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.

long time since

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her

thought

"The eggs! I

Ethan’s embrace and ran to the kitchen in

Ethan followed behind her.

who was extremely flustered, and he couldn’t help but

I told you to keep an eye on

side while he cleaned

in the corner, restlessly watching Ethan

"I’m sorry.

talking to Charis, so I rushed to you and forgot

Ethan had guessed this.

hands, he raised his eyes to

"It’s my fault.

you enough sense of

his arms and

leaned her face

she murmured,

hates you and I

has a

In Order To Survive Shelia

forehead in a casual manner, flipped the

if you really don’t want to

being

nothing, and silently retracted the

a feeling that Shelia didn’t mean him

crushed some fruits and poured the juice over

this definitely

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

holding out in her hand and didn’t make a move to

roast some more for myself

meat, Shelia smiled as if she had just

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

rest assured and eat it

high alert right then, watching Shelia with vigilant

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

that Victor

she was wrong and

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead

away

the

nodded and said, "Okay, it’s perfectly fine

bite

time, she furrowed her brows and stuck out her

hard

not cooked

I gave you just now must

you tell me? You even

the meat out, Victor didn’t say a

Shelia turned around and spotted Victor’s

you did this deliberately,

smiling?’ Victor never even realized

lifted his hand and gently touched

to roast the

gone a

and get

tired at

sit right

her hands propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded

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

to

spoke in a deep

"Survive in the wildness?"

time that Shelia

of

crushed some fruits and poured the juice over the

used a knife to

heard what Shelia asked, his eyes darkened

while, he said, "I have no

Victor knew

because he wanted to

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

would at least

"Alright."

Shelia continued to focus her gaze on

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

out a hand

turned to look at Victor with a

into Shelia’s eyes, he

hand, looked away, and explained,

"Is that so?"

ahead to rub her nose with the back of

about now? Is it

"No,"

glancing over

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

than roasting meat? I want to

Can you teach me?"

want

"In order to survive."

words came out of Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter

shelia said casually.

sad upon

to be flipped? It’s

Shelia pointed out.

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

was still thinking about what she

.

thoughts about whether or not to

was, after all,

hand, didn’t seem to

"Will you please

"Hmm,"

said after a

"Is that a yes?"

eyes glowed, and she broke into

dimples, meanwhile, became much more

Victor nodded, "Okay."

grinned broadly as she

kindest individual I’ve ever encountered, except for

"Orphanage?"

where I

was taken over

eyes clouded as she spoke

elderly woman was

prepared great meals

is an orphan…’ Victor

look after you since the orphanage was taken

leave with the

Victor and answered, "I didn’t

the only home Shelia had known

they okay with you

her head, Shelia

was desperate to visit her

unknown to them, and I don’t

spite of the dingy ground, Shelia lay

had been scattered by the

behind her head, her lips

with disappointment as she gazed up at

to visit

keeps you from

are people guarding

me if I

no idea that

her my name when I meet her

said, blinking

black eyes remained fixed on Shelia and he said

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

soft spot in her heart

said that I

appropriate to use this

Shelia, Victor concluded that the

description of her

twice, Victor asked her, "Since she was responsible for your upbringing, how come you got your name

was unable to communicate since she was

referred to

card was in my

as if it were a treasure and presented it to Victor as

each kid was given

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

stared at the card–the King

get the

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

am the

was toasting

gave her the meat

set

Eat, please."

her gut

her stomach and ate

the meat i made

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after a

her feet, she

was ready to rise when Shelia abruptly extended her hand to

"Come on, get up."

little pause, he took Shelia’s hand in his

way, Shelia used a

had lost track of time

sun had cooled

assisted Victor in sitting down on

not sure how far we’ll have to travel until we’re

can get out before the

some water

and he was coughing up blood for the second

said incoherently, "I’m sure

Let’s move forward."

still have

"Like never before…"

nodded and continued to

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

you return, be sure to

his gaze to

face was covered in mud after a day

you? What’s

"Plan?"

was slow

we

don’t know… I want to continue my travels

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

answered with a

"Shelia."

have made up his mind after staring at Shelia for a

"What’s the problem?"

with me after we

my grandma will like you, I will

can count on

to come

with you? If you don’t

was concerned that

while before asking, "Are

"No, I’m not.

you

Victor convinced her.

nodded and smiled

we get out of the

"Sure."

they emerged from

basking the forest in a pale red glow that passed through the branches

on the bodies of Victor

had been walking since high noon and

when they saw a

out

we’ll meet local villagers if we walk

We can…"

finish her sentence, she saw Victor

She was confused.

at Victor, wanting

"Van?"

didn’t expect

voice came, Shelia looked for the source of the

that were parked not far from

the front, looking at them intently as he played with

could feel right away that they were

shield Victor, who in turn

eyes off Norton,

Shelia could hear, Victor said, "Run

lost even

were finding our way out of the forest,

and you can

"And then?"

asked, her

looked straight

"Walk along this road.

a mobile phone from them, and call this

that Norton didn’t intend to let

play a game with Victor by throwing him into

felt that if he couldn’t escape

back to see his grandmother, and treat her as

could not fulfill

wrote a phone number on her palm

call the number once you get hold of

he whispered.

is my

she will pick you up

looked down

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

"No."

pulled her

were

want to remember the number, nor do I

be a

Victor frowned.

he coughed violently as soon as he

and clenched

didn’t want to spread her palm and

Victor and Shelia were talking about, he could tell

sneer, he said, "Tut, tut, tut, this

each other!

up when saw

pulled Sheila behind

keeping himself standing steadily was taxing

for him

walked up to

and Shelia stepped

patience with them, Norton pulled

fast for

"Let her go!"

firm

hearing vexation in

know you

mud on

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

his tracks when something

was a knife that Norton pressed

a

"No."

"What are you saying?"

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

that he

fist and tried to

want

to

So, let her go!"

wow! This is

Norton curled his lips.

want to

comes from but I find your reaction

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

eyes, Victor

tip of the knife pressed against her

body was tensed

saw Victor spat out blood and beg for

all you can do? Threaten

smile plastered on

narrowed in anger when

you just

you

Shelia swallowed.

just feel a sense of accomplishment by threatening two

don’t have in you to

So, cut the crap.

kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

tried

she was provoking

rise and the man would do just what

Norton was indeed angry.

fierce, but he kept his voice in check as he talked to

Looks like you

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help you

Norton said, laughing derisively.

to his men and instructed them, "Tie

squinted his eyes and asked anxiously, "What are you

Norton didn’t answer.

glared

did as they

hands and feet bound, Shelia was

made to

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

river was

Shelia, making her choke easily

into fists, and the blue veins on his neck

his teeth and yelled, "Let her

open her eyes because of the gushing water, Shelia had

Victor to

moment she opened her mouth, she was choked

her eyes

at the exasperated expression on Victor’s face, Norton scoffed at

Victor might be strong but he was useless in

me

good man? Why the hell

approached the rope,

wanting to save

good in me, huh?

could just

it took to

the river, Norton squinted his eyes

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

slowly stood up and looked

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

the weakest

two people, and the one on

"You want to save her,

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

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

before the

can say goodbye

moment she’s washed away, I’m afraid that you won’t

Victor

he quickly rushed up and

a mercenary and the most popular

weakest subordinates should be strong

Victor was currently

state, he might not even be able to

were tall and burly men that could

doubt, Victor was at a disadvantage

right in

was hit, Victor staggered and struggled

strength left him, and he eventually

scattered all

time, Victor’s face looked black with

still tried to stand, not ready to give

back on his feet, he saw

use his arm to block it,

Victor spat out a mouthful of

point, Victor’s vision became

the rope, which was only a few steps away

didn’t matter how

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

this trouble, so he was willing to

to go

the ground and lost

some time, Victor was somewhat awakened when he

struggled to open his eyes, but his vision

there on the ground, watching the

wonder if

fully recovered yet, so

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

wanted to stand up, but he couldn’t

hands a little bit, grabbing the mud

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

no trace of

"Ahem!"

spurting out

and opened

the river expectantly, as if he was waiting for something to

waited for a

fact, he didn’t even know how much

the person he had been

her head from the

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

he lost

again, he was

found him

him lasted for two days and two

doctor’s diagnosis, it was found out that

chest and lungs were inflamed, and the critically ill notice

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

still wearing an

of danger yet, but all he

could sense that she must be a

dare delay to send people to search for Shelia along the

lasted for seven days, but

was

was able to give Victor was a crumpled playing card that got wet from the

was mostly covered with mud, but one could

years later,

first thing he did after fully recovering was buy a

in a box and buried

on the marble tombstone

Shelia’s name

the second year of Victor’s recovery, while Karl was on a

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

It was also in that

two more years, he finished

began taking over several small companies

companies from a

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

Roger entered the ward where

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

eat any

had been eating porridge

couldn’t even stand the smell of porridge

sighed and had no choice but to put the bowl

she said, "Eat it again when you get

out, not intending

he saw Roger standing at the door, so

the past half a month, Roger came to the

kid gradually got acquainted with

about him was that Roger would bring some snacks when

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

only eat them in

Rachel turned around

you say that you wouldn’t come

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

time, he would

he had an important project meeting

still visit, it would probably be very late

initially, I couldn’t

moment before finally saying, "But

Rachel furrowed

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

465 Dark Circles The operation done to

the operating room opened and closed for several

Carson couldn’t do anything but

day since the operation began, the indicator light

the surgery was

saved, but he wasn’t

he was wheeled

days ago

be transferred to the

still in a

in the field to check

wasn’t what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

old wounds had healed, they still had

new injuries just

the end, he said that only a miracle could

us

in a

afraid I can’t say that

couldn’t help but frown as he made

if I may be blunt, please consider preparing

Is he going to

this, it was obvious that

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

and Lukas, Rachel was the first one to

that Rachel had the right

wall outside Joey’s ward, holding a cigarette between

disoriented, and there were dark circles round

tell Rachel

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

had already prepared herself for

fact, Carson was a

know when she

had been in a coma

might have

also there outside the operating room for 70

a moment of silence, Rachel glanced at the cigarette in Carson’s hand and reminded him in

You can’t smoke here."

he regained his senses, Carson put out

indifferent expression, he didn’t bother continue discussing about

then changed the subject and asked, "Anyway, how is the little

"Joey? He’s fine.

checked him up yesterday and said that he

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

peeped through the glass panel

Joey sleeping

a faint smile, he stretched for a bit and said,

I’m leaving

Carson turned around and left without looking

he really just visited to tell Rachel about the doctor’s

had nothing else

of an eye, two

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

ward almost

time, Carson didn’t show his

she was also

that Victor had miraculously woke

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

for a long time without being able to speak a

still judging Roger’s expression if he

Rachel… Do you want to go upstairs and

asked slowly This time, Rachel pressed her lips hard

gently pulled her sleeve and pulled her back

want to see

pleading in a

Victor was in a coma

hospital, he actually had

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

found out the truth, Rachel

say anything, nor did he pester Rachel to

just smiled and made

daddy bad? They say

to worry

at Joey’s bright eyes, she felt a

moments, she

"Yes, of course."

weeks, Joey had a good rest in

didn’t mention Victor, as if there was nothing

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

inside him, but Rachel was aware that he

"Okay…"

softened, and

ward was in the second inpatient

fully healed yet, it was inconvenient for him to walk all the

Rachel simply let him sit in

him, and the three of them went

enough, they reached

stopped at the floor of the ward where Victor

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

that there were steps approaching, he furrowed his brows and

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

it’s the first time I’ve seen you up

What brings you here?"

quickly set the document he

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking his

ask that? Do I look like someone who will be beaten

those dark circles around

"Dark circles?"

choked

opened its

realized that Joey was

his eye bags were so big that it seemed like someone

course, this was

have a good sleep for half

originally a handsome young man, but even he

"Ha-ha!"

help but laugh after seeing the upset look on

Carson realized that he was fooled by this little guy

head, Carson stepped forward and pinched Joey’s

"You, brat.

your godfather? You have

and retorted, "Huh? Who said

have no opinion

father and I

We are best friends.

the one

that’s how I became your

and crossed his arms

if you don’t want it, that fact

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

as he withdrew his hand

in a slightly low voice, "I also

as I said, it’s a fact that you

better change

didn’t say anything more, but he stuck out

of the corner of his eye, Carson recognized Roger

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

I heard that Mr.Sullivan

here with Rachel and Joey

Roger explained.

didn’t plan to lose his composure just because of

"Oh, I see."

the room and said,

He is resting inside.

466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward Carson pointed at,

one knew what was

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked towards

followed her, pushing

arms were placed over his

lost in thoughts

he was about to sav something,

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

and looked

not standing very far

see him

eyebrows as if he was giving Carson

at him, Joey turned his gaze

to

overheard what Joey was

about I take

"No!"

a very

a serious look on his

am

it wasn’t a problem for Rachel to

at that moment, they were no longer

to the ladies’ room, just like it wouldn’t be right for her to

words, Rachel looked at both

was Roger, then her gaze fell

former, Carson soon observed that she

him to take Joey

and refused to pay any attention

that, he took out his phone and turned around

Joey a thumbs up without Rachel

Carson pretended like he was

Mr.Ramos! I have read the plan you sent to

he headed towards the nurses’

very

he

that there was no call at all! Rachel saw what just happened clearly and

"It’s okay.

will take

He is actually right.

a boy like him to be taken to the

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

he heard those words, they

thought that Rachel ought to have been closer to

past few days, they got along really

of them were always in one

for reasons best known to her, she still alienated

of things, Rachel

that it couldn’t be

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

and Joey headed towards the

time, Carson came

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

quick glance at the phone in

through with the phone

"What?"

and took a peek

smile appeared on

I am through with

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

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

a fake

not very

he had pretended to answer the call only moments ago, the smile

his nose and coughed to ease the awkwardness of

want to go

order to look through the

was a

the living room could be seen,

see Victor, Rachel pushed the door open in no

said Victor would lie in the bed for

half a

came from behind

in a stable

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted Carson’s

a man in a suit coming out of

He looked dejected.

was a document in his

into Rachel and Carson as

was stunned at first, then his

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung around the man’s

It was quite noticeable.

of the Sullivan Group

no need asking about what

that the project plan had been denied by

driven out! Her attention was drawn to the name on the

surname was what really

She turned to Carson.

looked back at her, she raised

"Well, this is Troy.

member of the Sullivan Group’s

exactly what she meant

was at a

so many surnames in the

he had to

who Rachel

bowed and mentioned her

"Miss Bennet."

her head slightly

was covered with

given him the scare of his life! Nonetheless, he was

Miss Bennet, I’m going

waved his hand and said,

should do

he heard what Carson said, Troy went out

at the

to see that Victor was sitting

doesn’t seem as bad

and can work

the door and pushed

leaned against the door

didn’t follow

was reading some document when he

raise his head and say coldly, "Get

her gaze

in a hospital

still tell that his face was pale despite

frowned and looked rather

seventy hours half a

she

asked you to go

Victor heard the

up at the person who

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

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

guests around, I figured it wouldn’t

"The dance is over.

to

I reminded him.

Reluctance flashed through his eyes, but he still loosened his grip

took a few steps back to distance myself from

could still feel

face blushed and i felt rather

heart

felt like I had

him were the happiest

knew that those days were long gone and I could never get them

feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

guests suddenly approached me

began chatting with the guests with a smile on my

raising my glass and taking a sip

I’d had a few to drink and was

this time, Elena came to

for you on

upstairs and

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when you

appeared on

to the deck on the second

got there, I saw that there were bright red rose petals scattered across the floorboard, forming a big

also numerous balloons

eyes widened in

whole scene was

birthday surprise?’ I had

to mind was Charles, but I quickly cast aside

on my lips, and somehow, I

this much effort on me, and yet I

of receiving this birthday surprise soon

stood on the second floor, I stared at

tranquil, and yet my mind was

cold sea breeze,

a sudden, a fireworks display lit up

fireworks shot up to the sky, a deafening

like

noise, I covered my

on the ground and

uncontrollably, and i

the abandoned warehouse

I felt so dizzy

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

I’m here."

voice came from above me,

It was Charles.

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

have to