My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire

Pleasantly surprised, Janet looked up from her phone and sneered at the HR staff.

Then she began to type out her reply to Brandon.

"Miss Lind, please sign on the resignation notice,"

the staff member said through gritted teeth.

She grew angrier when she saw that Janet began to tinker with her phone.

Ignoring her, Janet texted Brandon back.

"Are you serious, Mr.Larson? What did you find?"

The message from Brandon was a godsend.

She was just about to accept the fact that the Larson Group had given up on her.

Brandon replied with a long message.

"Upon investigating the matter, we found out that Lester Silk Fabric took over the platform recently.

Luna didn’t upload the design drafts a year ago, but a few days ago.

The data was tampered with.

Lester Silk Fabric used their connections and managed to get to your works before the show officially began.

They asked Luna to make a collection based on your works and posted them on the platform.

They tampered with the date and time stamp of the post to frame you for plagiarism."

Janet had already guessed that it was Lester Silk Fabric behind this, but she had no idea how they did it.

"How did you find that out?"

The platform was now owned by Lester Silk Fabric.

How could they have let Brandon investigate them? "We have tech guys here.

They were the ones who found evidence of them tampering with the platform’s database.

Even if they had altered the original date of uploading, our tech guys were able to retrieve it.

We also have a video confession of the staff who tampered with the data."

Brandon’s words lifted a weight off of Janet’s heart.

He sent two videos to Janet and said, "We’ve done what we could.

You should be able to take it from here now, right?"

All of a sudden, Janet felt a surge of energy.

She stood up with a confident smile and said to the HR staff member, "I didn’t do anything wrong and I knew that the company won’t fire me because of some groundless accusation!"

As she spoke, she tucked her phone away.

The staff member gritted her teeth and glared at her angrily.

"Janet Lind, you plagiarized someone else’s work yet you feel no shame?"

Janet ignored her.

She turned around and left without looking back.

******* Tiffany looked up in surprise when Janet entered her office.

"What’s up, Lind?"

"Miss Fisher, can I have Ritchie Lester’s number?"

Janet asked politely.

In Tiffany’s eyes, she looked inexplicably relaxed, as though her career wasn’t in danger.

Tiffany looked at her warily and then nodded slowly.

"I have his number, but may I ask why you need it?"

"I want to call him and apologize,"

Janet answered simply.

"Lind, are you crazy? Go back to work.

You didn’t plagiarize anything, so keep a low profile for now.

There are enough discussions about you already,"

Tiffany scolded.

After saying that, she lowered her head and continued to work.

But Janet stayed glued to the spot, staring at her with fierce determination.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Tiffany relented and held up Ritchie’s business card.

She said in a resigned tone, "I don’t know what you’re up to, but I hope you know what you’re doing."

Janet reached for the card with a bright smile.

Of course she knew what she was doing.

That evening, Ritchie received a call from an unknown number.

"Mr.Lester, this is Janet Lind from the Larson Group.

After giving it some thought, I want to apologize in public,"

Janet said, her voice as sweet as honey.

When Ritchie heard this, he was surprised.

Then, he sneered.

He was under the impression that Ethan’s wife was a stubborn woman, but it turned out he was wrong about her.

Janet had given up so soon.

"You’re scared, aren’t you?"

With a smug smile on his face, Ritchie smirked.

"Come to Lester Silk Fabric tomorrow.

You can apologize there in person."

Chapter 318Press Conference Ritchie had a devious grin on his face when he hung up the phone.

"Call all the designers under Lester Silk Fabric and the people in charge of the fashion week,"

he barked at his secretary.

"I want them here tomorrow.

Call some famous personalities in the fashion industry as well.

We need people in authority for the event."

The secretary nodded respectfully.

He was about to leave when Ritchie stopped him in his tracks.

"Where the hell are you going? I’m not finished yet.

Get your ass back here."

The poor man scurred back, cursing his boss in his mind.

ver "Invite every media outlet in Seacisco, especially the ones that prioritize viewership over anything.

And make sure to tell them to hype up the event as much as they can!"

Ritchie sat back on his chair as his plan began to take shape.

"Get the biggest function hall for the press conference.

I want hundreds of people to be there.

Oh, and don’t forget to arrange for a live stream, too.

Contact our usual sponsors and tell them their products will be displayed throughout the feed.

We might as well make some money while we’re at it.

And remember-our main goal is to discredit Janet and end her fashion career for good."

1 Another evil grin spread on Ritchie’s face.

He wanted to screw that woman over so badly that she could never get back on her feet again.

The secretary pursed his lips and jotted every detail down.

This time, he made sure that his boss was finished before leaving the office.

The sun shone bright and early the next day.

Just as planned, the press conference was held at the largest meeting hall in Lester Silk Fabric.

Cameras littered all around the room, squeezed in among the throng of people who came to watch the spectacle.

Even as she swept a glance over the crowd, Janet didn’t feel panicked in the slightest.

"It looks like the Lester Silk Fabric really wants to do you in,"

Tiffany remarked from beside her.

She turned to look Janet in the eye.

"You’re not just going to stand there and let yourself be bullied in public, are you? What’s your plan?"

A faint smile appeared on Janet’s lips.

"You’ll find out soon enough.

Don’t worry.

I’m not particularly inclined to suffer any misplaced grievances, either."

With that, she walked onto the stage, all calm and grace.

The room finally settled down as Janet took her place.

Without wasting her time, she whipped out a flash drive and held it up for all to see.

"Sorry for taking up your time, everyone.

In order to convey my sincerity more properly, I have prepared a couple of videos for today’s press conference."

From a distance, Ritchie frowned and narrowed his eyes.

He could sense that something wasn’t right.

Why was Janet so composed in such a situation? If anything, she should be mortified and humiliated right now, especially in front of all these people.

What was she up to? He leaned over to his secretary and asked in a hushed voice, "Did she find something?"

"She can’t have,"

the other man replied confidently.

"We’ve taken care to sweep everything.

All the evidence has been locked away.

I think she’s just bluffing."

At this point, Janet had already plugged the drive to a computer, and one of the videos was playing on the widescreen Ritchie’s eyes widened like saucers as they watched an employee of Lester Silk Fabric tampering with the time stamp on the website.

The scene changed, and this time, the same man was sobbing hysterically as he divulged what he had done.

n The clips ended, and a deafening silence fell in the room.

Janet took the microphone and said, "As you can see, this is what really happened.

Lester Silk Fabric managed to get hold of my designs prior to the show.

After that, one of their designers, Luna Mccoy, posted my entire portfolio online and edited the details to make it look like she was the original designer.

There is your truth.

Once again, I thank each of you for coming to hear me out today.

If you have further questions, kindly direct them to Mr.Lester.

I’m sure he can give you better answers than I can."

She gave Ritchie a meaningful look, then, and gestured in his direction with a wave of her hand.

2 As soon as she did, the crowd burst into an uproar.Chapter 319 The Ensuing Drama Shocked, Ritchie cursed out loud, "Fuck that bitch!"

His secretary was also scared silly.

Glaring daggers at him, Ritchie was pissed off and kicked him in the ass.

Pointing his finger at the big screen, he cursed again, "What the fuck are you doing standing here for? Turn off the projector right now!"

The secretary stumbled to the stage and proceeded to turn it off.

Ritchie snorted, smoothed over his suit and made his way onto the stage.

This happened to be his territory, not Janet’s.

He lifted his chin and approached her, holding his head up high.

"Janet Lind, you better be careful with what you say.

As far as I can see, you were just making things up so that you can get yourself out of your predicament!"

As he said this, he turned his eyes from her and exclaimed, "Give yourself up.

Apologize right this moment! Don’t waste any more of our time here!"

W "Then why did you turn off the projector if I was, indeed, making things up? That’s a sign of guilt.

If you’re so sure of yourself, you should allow me to show everyone the proof.

I’m sure that everyone here is smart enough to tell if I actually made up the evidence or not,"

Janet smiled and said in a calm voice.

Ritchie was exasperated to hear that.

He clenched his teeth tightly and pointed his finger at the door.

"I thought you came here to apologize.

If you’re not going to do that, why don’t you leave this place immediately?!"

While smiling, Janet didn’t say a word.

Instead, she turned to the audience before her and said word by word, "Everyone should know the truth by now.

I’m going to sue Lester Silk Fabric for slandering my name."

After finishing her speech, she didn’t bother to argue with Ritchie anymore and went ahead to leave the stage.

This scene was live streamed and everyone saw for themselves what had happened.

Everyone in the room and the audience in the live stream room was shocked to say the least.

The audience began to discuss this amongst themselves.

Even though Janet had only played the videos once, the reporters had gone out of their way to record them.

"Mr.Lester, could you please offer an explanation for what happened just now?"

"Lester Silk Fabric and the Larson Group have been rivals for years now.

Was this why you decided to slander Miss Lind in this way? In order to taint the Larson Group’s name?"

"If your statement about Janet plagiarizing one of your designers’ pieces was true, is there any evidence to back up your statement?"

The reporters all turned to look at Ritchie and kept on asking him and Luna questions.

"Miss Mccoy, are you going to make a statement? After all, weren’t you the one who accused Miss Lind of plagiarism in the first place? What are your thoughts on the current situation?"

"Did Mr.Lester instruct you to do this?"

"Tell us, what’s the nature of the relationship between the two of you?"

Being ambushed by the reporters, Luna’s mind went blank and she felt very embarrassed.

She said frantically, "I have no idea.

Don’t ask me…"

Under the dazzling flashing lights of the cameras, Ritchie couldn’t even keep his eyes open.

He kept cursing out loud while pushing the reporters in front of him away and saying, "Get the hell out of my way! Turn off your damn lights! You’re blinding me!"

His secretary hurried to stop his curses.

If Ritchie’s father found out about this, he would be very angry.

Having been spoiled by the Lester family since he was a child, Ritchie happened to be very irritable at this moment.

Before he took over the company, his parents had to repeatedly remind him to control that temper of his His secretary cleared the way for him while speaking to the reporters.

"Please, sirs, madams, Mr.Lester can’t answer all of your questions right now.

We’ll announce on our official website if we have any comments."

Finally, Ritchie and the senior executives of Lester Silk Fabric were able to escape the madness of the room.

Chapter 320 Take The Blame When she got home, Janet kicked off her heels and collapsed into bed.

Now, she felt much better.

"It’s finally over!"

After resting for a while, she got up and turned on the computer.

She briskly posted the evidence on the forums Luna had posted to slander her before.

A few hours later, the forums came to life as users discussed this matter heatedly.

The dramatic turning-of-tables that had happened at the press briefing soon made headlines.

Related videos went viral on the Internet.

Suddenly, Janet’s phone started to ring.

It was Tiffany.

"Lind, I’m impressed.

Have you seen the comments on the post? Everyone’s calling you a warrior.

You really knocked them dead!"

"Oh, my God! Seriously?"

Janet moved her cursor to check the comments Tiffany was talking about.

She had been focused on the media’s reports until now and didn’t know what people were saying in the comments.

When Janet read the comments, she found that the video of her talking on the stage had been spread all over the Internet.

There was a lot of positive feedback.

"Wow.

Heart.

Heart.

She’s so elegant and generous! And a fierce warrior too!"

"She’s a lovely girl.

Such a polite and beautiful goddess plagiarized someone else’s work? I doubt it!"

"She’s so pretty, I’d kiss her all day!"

"Even though I’m a girl, I want her!"

Janet buried her face in her hands, her cheeks blushing furiously.

She had never been praised by so many strangers in her life.

The next day, in the Lester Silk Fabric building… "Nonsense! These reports are all bullshit! How dare they call me rude?"

Furious, Ritchie started trashing his office.

He was in trouble, but there was nothing he could do.

In recent years, Lester Silk Fabric and the Larson Group had become two very high profile companies.

What with Janet’s fiasco, the media was having a field day.

In the span of just twenty-four hours, the reputation of Lester Silk Fabric was destroyed and its stock price.

plummeted.

"There’s nothing we can do to refute the evidence that Janet posted online.

What we can do now is to try our best to keep the news from spreading.

Mr.Lester, it was your idea to bring in more reporters there…"

the secretary reminded Ritchie in a trembling voice, picking up the documents Ritchie had thrown on the ground.

Ritchie glared at him, speechless.

He picked up another stack of papers from the table and threw them at the secretary’s face.

"I’m not an idiot.

You don’t need to remind me what I said."

Things didn’t end there.

Brandon sent people from the Larson Group’s legal department to help Janet file a lawsuit against Lester Silk Fabric.

The second they got the notice of the lawsuit, Lester Silk Fabric responded quickly and held a press conference in the afternoon.

Luna expressionlessly read a script in front of countless reporters, her face pale as a ghost under the limelight.

"I admit that I peeked at Janet Lind’s work before the show started.

Then I bribed an employee to tamper with the upload date on the database.

I falsely accused her of plagiarizing my work, and I did all this to gain fame and attention.

I am responsible for all of this.

My actions have nothing to do with Lester Silk Fabric."

In the Larson Group, Janet stopped the video on her phone and sighed.

"No class! Lester Silk Fabric made an ordinary employee take the fall!"

Chapter 321 Ask Brandon Out For Dinner Gerda clicked her tongue unhappily.

"Everyone knows they’re using Luna as a scapegoat.

She’s just an ordinary employee.

How on earth could she manage to do all of this? Lester Silk Fabric is really heartless."

The other designers had also seen the video circulating the Internet.

They began to discuss in hushed voices, but the general consensus was that Lester Silk Fabric was a cold blooded company.

Janet pulled her chair and sat down.

There was no point in dwelling on it now that things had been settled.

"I can’t say I’m surprised.

Now that Luna has taken the blame, we can’t do anything to Lester Silk Fabric."

"And what about those designs? Are they really not gonna put them back on the show?"

Gerda puffed out her chest indignantly Janet smiled at her colleague gently.

"It doesn’t matter.

Look on the bright side.

I have gained considerable fame because of everything that’s happened.

Now, all eyes are on my work."

In the end, Luna was put behind bars.

And Janet had become an online celebrity.

Many people now knew her name and saw her designs.

Some even paid for it.

When the dust settled, Janet poured all her energy into her work.

She had been so busy with this matter the past few days, so now she could finally focus on other things.

"By the way, Lind, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.

How’d you get the evidence?"

Gerda was talking about the videos that Janet had posted on the Internet, which had amassed more than a million views.

Janet froze.

After a few seconds, she broke into a smile and waved her hand dismissively.

"A very capable friend helped me get them."

Gerda nudged her arm and asked curiously, "What friend? A boyfriend perhaps?"

Janet’s eyes twinkled.

"It’s a secret.

Gerda, is it just me or do you have a lot of time on your hands? Have you finished your design for this month? Don’t come running to me again when the deadline approaches."

"Ah! My God! I still have thirty-four drawings to finish!"

Gerda scratched her head and hurried back to her desk.

Janet couldn’t help but chuckle.

Suddenly, she thought of the tall and straight back of Brandon.

Now that she thought about it, she realized that Lester Silk Fabric had gone through all this trouble just to set her up.

It must have cost Brandon a lot to get his hands on the evidence.

Janet couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

Brandon had helped her countless times, but she hadn’t really ever met him in person.

She owed Brandon too much and she doubted she could ever repay him.

After thinking about it for a long time, Janet finally plucked up the courage to send a message to Brandon.

"Mr.Larson, would you be willing to let me treat you to dinner? You’ve helped me a lot and I’d like to express my gratitude somehow."

2 After hitting send, Janet put down her phone and wrung her hands nervously.

The chairman of the Larson Group had probably tasted all the splendid dishes this world had to offer.

But it was a token of her appreciation.Chapter 322 A Warning At the CEO’s office of the Larson Group.

The Larson Group’s stock price had fluctuated over the past few days.

Now that the situation was favorable for the Larson Group and its stock price had more than recovered, Ethan decided to seize the opportunity to put more pressure on the Lester Silk Fabric.

Garrett hadn’t slept properly in the past three days, dealing with the bad press: He was yawning sleepily when Ethan’s phone pinged.

"Someone texted you."

When he saw the name on Ethan’s phone’s screen, Garrett snickered.

"It seems your wife’s missing you."

Ethan smacked Garrett on the back of the head and grabbed the phone.

Instantly, his expression darkened when he read the text.

"What is it? Why’s your face like that?"

Garrett asked seriously, the smile wiped from his face.

"Janet’s asking Brandon out for dinner."

Ethan put his phone down and sighed.

"If I refuse, she’ll be very disappointed."

Garrett leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Yeah.

You can’t have dinner with Janet without her seeing your face.

Last time, when you and Janet went to the company’s masquerade ball, you almost exposed yourself.

It’d be unwise to take such a risk again.

It’s not good for my heart either,"

he sighed.

Ethan frowned and started typing out a brisk reply.

"Thank you, but there’s no need for you to treat me to dinner.

You’re an employee of the Larson Group.

I helped you to protect the reputation of the company."

Janet read his message and quickly replied, "But Mr.Larson, you could’ve just dismissed me."

"If I dismiss any employee when something like this comes up, how will we keep the talented ones? Keep up the good work.

That’s thanks enough, Miss Lind,"

Ethan replied politely, keeping things professional.

1 He had deliberately distanced Brandon from her ever since what happened last time.

He didn’t want her to suspect him of anything Reading his reply, Janet had no choice but to give up.

Ethan put down his phone, kicked the sofa Garrett was lying down on, and said, "I want you to relocate the one who had tried to force Janet to resign.

Transfer her to a subsidiary company.

Then, bring Charis here."

Garrett was just about to take a nap.

Hearing Ethan’s orders, he helplessly peeled his eyes open and stood up from the sofa.

He muttered under his breath, "This job will definitely be the death of me."

Charis had expected that Ethan would want to have a talk with her, but when she received the notice, her heart still skipped a beat.

"Why did you want to dismiss Janet?"

Ethan asked in a low voice.

He shoved his hands into the pocket of his slacks, and the light from the window elongated his shadow on the floor.

"I just wanted to protect the company name,"

Charis answered defensively.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at her coldly.

"From now on, I’ll take care of all matters related to Janet.

No one other than me.

Understood?"

Ethan’s cold voice sent a shiver down Charis’s spine.

She winced and smiled bitterly, as though she had been wronged.

"I see how it is.

You don’t trust me now? Brandon, I don’t have any ulterior motives, I swear.

Ethan had already noticed that something was wrong with Charis.

He never brought it up before because he didn’t want her to look bad.

She and her family had always valued their image.

"I’m just warning you not to act against Janet.

Otherwise, don’t blame me if I disregard our long term friendship."

Chapter 323 A Long Forgotten Name After a moment’s silence, Charis said in a low voice, "I see."

Charis was a dignified woman.

Before Ethan could say anything more, she turned around and walked out of his office, As soon as the door closed behind her, tears welled up in her eyes..

Ever since they first met, Brandon had never said such harsh words to her before, nor had he looked at her with such cold eyes.

She hadn’t cried in years.

The last time was when she said goodbye to Brandon before going abroad.

She had been reluctant to leave him.

But now, she felt bad about Brandon’s attitude towards her.

She and Brandon had worked together for years.

They had shared the company’s ups and downs.

But all of a sudden, with Janet now in the picture, Brandon suddenly was ruthless towards her.

Tears rolled down Charis’s cheeks as she realized just how important Janet was to Brandon.

The hot tears dripped from her chin to the carpeted floor.

"I met Brandon first,"

Charis muttered through gritted teeth.

Charis didn’t like to be candid with her shrewdness.

The reason why she had tried to fire Janet was to win Brandon’s heart.

In Charis’s eyes, Janet wasn’t good enough for him.

But now that Brandon had taken a liking to her, Charis figured he would deeply fall in love with her and she would eventually lose him for good.

Thinking of this, Charis was more determined than ever to separate Janet and Brandon..

But she couldn’t act as overtly as before.

Brandon had just warned her not to interfere with Janet’s work ever again.

She had to be more careful now.

On the other side… After Janet got off work, she went home, only to find that Ethan had come home early today.

"Oh, the workaholic is back! I’m surprised you still remember the way home!"

Janet’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

Looking at the man who was busy cooking in the kitchen, she was not happy.

After all, she hadn’t seen Ethan for two or three days.

That was because Ethan had been busy dealing with the plagiarism issue the past few days.

But he couldn’t tell her this.

While cracking the eggs into a bowl, he found an excuse.

"When I crossed Ritchie’s path, he made a lot of trouble.

The manager of the shop at work fired me.

I’ve been working part time the past few days while looking for a stable job."

Then, he paused and said sincerely, "I’m sorry that I haven’t been here for you these days."

In fact, there was some truth to his story.

Ritchie had indeed caused him a lot trouble after all.

Hearing this, Janet’s heart immediately softened.

She walked over to help him with the vegetables.

"So, what happened? You didn’t tell me the truth.

I was worried something bad happened to you."

"The problem’s been solved.

Don’t worry,"

Ethan said with a reassuring smile.

That much was true.

Ethan had really solved the problem that had been plaguing them the past few days.

"Your brother is really hard to deal with."

Janet pouted like a child.

After transferring the egg into the pan, Ethan turned and his eyes landed on Janet’s earlobe.

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he gulped.

"How about having dinner and then a little bit of exercise to unwina: "What kind of exercise?"

Janet looked up at Ethan curiously.

Almost immediately, she saw the lust in his eyes.

His face was so beautiful.

It was as though God had chiseled his face to perfection.

His eyes stared deep into hers, filled with burning desire.

Janet’s face turned as red as a tomato.

She quickly lowered her head and said shyly, "You’re so naughty!"

Then she focused on chopping the vegetables.

Amused, Ethan patted her on the head affectionately.

He really liked it when she blushed.

He could feel that she liked him, but she always pretended to refuse him.

He had to admit it really turned him on.

But the romantic atmosphere was instantly soiled by the sound of the phone ringing.

"Keep an eye on the eggs, okay? Don’t let them burn."

Ethan stroked Janet’s hair.

Then, he took off his apron and walked to the living room to pick up his phone.

A long forgotten name appeared on the screen.

It was Patrick Lester.

Chapter 324 Nora’s Birthday Ethan pursed his lips.

He glanced back at the kitchen at Janet, then opened the glass door to step out onto the balcony He was a little surprised to see that Patrick was calling him.

It was winter and the cold wind was unforgiving.

Ethan stood on the balcony, letting the wind blow his hair.

"Why on earth are you answering the phone outside? Isn’t it cold out there?"

Janet’s voice broke the silence.

Ethan was lost in his thoughts and didn’t notice when Janet slid the door open and poked her head out.

Narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously, she looked at the phone in Ethan’s hand.

He was answering the phone out on the balcony again.

Was it Charis calling again? "It’s Patrick Lester."

Amused by the quirky expression on her face, he pulled her into his arms and finally answered the phone.

"Ethan, why the hell did you keep me waiting?"

Patrick’s irritated voice came from the other end of the line.

"I was busy just now,"

Ethan simply replied.

Patrick didn’t give a damn about whatever Ethan was up to.

There was something he needed to talk about with Ethan, so he went straight to the point.

"Your grandma’s birthday is coming up and we’re throwing her a party.

She wants you and your wife here."

Without waiting for Ethan’s response, he hung up abruptly.

— – Janet had overheard Patrick’s loud voice.

She looked up at Ethan and asked hesitantly, "So are we going?"

Ethan held her tighter and sighed.

"We are.

Patrick seldom summons me.

There’ll be nothing but trouble if we disobey him.

Besides, I haven’t seen my grandma in a very long time.

It’s only right that I be there on her birthday."

Janet smiled at him sweetly.

"I can tell that you’re fond of her."

It was true that Ethan’s expression softened when he spoke of his grandmother.

Nora Lester, Ethan’s grandma, was a distant relative of the Larson family.

She had known Ethan’s mother when she was a girl.

Although she didn’t approve of what Patrick had done, she couldn’t do anything about her son’s decisions.

She had always felt sorry for Ethan and used to secretly send him money.

She was the only Lester who ever cared about Ethan.

Thinking of this, Ethan rested his chin on the top of Janet’s head.

"She’s a kind lady,"

he said calmly.

a long time since they last

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her

thought occurred

shouted, "The eggs! I forgot all

from Ethan’s embrace and ran to the

Ethan followed behind her.

extremely flustered, and he couldn’t help

told you to keep an eye on

gently pulled her to the side while he

her thumbs, Janet stood in the corner,

"I’m sorry.

talking to Charis, so I rushed to

Ethan had guessed this.

hands, he raised his eyes to look

"It’s my fault.

give you enough

saying that, he spread out his arms and said

leaned her face against his chest, blushing

thinking about the invitation from Patrick, she murmured, "The Lesters treat you badly,

hates you and I just got

has a huge grudge against

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

a casual

really don’t want to

just being

said nothing, and silently retracted the knife he was hiding

Shelia didn’t mean him

poured the juice over

definitely

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

was holding out in her hand and

roast some more

Victor wasn’t going to take the meat, Shelia smiled as if she had just realized

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

assured and eat

high alert right then, watching

easy-going person, this didn’t mean

thought that

she

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead

turned to look away and placed the

roast the rest for

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

a bite out of

chewing for some time, she furrowed her brows and

really hard

was not

meat I gave you just now must be the

didn’t you tell me?

didn’t say a word

turned around and spotted Victor’s

Van, you did this deliberately, didn’t

smiling?’ Victor never even

hand and gently touched the corner of

to roast the

gone a

and get some

not tired

sit right

under her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down next to

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

how to

in

"Survive in the wildness?"

time that Shelia had ever heard

you go out of your way to

also crushed some fruits

a knife to

heard what Shelia asked,

he said, "I

Victor knew the

because he wanted to be prepared in case of any

ner protection, Victor would find himself in danger

so that he would at least have a better chance to survive in

"Alright."

to focus her gaze

of Shelia’s profile and the

a hand to wipe off the

to look at Victor with a blank

into Shelia’s eyes, he started to

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

"Is that so?"

her nose with

about now?

"No,"

said, glancing

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

other than roasting meat? I

Can you teach me?"

want to

"In order to survive."

Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come

shelia said casually.

sad upon hearing

meat ready to be flipped? It’s

Shelia pointed out.

recall by Shelia, Victor saw a small burn on the meat’s exposed side when

he was still thinking about

.

or not to

after all, Shelia’s own

didn’t seem to

asked, "Will you please teach

"Hmm,"

said after a

"Is that a yes?"

and

dimples, meanwhile, became much more

Victor nodded, "Okay."

broadly as she said, "Thanks

ever encountered, except for my caretaker in the

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I

taken over and

eyes clouded as she

woman was

prepared great meals and gave me

orphan…’ Victor pursed

guardian was needed to look after you since

you leave with the

Victor and answered,

the only home Shelia had known for

okay with you being outdoors on your

her head, Shelia

to visit her tomb, so I

remain unknown to them, and I don’t

the dingy ground,

that had been

her hands behind her head,

sighed with disappointment as she gazed

want to

what keeps you from

are people guarding the

if I go

had no idea that I have a name

when I meet

blinking her

black eyes remained fixed on

to see you, Van, it would be more

had a soft spot in

I was a lovely

It didn’t seem appropriate to use

Shelia, Victor concluded that

an apt description of her

was responsible for your

communicate since she was deaf, mute, and

to us

a poker card

if it were a treasure and

orphanage, each kid was given a unique

as we pleased,

at the card–the King of

Did I get the

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

card and said, "I am the only one with

toasting as they

the meat after he re-applied the

set

Eat, please."

her gut just after his words

to her

than the meat i made myself! Van,

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

after a good

feet, she

rise when Shelia abruptly extended

"Come on, get up."

taken aback, and after a little pause,

hard way, Shelia used a dart to put marks

of time as they

had cooled down

Victor in sitting down on a stone and drank some

sure how far we’ll have to travel

can get out before

some

much walking, and he was coughing up blood

incoherently, "I’m sure

Let’s move forward."

still have the

"Like never before…"

and continued to

murmured,

you return, be sure to eat

gaze to

was covered in mud after a day and a night in

What’s your

"Plan?"

was slow to

plans once we leave

to continue my travels and explore the world’s finest rivers

station when I can no longer walk

answered with

"Shelia."

made up his mind after

"What’s the problem?"

after we get out of

like you, I will defend you if she

count

me to come with

If you don’t want to, it doesn’t

concerned that Shelia might

a while before asking, "Are

"No, I’m not.

to treat you the best

Victor convinced her.

nodded and smiled at Victor,

when we get out of the

"Sure."

they emerged from

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

the bodies

noon and now, the

they saw a relatively

out of

local villagers if we walk a

We can…"

finish her sentence, she saw Victor stop

She was confused.

at Victor, wanting to know why

"Van?"

well, i didn’t expect you

Shelia looked for the

three cars that were parked

front, looking at them intently as

away that they were

in turn stood protectively in front of

his eyes off Norton, watching his every

hear, Victor said, "Run into the

lost even

way out of the forest, I put

you can get

"And then?"

her

straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

you meet villagers, borrow a mobile phone from them,

knew that Norton didn’t intend to let

a game with Victor by throwing him

if he couldn’t escape

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

it seemed that Victor could not fulfill the promise he

a phone number on her palm with

call the number once you get

he whispered.

my grandmother’s

and she will pick

down at her

respond, Victor looked at her and asked

"No."

pulled her

eyes were

don’t want to remember the number, nor do I

be a

Victor frowned.

coughed violently as soon as

remained adamant and clenched her

her palm and

about, he

condescending sneer, he said, "Tut, tut,

each other! I’m so moved by

tensed up when saw

intuitively pulled Sheila

keeping himself standing steadily was taxing for

for him to

deliberately walked up

Shelia stepped

Norton pulled Shelia towards

fast for

"Let her go!"

a firm grip on Shelia’s

found satisfaction in hearing vexation in

you look

wiped the mud on Shelia’s

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

tracks when something silver flashed

knife that Norton pressed

out a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

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

felt that he had difficulty

his fist and tried to steady

you want is

nothing to

So, let her go!"

This is

Norton curled his lips.

want

don’t where she comes from but I find

to die alone? I can do something

eyes, Victor

the knife pressed against her neck, all Shelia could do was

body was tensed

Victor spat out blood and beg for

you can do? Threaten

smile plastered on

in anger

did you just

said you

Shelia swallowed.

a sense of accomplishment by threatening two

you

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill me, then

"Shelia…"

tried to stop

knew that she was provoking

rise and the man

Norton was indeed angry.

kept his voice

really? Looks like you really want to

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help you

Norton said, laughing derisively.

men and

and asked anxiously, "What are you going

Norton didn’t answer.

glared

did as they were

feet bound, Shelia was taken to

to ride a different

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

was flowing

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

clenched into fists, and the blue veins on

teeth and

open her eyes because of the gushing water, Shelia had

Victor to run

the moment she opened her mouth, she was choked by

enough, her

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

be strong but he was useless in this

me

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

cunning smile, Norton approached the rope, squatted down, and blew the unsteady

of you wanting to save her so much, I will

some good in me,

could just glare

whatever it took to

Shelia, who was in the middle of the river, Norton squinted his

behind him appeared and stood between

looked at Victor with a wry

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the weakest

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

brief pause, Norton continued, "You want

had been holding Victor’s arms let go of him

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

before the

you can say goodbye to

away, I’m afraid that

the flickering flame, Victor

so he quickly rushed

was a mercenary and the most

weakest subordinates should be strong

Victor was

might not even be able to

tall and burly men that could easily flip Victor

at

Victor right in

he was hit, Victor

repeatedly, his strength left him, and he eventually knelt on

broken scattered all over his body, making him feel somewhat

time, Victor’s face looked black

still tried to stand, not ready to give

even get back on his feet, he saw another punch

able to subconsciously use his arm to

was hit again, Victor spat out a mouthful

Victor’s vision became

on the rope, which

matter how many injuries he

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

he

mind wanted to go on, his body

fell back to the ground

awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling on his

struggled to open his eyes, but his

the

couldn’t help but wonder if

recovered yet, so he thought that he might

every inch of his body made Victor realize

up, but

bit,

at the river, only to find that there

no trace

"Ahem!"

coughed violently, spurting out

soil and opened his eyes as wide

river expectantly, as if he

for a

know how much

he never found the person he had been

raise her head from the river or come out from

excruciating pain he was experiencing,

lost

again, he

subordinates found him

him lasted for two days

that Victor had fractures in eight different

and lungs were

after he woke up was ask

still wearing an

danger yet, but all he

that she must be a

dare delay to send people to search for

search lasted for seven days, but Shelia couldn’t

passed and there was still no news about

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

could easily recognize that it was the

later, Victor

after fully recovering was

card in a box

marble tombstone aside from the

Shelia’s name on

recovery, while Karl was on

to the hospital, but he was declared

in that

two more years, he finished his studies and finally

companies under

companies from a very low level to one of the

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

entered

her sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a bowl of

eat any

had been eating porridge

he couldn’t even stand the smell

no choice

said, "Eat it again

his tongue out, not intending

at the door, so he politely greeted,

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

kid gradually got acquainted with

was that Roger would bring some snacks

much, he could at

course, Joey could only eat them

around and

that

here, he would send Rachel a message in advance to

say no every time, he would still insist on getting

an important project meeting

it

I

moment

response, Rachel furrowed her

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

465 Dark Circles The operation done to Victor

door of the operating room opened and closed for several times as doctors went in and

anything but

since the operation began, the

indicated that the

saved, but he wasn’t

was wheeled to

two days ago

became eligible to be

he was still in a

an expert in the field to check Victor’s condition and give a

wasn’t what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

wounds had healed, they still

new injuries

end, he said that only a miracle could

least tell us when he will wake

in

can’t

frown as he

I may be blunt, please consider preparing for the

up? Is he going to become

didn’t say this, it was obvious that this was

was not a hundred percent, but there was a

for Carson and Lukas, Rachel was the first

Carson deemed that Rachel had the right

wall outside Joey’s ward, holding

and there were dark circles

just went down to tell Rachel

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

if she had already prepared herself for something

Carson was

know when she

Victor had been in a coma for about half a month

have been even

operating room for

at the cigarette in Carson’s hand and reminded him in a low voice, "This is the

You can’t smoke here."

his senses, Carson put out the

he didn’t bother continue

the subject and asked, "Anyway, how

"Joey? He’s fine.

up yesterday and said that

it’s expected that his plaster will

through the glass panel on the

Joey sleeping soundly

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

then, I’m

turned around and

to tell Rachel about the doctor’s diagnosis

that, he had nothing else to

the blink of an eye, two days

made aware of Victor’s

ward

didn’t show his face to her

expert, she was also convinced that Victor would never

news that Victor had miraculously woke up from being in

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

stared at Roger for a long time without being

was still judging

want to go

time, Rachel pressed her

of nowhere, someone gently pulled her sleeve and pulled her back from her

I want to see

pleading in a

fact that Victor was

hospital, he actually had a

that 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 have the heart

the full truth, Joey didn’t cry or say anything, nor did

he just smiled and made

say bad

to worry too much about

Joey’s bright eyes, she

a few moments, she mustered her courage and

"Yes, of course."

weeks, Joey had a good

if there was nothing wrong

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

keeping it all inside him, but Rachel was aware that he missed

"Okay…"

heart softened, and

was in the second

it was inconvenient for him to walk all

Rachel simply let him

pushed the wheelchair for him, and the three of them went to

enough, they reached

stopped at the floor of the ward

entire floor was a VIP ward, and there was only one patient at this time, Carson was sitting on

approaching, he furrowed his brows and eventually saw three people approaching

Carson knew that he would have

guy, it’s the first time I’ve

What brings you here?"

the document he was holding aside and raised

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his

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

circles around

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at Joey’s

picked up his phone, opened its

that Joey

haggard, and his eye bags were so big that it

of course, this was only

good sleep for half a

but even he was susceptible to stress

"Ha-ha!"

laugh after seeing the

that

Carson stepped forward and pinched Joey’s

"You, brat.

dare you tease your godfather? You have guts,

felt a sharp pain on his face and retorted, "Huh? Who said that you are my

no opinion

father and I grew

We are best friends.

one

I became your

eyebrows and crossed his

if you don’t want

and said,

clicked his tongue as he withdrew his

low voice, "I also didn’t expect that

I said, it’s a

change your

say anything more, but he stuck out his tongue

corner of his eye, Carson recognized

tried to regain his composure and commented, "I

heard that

here with Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

plan to lose his composure

"Oh, I see."

the room and said, "His

He is resting inside.

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

knew what was going through her

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

nodded and walked towards the

her,

were placed over

in thoughts

was about to sav something,

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked at the little

standing very

Joey could see him

raised his eyebrows as if he

at him, Joey turned his

to use the

overheard what Joey

I take you

"No!"

replied in a

a serious look

I am a

so it wasn’t a

at that moment, they were no

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

Joey’s words, Rachel looked at both

was Roger, then her

Carson soon observed that she

she wanted him to take Joey to

to pay any

his phone and turned around as if nothing had

to give Joey a thumbs up

he

have read the plan you

talking, he headed towards

very

up while he was

saw what just happened clearly

"It’s okay.

will take

He is actually right.

boy like him

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

when he heard those words,

ought to have been closer to him

past few days, they got

them were always

for reasons best known to her, she still alienated

things, Rachel

knew that it couldn’t

stop himself from thinking about the night Rachel was standing outside the operating

and Joey

some time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

glance at the phone in

with

"What?"

Rachel’s sight and took a peek

appeared on his

am through with

My

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

fake

very

to answer the call

and coughed to ease

want

order to look through the glass panel

was a

view, only the living room could be seen, and it

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

would lie in the

has to undergo half a year’s rehabilitation

voice came

a

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted Carson’s

stopped and saw a man in a suit coming out

He looked dejected.

a document in

Carson as soon

stunned at first, then his

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung

It was quite noticeable.

Group and

asking about what just happened

that the project plan

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

what

She turned to Carson.

he looked back at her, she raised

"Well, this is Troy.

member of the Sullivan Group’s

what she meant by just looking at her

at a

were so many surnames in

had

recognized who Rachel

bowed and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

nodded her head slightly in

forehead was covered

Nonetheless, he was still holding the document tightly in his

Miss Bennet, I’m going back to

waved his hand and said, "Very

do that

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

looked at

that Victor was sitting against

doesn’t seem as bad as you

and can

the door

leaned against

follow

reading some document when he heard

didn’t raise his head and say coldly, "Get

her gaze on

in a

his face was pale despite the fact that he

and looked rather

than seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel

entranced that she walked

you to

Victor heard the footsteps, his frown

at the person who

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

after we finished the

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

"The dance is over.

to let

I reminded him.

loosened his grip on

few steps back to

still feel the warmth of his touch on

face blushed and i felt rather

my heart was

moment, it felt like I

the happiest time

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

down, feeling conflicted and

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached me

the burning gaze from behind me and began chatting with the guests with

said, raising my glass and

had a few to drink and was

Elena came to

for you on

you like to go upstairs and take a look at

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when you get

appeared on

I followed her to the deck

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

also numerous balloons around

eyes widened in

this whole scene

surprise?’ I had no idea who

that came to mind was Charles, but I

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

never spent this much effort on me, and yet I

this birthday surprise soon died

floor, I stared at

and yet my mind was

the cold sea breeze, I felt even

fireworks display lit up the sky, forming the

the sky, a deafening sound resonated in

like

I covered my ears

on the ground and curled

uncontrollably, and i

incident at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing

of breath I felt so

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

I’m here."

voice came from above me, making me feel

It was Charles.

arms as tears burst from my eyes, Gently, he brushed my hair

have to be scared ever