My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire

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

Then she began to type out her reply to Brandon.

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

the staff member said through gritted teeth.

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

Ignoring her, Janet texted Brandon back.

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

The message from Brandon was a godsend.

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

Brandon replied with a long message.

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

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

The data was tampered with.

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

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

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

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

"How did you find that out?"

The platform was now owned by Lester Silk Fabric.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As she spoke, she tucked her phone away.

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

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

Janet ignored her.

She turned around and left without looking back.

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

"What’s up, Lind?"

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

Janet asked politely.

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

Tiffany looked at her warily and then nodded slowly.

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

"I want to call him and apologize,"

Janet answered simply.

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

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

There are enough discussions about you already,"

Tiffany scolded.

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

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

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

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

Janet reached for the card with a bright smile.

Of course she knew what she was doing.

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

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

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

Janet said, her voice as sweet as honey.

When Ritchie heard this, he was surprised.

Then, he sneered.

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

Janet had given up so soon.

"You’re scared, aren’t you?"

With a smug smile on his face, Ritchie smirked.

"Come to Lester Silk Fabric tomorrow.

You can apologize there in person."

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

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

he barked at his secretary.

"I want them here tomorrow.

Call some famous personalities in the fashion industry as well.

We need people in authority for the event."

The secretary nodded respectfully.

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

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

Get your ass back here."

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

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

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

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

"Get the biggest function hall for the press conference.

I want hundreds of people to be there.

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

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

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

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

1 Another evil grin spread on Ritchie’s face.

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

The secretary pursed his lips and jotted every detail down.

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

The sun shone bright and early the next day.

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

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

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

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

Tiffany remarked from beside her.

She turned to look Janet in the eye.

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

A faint smile appeared on Janet’s lips.

"You’ll find out soon enough.

Don’t worry.

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

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

The room finally settled down as Janet took her place.

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

"Sorry for taking up your time, everyone.

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

From a distance, Ritchie frowned and narrowed his eyes.

He could sense that something wasn’t right.

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

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

"She can’t have,"

the other man replied confidently.

"We’ve taken care to sweep everything.

All the evidence has been locked away.

I think she’s just bluffing."

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is your truth.

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

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

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

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

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

His secretary was also scared silly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Janet smiled and said in a calm voice.

Ritchie was exasperated to hear that.

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

"I thought you came here to apologize.

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

While smiling, Janet didn’t say a word.

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

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

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

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

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

The audience began to discuss this amongst themselves.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She said frantically, "I have no idea.

Don’t ask me…"

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

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

His secretary hurried to stop his curses.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now, she felt much better.

"It’s finally over!"

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

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

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

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

Related videos went viral on the Internet.

Suddenly, Janet’s phone started to ring.

It was Tiffany.

"Lind, I’m impressed.

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

You really knocked them dead!"

"Oh, my God! Seriously?"

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

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

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

There was a lot of positive feedback.

"Wow.

Heart.

Heart.

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

"She’s a lovely girl.

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

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

"Even though I’m a girl, I want her!"

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

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

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

Furious, Ritchie started trashing his office.

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

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

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

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

plummeted.

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

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

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

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

Ritchie glared at him, speechless.

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

"I’m not an idiot.

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

Things didn’t end there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am responsible for all of this.

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

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

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

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

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

She’s just an ordinary employee.

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

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

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

Janet pulled her chair and sat down.

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

"I can’t say I’m surprised.

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

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

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

"It doesn’t matter.

Look on the bright side.

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

Now, all eyes are on my work."

In the end, Luna was put behind bars.

And Janet had become an online celebrity.

Many people now knew her name and saw her designs.

Some even paid for it.

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

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

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

How’d you get the evidence?"

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

Janet froze.

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

"A very capable friend helped me get them."

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

Janet’s eyes twinkled.

"It’s a secret.

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

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

Gerda scratched her head and hurried back to her desk.

Janet couldn’t help but chuckle.

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

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

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

Janet couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Someone texted you."

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

"It seems your wife’s missing you."

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

Instantly, his expression darkened when he read the text.

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

Garrett asked seriously, the smile wiped from his face.

"Janet’s asking Brandon out for dinner."

Ethan put his phone down and sighed.

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

Garrett leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Yeah.

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

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

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

It’s not good for my heart either,"

he sighed.

Ethan frowned and started typing out a brisk reply.

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

You’re an employee of the Larson Group.

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

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

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

That’s thanks enough, Miss Lind,"

Ethan replied politely, keeping things professional.

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

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

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

Transfer her to a subsidiary company.

Then, bring Charis here."

Garrett was just about to take a nap.

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

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

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

"Why did you want to dismiss Janet?"

Ethan asked in a low voice.

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

"I just wanted to protect the company name,"

Charis answered defensively.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at her coldly.

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

No one other than me.

Understood?"

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

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

"I see how it is.

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

Ethan had already noticed that something was wrong with Charis.

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

She and her family had always valued their image.

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

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

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

Charis was a dignified woman.

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

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

She hadn’t cried in years.

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

She had been reluctant to leave him.

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

She and Brandon had worked together for years.

They had shared the company’s ups and downs.

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

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

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

"I met Brandon first,"

Charis muttered through gritted teeth.

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

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

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

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

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

But she couldn’t act as overtly as before.

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

She had to be more careful now.

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

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

Janet’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

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

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

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

But he couldn’t tell her this.

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

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

The manager of the shop at work fired me.

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

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

In fact, there was some truth to his story.

Ritchie had indeed caused him a lot trouble after all.

Hearing this, Janet’s heart immediately softened.

She walked over to help him with the vegetables.

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

I was worried something bad happened to you."

"The problem’s been solved.

Don’t worry,"

Ethan said with a reassuring smile.

That much was true.

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

"Your brother is really hard to deal with."

Janet pouted like a child.

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

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

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

Janet looked up at Ethan curiously.

Almost immediately, she saw the lust in his eyes.

His face was so beautiful.

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

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

Janet’s face turned as red as a tomato.

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

Then she focused on chopping the vegetables.

Amused, Ethan patted her on the head affectionately.

He really liked it when she blushed.

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

He had to admit it really turned him on.

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

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

Ethan stroked Janet’s hair.

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

A long forgotten name appeared on the screen.

It was Patrick Lester.

Chapter 324 Nora’s Birthday Ethan pursed his lips.

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

It was winter and the cold wind was unforgiving.

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

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

Janet’s voice broke the silence.

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

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

He was answering the phone out on the balcony again.

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

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

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

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

"I was busy just now,"

Ethan simply replied.

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

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

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

She wants you and your wife here."

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

— – Janet had overheard Patrick’s loud voice.

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

Ethan held her tighter and sighed.

"We are.

Patrick seldom summons me.

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

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

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

Janet smiled at him sweetly.

"I can tell that you’re fond of her."

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

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

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

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

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

She was the only Lester who ever cared about Ethan.

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

"She’s a kind lady,"

he said calmly.

been a long time since they

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her

a thought occurred to

eggs! I forgot all

from Ethan’s embrace and

Ethan followed behind her.

stared at Janet, who was extremely flustered,

silly girl! I told you to

to the side while he cleaned up the mess himself in the

her thumbs, Janet stood in the corner, restlessly watching Ethan clean

"I’m sorry.

thought you were talking to Charis, so I rushed to you

Ethan had guessed this.

freshly washed hands, he raised his eyes to

"It’s my fault.

give you enough sense

his arms and

obeyed and leaned her face against his chest,

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

you and I just got him into

probably has a

there?"Chapter 461 In Order To Survive Shelia didn’t notice what was going

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

if you really don’t want to tell

just being

nothing, and silently retracted the knife he was hiding

that Shelia didn’t mean him any

crushed some fruits and poured the juice over

this definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

out in

more for myself

Victor wasn’t going to take the meat,

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

and eat it

then, watching Shelia with

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

had thought that Victor

she knew she was wrong and he was on guard

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead and

turned to look away and

roast the rest

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

bite out of the

time, she furrowed her

hard to

was not cooked

I gave you just now must be the

me? You even

didn’t say a word and only continued

aside, Shelia turned around and spotted Victor’s

you smiling? Van, you

never

hand and gently touched the corner of his

to roast

have gone

and get

not tired

sit right

her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down next to

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

learned how to survive

in a

"Survive in the wildness?"

time that Shelia had ever heard

did you go out of your way to

some

used a knife to slice

Shelia asked, his eyes

a while, he said, "I have

knew

to

ner protection, Victor

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

"Alright."

focus her gaze on the burning

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

stretched out a hand to wipe

and turned to look at

straight into Shelia’s eyes, he started to feel

looked away, and explained, "Your nose

"Is that so?"

ahead to rub her nose with

what about now? Is

"No,"

said, glancing

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

else did you learn other than roasting

Can you teach me?"

want to

"In order to survive."

out of Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter

shelia said casually.

sad upon

meat ready to be flipped? It’s on the

Shelia pointed out.

small burn on the meat’s exposed side when he

over while he was still thinking about

.

whether or not to

after all,

other hand, didn’t seem

asked, "Will you

"Hmm,"

said after a

"Is that a yes?"

and she

meanwhile,

Victor nodded, "Okay."

as she said, "Thanks

the kindest individual I’ve ever encountered, except for

"Orphanage?"

where

taken over and the old woman

eyes clouded as she spoke

was

she prepared great meals and gave me a lot

orphan…’ Victor

after

you leave

and answered, "I

only home Shelia

you being

head, Shelia

to visit

unknown to them, and I don’t intend

spite of the dingy ground,

had been scattered by

placed her hands behind her head, her

disappointment as she gazed up at the

to visit

what keeps you from doing

are people guarding

me if

had no idea that I have

name when I

said, blinking

eyes remained fixed on Shelia and he

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

soft spot in

that I was a

to use this term to describe a

at Shelia, Victor concluded

of her features, particularly

her, "Since she was responsible for

since

to us by

a poker card was

it from her pocket as if it were a

each kid

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

the

I get the best

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

am the only one with the

toasting as they were

gave her the meat after he re-applied the

set

Eat, please."

from her gut just after

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

the meat

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

after

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

ready to rise when Shelia abruptly extended her hand

"Come on, get up."

taken aback, and after a little pause,

used a dart to put marks on the tree

lost track of time as

had cooled

on

sure how far we’ll have to

we can get out before the

some water

exhausted after so much walking, and he was coughing up blood

"I’m

Let’s move forward."

have the

"Like never before…"

continued

forward motion, she murmured, "Van,

you return, be sure to eat

his gaze to the

after a day and a night

you? What’s your

"Plan?"

was slow to

plans once we leave the

know… I want to continue my travels and

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

with

"Shelia."

up his mind after staring

"What’s the problem?"

me after

my grandma will like you, I will defend you

can count on

want me to

you? If

that Shelia

while before asking, "Are

"No, I’m not.

to treat you the best I

Victor convinced her.

and smiled

when we get

"Sure."

they emerged from the

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

the bodies of

noon and now, the sun

tiredness was assuaged when they saw a relatively

out of

villagers if

We can…"

her sentence, she

She was confused.

wanting to

"Van?"

didn’t expect you to

Shelia looked for the

three cars that were

stood at the front, looking at them intently as

away that they

moved to shield Victor, who in turn stood protectively

off Norton,

Victor said, "Run into the

lost even

our way out of the forest, I put marks

and you

"And then?"

her

looked straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

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

Norton didn’t

to play a game with Victor by throwing him

he couldn’t escape this predicament,

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

could not fulfill the

wrote a phone number on her palm

once you get hold of a

he whispered.

is my

and she will pick you

looked down

that Shelia didn’t respond, Victor looked

"No."

her

eyes were

to remember the number, nor do I

a

Victor frowned.

he coughed violently as

and clenched her

palm

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

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

for each other!

tensed up when

intuitively pulled

keeping himself standing steadily

would be hard for him

up to them

Shelia stepped

patience with them, Norton pulled Shelia towards

for Victor to stop

"Let her go!"

a firm grip on Shelia’s

hearing vexation

know you look

said as he wiped the mud on Shelia’s

incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed over and tried to

when something silver

knife that Norton pressed against Shelia’s

a

"No."

"What are you saying?"

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

that he had difficulty

clenched his fist and

you want is my

has nothing to do with

So, let her go!"

wow! This

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want to let her

but

to die alone? I

eyes,

her

was tensed

Victor spat out blood

all you can do?

smile plastered

his eyes narrowed in anger when he heard Shelia’s

you just

said you are a

Shelia swallowed.

just feel a sense of

you don’t have in you to do what

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill

"Shelia…"

tried to

knew that she

hackles rise and the man would

Norton was indeed angry.

but he kept his voice in

you really

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help you

Norton said, laughing derisively.

turned to his men and instructed them, "Tie

asked anxiously, "What

Norton didn’t answer.

glared at

as

and feet bound, Shelia was taken to one of

made to

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

river was flowing

Shelia, making her choke easily Victor saw how Shelia’s

into fists, and the blue veins on his

and yelled,

to open her eyes because of the gushing water,

Victor

moment she opened her

her eyes

exasperated expression on

thought that Victor might be strong but he

me

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

rope, squatted

sake of you wanting to save her so

me, huh? What do you

could just

whatever it took to

the middle of the river, Norton squinted

after, two men behind him appeared and stood

slowly stood up and looked at Victor

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the weakest among my

on my left has only killed two people, and

Norton continued, "You want to

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

the knife in his hand, Norton touched its tip with

two before

goodbye

I’m afraid that you won’t even find her

the flickering flame, Victor didn’t care about anything

so he quickly rushed up and fought

was a mercenary and the most popular leader the Roaring Tiger

subordinates should be strong

Victor was currently badly

he might not even be able to defeat one

were tall and burly men

was at a disadvantage from the very

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

was hit, Victor staggered and struggled to

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

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

Victor’s face

still tried to stand, not

he could even get back on his feet, he saw another punch

subconsciously use his arm to block it, but it didn’t make much

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

this point, Victor’s

his eyes on the rope, which

matter how many injuries

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

this trouble, so he was willing to do anything to

much as his mind wanted to go on, his body

to the ground and lost

time, Victor was somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling

his eyes,

lay there on the ground, watching the

wonder if he was still

hadn’t fully recovered yet, so he thought that he

of his body made Victor realize that he was

wanted to stand up, but

his hands a little bit, grabbing the mud under his hands

the river, only to find that there was nothing in

no

"Ahem!"

spurting out

the soil and opened his eyes as wide

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

for a

he didn’t even know

never found the person

the river or come out from

blood and the excruciating pain he was experiencing, Victor couldn’t keep himself

he lost consciousness

again,

found him near the

to rescue him lasted

found out that Victor had

lungs were inflamed, and the critically

he woke up was

still wearing an oxygen mask

of danger yet, but

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

didn’t dare delay to send people to search for

days, but

week passed and there was

was a crumpled playing card that

could easily recognize that it was the King of

years later, Victor completely

did after fully recovering was buy

the King of Hearts card in a box and buried it under

the marble tombstone

wasn’t even Shelia’s

was on a business trip, he suffered a

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

in that

years, he finished his studies and

companies under the control of the Sullivan

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

to prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually

At this time, Roger entered the ward

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

eat any

been eating porridge for about half a

he couldn’t even stand the

choice but to put

"Eat it again when you

tongue out, not intending to

at the door, so

month, Roger came to the hospital to visit Joey from time to

gradually got acquainted with

that Roger would

Joey couldn’t eat too much, he could at

Joey could only

Joey greeted Roger, Rachel turned around and was

that you

to ask her if she wanted to eat something or if

would say no every time, he would still insist on

he had an important project meeting today,

still visit, it would probably be

initially, I

hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "But I

furrowed her brows

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

operation done to Victor lasted

room opened and closed

couldn’t do anything but wait outside until the

the operation began, the

the surgery was

he wasn’t completely

was wheeled to the

ago that his vital signs

to be transferred to the general

he was still

expert in the field to check Victor’s

what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

healed, they still had an

new injuries just

end, he said that only

tell us

asked in a gloomy

can’t

couldn’t help but frown as he made

blunt,

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

didn’t say this, it was obvious

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

was the

Rachel had

the wall outside Joey’s ward, holding a cigarette between his

disoriented, and there were dark circles round his

just went down to tell

Rachel heard the tragic news, her face didn’t

already prepared herself for

was a bit

she became

it was when Victor had been in a coma for about

might have been

the operating room for 70

a moment of silence, Rachel glanced at the cigarette in Carson’s hand and reminded him in a low voice, "This is the area for children’s

You can’t smoke here."

regained his senses, Carson put out

indifferent expression, he didn’t bother continue discussing about

and asked, "Anyway, how is the

"Joey? He’s fine.

yesterday and said that he has been recovering pretty

his plaster will

through the glass

saw Joey sleeping soundly in

for a bit

I’m leaving

Carson turned around and left without

tell Rachel about the doctor’s diagnosis regarding Victor’s

from that, he had nothing else to

the blink of an eye, two days eventually

Victor’s condition, Rachel didn’t intend to visit

in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four hours

same time, Carson didn’t show his

was also convinced that Victor would never wake

Victor had miraculously woke up from

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

time without being able to

was still judging Roger’s expression if he was saying the

you want to go upstairs and see

asked slowly This time, Rachel pressed her

someone gently pulled her sleeve and

want to see

pleading in a soft

Victor was in a coma after

up in the hospital, he actually had a vague

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

truth, Rachel didn’t have the

cry or say anything, nor did he

just smiled and made

bad? They say bad people live

have to worry

bright eyes, she felt

moments, she mustered

"Yes, of course."

had

if there was nothing wrong going

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

brave kid for keeping it all inside him, but

"Okay…"

softened, and

ward was in the second

it was

Rachel simply let him sit in

wheelchair for him, and the

they

stopped at the floor of the ward where

a VIP ward, and there was only one patient at this time, Carson

he furrowed his brows and eventually

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

the first time I’ve seen you up

What brings you here?"

Joey as he quickly set the document

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking

Why would you ask that? Do I look like someone who will be beaten easily? Ha! I’m the

where did those dark circles around your eyes

"Dark circles?"

almost choked

opened its front camera, and

that

bags were

this was only to

have a good

young man, but even he was

"Ha-ha!"

laugh after seeing the upset look on Carson’s

seemingly innocent laughter, Carson realized that he was fooled

Carson stepped forward

"You, brat.

you tease your

and retorted, "Huh? Who said that you

no opinion regarding

father and I grew

We are best friends.

one

that’s how I

raised his eyebrows and crossed his

for you, even if you don’t want it, that fact won’t

to pull Carson’s hand away using his uninjured hand and said, "Humph! If I don’t want to admit it,

his tongue as he withdrew his hand from

voice, "I also didn’t expect that I would

said, it’s a fact that you

you’d better change your

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

of his eye, Carson recognized

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

I heard that Mr.Sullivan has

I came here with Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

plan to lose his composure just because

"Oh, I see."

the room and said, "His

He is resting inside.

466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward

was

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

walked towards

followed her,

arms were placed over

in

he was about to sav

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

and looked at

was not standing

result, Joey could see him from the

if he was giving Carson a

quick glance at him, Joey turned his

to

what Joey was

about I

"No!"

in a very decisive

serious look on his

I am a

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

were no longer in the

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

to Joey’s words, Rachel looked

then

didn’t want to bother the former, Carson soon observed

him to take

to pay any attention

and turned around as if nothing

to give Joey a thumbs

pretended like he was

the plan you sent

talking, he headed towards

wasn’t very good

lit up while he was still holding

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

"It’s okay.

take Joey

He is actually right.

boy like him to be taken to the

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

those words, they

that Rachel ought to have been closer to

days, they

them were always in one another’s

to

the look of things, Rachel still didn’t love

it couldn’t be

couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the night Rachel was standing

Joey headed towards the

some time, Carson came

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

a quick glance at the phone

you through with the

"What?"

Rachel’s sight and took a peek at

appeared

I am through with

no choice! My subordinates are

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

fake

not very

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

and coughed to ease the

want

in order to look through

was a

living room could be seen, and it

the door open in no time and walked

doctor said Victor would lie in the

has to undergo half a

came from

is in a stable

"Get out of here!"

interrupted Carson’s

a man in a suit

He looked dejected.

was a document in his

Rachel and Carson as

was stunned at first, then his face

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung around the man’s

It was quite noticeable.

an employee of the Sullivan Group and the director of

need asking about

expression that the project plan had been denied by

attention was drawn

surname was what really

She turned to Carson.

her, she raised

"Well, this is Troy.

of the Sullivan Group’s

she meant by just looking at her

at a loss for

were so many surnames

had to choose

recognized who Rachel

and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

head

forehead was covered with

scare of his life! Nonetheless, he

Bennet, I’m going back to the

waved his hand and said,

should do that

he heard what Carson said, Troy went out

looked at

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

condition doesn’t seem as bad as you

is well and

door and

against the door

follow Rachel

reading some document when he

he didn’t raise his head and say coldly,

cast her gaze

in a hospital

tell that his face was pale despite the

frowned and looked rather

waited outside the operating room for more than seventy

was so entranced that she

you to go out,

heard the

at the person who was

in his usual cold and stiff tone,

POV: Even after we finished the dance, Charles kept his hand on my

I figured it wouldn’t bode well if I lost my

"The dance is over.

to let

I reminded him.

eyes, but he still loosened his

took a few steps back to distance myself from

some reason, I could still feel the warmth

and i

heart

like I had returned

days with him were the happiest time of my

I knew that those days were

feeling conflicted

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

guests suddenly approached me

gaze from behind me and began chatting with the guests with

my glass and

to drink and

Elena came

waiting for you on

you like to go upstairs and take a look at

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you get

mysterious smile appeared on Elena’s

I followed her to

bright red rose

also numerous

widened

say, this whole scene was

birthday surprise?’ I had no idea who

to mind was Charles, but I quickly cast aside

appeared on my lips, and somehow, I

this much effort on me, and yet I still

of receiving this birthday

floor, I stared at the night

and

the cold sea

display lit up the sky, forming the words

sky, a deafening sound resonated

like

the noise, I covered

on the

i felt like

incident at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing

was out of breath I felt so dizzy that

was having a panic attack, a pair of strong arms held

I’m here."

from above me, making

It was Charles.

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

to be scared