a little

We can…"

could finish her sentence, she saw Victor stop

She was confused.

Victor, wanting

"Van?"

expect you to come out

voice came, Shelia looked for the

three cars that were parked not

at them intently as he played with a

could feel right away that they were

Victor, who in turn stood protectively in front

didn’t take his eyes off Norton, watching

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

lost even when it gets

we were finding our way out of the forest, I put

these marks and you

"And then?"

asked, her

looked straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

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

didn’t intend to let

wanted to play a game with Victor by throwing him

escape this predicament,

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

seemed that Victor could not fulfill the promise

phone number on her

call the number once you get hold of a

he whispered.

my

will pick you up wherever you

just looked down at

that Shelia didn’t respond, Victor looked at

"No."

her

eyes were

the number, nor do I

be a good

Victor frowned.

that he coughed violently as soon

and clenched

palm and let Victor write

talking about, he could tell that they were reluctant

he said, "Tut, tut,

strong feelings for each other! I’m so

tensed up when saw Norton approaching

intuitively pulled

himself standing steadily

be hard for him to fight

up

and Shelia

Norton

for Victor to stop

"Let her go!"

kept a firm grip on Shelia’s

found satisfaction in hearing vexation in

you look

he wiped the mud on Shelia’s face with his

body pain, Victor rushed over and

when something

knife that Norton pressed against Shelia’s

out a mouthful of

"No."

"What are you saying?"

contemptuous tone and gave Victor a mocking smile, pretending not

he had

clenched his fist and tried to

you want

nothing to do

So, let her go!"

This is so

Norton curled his lips.

want to let

where she comes from but I find your reaction

it’s boring for you to die alone? I

red eyes,

the knife pressed against her neck, all

was

Victor spat out blood

you

smile plastered

eyes narrowed in anger when he heard Shelia’s

did you

you are a

Shelia swallowed.

a sense of accomplishment by threatening two

have in you to do what you

So, cut the crap.

to kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to stop

she

make Norton’s hackles rise and the man

Norton was indeed angry.

voice in check as he talked

Looks like you really want

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help you

Norton said, laughing derisively.

turned to his men and

eyes and asked anxiously,

Norton didn’t answer.

glared at

men did as

bound, Shelia was

to ride

where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464

river was

her choke easily Victor saw how Shelia’s face became paler by the

the blue

and yelled, "Let her

her eyes because of the gushing water, Shelia

actually wanted Victor to run

she opened her mouth, she was choked by

her eyes became

on Victor’s

strong but he was useless in this kind

making me

that I’m a good man? Why

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

wanting to save her so much, I will give you

me, huh? What

could just glare at

whatever it took to

the middle of the river, Norton squinted his eyes and

after, two men behind him appeared and stood between

and looked at Victor with

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the weakest among

only killed two people, and the one on the

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

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

touched its tip with his thumb

two before the rope

you can say goodbye to your good

she’s washed away, I’m afraid that you

flickering flame, Victor didn’t

rushed up and fought

mercenary and the most popular

his weakest subordinates should

Victor was

might not even be able to defeat one of the two

tall and burly men that could easily

was at a disadvantage

in his

was hit, Victor staggered and

repeatedly, his strength left him, and he eventually

of his bones being broken scattered all over

time, Victor’s face

tried to stand, not ready to

he could even get back on his feet, he saw another

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

again, Victor spat out a mouthful of blood, and a

this point, Victor’s

to fix his eyes on the

how many

out and the rope was grasped,

this trouble, so he was willing

to go on, his body couldn’t keep up

to the ground and

somewhat awakened

his eyes, but his vision was still

lay there on the ground, watching the

but wonder if

fully recovered yet, so he thought that he might

pierced every inch of his body made Victor realize that he

Victor wanted to stand up, but he couldn’t move even

could only move his hands a little bit, grabbing the

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

no trace

"Ahem!"

spurting out more

unto the soil and opened his

if

for a long

he didn’t even know

he never found the

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

excruciating pain he was experiencing, Victor

he lost consciousness

again, he was finally

found him near

rescue him lasted for two days and two

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

were shattered, his chest and lungs were inflamed, and the

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

wearing an

out of danger yet, but all he cared

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

she didn’t dare delay to send people to

seven days, but

week passed and there was still no

able to give Victor was a crumpled playing card that

mostly covered with mud, but one could easily

later, Victor

after fully recovering was

Hearts card in a box and

on the marble tombstone aside from

even Shelia’s

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

him to the hospital, but

in that year that Carolyn

two more years, he finished

began taking over several small companies

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

to prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed over the

time, Roger entered the ward where

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

can’t eat any

been eating porridge

stand the

sighed and had no choice but

said, "Eat it again when

tongue out, not intending

at the door, so he

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

kid gradually

that Roger would bring some snacks when he

could at least taste

only

greeted Roger, Rachel turned around and was surprised

say that

advance to ask her

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

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

he could still visit, it would probably be very late

initially, I couldn’t

hesitated for a moment

response, Rachel furrowed her brows

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

465 Dark Circles The operation done to Victor lasted for more

opened and closed for several times as

couldn’t do anything but wait outside until the procedure

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

indicated that the surgery

saved, but he wasn’t completely out of

was wheeled to

days ago that

to be

still in

an expert in the field to check Victor’s

what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

old wounds had healed, they still had

new injuries just

that only a miracle could save Victor’s

least tell us when

in a gloomy

I can’t

couldn’t help but frown as he made

fact, if I may be blunt, please consider preparing for the worst-case

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

it was obvious that this was

percent, but there was a huge chance that this

Lukas, Rachel was the first one to know about

that Rachel had the

outside Joey’s ward,

looked slightly disoriented, and there were dark circles round

tell Rachel

heard the tragic news, her face

she had already prepared

was a bit

didn’t know when she became this

it was when Victor had been in a coma for

have been even

outside the operating room for 70 hours before the

Carson’s hand and reminded him in a low voice,

You can’t smoke here."

he regained his senses, Carson

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

and asked, "Anyway, how

"Joey? He’s fine.

up yesterday and said that he

his plaster will be removed ahead

peeped through the glass panel on the

saw Joey sleeping

he stretched for

I’m leaving

Carson turned around and left without

to tell

from that, he had nothing

an eye,

was made aware of Victor’s

Joey’s ward almost twenty-four

Carson didn’t show his face to her

came from an expert, she was also convinced that Victor would never

now, Roger broke the news that Victor

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

time without being able

if she was still judging

Do you want to

This time, Rachel pressed

nowhere, someone gently pulled her sleeve and pulled her

want to see

was Joey, pleading

to hide the fact that Victor was

up in the hospital, he actually

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

truth, Rachel didn’t have the heart to hide it

Joey didn’t cry or say anything, nor did he pester Rachel to

just smiled and made

bad? They say bad people live long

to worry

bright eyes, she felt a lump

a few moments, she mustered her

"Yes, of course."

had a good

mention Victor, as if there was nothing

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

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

"Okay…"

heart softened,

in the

was inconvenient for him to walk all the

simply let him sit in a

wheelchair for him, and the three of

they

The elevator finally stopped at the floor of the

one patient at this time, Carson was sitting on the sofa in the

he furrowed his brows

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

guy, it’s the first time I’ve

What brings you here?"

quickly set the document

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking

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

did those dark circles around your eyes come

"Dark circles?"

choked

opened its front camera, and

realized that

haggard, and his eye bags were so big that

of course, this was only

a good

a handsome young man, but even

"Ha-ha!"

after seeing the upset

that

head, Carson stepped forward

"You, brat.

you tease your godfather?

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

have no

and I grew up

We are best friends.

the one

I

his eyebrows and crossed his arms in front of his

you, even if you don’t

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

his tongue as he withdrew his hand from Joey’s

voice, "I also

as I said, it’s a

you’d better change your attitude

he stuck

the corner of his eye,

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

I heard that Mr.Sullivan has woken

Rachel and

Roger explained.

his

"Oh, I see."

and said,

He is resting inside.

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

one knew what was going through her

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked towards

her, pushing Joey’s

placed over

was lost in thoughts for a

he was about to

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

and looked at the little

not standing very far

him from the corner of his

eyebrows as if he

a quick glance at him, Joey turned his gaze

need to

what Joey was

I take you

"No!"

in a

serious look on his

am a

wasn’t a problem for

they were no

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

reaction to Joey’s words, Rachel looked

then

to bother the former, Carson soon observed that

him to take Joey

pay any attention to Rachel’s

phone and turned around as if

Joey a thumbs

Carson pretended like he was answering

Mr.Ramos! I have read the plan you sent

he headed towards the

he wasn’t very good

up while he was still holding it to

call at all! Rachel saw what just happened clearly and

"It’s okay.

take Joey

He is actually right.

a boy like him to be taken to the bathroom

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

heard those

ought to have

days, they got along really

them were always in

for reasons best known to her, she still

of things, Rachel

it couldn’t

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

and Joey headed towards the

time, Carson came

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

took a quick glance at the phone in his

with

"What?"

sight and took

smile appeared on his

am

was left with no choice! My subordinates are too bad

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

fake smile on her

very good at

Rachel knew that he had pretended to answer the call only

his nose and

you want to go

to look through the glass panel

was a

her point of view, only the living room could be

the door open in no time and walked

Victor would lie in the bed for

to undergo half

voice came from

is in a

"Get out of here!"

interrupted

a man in a suit

He looked dejected.

was a document in his

Carson as

was stunned at first, then his

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung around

It was quite noticeable.

Group and the director

was no need asking about what just happened to

man’s expression that the

out! Her attention was drawn to the name on

surname was what really interested

She turned to Carson.

her, she raised

"Well, this is Troy.

as a member of the

knew exactly what she meant

was at a loss for

many

he had

who

and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

head slightly

was

life! Nonetheless, he

Miss Bennet, I’m going back

hand and said, "Very

do that

out

at

space was enough for her to see that Victor was sitting against the head

doesn’t seem as bad as

and can

walked to the door and pushed it

against the door

follow Rachel

reading some document when he heard

head and say coldly,

her gaze

in a

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

and looked

wasn’t a hundred percent sure that she waited outside the operating room for more than seventy hours half a

was so entranced that she

you to go out,

heard the

looked up at the person who

in his usual cold and stiff tone, he said

after we finished the

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

"The dance is over.

to

I reminded him.

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

steps back to

could still feel the

face blushed and i felt rather

my heart was

a moment, it felt like I had returned

days with him were the happiest time of

as I reminisced, I knew that those days were long gone and I could never get

feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

guests suddenly approached me and

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

raising my glass and

it, I’d had a few to drink and was

this time, Elena came to

surprise waiting for you on the second

to go upstairs and take a look

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when you

mysterious smile appeared

to the deck

were bright red rose petals scattered

were also numerous balloons

widened in

this whole

surprise?’ I had no

first person that came to mind was Charles, but

A bitter smile appeared on my

on me,

this birthday

on the second floor, I stared at the

and yet my mind

cold sea breeze, I

fireworks display lit up the

the sky, a deafening sound resonated in the

like

noise, I covered

the ground

began trembling uncontrollably, and i felt

the abandoned warehouse

I was out of breath I felt so

a panic attack, a pair of strong arms held me tightly "There’s no need

I’m here."

above me, making me feel

It was Charles.

tears burst from my eyes, Gently, he

don’t have to be scared