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

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her

thought occurred to

shouted, "The eggs! I forgot

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

Ethan followed behind her.

extremely flustered, and he couldn’t

silly girl! I told you to keep an eye on the

to the side while he cleaned up

thumbs, Janet stood in the corner, restlessly watching

"I’m sorry.

thought you were talking to Charis, so I

Ethan had guessed this.

washed hands, he raised his eyes to look at Janet

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you enough

he spread out his arms and said gently, "Come

obeyed and leaned her face against

Patrick, she murmured, "The

you and I just got him into

has a

if we just go there?"Chapter 461 In Order To Survive Shelia didn’t notice

in a casual manner, flipped the meat over, and went on

to tell me, then forget

just being a little

at her, Victor said nothing, and silently retracted the

had a feeling that Shelia didn’t mean

and poured

definitely could be

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

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

some more

wasn’t going to take the meat, Shelia smiled

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

rest assured and eat

high alert right then, watching Shelia with vigilant and cold

easy-going person,

that Victor

his injuries, she knew she was

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead

turned to look away and placed the meat

the

and said, "Okay,

bite out of the

time, she furrowed her brows and

hard

not cooked fully

you just now must be the

me? You even

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

aside, Shelia turned around and spotted Victor’s smiling

you smiling? Van, you did this deliberately,

never even

and gently

to roast the

have gone a

and get some

tired

just sit

under her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down next

so skillfully, she blinked her eyes and said, "Van, you’re good at cooking

to survive

spoke in

"Survive in the wildness?"

was the very first time that Shelia had ever heard of

of your way

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

used a knife

Shelia asked, his

a while, he said, "I

Victor knew the

to be

that even under ner protection, Victor would find himself

skills so that he would at

"Alright."

Shelia continued to focus her gaze on the

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

out a hand to wipe

look at Victor with a

eyes, he

away, and explained, "Your nose has dirt on

"Is that so?"

her nose with the back of

about now? Is

"No,"

said, glancing

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

learn other than roasting meat? I want to learn

Can you teach me?"

want to

"In order to survive."

naturally.Chapter 462 Come With

shelia said casually.

Victor felt sad upon hearing

meat ready to be flipped? It’s

Shelia pointed out.

burn on the meat’s exposed side when he

flipped the meat over while he was still thinking about what she just

.

whether or not to ask her about

was, after all,

hand, didn’t seem

"Will you please

"Hmm,"

said after a

"Is that a yes?"

and she broke into

two dimples, meanwhile, became

Victor nodded, "Okay."

grinned broadly as she said, "Thanks so

ever encountered, except

"Orphanage?"

where

years ago, the orphanage was taken over and the old woman was

eyes clouded as

elderly woman was

I was younger, she prepared great meals and gave me a lot of fresh

an orphan…’ Victor

was needed to look after you

you leave with the other

up at Victor and answered, "I

only home Shelia had known

okay with you being outdoors on

her head, Shelia said,

visit her

them, and I

the dingy ground, Shelia

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

behind her

she gazed up

want to

you from doing

are people

me if I go

no idea that I have a name

I meet her

blinking

black eyes remained fixed on Shelia and

"If she had the chance to see you, Van, it would

a soft spot in her heart for adorable

I was a

appropriate to use

at Shelia, Victor concluded

apt description of her features, particularly her

responsible for your upbringing, how come you got your

unable to communicate since she

referred to us

card was

from her pocket as if it were a treasure

each kid was given a unique

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

stared at the card–the King of

get the best

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

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

toasting as

the meat

set

Eat, please."

from her gut just after his

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

meat i

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

after

feet, she said, "Let’s

and was ready to rise when Shelia

"Come on, get up."

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

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

of time

sun had cooled

in sitting down on

sure how far we’ll

we can get out

some water

body was perhaps exhausted after so much walking, and he was coughing up

said incoherently, "I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

still have

"Like never before…"

continued to

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

be sure

gaze to the side of her

was covered in mud after a day

What’s your

"Plan?"

slow

plans once we leave the forest?

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

the police station when I can no

with

"Shelia."

up his mind after staring

"What’s the problem?"

with me after

sure my grandma will like you, I will defend

count on

want me to come

If

that Shelia

paused for a while before asking, "Are you joking right

"No, I’m not.

treat you the best I

Victor convinced her.

and smiled

we get out of

"Sure."

they emerged from the woods,

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

the bodies of Victor

had been walking since high noon and now, the sun

when they

out

villagers if

We can…"

could finish her sentence, she saw Victor stop

She was confused.

wanting to know why he

"Van?"

i didn’t expect you to

for the

saw three cars that were parked not far

at them

could feel right away that they

Victor, who in

eyes off Norton, watching his every

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

lost even when it gets

we were finding our way out of the forest, I

and you can

"And then?"

asked, her eyebrows

straight into

"Walk along this road.

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

Norton didn’t intend to let

wanted to play a game with Victor by throwing him into the

felt that if he couldn’t escape this

Shelia a family, bring her back to see his grandmother,

not fulfill the promise he made

Victor wrote a phone number

the number once you get hold of a mobile

he whispered.

is my grandmother’s

her and she will pick you up wherever you

looked down at her

looked at her and asked

"No."

pulled her hand

eyes were a little

the number,

be a

Victor frowned.

was so anxious that he coughed violently as soon as he finished

adamant and clenched her

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

Norton couldn’t hear what Victor and Shelia were talking about, he could tell that they

"Tut, tut, tut,

strong feelings for each other! I’m so moved

up when saw Norton approaching

intuitively pulled

keeping himself

for

walked up

and Shelia

patience with them, Norton pulled Shelia towards

too fast for

"Let her go!"

a firm grip on Shelia’s

found satisfaction in hearing vexation in

you look

mud on Shelia’s face with his

pain, Victor rushed

when something silver flashed

that Norton

a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

said in a contemptuous tone and gave Victor a mocking

that he had

his fist and tried to steady

you want

has nothing to do

So, let her go!"

wow! This

Norton curled his lips.

want to let her

she comes from but I

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

red eyes,

knife pressed against her neck, all Shelia could

was tensed

out blood and beg for

you can do? Threaten

kept his mocking smile plastered on

eyes narrowed in anger when he heard Shelia’s

you

you are a

Shelia swallowed.

sense of

you don’t have in you to do what

So, cut the crap.

kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to

that she was

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

Norton was indeed angry.

voice in check as

like you really want to

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help you

Norton said, laughing derisively.

and

his eyes and asked anxiously, "What are

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared at

as they

Shelia was taken to one

was made to ride a

about where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor Woke Up

was

over, it inundated Shelia, making her choke easily Victor saw how Shelia’s face became paler by the

into fists, and the blue veins on his

gritted his teeth and

to open her eyes because of

Victor to

moment she opened her

enough, her

exasperated expression on Victor’s

be strong but he was useless in this

making me

you think that I’m a good man?

smile, Norton approached the rope, squatted

for the sake of you wanting to save

me, huh? What do you

just glare

it took to

the river, Norton squinted

after, two men behind him appeared and stood between the rope

up and looked at Victor with

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

are the weakest among my

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

brief pause, Norton continued, "You want to

who had been holding Victor’s arms let go of him

the knife in his hand, Norton touched its tip with his thumb and warned, "But of

these two before the rope

goodbye

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

at the flickering flame, Victor didn’t

essence, so he quickly rushed up

and the most popular leader the

course, even his weakest subordinates should be

was

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

were tall and burly men that could easily flip

Victor was at a disadvantage

Victor right in his abdomen one after another, and hit his back with their

he was hit, Victor staggered

left him, and he eventually knelt on the

broken scattered all over his body, making him feel

time, Victor’s face

to stand, not ready

get back on his

able to subconsciously use his arm to

out a mouthful of blood, and a tooth also fell

this point, Victor’s

to fix his eyes on the

how many injuries

put out and the rope was grasped,

into this trouble, so he was willing to do

his mind wanted to go

back to the ground and lost

raining?’ After some time, Victor was somewhat awakened when

eyes, but

there on the ground,

but wonder if he was still

yet, so he thought that

pain that pierced every inch of his body made Victor realize that he

up, but he couldn’t move even an

hands a little bit, grabbing the mud under his hands

to look at the river,

no trace

"Ahem!"

violently, spurting

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

at the river expectantly, as if he was

for

fact, he didn’t even know how much time

never found the person he had

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

to loss of blood and the excruciating pain he was experiencing,

he lost

woke up again, he

subordinates found him

lasted for two days and two

doctor’s diagnosis, it was found out that Victor had fractures

his right knee were shattered, his chest and lungs were inflamed, and the critically ill notice

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

still wearing an oxygen mask

completely out of danger

even know who Shelia was, but she could sense that she must

didn’t dare delay to send people to search for Shelia along the

search lasted for seven days, but Shelia

and there was still no news

crumpled playing card that got wet from

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

years later,

thing he did after fully recovering was buy a

the King of Hearts card in a box and buried it

the marble tombstone aside from the

Shelia’s

while Karl was on a business trip, he

him to the hospital, but he

also in that year that Carolyn sent

two more years, he finished his studies and finally

several small companies under the control of the

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

his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed

Roger entered the ward where Rachel

of the bed, holding a bowl of porridge, and

eat any

been eating porridge for about half a

couldn’t even stand the

sighed and had no choice but to put the

it again when you get

stuck his tongue out,

standing at the door, so

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

the kid gradually got acquainted with

Roger would bring some snacks when he

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

Joey could only eat

greeted Roger, Rachel turned around and was surprised to

say that

would send Rachel a message in advance to ask her

would say no every time, he

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

he could still visit, it would probably

initially, I

Roger hesitated for a moment

furrowed her brows in

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

465 Dark Circles The operation done to Victor lasted for more than

of the operating room opened and closed

anything but wait outside until the procedure

since the operation began, the indicator light

indicated that the surgery was

was saved, but he wasn’t completely

wheeled

until two days ago that his vital

became eligible to be transferred to the

still in

an expert in the field to check Victor’s

what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

healed, they

his new injuries just made

only a miracle could save Victor’s

us when he will

in

can’t say

help but frown

if I may be blunt, please consider preparing for the

that he’ll never wake up? Is

expert didn’t say this, it was

was not a hundred percent, but there was a huge chance that this was it

Carson and Lukas, Rachel was

deemed that Rachel had the

leaned against the wall outside Joey’s ward,

there were dark circles round

just went down to tell Rachel

heard the tragic news, her face

if she had already prepared herself

Carson was a

know when she became this mentally

it was when Victor had been in a coma for about half

have been even

for 70

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

You can’t smoke here."

his senses, Carson

he didn’t bother continue discussing about

asked, "Anyway, how is the

"Joey? He’s fine.

doctor checked him up yesterday and said that he has been recovering

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

through the glass panel on the

saw Joey sleeping

for a bit and

I’m leaving

saying that, Carson turned around

seemed that he really just visited to tell Rachel

from that, he had nothing else

an eye, two

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

stayed in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four hours

didn’t show

the diagnosis came from an expert, she was also convinced

broke the news that Victor had miraculously woke up from being

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

stared at Roger for a long time

still judging Roger’s expression if he was

want to go upstairs and

asked slowly This time, Rachel pressed her lips hard

gently pulled her sleeve and pulled her back from

want to

pleading in

failed to hide the fact that Victor

up in the hospital,

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

finally found out the truth, Rachel

nor did he pester Rachel to go to the ICU

he just smiled and made

say bad people live

don’t have to

at Joey’s bright eyes, she

she mustered her courage and

"Yes, of course."

had

didn’t mention Victor, as if there was nothing wrong going

of the night from time to time

keeping it all inside him, but Rachel

"Okay…"

heart softened, and

was in the second

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

him

the three of them went to

they reached

the floor of the ward where

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

were steps approaching, he furrowed his brows

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

time I’ve seen

What brings you here?"

document he was holding aside and raised

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his

who will be

dark circles around

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at

he picked up his phone, opened its front camera, and looked at

realized that Joey

bags were so big

this was only to

a good sleep for half a

but even he was susceptible to stress

"Ha-ha!"

but laugh after seeing the

laughter, Carson realized that he

stepped forward and pinched

"You, brat.

dare you tease your

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

no opinion

and I

We are best friends.

the one

I became

and crossed his

if you don’t want

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

he withdrew his hand from

"I also didn’t expect that I

I said, it’s a fact that

better change

he stuck out his

his

and commented, "I see that you’re

heard that Mr.Sullivan has

here with Rachel and Joey

Roger explained.

plan to lose his composure just because of

"Oh, I see."

pointed at the room and said, "His ward is over

He is resting inside.

Cooperation Rachel looked at the

knew what was going through her

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

nodded and walked towards the

her, pushing

arms were placed over his

lost in

about to sav something, Joey spoke

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked at the

was not standing very far

could see him

if he was giving

quick glance at him,

to

overheard what Joey was

about I

"No!"

a

a serious look

am a

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

were no longer

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

Joey’s words, Rachel looked at

Roger, then her gaze

Carson soon observed that she was staring

to take Joey

and refused to pay any attention to

he took out his phone and turned around

managed to give Joey a thumbs up without

Carson pretended like he was answering

read the plan you

headed towards the nurses’

he wasn’t very good at

screen lit up while he was still holding it to his

no call at all! Rachel saw what just happened clearly and understood that it

"It’s okay.

take Joey

He is actually right.

like him to be

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

when he heard those words,

Rachel ought to have

they got along

always in one

reasons best known to her, she

things, Rachel

it couldn’t be

about the night Rachel was

Joey

some time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

took a quick glance at the

through with the

"What?"

and took a peek at his

a smile appeared

am

choice! My subordinates are too

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake smile

not very good at

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

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

you want

look through the glass

ward was

only the living room could be seen,

pushed the door open

doctor said Victor would lie in the bed

undergo half a year’s rehabilitation

came

in a stable condition now,

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted

man in a suit coming out

He looked dejected.

a document

and Carson as soon as he came

at first, then his face

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung around the

It was quite noticeable.

Group and the director of the project

was no need asking about what just

man’s expression that the project plan had been denied

attention was drawn to the

what really interested

She turned to Carson.

looked back at her, she raised her eyebrows

"Well, this is Troy.

as a member of

meant by just looking at her

was at a loss

were so many surnames in

had

recognized who Rachel

bowed and mentioned her

"Miss Bennet."

her head

forehead was covered

him the scare of his life! Nonetheless, he was

Miss Bennet, I’m going back to

hand and said, "Very

do

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

looked at the door

for her to see that Victor was sitting against the head

as

is well and can work

walked to the door and pushed it

leaned against the

didn’t follow

reading some document when he

head and

her

in

still tell that his face was pale despite the

and looked

seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would have thought that the man in front

entranced that she

asked you to go out,

heard the footsteps, his

the person who

instead of speaking in his usual cold and stiff tone, he said softly, "Rachel,

we

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

"The dance is over.

to

I reminded him.

his eyes, but he still loosened his

steps back to distance myself

I could still feel the warmth of

face blushed and

my heart

moment, it felt like I had returned

were the

I knew that those days were long gone and I could

feeling conflicted and

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached me and greeted

and began

and taking a sip of

to drink and was starting

Elena

for you on the

upstairs and take a look

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when

smile appeared on Elena’s

confusion, I followed her to the deck on the

bright red rose petals scattered

were also numerous

widened in

whole scene was

my birthday surprise?’ I had no

mind was Charles, but I quickly cast aside

on my lips, and somehow, I began to

much effort on me, and yet I still

of receiving this birthday surprise

I stood on the second floor, I stared at the night scene

was tranquil, and yet my mind was

sea breeze,

a fireworks display lit

fireworks shot up to the sky,

sounded like

by the noise, I covered my ears

squatted on the ground and curled

trembling uncontrollably, and i felt

at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing

breath I felt

I was having a panic attack, a pair of strong arms held me tightly "There’s no need to be

I’m here."

came from above

It was Charles.

nestled in his arms as tears burst from my eyes, Gently, he

don’t have to be scared ever