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

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her teeth

a thought

I forgot all

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

Ethan followed behind her.

at Janet, who was extremely flustered, and

you to

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

in the corner, restlessly watching

"I’m sorry.

I rushed to you and forgot I was

Ethan had guessed this.

freshly washed hands, he raised

"It’s my fault.

give you enough sense

his arms and said

leaned her face against his chest, blushing

she murmured, "The Lesters

you and I just got him into

probably has a huge

Order To Survive Shelia didn’t

wiped off the sweat collecting on her forehead in a casual

really don’t want to tell me, then forget

was just being a little

eyes at her, Victor said nothing, and silently retracted the knife he was hiding behind

feeling that Shelia didn’t mean him

fruits and poured the

this definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

out in her

more

that Victor wasn’t going to take the meat,

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

rest assured and eat

was on high alert right then, watching Shelia with

an easy-going person, this didn’t mean

that Victor had

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

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead and

look away and placed the meat

roast the rest for

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

bite out

for some time, she furrowed her brows and

really hard

not cooked

you just now must

didn’t you tell me? You

the meat out, Victor didn’t say

Shelia turned

are you smiling? Van, you did this deliberately, didn’t

Victor never

gently touched the corner of

to roast the

have gone

and get

tired

just sit

under her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down

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

learned how to survive in the

spoke in a deep

"Survive in the wildness?"

time that Shelia

of your way to

did earlier, Victor also crushed some fruits

a knife to slice

he heard what Shelia asked, his eyes

a while, he said, "I have no

knew the

learned that because he wanted to

under ner protection, Victor

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

"Alright."

Shelia continued to focus her

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

a hand

turned to look at

into Shelia’s eyes, he started to feel a

and explained, "Your nose has

"Is that so?"

to rub her nose with the back of

now? Is it

"No,"

said, glancing over

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

than roasting meat? I want to

Can you teach me?"

do you want

"In order to survive."

naturally.Chapter 462 Come

shelia said casually.

sad upon

flipped? It’s on the verge of

Shelia pointed out.

saw a small burn on the meat’s exposed side when he

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

.

about whether or not to ask her

after all, Shelia’s

other hand, didn’t seem to take it

asked, "Will you

"Hmm,"

said after a

"Is that a yes?"

eyes glowed, and

two dimples, meanwhile, became much

Victor nodded, "Okay."

grinned broadly as she said, "Thanks so

individual I’ve ever encountered, except for my caretaker in

"Orphanage?"

where I

orphanage was taken over

as

was a wonderful

she prepared great meals and gave

an orphan…’ Victor pursed his

guardian was needed to look after

you leave with

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

only home Shelia had known for so

with you being outdoors on

her head, Shelia

was desperate to visit her tomb,

remain unknown to them, and

spite of the dingy ground, Shelia lay

was bathed in shards of sunshine that had been scattered by the trees

hands behind her

as she gazed

want to

what keeps you

are people guarding

if

no idea that I have a name

tell her my name when I meet her again in

blinking

eyes remained fixed on Shelia and he said

to see you, Van, it would be more than likely

soft spot in her heart

said that I was a lovely

use this

Shelia, Victor concluded that

of

twice, Victor asked her, "Since she was responsible for your

communicate since she was

never referred to us by

poker card

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

the orphanage, each kid was given a

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

stared at the card–the

Did I get the best

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

card and said, "I am the

meat was toasting as they were

the meat after he re-applied the

all set to

Eat, please."

her gut just after

she put her hand to her stomach and ate the meat

much better than the meat i

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after a good

rose to her feet, she said, "Let’s keep

was ready to rise when Shelia abruptly extended her hand to

"Come on, get up."

little pause,

way, Shelia used a dart

had lost track of time

had cooled

in sitting down on a stone and drank

sure how far we’ll have to

we can get out before the

some

much walking, and he was coughing up blood for the

said incoherently, "I’m sure

Let’s move forward."

still have the

"Like never before…"

nodded and continued

her forward motion, she murmured, "Van, you

you return, be sure

to the side

after

you? What’s

"Plan?"

was slow to

are your plans once we leave the forest? Where will you

my travels and

police station when I can no longer

answered with a

"Shelia."

mind after staring at Shelia

"What’s the problem?"

with me after we get out of

I will

count on

want me to

you? If you don’t want

concerned that

for a while before asking,

"No, I’m not.

you the best

Victor convinced her.

and smiled at Victor,

get

"Sure."

they emerged from the

Chapter 463 Let Her Go The sun started to disappear below the horizon, basking the forest in a

glimmered on the

noon and

tiredness was assuaged when they saw a relatively

out of

if we walk

We can…"

Shelia could finish her sentence, she saw

She was confused.

wanting to know why

"Van?"

didn’t expect you to

Shelia looked for the

cars that were parked not

the front, looking at them

feel right away that they were

who in turn stood protectively in front of

didn’t take his eyes off Norton, watching

that only Shelia could hear, Victor said,

get lost even when it

out of the forest,

marks and you can get

"And then?"

asked, her

straight

"Walk along this road.

mobile phone from them, and call this

Norton didn’t intend to let him

a game with Victor

if he couldn’t escape this

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

not fulfill the promise he

wrote a phone number on her

once you get hold

he whispered.

is my

she will pick

looked down

looked at her and

"No."

her hand

were a

want to remember the number, nor do I want

a good

Victor frowned.

so anxious that he coughed violently

and clenched her

her palm

about, he could tell that they

condescending sneer, he said, "Tut,

feelings for each other! I’m so moved by

tensed up when saw Norton approaching

intuitively pulled Sheila behind

was seriously injured and keeping himself standing steadily

be hard for him to fight off

walked up to them

and Shelia

them, Norton

was too fast for Victor to

"Let her go!"

a firm

found satisfaction in hearing vexation

know you

the mud on Shelia’s face

Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed over and tried to take Shelia

stopped in his tracks when something silver flashed

knife that Norton pressed against Shelia’s

out a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

said in a contemptuous tone and gave Victor a mocking smile, pretending not to hear what

he had difficulty in

his fist and tried

want is my

to do

So, let her go!"

wow! This is

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want to let her

don’t where she comes from but I find your

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

eyes,

the tip of the knife pressed against her

was

she saw Victor spat out blood and beg for

you

kept his mocking smile plastered on his

in anger when he heard Shelia’s

did you

said you are

Shelia swallowed.

of accomplishment by threatening

you to do what you

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill me, then

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to

knew that she was

make Norton’s hackles rise and the man would

Norton was indeed angry.

voice in check

like you really

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help you with

Norton said, laughing derisively.

his men and instructed

eyes and asked anxiously, "What are you going to

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared

did as they were

hands and feet bound, Shelia

was made to ride a different

was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor Woke Up "Ahem!

was flowing

over, it inundated Shelia, making her

and the blue veins on his neck became very

gritted his teeth and yelled, "Let

of the gushing water, Shelia had

Victor

the moment she opened her

her

on Victor’s face, Norton

strong but he was useless

me laugh,

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

the rope, squatted down,

save

good in me,

could just glare at

do whatever it

the middle of the river, Norton

behind him appeared and stood

and looked at Victor with a

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the

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

continued, "You want to

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

in his hand, Norton touched its tip with his thumb and warned,

before

say goodbye to

I’m afraid that you won’t even find

flickering flame, Victor didn’t care

rushed up and fought against the two

most popular leader the Roaring

course, even his weakest subordinates should be strong

Victor was

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

of them were tall and burly men that could

a doubt, Victor was at a disadvantage from the

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

As soon as he was hit, Victor staggered and struggled to

strength left him, and he

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

this time, Victor’s face

stand, not ready to

could even get back on his

arm to

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

point, Victor’s vision became

on the rope, which was only a

how

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

so he

wanted to go

fell back to the

was somewhat awakened

eyes, but

lay there on the ground,

help but wonder

fully recovered yet, so he thought that he might

every inch of his body made Victor realize

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

hands a little bit,

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

was no

"Ahem!"

spurting out more

he grabbed unto the soil and opened his eyes as wide

expectantly, as if

waited for a long

he didn’t even know how

never found the person he had

from the river or come out

to loss of blood and the excruciating pain he was

lost

woke up again,

him near

him lasted for two days and

it was found out that Victor

shattered, his chest and lungs were inflamed, and the critically ill notice was issued six

woke up was ask Carolyn to send people

was still wearing an oxygen mask

of danger yet, but all he cared

she could sense that she must be a very important person due

delay to send people to search for Shelia

for seven days, but

and there was still no

Carolyn was able to give Victor was a crumpled playing card that got wet from the rain and then dried

mostly covered with mud, but one could easily recognize that it was

years later, Victor

he did after fully recovering was buy

King of Hearts card in a box and buried it

the marble tombstone aside

even Shelia’s name on

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

tried to rush him to the hospital, but he was declared dead on

that

finished his studies

taking over several small companies under the

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

prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed over

entered the

sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a bowl

eat any

had been eating porridge for about half

now, he couldn’t even stand the smell of

choice

said, "Eat it again when you

stuck his tongue out, not intending

he saw Roger standing at the

past half a month, Roger came to

gradually

Roger would bring some snacks

too much, he could at least taste something aside from

Joey could only eat them

Joey greeted Roger, Rachel turned around and was surprised to

you say that

he would send Rachel a message in advance to ask her if she wanted to eat something or if she needed

every time, he would still insist on

had an important project

visit, it would probably be very late

initially, I

for a moment

response, Rachel furrowed her

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

to

closed for several

couldn’t do anything but wait outside until

the operation began, the indicator light outside the room

that the surgery was

life was saved, but he wasn’t completely

he was wheeled

two days ago that his vital

be transferred to

was still

to check

what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

old wounds had healed,

injuries just made matters

said that only a miracle could save

tell us when

in a

I can’t say that

but frown as he made things

fact, if I may be blunt, please

up? Is he going to become a vegetable for the rest of his

the expert didn’t say this, it was obvious that this was what he

hundred percent, but there was a huge chance that this

and Lukas, Rachel was the first

that Rachel had the right

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

there were dark circles

tell Rachel about this important

tragic news, her face

was as if she had already

fact, Carson was a bit

know when she became this mentally

been in a coma for about half a

it might have been even

for 70 hours before the

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

You can’t smoke here."

his senses, Carson

expression, he didn’t bother continue discussing about

changed the subject and asked,

"Joey? He’s fine.

him up yesterday and said that he has

that his plaster will

and peeped through the

saw Joey sleeping soundly

for a bit and said,

then, I’m

turned around

to tell

from that, he had nothing else to

blink of an eye, two days

of Victor’s condition, Rachel

stayed in Joey’s ward almost

time, Carson didn’t show his face

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

that Victor had miraculously woke up from being

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

time without being able

as if she was still judging Roger’s expression

you want to go upstairs

This time, Rachel pressed her lips

gently pulled her sleeve and pulled her back from

I want to see

pleading in

the fact that Victor was in a coma

woke up in the hospital, he actually had a

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

when Joey finally found out the truth, Rachel didn’t

didn’t cry or say anything, nor did he pester Rachel to go to the ICU

smiled and made a

bad? They say bad

don’t have to worry too

at Joey’s bright eyes, she felt a lump in

a few moments, she mustered her courage and

"Yes, of course."

weeks, Joey had a good rest in

if

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

it all inside him, but Rachel

"Okay…"

softened, and she

ward was in

was inconvenient

him sit in a

the three of them went to

enough, they

at the floor of the ward

only one patient at

that there were steps approaching, he furrowed his brows

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

first time I’ve seen you

What brings you here?"

asked Joey as he quickly set the document he was holding aside and

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking his innocent

look like someone who will be beaten

where did those dark circles around

"Dark circles?"

choked at Joey’s

phone, opened its front camera, and looked at his

realized that Joey

haggard, and his eye bags were so big that it seemed like

course, this was only to be

good sleep for

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

"Ha-ha!"

laugh after seeing the upset

Joey’s seemingly innocent laughter, Carson realized that he was fooled by this

Carson stepped forward

"You, brat.

dare you tease your godfather? You have

pain on his face and retorted, "Huh? Who said

no opinion

father and I grew

We are best friends.

the one who picked

how I

his arms in front of his

don’t want

Carson’s hand away using his uninjured hand and said, "Humph! If I don’t want to admit it, no one

tongue as he withdrew

a slightly low voice, "I also

said, it’s a fact

you’d better change

didn’t say anything more, but he stuck out his tongue

of his eye, Carson

tried to regain his composure and commented, "I see that you’re

heard that Mr.Sullivan

came here with Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

lose his composure just because

"Oh, I see."

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

He is resting inside.

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

knew what was going through her

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked towards the

her, pushing Joey’s

were placed over his

lost in thoughts for

about to sav something, Joey

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked

standing very

Joey could see him from the corner of his

his eyebrows as if he was giving Carson

quick glance at him, Joey

need to

what

I

"No!"

in a very

serious look on

I am a

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

they were no longer

to take a boy to the ladies’ room, just like it wouldn’t be

Joey’s words, Rachel looked

then her

former, Carson soon observed

wanted him to take Joey

pay any attention

phone and turned around as

give Joey a thumbs up

pretended like he was

Mr.Ramos! I have read the plan you

he headed towards the

wasn’t very good

lit up while he was still holding

that there was no call at all! Rachel saw what

"It’s okay.

will take Joey

He is actually right.

him to be

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

those words,

thought that Rachel ought to have been

they got along

of them were always in

best known to her, she still

look of things, Rachel

knew that it couldn’t be

Rachel was

and Joey headed

time, Carson came

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

a quick glance at the

through with the

"What?"

followed Rachel’s sight and took a peek at

a smile appeared on

am through with

was left with no choice! My subordinates are too bad at

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake smile on

very good at

pretended to answer the call only moments ago, the smile on his

his nose and coughed to

want to

look through the glass panel

ward was

her point of view, only the living room could be

couldn’t see Victor, Rachel pushed the door open in

doctor said Victor would lie in the bed for

undergo half a year’s rehabilitation

came from

a stable condition

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted

and saw a man in a

He looked dejected.

was a document

and Carson as soon

was stunned at first, then his face

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung around the

It was quite noticeable.

of the Sullivan Group

about

the man’s expression that the project plan had been

must have been driven out! Her attention was drawn to the name

surname was what really interested

She turned to Carson.

looked back at her,

"Well, this is Troy.

a member of the

exactly what she meant by just looking at

at a loss

many surnames in

he had to choose

recognized who Rachel

and mentioned her

"Miss Bennet."

head

forehead was covered

him the scare of his life! Nonetheless, he

going back to the

his hand and

do that

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

at the door

for her to see that Victor was sitting against the head of the bed at that

seem as bad as

well and can

the door and

leaned against the

follow

document when he

he didn’t raise his head and say coldly,

her gaze on

in a hospital

pale despite the fact

and

seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel

so entranced that she walked

you to

Victor heard the footsteps,

person who was

and stiff tone, he said

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

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

"The dance is over.

time to

I reminded him.

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

few steps back to distance myself from

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

face blushed and

my heart

a moment, it felt like I had

were the happiest time of my

reminisced, I knew that those days were long gone and I

down, feeling conflicted

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached me and greeted

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

glass and taking

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

Elena came

a surprise waiting for you on

you like to go upstairs and

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when you

appeared on

her to the deck on

saw that there were bright red rose

also numerous balloons around the

eyes widened in

whole scene was picturesque and

my birthday surprise?’ I had no

was Charles,

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

on me, and yet I still couldn’t forget

of receiving this birthday surprise soon died

on the second floor, I stared at the night scene

tranquil, and yet

the cold sea breeze, I felt

lit up

sky, a

sounded like a

the noise, I covered

on the ground and

and i felt like my blood

the abandoned

out of breath I felt so dizzy that

a pair of strong arms held me

I’m here."

above me, making

It was Charles.

tears burst from my eyes, Gently, he brushed my hair and tried

to