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.

been a long time since they last

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her

a thought

shouted, "The eggs! I forgot all

from Ethan’s embrace and ran

Ethan followed behind her.

was extremely flustered, and he

told you to keep an

the side while he cleaned up the mess himself in the

stood in the corner, restlessly watching

"I’m sorry.

I rushed to you and forgot

Ethan had guessed this.

hands, he raised his eyes

"It’s my fault.

give you enough sense of

out his arms and said gently,

leaned her face against his chest, blushing

thinking about the invitation from Patrick, she murmured, "The

and I

has a

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

collecting on her forehead in a casual manner, flipped the meat over, and went on to roast

really don’t want to tell

was just being a

his eyes at her, Victor said nothing, and silently retracted

that Shelia didn’t mean him any

some fruits and poured the

definitely could be

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

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

more for myself

going to take the meat, Shelia smiled as if she

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

can rest assured and eat it with

on high alert right then,

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

thought that Victor

she saw his injuries, she knew she was wrong and he was on guard

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead

to look away

roast the rest for

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

took a bite out

time, she furrowed her brows and stuck

really hard to

not cooked fully

I gave you just now

you tell me? You

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

turned around and spotted Victor’s smiling

Van, you did this

I smiling?’ Victor never even realized that he

lifted his hand and gently touched the corner of

to roast the meat

gone

and get some

not tired at

sit right

chin, Shelia proceeded

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

learned how to

spoke in a deep

"Survive in the wildness?"

time that Shelia

you go out of

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

knife

heard what Shelia

a while, he said, "I have no

knew the

to be prepared

ahead of time that even under ner protection, Victor would find himself

more skills so that he would at least have a

"Alright."

her gaze on the burning

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

out a hand to

startled and turned to look at Victor with a blank

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

his hand, looked away, and explained, "Your

"Is that so?"

her nose with the back of her

what about now? Is it still

"No,"

glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

did you learn other than roasting meat? I

Can you teach me?"

do you want to

"In order to survive."

mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me "In

shelia said casually.

felt sad upon

flipped?

Shelia pointed out.

Victor saw a small burn on the meat’s exposed side

was still thinking about what she just

.

or not

was, after all, Shelia’s

on the other hand, didn’t seem

asked, "Will you please

"Hmm,"

after

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she broke

meanwhile, became much

Victor nodded, "Okay."

broadly as she

I’ve ever encountered, except for my caretaker in

"Orphanage?"

where I was

over and

clouded as she spoke

woman was a

great meals and gave me a

an orphan…’

to look after you since the

didn’t you leave with the other

looked up at Victor and answered, "I didn’t want

was the only home Shelia had known for

okay with you being outdoors on your

head, Shelia

I was desperate to visit her

remain unknown to them,

spite of the dingy ground, Shelia

that had been scattered by

her hands behind her head,

with disappointment as she gazed up at the

want to visit

keeps you from

people guarding

if

idea that I have

I meet

said, blinking her

eyes remained fixed on

to see you, Van, it would be more than

had a soft spot in her heart for

I was

didn’t seem appropriate to use this term to describe a

Victor concluded that the adjective

description of her features,

Victor asked her, "Since she was responsible for

communicate since she was deaf, mute, and

referred to

poker card was in my

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

each kid was given a

the fruits, she put them on the cards and let us take them as we pleased, but we

at the card–the

I get the best

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

am the

toasting

her the meat

set to

Eat, please."

from her gut just after

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

much better than the meat i made myself! Van, you’re

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

after a

she rose to her feet, she said,

when

"Come on, get up."

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

the hard way, Shelia used a dart

had lost track of

sun had cooled

down on a

how far we’ll have to

out before the sun

some

after so much walking, and

said incoherently, "I’m sure

Let’s move forward."

still have

"Like never before…"

nodded and continued

forward motion, she murmured, "Van, you

return, be sure

to

was covered in mud after a day and

What’s

"Plan?"

slow

plans once we leave the forest? Where will you be

to continue my travels

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

with

"Shelia."

made up his mind after staring at Shelia for

"What’s the problem?"

with me after we get out

will like you, I will defend

count on

want me to

If you don’t want to, it doesn’t

concerned that Shelia

for a while before asking, "Are you joking

"No, I’m not.

treat you the best

Victor convinced her.

smiled

agree when we get out of the

"Sure."

emerged from the woods, though,

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

the bodies

been walking since high noon and now,

they saw a relatively

we’re out of

local villagers if we walk a

We can…"

sentence, she saw

She was confused.

looked at Victor, wanting to know why he

"Van?"

well, i didn’t expect you to come out

voice came, Shelia looked for the

that were parked not far from

them intently as he

away that they

shield Victor, who in turn stood protectively in front of

eyes off

Victor said, "Run into the forest when I tell

won’t get lost even when

way out of the forest,

these marks and you can get back

"And then?"

asked, her eyebrows

looked straight

"Walk along this road.

meet villagers, borrow a mobile phone from them, and

knew that Norton didn’t

a game with Victor by

that if he couldn’t escape

family, bring her back to see his grandmother, and

not fulfill the promise he made in the

wrote a phone number

the number once you get hold of a mobile

he whispered.

is my

and she will pick you up

looked down

that Shelia didn’t respond, Victor looked at her and asked in confusion,

"No."

her

eyes were a

want to remember the number, nor do I

a

Victor frowned.

was so anxious that he coughed

adamant and clenched

spread her palm and let Victor write the phone number

what Victor and Shelia were talking about, he could tell that they were

sneer, he said, "Tut,

each other!

tensed up when

intuitively pulled Sheila behind

was seriously injured and keeping himself standing steadily was taxing for

hard for him to

up to

Shelia

them, Norton pulled Shelia towards

fast for Victor to

"Let her go!"

a firm grip on

found satisfaction in hearing vexation in Victor’s

know you

as he wiped the mud on Shelia’s face with

this would all the more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed over and tried to take Shelia back from

tracks when something silver

was a knife that Norton pressed against

a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

said in a contemptuous tone and gave Victor a mocking

he had difficulty

clenched his fist and

want is my

nothing to do with

So, let her go!"

This

Norton curled his lips.

want

comes from but I

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

red eyes, Victor

against her neck, all Shelia could do was raise her

body was

Victor spat out blood and beg for mercy, she

you can

mocking smile plastered

his eyes narrowed in anger when he heard Shelia’s

did you just

you are

Shelia swallowed.

feel a sense of accomplishment by threatening two

more, you don’t have in you to

So, cut the crap.

to kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

tried to stop

she was

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

Norton was indeed angry.

voice in

you really want

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help you with

Norton said, laughing derisively.

and

asked anxiously, "What are you

Norton didn’t answer.

glared at

did as they

her hands and feet bound, Shelia was taken to one of

made to ride a

where Norton was taking them.Chapter

river was flowing

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

clenched into fists, and the blue veins on his

gritted his teeth and yelled,

to open her eyes because of

actually wanted Victor to run

her mouth, she was choked by

enough, her eyes

exasperated expression on

but he

me

a good man? Why the hell

smile, Norton approached the rope, squatted down,

wanting to save her so

still some good in me,

could just glare at

it took to

the river, Norton squinted his eyes and snapped his

appeared and stood between the rope

up and looked

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

are the weakest among my

only killed two people, and the one on the

pause, Norton continued, "You want

been holding Victor’s arms let go of him and took a

with the knife in his hand, Norton touched its tip with his thumb and

these two before the

goodbye to your good

afraid that

Victor didn’t care about anything

he quickly rushed up and fought against

was a mercenary and the most popular leader the

his weakest subordinates should

Victor was

peak state, he might not even be able to defeat one of the two

of them were tall and burly men

at

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

as he was hit, Victor staggered

because he was hit repeatedly, his strength left him,

pain of his bones being broken scattered all over his body,

time, Victor’s face looked black

still tried to stand, not ready to

get back on his feet, he saw

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

Victor spat out a mouthful

Victor’s vision

on the rope,

how

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

into this trouble, so he was willing to do anything to

much as his mind wanted to go on, his body

to the ground

Victor was somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling on his

his eyes, but his vision was still

lay there on the ground,

help but wonder if he was

consciousness hadn’t fully recovered yet, so he thought that he

enough, the sharp pain that pierced every inch of his body made Victor realize that he was still

Victor wanted to stand up, but

little bit, grabbing

his best, he turned his head to look at the river, only to find that there was nothing

no

"Ahem!"

violently, spurting out more

himself, he grabbed unto the soil and opened his eyes as wide as he

if he was waiting for

waited for a long

didn’t even know how much

he never found the person he had

her head from the river or come

loss of blood and the excruciating pain he was experiencing, Victor couldn’t keep himself

lost consciousness

up again, he was finally

him near

rescue him lasted for two days and

was found out that Victor had fractures in eight

lungs were inflamed, and the critically ill notice was issued

after he woke up was ask Carolyn to

wearing an oxygen mask and

of danger yet, but all he

that she must be a very important person due

send people to search

seven days, but Shelia

week passed and there was

crumpled playing card that got

one could easily recognize that it was the King

later, Victor

first thing he did after

put the King of Hearts card in a box and

was nothing on the marble

Shelia’s name

was on a business trip, he suffered a sudden

to rush him to the

was also in that year that Carolyn

he finished his studies and

taking over several small companies under

shortest time, Victor raised the sales of these companies from

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

entered

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

eat

had been eating porridge for

now, he couldn’t even stand the smell of

had no choice but to

it again

his tongue out, not

he saw Roger standing at the door,

came to the hospital to visit Joey from time

gradually got acquainted

Joey liked about him was that Roger would

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

Joey could only eat them

Rachel turned around and was surprised to see

say that you

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

would say no every time, he would still

he had an important project meeting today, so

could still visit, it would probably be very late

I

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

Rachel furrowed her brows in

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

operation done to Victor lasted for

the operating room opened and closed for several times

and Carson couldn’t do anything but wait outside until

on the fourth day since the operation began,

indicated that the surgery was successfully

but he wasn’t completely

he was wheeled

until two days ago that his vital

to be transferred to

was still

to check Victor’s condition and give a

it wasn’t what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

his old wounds had healed, they still had an

his new injuries just made

only a miracle

us when he

in a

I can’t

frown

I may be blunt, please consider preparing

that he’ll never wake up? Is he

was obvious that this was what he

but there was a huge chance that this was it for

Carson and Lukas, Rachel was the

that Rachel had the right to

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

there were

down to tell

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

was as if she had already

Carson was a

didn’t know when she

was when Victor had been in a coma for about half a month after the

have been even

also there outside the operating room for

Rachel glanced at the cigarette in Carson’s hand and reminded him in

You can’t smoke here."

he regained his senses, Carson put out the

he didn’t bother

and asked, "Anyway, how is the little

"Joey? He’s fine.

him up yesterday and said that he has been recovering pretty

will be removed ahead

his head and peeped through the

saw Joey sleeping

a faint smile, he stretched for a

I’m

turned around and left without looking

he really just visited to tell Rachel about the

that, he had nothing else to

an eye,

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

just stayed in Joey’s ward

Carson didn’t

from an expert, she was

Victor had

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

Roger for a long time without

judging Roger’s expression if he was saying the

Do you want to go upstairs and see

slowly This time, Rachel pressed her lips hard and

nowhere, someone gently pulled her sleeve and pulled her

want

was Joey, pleading in a soft

to hide the fact that Victor was

hospital, he

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

when Joey finally found out the truth, Rachel didn’t have the heart to hide it

cry or say anything, nor did he pester Rachel to

he just smiled and made

bad? They say bad

to

bright eyes, she

moments, she mustered her courage

"Yes, of course."

had

Victor, as if there was

middle of the night from time to time and look at the ceiling with his eyes

for keeping it all inside him, but Rachel was aware

"Okay…"

heart softened,

in the second inpatient

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

him sit in

for him, and the three of them

enough, they

The elevator finally stopped at the floor of the ward where

was only one patient at

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

wer If Victor had seen this scene, Carson knew

time I’ve seen you up

What brings you here?"

the document

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his

who will be beaten easily?

circles around your

"Dark circles?"

choked at

opened its front camera, and looked

that Joey

were so big that it seemed like someone

this was

have a good sleep for half

originally a handsome young man, but even he was susceptible to stress

"Ha-ha!"

after seeing

that he was

stepped forward and pinched

"You, brat.

your godfather? You have guts,

sharp pain on his face and retorted, "Huh? Who said that you are my godfather? I don’t remember recognizing you as

no

father and I

We are best friends.

one

how I

his arms

you, even if you don’t want

pull Carson’s hand away using his uninjured hand and said, "Humph!

his tongue as he withdrew his

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

said, it’s a

better change

he stuck

corner of his

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

I heard that Mr.Sullivan has

here with Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

to lose his composure just because of Carson’s

"Oh, I see."

and said,

He is resting inside.

Rachel looked at the ward Carson pointed at,

what was going through her

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

nodded and walked

followed her, pushing Joey’s

arms were placed over

lost in

was about to sav something,

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked at the little

not standing

see him from

his eyebrows as if he was giving Carson

taking a quick glance at him, Joey

I need to use the

overheard what

I take

"No!"

in a very

was a serious look on

I am a

bathroom in Joey’s ward, so it wasn’t a problem for Rachel to take him

were no longer in

room, just like

words, Rachel

was Roger, then her gaze

former, Carson

him to

to pay any

and turned around

to give Joey a thumbs up

pretended like he

I have read the plan you sent

he headed towards

he wasn’t very good at

he was still holding it to

Rachel saw what just happened clearly and

"It’s okay.

take

He is actually right.

embarrassing for a boy like him to be taken to the bathroom by

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

heard those words,

to have been closer to him

past few days, they got along really

them were always in one another’s

best known to

of things, Rachel still didn’t

knew that it couldn’t

thinking about the night Rachel was standing outside

and Joey

some time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

glance at

with

"What?"

Rachel’s sight and took

a smile appeared

I am through with

no choice! My subordinates are too

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

fake smile on

very good at

knew that he had pretended to answer the call only moments ago, the

the tip of his nose and coughed to ease the awkwardness

you want

order to look through the glass panel

was a

view, only the living room could be

door

said Victor would lie in the

has to undergo half a year’s

came from behind

a

"Get out of here!"

interrupted

and saw a man in a suit coming

He looked dejected.

document in his

and Carson

at first,

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung around the man’s

It was quite noticeable.

the Sullivan Group and

was no need asking about what just

could tell from the man’s expression that the project plan had been

was drawn to

was what

She turned to Carson.

her, she

"Well, this is Troy.

of

she meant by just looking at

a loss for

were so many

had

who Rachel

bowed and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

her head

forehead was covered with

of his life! Nonetheless, he was

I’m going

and

should do that

out of sight

looked at the

for her to see that Victor was

condition doesn’t seem as bad as you

and can work

door

leaned against the door

follow

document when he

his head and say coldly,

her

was in

was pale despite the fact that

frowned and

seventy

was so entranced that she walked towards the bed

to go

the

at the person

in his usual cold and stiff tone, he

POV: Even after we finished the dance, Charles kept

it wouldn’t bode well if

"The dance is over.

to let

I reminded him.

flashed through his eyes, but he still loosened

a few steps back to distance myself from

some reason, I could still feel the warmth of his

and i felt

heart

moment, it felt like I had returned to

him were the happiest

even as I reminisced, I knew that those days were long gone

down, feeling conflicted and

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached me and greeted

began chatting with the guests with a smile

raising my glass and

had a few to drink and was starting to get

this time, Elena came

waiting for you on the second

upstairs and take a

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when

mysterious smile appeared on

followed her to

were bright red rose petals scattered

numerous

widened in

say, this whole scene was picturesque and

had no idea who

was Charles, but I quickly cast aside

could it possibly be him?’ A bitter smile appeared on my lips, and somehow, I began

had never spent this much effort on me, and yet I still couldn’t

joy of receiving this birthday surprise soon died

on the second floor, I stared at

tranquil, and yet my mind

cold sea breeze,

lit

the fireworks shot up to the sky, a deafening sound

sounded like

by the noise, I covered my ears at

on the ground and

body began trembling uncontrollably, and i felt

the abandoned warehouse kept

seconds, I was out of breath I

a pair of strong

I’m here."

came from above me,

It was Charles.

in his arms as tears burst from my

don’t have to