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.

had been a long time since they

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her

thought

shouted, "The eggs! I forgot all

free from Ethan’s embrace and

Ethan followed behind her.

who was extremely flustered, and he couldn’t help

to keep an

his head, he gently pulled her to the side while he cleaned

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

"I’m sorry.

to Charis, so I rushed to you and forgot I

Ethan had guessed this.

hands, he raised

"It’s my fault.

give you enough sense

saying that, he spread out his

and leaned her face against his chest, blushing

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

hates you and I just got him

has a

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

wiped off the sweat collecting on her forehead in a casual manner, flipped the meat over, and went on to

to tell

just being a little

said nothing, and silently retracted the knife he was

that Shelia didn’t

poured the juice

definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

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

some more for myself

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

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

rest assured and eat

was on high alert right then, watching Shelia

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

had thought that Victor

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

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead

to look away and placed the meat

roast the rest

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

bite out

some time, she furrowed her brows and stuck out her

hard

was not

meat I gave you just now must

tell me? You even

the meat out, Victor didn’t say a word and only continued to

meat aside, Shelia turned around and spotted Victor’s

smiling? Van, you did this

smiling?’ Victor never even realized that he

and gently

me to roast the

gone a

get some

tired at

sit right

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 skill all

learned how to survive

spoke in a deep

"Survive in the wildness?"

that Shelia had ever heard

did you go out of your

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

used a knife to slice the

Shelia asked, his

while, he said,

knew the reason

because he wanted to be prepared

knew ahead of time that even under ner protection, Victor would find

would at least have a better chance

"Alright."

continued to focus her gaze on

glimpse of Shelia’s profile and the dust that

hand to wipe

startled and turned to look

Shelia’s eyes, he started to feel a

looked away, and explained, "Your nose has dirt

"Is that so?"

her nose with the back of

now?

"No,"

glancing

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

you learn other than roasting meat? I want

Can you teach me?"

do you want to

"In order to survive."

out of Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me

shelia said casually.

felt sad upon hearing

meat ready to be flipped?

Shelia pointed out.

a small burn on the meat’s

while he was still thinking about

.

or

was, after all, Shelia’s own

other hand, didn’t seem to take

you

"Hmm,"

after a

"Is that a yes?"

glowed, and she broke into a

meanwhile, became

Victor nodded, "Okay."

grinned broadly as she said, "Thanks so

are the kindest individual I’ve ever encountered, except for my caretaker

"Orphanage?"

where I

over and the old woman

as she spoke about

woman was

prepared great meals and gave me

orphan…’

needed to look after

leave with the other

at Victor and answered, "I

the only home Shelia had

they okay with you being

her head, Shelia

desperate to visit her

to them, and I don’t intend

of the dingy ground, Shelia lay

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

placed her hands behind her head, her

with disappointment as she gazed up at the

want to visit

what keeps you from

are people guarding the

me if

had no idea that I have a name

my name when I meet her again in the

said, blinking

fixed on Shelia and

had the chance to see you, Van,

had a soft spot in her heart for

that I was

didn’t seem appropriate to use this term

at Shelia, Victor concluded that the adjective

an apt description of her

asked her, "Since she was responsible for your upbringing, how come you

since she was deaf, mute, and

never referred to

a poker card was in

it were a

each kid was given

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

the card–the

Did I get the

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

am the only one

was toasting as

meat after he re-applied the

set to

Eat, please."

from her gut

so she put her hand to her stomach and ate

than the meat i made

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after a good

feet, she said,

when Shelia abruptly extended

"Come on, get up."

little pause, he

Shelia used a dart to put

had lost track of time as

had cooled

in sitting down on a stone

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

get out

drank some

exhausted after so much walking, and he was coughing up

said incoherently, "I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

still have

"Like never before…"

nodded and continued to

forward motion, she murmured, "Van, you look

you return, be sure to

his gaze to the side of her

after a

What’s

"Plan?"

slow

your plans once we leave the forest? Where will

continue my travels and explore the world’s

no longer walk and beg them to take me

answered with

"Shelia."

to have made up his mind after staring at

"What’s the problem?"

me after we get out of

my grandma will like you, I will defend you if she doesn’t like

can count

want me to

you? If you don’t

concerned that Shelia

while before asking, "Are

"No, I’m not.

to treat you the best I

Victor convinced her.

and smiled at

when we get out

"Sure."

from the woods, though, everything

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

on the

walking since high noon and now, the

they saw a relatively spacious

out of

we’ll meet local villagers if we walk a

We can…"

sentence, she

She was confused.

wanting to know

"Van?"

didn’t expect you

voice came, Shelia looked for the source of

cars that were parked

them intently as he

away that they were Victor’s

Victor, who in turn stood protectively in front of

didn’t take his eyes off Norton,

that only Shelia could hear, Victor said, "Run

lost even

way out of the

these marks and you can get

"And then?"

asked, her

straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

a mobile phone from them, and call

knew that Norton didn’t

game with Victor by throwing him into the

felt that if he couldn’t escape this predicament, Shelia shouldn’t

family, bring her back to see his grandmother, and

Victor could not fulfill the promise he made

Shelia’s hand, Victor wrote a phone number on

call the number once you get hold

he whispered.

my

pick

just looked down

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

"No."

her

eyes were

don’t want to remember the number, nor do

a

Victor frowned.

so anxious that he coughed violently as soon

remained adamant and

palm and let Victor write

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

"Tut, tut, tut, this is

feelings for each other!

tensed up when saw Norton approaching

intuitively pulled Sheila

injured and keeping himself standing steadily was taxing for

for him to fight

up to

Shelia stepped

Norton pulled Shelia

fast for Victor to stop

"Let her go!"

kept a firm grip on

hearing vexation

you look

mud on Shelia’s

Disregarding body pain, Victor

he stopped in his tracks when something

knife that

spat out a

"No."

"What are you saying?"

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

felt that he had

his fist and

you want is my

nothing to do with

So, let her go!"

wow! This

Norton curled his lips.

don’t want to

don’t where she comes from but

die alone?

eyes, Victor

pressed against her neck, all Shelia could do was

body was tensed

spat out blood and beg for mercy, she scoffed at

you can do? Threaten

kept his mocking smile

eyes narrowed in anger when

did you

you are a

Shelia swallowed.

of accomplishment by threatening two

you don’t have in you

So, cut the crap.

want to kill me, then

"Shelia…"

tried to

that she

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

Norton was indeed angry.

kept his voice in check

Looks like you

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help you with

Norton said, laughing derisively.

turned to his men and instructed them,

asked anxiously, "What are you going

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared

men did as they

Shelia

was made to ride

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

river was

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

hands clenched into fists, and the blue

teeth and

open her eyes because of the gushing water,

wanted Victor

moment she opened her mouth, she was choked by

enough, her

at the exasperated expression on

but

making me

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

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

to save her so much,

me,

just glare at

do whatever it took to

in the middle of the river,

men behind him appeared and stood between the rope

up and looked at Victor

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

are the weakest among

left has only killed two people, and the one

brief pause, Norton continued, "You want to save her, right?

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

its tip with his thumb and warned, "But of course, you have to

these two before

say goodbye to your

I’m afraid that

at the flickering flame, Victor didn’t care

was of essence, so he quickly rushed up and fought against the two

and the most popular leader the

even his weakest subordinates

was currently badly

not even be able to defeat one

burly men that

doubt, Victor was at a disadvantage

them, the two men punched Victor right in his abdomen one after another,

soon as he was hit, Victor staggered and struggled

was hit repeatedly, his strength left him, and he

his bones being broken scattered all over

this time, Victor’s face looked black with

still tried to stand, not ready

on his feet, he

his arm to

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

Victor’s

his eyes on the rope, which was only a few steps away

didn’t matter how

put out and the rope

this trouble, so he was willing to do anything

as his mind wanted to go on, his body couldn’t

fell back to the ground and

it raining?’ After some time, Victor was somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling

open his eyes,

on the ground,

but wonder if he was

fully recovered yet, so

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

but he couldn’t

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

his best, he turned his head to look at the river, only to find that there was

was no

"Ahem!"

spurting out

grabbed unto the soil and opened his

expectantly, as if he was waiting

for

didn’t even know

found the

would raise her head from the river or come out from somewhere and call his

pain he

lost

woke up again,

subordinates found him

to rescue him lasted for two days and

that

and lungs were inflamed, and the critically ill notice was issued

was ask Carolyn

an oxygen mask and struggled

danger yet, but all

didn’t even know who Shelia was, but she could sense that she must be a very important person due to

dare delay to send people to search

days,

and there was still

was a crumpled playing card that got wet from the

was mostly covered with mud, but one could

later, Victor completely

thing he did after fully recovering was buy

in

nothing on the marble tombstone aside

even Shelia’s

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

still tried to rush him to the hospital, but

also in that year that Carolyn sent

years, he finished his

over several small companies

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

ability, Carolyn gradually handed over the

Roger entered the

bed, holding a bowl of

can’t eat any

porridge for about half a

stand the smell

sighed and had no choice but to put the bowl

said, "Eat it

his tongue out, not intending

he saw Roger standing at the door, so he politely

to the

gradually got acquainted

him was that Roger would bring

eat too much, he could

could only

greeted Roger, Rachel turned around and

you say that you

he would send Rachel a message in advance to ask her if

he would still insist

asked, he said that he had an important project

he could still visit, it would probably

I couldn’t

hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "But I got

response, Rachel furrowed her

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

Circles The operation done to

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

couldn’t do anything but wait outside until

the operation began, the indicator light outside

the surgery was

was saved, but he

wheeled to

days ago

to be transferred to the general

still

the field to check Victor’s condition

it wasn’t what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

healed, they still had an

his new injuries

only a

us when he will

asked in a gloomy

I can’t say that

help but frown as he

I may be blunt, please consider preparing

Is he going to become a vegetable for the rest of

say this, it was obvious

there was

for Carson and Lukas, Rachel was the first one to know

deemed that Rachel had

Joey’s ward,

and there were dark circles

tell Rachel about this important

the tragic news,

already

was a

when she became this

had been in a coma for about half a month after

have

for 70 hours before the indication

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

You can’t smoke here."

if he regained his senses, Carson put

he didn’t bother continue discussing about Victor’s

asked, "Anyway, how is

"Joey? He’s fine.

and said

plaster will

turned his head and peeped through the glass

Joey sleeping soundly in

for a bit and

I’m

turned around and

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

from that, he had nothing else to

eye, two

aware of Victor’s

stayed in Joey’s ward almost

didn’t show his face to her

expert, she was also convinced that Victor would

the news that Victor had miraculously woke up

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

Roger for a long time without being able to

if she was still judging Roger’s expression

to go

Rachel pressed her

of nowhere, someone gently pulled her sleeve

want

Joey, pleading in a

the fact that Victor was in a

Joey woke up in the hospital, he actually

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

found out the truth, Rachel didn’t have

or say anything, nor did he pester Rachel to go to the ICU to

just smiled

They say

have to worry

eyes, she felt a lump

few moments, she mustered her

"Yes, of course."

Joey had a

didn’t mention Victor, as if there was nothing

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

keeping it all inside him, but Rachel was

"Okay…"

heart softened, and she

ward was in

yet, it was inconvenient for him

let him sit in

and the three of them went to Victor’s ward

they reached

The elevator finally stopped at the floor of

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

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

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

first time I’ve seen you

What brings you here?"

document he was holding aside and raised

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his

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

dark circles around

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at

opened its front camera, and looked at

realized that

bags were so big that

this was only

hadn’t have a good

handsome young man, but even he was susceptible to stress

"Ha-ha!"

couldn’t help but laugh after seeing

laughter, Carson realized that

stepped forward and pinched

"You, brat.

tease your godfather? You

felt a sharp pain on his face and retorted, "Huh? Who said that you are my godfather? I don’t

have no opinion regarding

and I

We are best friends.

one who picked

how I

and crossed his arms in front of

you, even if you don’t want it, that

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

his tongue as he withdrew

"I also didn’t expect that I

said, it’s a fact that

you’d better change your attitude

he stuck out his tongue at

of his eye, Carson recognized Roger standing

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

heard that Mr.Sullivan has woken

here with Rachel and Joey to

Roger explained.

plan to lose his composure just because of Carson’s

"Oh, I see."

pointed at the room and

He is resting inside.

Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward Carson pointed at,

what was going

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

walked

followed her, pushing Joey’s

arms were placed over

in thoughts

when he was about to sav

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked at

was not standing

a result, Joey could see him from

as if he was giving Carson a

quick glance at him, Joey turned his gaze

to use

what

I take

"No!"

in a

a serious look on his

I am a

it wasn’t

at that moment, they were no longer

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

reaction to Joey’s words, Rachel looked

then her gaze fell

bother the former, Carson soon observed that she

she wanted him to take Joey to

refused to pay any attention to Rachel’s

out his phone and

a thumbs

Carson pretended like he was

Mr.Ramos! I have read the

headed towards the

very good

lit up while he

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

"It’s okay.

take Joey

He is actually right.

is very embarrassing for a boy like him to be taken to the bathroom by

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

those words, they displeased

that Rachel ought to have been closer to him than she

few days, they

always in one another’s

known to her,

the look of things, Rachel

it

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

Joey headed towards

time, Carson came

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

at the phone in

with the

"What?"

and took a peek

smile appeared on

I am through

My subordinates are too bad at

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

fake smile

not very

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

the tip of his nose and coughed to ease the

want to go

look through the glass panel

was

living room could be

the door open in

Victor would lie in

to undergo half a

voice came

a stable condition

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted

stopped and saw a man in a suit coming out

He looked dejected.

document in

and Carson as soon as he came

stunned at first,

"Mr.Scott!"

hung around the man’s

It was quite noticeable.

employee of the Sullivan Group and

about what just happened to

expression that the project

have been driven out! Her attention was drawn to

surname was what really interested

She turned to Carson.

he looked back at her, she raised

"Well, this is Troy.

as a member of the Sullivan

exactly what she meant

a

so many surnames in the

had to choose

who

bowed and mentioned her

"Miss Bennet."

head

forehead was

him the scare of his life! Nonetheless, he

going

his hand and said,

should do that

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

at the door

that Victor was

doesn’t seem as bad

is well and can

walked to the door and pushed it

against

didn’t follow

document when

raise his head and say

cast her gaze on

in

pale despite the fact that he lowered

frowned and

that she waited outside the operating room for more than seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would have

was so entranced that she walked

asked you to

the footsteps, his frown

the person who

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

Even after we finished the dance, Charles kept his hand

around, I figured it wouldn’t bode well

"The dance is over.

to

I reminded him.

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

steps back to distance myself

feel

and i

heart

felt like I

with him were the happiest time

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

feeling conflicted and

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached

from behind me and began chatting

my glass and taking a sip of

I’d had a few to drink

time, Elena came to

surprise waiting for you on the

you like to go upstairs and take a look

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you get

appeared on Elena’s

confusion, I followed her to the deck on

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

also numerous balloons

widened in

must say, this whole

my birthday surprise?’ I had no idea who

to mind was

A bitter smile appeared on my lips, and

on me, and yet I still

this

floor, I stared at the night scene around

and yet

sea

of a sudden, a fireworks display lit

to the sky, a deafening sound resonated

sounded like

I covered my ears

squatted on the ground

and i felt like

incident at the abandoned warehouse

was out of breath I

a pair of strong arms held me

I’m here."

came from above me, making me feel so

It was Charles.

from my eyes, Gently, he brushed my hair and tried to comfort

to be scared