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.

a long time since they last met-too

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her teeth

a thought occurred

"The eggs! I forgot all

and ran to the

Ethan followed behind her.

stared at Janet, who was extremely

silly girl! I told you to keep an

side while he cleaned up the

in the corner, restlessly

"I’m sorry.

so I rushed to you and

Ethan had guessed this.

raised his eyes to look at

"It’s my fault.

you

spread out his arms and said

her face against his

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

hates you and I just

a

In Order To Survive

a casual manner, flipped the meat over, and went

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

just being

Victor said nothing, and silently retracted

had a feeling that Shelia

crushed some fruits and poured the juice

definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

holding out in her hand and

some more for

wasn’t going to take the meat, Shelia

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

can rest assured and eat

high alert right then, watching Shelia with vigilant

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

had thought that Victor had gotten

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

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead

look away and placed the meat

roast the rest for

to help, Shelia nodded and said, "Okay, it’s perfectly fine if you

a bite

for some time, she furrowed her brows and stuck out her

really hard

was not

gave you just now must

me? You

say a word and only continued

aside, Shelia turned around and spotted Victor’s

Van, you did this deliberately,

smiling?’ Victor never even

gently touched

me to roast the

gone

get some

tired at

just sit right

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

eyes and said, "Van, you’re good at cooking meat, aren’t you? Did you

how to

in a

"Survive in the wildness?"

the very first time that Shelia had

did you go out of

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

a knife to

Shelia asked, his eyes darkened

said, "I

Victor knew the reason

he wanted to be prepared in

that even under ner protection, Victor would find himself

learn more skills so that he would at least have a

"Alright."

her

caught a glimpse of Shelia’s profile and the dust that rested

out a hand to

turned to look at Victor with

eyes, he started to feel

his hand, looked away, and explained, "Your nose has dirt on

"Is that so?"

to rub her nose with

what about now?

"No,"

glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

you learn other than

Can you teach me?"

you want to

"In order to survive."

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

shelia said casually.

Victor felt sad upon

flipped? It’s on the verge of being

Shelia pointed out.

Victor saw a small burn on the

he was still thinking about what she just

.

had second thoughts about whether or not to ask her

was, after all, Shelia’s

the other hand, didn’t

"Will you

"Hmm,"

said after

"Is that a yes?"

and

meanwhile, became much more

Victor nodded, "Okay."

she

individual I’ve ever encountered,

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I was

years ago, the orphanage was taken over and

eyes clouded as she spoke

woman was

meals and gave me a lot

orphan…’

was needed to look after you

you leave

Victor and

Shelia had known for

okay with you being outdoors on

her head, Shelia said,

to visit her tomb, so

unknown to them, and

of the dingy ground,

bathed in shards of sunshine that had been scattered by the trees and fallen to the

hands behind her head,

as she gazed up at

to

you from doing

are people guarding the

find me if I

had no idea that

tell her my name when I meet her again in the

blinking

eyes remained fixed on Shelia and he said

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

had a soft spot in

I was

It didn’t seem appropriate to use this term to

at Shelia, Victor concluded that the adjective

apt description of her features, particularly

for your upbringing, how come you

was unable to communicate since she was

referred to us

a poker card was in my

as if it were

each kid was given a

woman split the fruits, she put them on the cards and let us take them as we

the card–the King of

Did I get the best

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

and said, "I am the only one with

meat was toasting as they were

meat after

set to

Eat, please."

gut just after his

hand to her stomach and ate the meat with a greedy

meat

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after a

to her feet, she said, "Let’s keep

was ready to rise when Shelia abruptly extended her hand

"Come on, get up."

a little pause,

a dart to put marks on

of

sun had cooled

in sitting down on

we’ll have to travel

can get out before

some water

so much walking, and he was coughing up

said incoherently, "I’m

Let’s move forward."

have the

"Like never before…"

continued to

her forward motion, she murmured, "Van, you

return, be sure to eat

gaze to the side

in mud after a day and a night in

you? What’s

"Plan?"

slow

your plans once we leave the forest? Where will

to continue my travels and explore the world’s finest

I can no longer walk and beg them to take me

with a

"Shelia."

up his mind after staring at

"What’s the problem?"

with me after we get

like you, I

can count on

to come with

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

that Shelia

while before asking, "Are you joking

"No, I’m not.

promise to treat you the best I

Victor convinced her.

and smiled at Victor, saying,

we get out of the

"Sure."

moment they emerged from the

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

light glimmered on the bodies of Victor

had been walking since high noon and

when they saw a relatively

we’re out of the

local villagers if we

We can…"

could finish her sentence, she

She was confused.

at Victor, wanting to know why he

"Van?"

well, i didn’t expect you

Shelia looked for

cars that were parked

stood at the front, looking at them intently as he played with

could feel right away that they were

to shield Victor, who in turn

eyes off Norton, watching his

hear, Victor said, "Run

get lost even

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

and you

"And then?"

her

straight

"Walk along this road.

mobile phone from them,

didn’t intend

to play a game with

couldn’t escape this predicament, Shelia

her back to see his grandmother, and treat her as his own

it seemed that Victor could not fulfill the

Victor wrote a phone number on

once you get

he whispered.

is my grandmother’s

her and she will pick you up wherever

looked down at

Shelia didn’t respond, Victor looked at her and

"No."

her hand

were

want to remember the number,

be a good

Victor frowned.

coughed violently as soon as

remained adamant and clenched her

spread her palm and let

were talking about, he could

"Tut, tut, tut, this is

other! I’m so moved

tensed up when saw

intuitively pulled Sheila behind

and keeping himself standing

for him to

up to

and Shelia

Norton pulled

fast for

"Let her go!"

a firm grip

satisfaction in hearing

know you

said as he wiped the mud on Shelia’s

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

when something silver flashed

that

a mouthful of

"No."

"What are you saying?"

a contemptuous tone and gave Victor a mocking smile, pretending

that he

his fist and tried to steady

want is

nothing to do with

So, let her go!"

wow! This is

Norton curled his lips.

want to

where she comes from but I find your

to die alone? I can do something about that and let

red eyes, Victor

knife pressed against her neck, all Shelia could

was

she saw Victor spat out blood and

all you can do?

smile plastered on his

in anger when he heard Shelia’s

you just

you are

Shelia swallowed.

sense of accomplishment by threatening

in you to

So, cut the crap.

want to kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to

knew that she

make Norton’s hackles rise and the man would do just

Norton was indeed angry.

his voice

really? Looks like you really

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help you with

Norton said, laughing derisively.

his men and instructed them, "Tie her

asked anxiously,

Norton didn’t answer.

glared

men did as they were

and feet bound, Shelia was taken to

to

thinking about where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464

was

soon as the water rushed over, it inundated Shelia, making her choke easily

clenched into fists, and the blue

teeth and yelled, "Let

eyes because of the gushing

Victor to

moment she opened her mouth, she was choked

her eyes became

at the exasperated expression on Victor’s face,

strong but he was useless

making me

a good man?

the rope, squatted down, and

you wanting to save her so

in me, huh? What do

could just glare

do whatever it

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

him appeared and stood between

and looked

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the weakest among my

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

want to save her, right? Knock

holding Victor’s arms

touched its tip with his thumb and warned, "But of

two before the

you can say goodbye to

washed away, I’m afraid that

flame, Victor didn’t care

so he quickly rushed up

the most popular leader the Roaring

weakest subordinates should be

was

even be able to

were tall and burly men that

was at a disadvantage from the very

two men punched Victor right in his abdomen one

as he was hit, Victor staggered

hit repeatedly, his strength left him, and he

bones being broken scattered all over his body, making him feel somewhat

this time, Victor’s face looked black with

tried to stand, not

could even get back on his feet, he

to subconsciously use his arm to block

again, Victor spat out a

Victor’s vision

eyes on the rope, which was only a few

matter how

fire was put out and the

into this trouble, so he was willing to

go on, his body couldn’t keep up any

back to the ground and lost

somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling on

open his eyes, but his vision was still

on the ground,

couldn’t help but wonder if he was still

consciousness hadn’t fully recovered yet, so he

inch of

stand up, but he couldn’t move even

his hands a little bit, grabbing the mud

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

was no trace

"Ahem!"

coughed violently, spurting out more

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

at the river expectantly, as if he

for a

didn’t even know how much time passed

never found the person

from the river or

pain he was experiencing,

lost consciousness

again, he was finally

found him near the

rescue him lasted for

diagnosis, it was found out that Victor

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

after he woke up was ask Carolyn

an oxygen mask and

was not completely out of danger yet, but all he cared about

know who Shelia was, but she could sense that she must be a very

send people to search for Shelia along the

for seven days, but Shelia couldn’t be

and there was still no

was a crumpled playing card

mostly covered with mud, but one could easily recognize that

later, Victor

he did after fully recovering was buy a

put the King of Hearts card in a

marble tombstone aside from

wasn’t even Shelia’s

while Karl was on a business trip,

the hospital, but he

was also in that year that Carolyn

two more years, he finished

over several small companies under the control of the Sullivan

the sales of these companies from a very low level to one of

able to prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed over

time, Roger entered the ward where Rachel

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

can’t eat

porridge for about

stand the smell of

choice

said, "Eat it again when you

stuck his tongue out, not

Roger standing at the door,

came to the hospital to visit Joey from time to

the kid gradually

Joey liked about him was that Roger would bring

much, he could at least taste something aside

Joey could only eat them

turned around and was surprised to see

that you wouldn’t

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

every time, he

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

visit, it would probably be very late

I

hesitated for a moment before finally saying,

Rachel furrowed her brows

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

465 Dark Circles The operation done to Victor

closed for several times as

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

the fourth day since the operation began, the indicator

the surgery

was saved, but he

wheeled to

two days ago

to be transferred to the

still

field to check Victor’s condition and give a

it wasn’t what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

healed, they

his new injuries

end, he said that only a miracle could save Victor’s

at least tell us when he will wake

in a

afraid I can’t say

frown as he made things

if I may be blunt,

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

it was obvious that this

percent, but there was a huge chance that

and Lukas, Rachel was the first

Rachel

leaned against the wall outside Joey’s

disoriented, and there were dark circles round his

to tell Rachel about

Rachel heard the tragic news, her face

already prepared herself

was

when she

in a coma for about half

might have been even

for 70 hours

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

You can’t smoke here."

he regained his senses, Carson put

expression, he didn’t bother continue

then changed the subject and asked, "Anyway,

"Joey? He’s fine.

checked him up yesterday and said

expected that his plaster will

turned his head and peeped through the

saw Joey sleeping soundly in the

a faint smile, he stretched for a bit and

I’m leaving

that, Carson turned around and left without

tell Rachel about the doctor’s diagnosis

he had nothing else

blink of an eye,

Victor’s condition, Rachel

ward almost

the same time, Carson didn’t

from an expert, she was also convinced that Victor

the news that Victor

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

for a long time without being able to

still judging Roger’s expression if

want to

slowly This time, Rachel pressed her lips

of nowhere, someone gently pulled her sleeve and pulled her

I want to see

Joey, pleading in a

that Victor

Joey woke up in the hospital,

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

found out the truth, Rachel didn’t have the heart

say anything, nor did he pester Rachel

smiled

say bad people

to

at Joey’s bright eyes, she felt

she mustered her courage and

"Yes, of course."

following two weeks, Joey had a good rest in

didn’t mention Victor, as if

of the night from time to time and look

all inside him, but Rachel was aware that

"Okay…"

softened, and

ward was in the second inpatient

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

let him sit in a

the wheelchair for him, and the three of them went

they reached

at the floor of the ward

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

were steps approaching, he furrowed his brows and eventually saw

seen this scene, Carson knew

it’s the first time I’ve seen

What brings you here?"

as he quickly set the document he was holding aside and

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking

look like someone who will be beaten easily? Ha! I’m the one

where did those dark circles around your eyes come

"Dark circles?"

almost choked

he picked up his phone, opened its front

that Joey was

haggard, and his eye bags were so big that

this was only to

good sleep for

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

"Ha-ha!"

after seeing the upset look on Carson’s

innocent laughter, Carson realized that he

head, Carson stepped forward

"You, brat.

your

said that you are my godfather?

have no opinion regarding

I grew

We are best friends.

one

that’s how I

and crossed his arms in front

for you, even if you don’t want it,

hand and said, "Humph! If I

he withdrew his

low voice, "I also

a fact

change

say anything more, but he stuck out

his eye, Carson

commented, "I see that you’re not busy

I heard that Mr.Sullivan

came here with Rachel

Roger explained.

lose his composure just because of Carson’s

"Oh, I see."

the room and said, "His ward

He is resting inside.

Tacit Cooperation Rachel

was going

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

walked

followed her, pushing

arms were placed

lost in thoughts for

was about to sav something,

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked

standing very far

him from the

his eyebrows as if he was giving Carson

glance at him, Joey turned his

need to use the

what

I take

"No!"

a very

was a serious look on

am a

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

moment, they were no longer in

take a boy to the ladies’ room, just like it

words, Rachel

Roger, then her

to bother the former, Carson soon observed that

she wanted him to take Joey to the

coughed and refused to pay any attention to Rachel’s

phone and turned

a

Carson pretended like he

read the plan you sent

talking, he headed towards the nurses’

very good at

lit up while he

saw what just happened clearly

"It’s okay.

take

He is actually right.

him to be taken to the bathroom by

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

those words,

ought to have

past few days, they

of them were always in one another’s

to her, she still

things, Rachel still

it couldn’t be achieved

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

he and Joey headed towards the

some time, Carson

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

quick glance at the phone

you through with the

"What?"

took a peek at

appeared

am

was left with no choice! My

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

a fake smile on her

very good

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

tip of his nose and coughed to ease the awkwardness of

you want to

look

ward was

living room could be seen, and

the door open in no time and walked

doctor said Victor would lie in the bed for

to undergo half a year’s rehabilitation

voice came from behind

a stable

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted

saw a man in a suit

He looked dejected.

a document in

and Carson as soon as he

stunned at first, then his

"Mr.Scott!"

hung

It was quite noticeable.

Group and

was no need asking about what just

man’s expression that the project

have been driven out! Her attention was drawn

surname was what

She turned to Carson.

her,

"Well, this is Troy.

a member of the Sullivan

she meant by

at a loss

were so many surnames

he had to

who

and

"Miss Bennet."

nodded her head slightly

forehead was covered

his life! Nonetheless, he was still holding the

I’m going back

and said, "Very well

should do that

what Carson said, Troy went out

at

see that Victor was sitting against the head

as

is well and can

door and

leaned against the

didn’t follow Rachel

some document when he

head and say coldly, "Get

cast her gaze

was in a

that his face was pale despite the fact that

and looked

a hundred percent sure that she waited outside the operating room for more than seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would have thought that the

that she walked towards the

to go

heard the footsteps, his

person who was walking towards

instead of speaking in his usual cold and stiff tone,

The Birthday Gift Caroline’s POV: Even after we finished the dance, Charles kept his hand on

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

"The dance is over.

to let

I reminded him.

eyes, but he still loosened his grip on my waist

a few steps back

for some reason, I could still feel the warmth of his touch on

blushed and

my heart

moment, it felt like

were the

those days were long gone and I could never get

looked down, feeling

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached me and

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

and taking a

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

time, Elena

surprise waiting for you on the second

you like to go upstairs and take a look

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when you

mysterious smile appeared on

to

red rose petals scattered across the

numerous

eyes widened in

say, this whole

had no

that came to mind was

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

on me, and yet I still couldn’t

of receiving this birthday surprise

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

tranquil, and

sea breeze, I felt

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

sky, a deafening sound resonated

sounded like a

the noise, I covered my ears

squatted on the ground and

i

abandoned

out of breath I felt so

attack, a pair of strong arms held me tightly

I’m here."

familiar voice came from above me,

It was Charles.

his arms as tears burst from my eyes, Gently,

don’t have to