My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire

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

Then she began to type out her reply to Brandon.

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

the staff member said through gritted teeth.

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

Ignoring her, Janet texted Brandon back.

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

The message from Brandon was a godsend.

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

Brandon replied with a long message.

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

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

The data was tampered with.

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

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

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

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

"How did you find that out?"

The platform was now owned by Lester Silk Fabric.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As she spoke, she tucked her phone away.

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

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

Janet ignored her.

She turned around and left without looking back.

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

"What’s up, Lind?"

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

Janet asked politely.

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

Tiffany looked at her warily and then nodded slowly.

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

"I want to call him and apologize,"

Janet answered simply.

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

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

There are enough discussions about you already,"

Tiffany scolded.

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

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

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

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

Janet reached for the card with a bright smile.

Of course she knew what she was doing.

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

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

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

Janet said, her voice as sweet as honey.

When Ritchie heard this, he was surprised.

Then, he sneered.

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

Janet had given up so soon.

"You’re scared, aren’t you?"

With a smug smile on his face, Ritchie smirked.

"Come to Lester Silk Fabric tomorrow.

You can apologize there in person."

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

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

he barked at his secretary.

"I want them here tomorrow.

Call some famous personalities in the fashion industry as well.

We need people in authority for the event."

The secretary nodded respectfully.

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

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

Get your ass back here."

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

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

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

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

"Get the biggest function hall for the press conference.

I want hundreds of people to be there.

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

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

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

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

1 Another evil grin spread on Ritchie’s face.

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

The secretary pursed his lips and jotted every detail down.

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

The sun shone bright and early the next day.

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

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

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

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

Tiffany remarked from beside her.

She turned to look Janet in the eye.

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

A faint smile appeared on Janet’s lips.

"You’ll find out soon enough.

Don’t worry.

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

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

The room finally settled down as Janet took her place.

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

"Sorry for taking up your time, everyone.

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

From a distance, Ritchie frowned and narrowed his eyes.

He could sense that something wasn’t right.

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

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

"She can’t have,"

the other man replied confidently.

"We’ve taken care to sweep everything.

All the evidence has been locked away.

I think she’s just bluffing."

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is your truth.

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

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

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

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

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

His secretary was also scared silly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Janet smiled and said in a calm voice.

Ritchie was exasperated to hear that.

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

"I thought you came here to apologize.

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

While smiling, Janet didn’t say a word.

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

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

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

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

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

The audience began to discuss this amongst themselves.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She said frantically, "I have no idea.

Don’t ask me…"

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

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

His secretary hurried to stop his curses.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now, she felt much better.

"It’s finally over!"

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

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

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

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

Related videos went viral on the Internet.

Suddenly, Janet’s phone started to ring.

It was Tiffany.

"Lind, I’m impressed.

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

You really knocked them dead!"

"Oh, my God! Seriously?"

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

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

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

There was a lot of positive feedback.

"Wow.

Heart.

Heart.

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

"She’s a lovely girl.

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

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

"Even though I’m a girl, I want her!"

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

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

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

Furious, Ritchie started trashing his office.

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

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

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

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

plummeted.

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

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

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

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

Ritchie glared at him, speechless.

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

"I’m not an idiot.

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

Things didn’t end there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am responsible for all of this.

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

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

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

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

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

She’s just an ordinary employee.

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

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

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

Janet pulled her chair and sat down.

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

"I can’t say I’m surprised.

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

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

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

"It doesn’t matter.

Look on the bright side.

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

Now, all eyes are on my work."

In the end, Luna was put behind bars.

And Janet had become an online celebrity.

Many people now knew her name and saw her designs.

Some even paid for it.

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

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

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

How’d you get the evidence?"

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

Janet froze.

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

"A very capable friend helped me get them."

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

Janet’s eyes twinkled.

"It’s a secret.

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

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

Gerda scratched her head and hurried back to her desk.

Janet couldn’t help but chuckle.

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

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

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

Janet couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Someone texted you."

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

"It seems your wife’s missing you."

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

Instantly, his expression darkened when he read the text.

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

Garrett asked seriously, the smile wiped from his face.

"Janet’s asking Brandon out for dinner."

Ethan put his phone down and sighed.

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

Garrett leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Yeah.

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

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

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

It’s not good for my heart either,"

he sighed.

Ethan frowned and started typing out a brisk reply.

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

You’re an employee of the Larson Group.

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

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

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

That’s thanks enough, Miss Lind,"

Ethan replied politely, keeping things professional.

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

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

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

Transfer her to a subsidiary company.

Then, bring Charis here."

Garrett was just about to take a nap.

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

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

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

"Why did you want to dismiss Janet?"

Ethan asked in a low voice.

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

"I just wanted to protect the company name,"

Charis answered defensively.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at her coldly.

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

No one other than me.

Understood?"

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

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

"I see how it is.

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

Ethan had already noticed that something was wrong with Charis.

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

She and her family had always valued their image.

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

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

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

Charis was a dignified woman.

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

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

She hadn’t cried in years.

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

She had been reluctant to leave him.

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

She and Brandon had worked together for years.

They had shared the company’s ups and downs.

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

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

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

"I met Brandon first,"

Charis muttered through gritted teeth.

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

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

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

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

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

But she couldn’t act as overtly as before.

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

She had to be more careful now.

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

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

Janet’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

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

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

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

But he couldn’t tell her this.

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

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

The manager of the shop at work fired me.

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

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

In fact, there was some truth to his story.

Ritchie had indeed caused him a lot trouble after all.

Hearing this, Janet’s heart immediately softened.

She walked over to help him with the vegetables.

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

I was worried something bad happened to you."

"The problem’s been solved.

Don’t worry,"

Ethan said with a reassuring smile.

That much was true.

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

"Your brother is really hard to deal with."

Janet pouted like a child.

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

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

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

Janet looked up at Ethan curiously.

Almost immediately, she saw the lust in his eyes.

His face was so beautiful.

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

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

Janet’s face turned as red as a tomato.

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

Then she focused on chopping the vegetables.

Amused, Ethan patted her on the head affectionately.

He really liked it when she blushed.

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

He had to admit it really turned him on.

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

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

Ethan stroked Janet’s hair.

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

A long forgotten name appeared on the screen.

It was Patrick Lester.

Chapter 324 Nora’s Birthday Ethan pursed his lips.

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

It was winter and the cold wind was unforgiving.

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

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

Janet’s voice broke the silence.

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

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

He was answering the phone out on the balcony again.

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

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

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

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

"I was busy just now,"

Ethan simply replied.

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

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

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

She wants you and your wife here."

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

— – Janet had overheard Patrick’s loud voice.

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

Ethan held her tighter and sighed.

"We are.

Patrick seldom summons me.

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

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

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

Janet smiled at him sweetly.

"I can tell that you’re fond of her."

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

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

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

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

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

She was the only Lester who ever cared about Ethan.

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

"She’s a kind lady,"

he said calmly.

long time since they last met-too

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her

thought occurred to

I forgot all

and ran to the

Ethan followed behind her.

extremely flustered, and

told you to

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

thumbs, Janet stood in the corner, restlessly

"I’m sorry.

Charis, so I rushed to you and forgot I

Ethan had guessed this.

raised his eyes to

"It’s my fault.

you

he spread out his arms and

leaned her face against his

she murmured,

and I just

has a huge

we just go there?"Chapter 461 In Order To

her forehead in a casual manner, flipped the meat

don’t want to tell me, then forget

being

silently retracted the knife he was

a feeling that Shelia didn’t mean

poured the juice over

definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

the meat Shelia was holding out in

roast some more for myself

going to take the meat, Shelia smiled

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

assured and eat it

was on high alert right then, watching Shelia with

easy-going person, this

that Victor

after she saw his injuries, she knew she was wrong and he was on guard

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead

turned to look away and placed the

roast the rest for

Shelia nodded and

a bite out

for some time, she furrowed her brows and stuck out her

hard to

not cooked

gave you just now must be the

didn’t you tell me? You even finished

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

Shelia turned

smiling? Van, you did

I smiling?’ Victor never even

hand and gently touched the corner of

to roast

have gone a

and get some

tired

sit right

her hands propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down next to

"Van, you’re good at

how to

spoke in a deep

"Survive in the wildness?"

first time that Shelia had ever heard

you go out of your way to learn

crushed some fruits and poured the

knife to slice the

he heard what Shelia asked, his eyes darkened

while, he said,

fact, Victor knew

he wanted to be

under ner protection,

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

"Alright."

continued to focus her gaze on the burning

of Shelia’s

a hand to

turned to look at Victor with a

into Shelia’s eyes, he started to feel a

and

"Is that so?"

went ahead to rub her nose with the back of her

now?

"No,"

glancing

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

other than

Can you teach me?"

you want to learn

"In order to survive."

out of Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me "In order to

shelia said casually.

Victor felt sad upon

be flipped? It’s on the verge

Shelia pointed out.

burn on the meat’s exposed side when he looked

over while he was still thinking about what she

.

thoughts about whether or not to ask her

was, after all,

on the other hand, didn’t

you please

"Hmm,"

said after

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she broke

two dimples, meanwhile, became much

Victor nodded, "Okay."

broadly as she said, "Thanks

I’ve ever encountered, except for my

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I was

was taken over and the old woman

as

elderly woman was a

was younger, she prepared great meals and gave

orphan…’ Victor pursed

after you since the orphanage

you leave with the

looked up at Victor and answered, "I

only home Shelia had known

okay with you being

head, Shelia said,

I was desperate to visit her tomb, so I

to them, and I

the dingy ground, Shelia lay

that had been scattered by the trees

her hands behind her head,

as she gazed up at the

to visit

keeps you from

people guarding

find me if I

that I

when I meet

blinking

remained fixed on Shelia and

you, Van, it would be more than likely that she would like

spot in her

I was

didn’t seem appropriate to use

Shelia, Victor concluded

apt description of her features, particularly

responsible for your

to communicate since she was deaf, mute,

to us

a poker card was in my

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

orphanage, each kid was given a

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

at the card–the

get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

card and said, "I am

meat was toasting

her the meat after he re-applied the

set to

Eat, please."

her gut just after

was embarrassed, so she put her hand to her

than the meat i made

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after a good

to her feet, she said, "Let’s

was ready to rise when Shelia abruptly extended her

"Come on, get up."

a little pause, he took Shelia’s hand in his and

a dart to put

of time as

sun had cooled down

assisted Victor in sitting down on a stone and

how far we’ll have to travel

get out before the

drank some

so much walking, and he was coughing up blood for the second

said incoherently, "I’m sure

Let’s move forward."

still have

"Like never before…"

continued to

murmured, "Van,

you return, be sure

gaze to

after a day and a night

What’s

"Plan?"

slow

remarked, "What are your plans once we leave the forest? Where will you be

don’t know… I want to continue my travels

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

with

"Shelia."

up his mind after staring at Shelia

"What’s the problem?"

with me after

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

can count

want me to come with

you? If you don’t want to, it doesn’t

that

before asking, "Are you joking

"No, I’m not.

you the best

Victor convinced her.

nodded and smiled at

agree when we get out of the

"Sure."

from the woods,

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

the bodies of

walking since high noon and

was assuaged when they saw a relatively spacious

out of the

if

We can…"

could finish her sentence,

She was confused.

wanting to know why he

"Van?"

well, i didn’t expect you to come out

Shelia looked for the source of the

saw three cars that were

front, looking at them intently as he played with

right away that they were Victor’s

instinctively moved to shield Victor, who in turn stood protectively in

didn’t take his eyes off Norton,

voice that only Shelia could hear, Victor said, "Run into the forest

get lost even when

our way out of the forest, I put marks

these marks and you can

"And then?"

asked, her

looked straight into

"Walk along this road.

meet villagers, borrow a mobile phone

Norton didn’t intend to let

wanted to play a game with Victor

couldn’t escape

bring her back to see his grandmother, and treat her as

that Victor could not fulfill

Victor wrote a phone number on

the number once you get hold of a

he whispered.

is my

she will pick you

looked down

that Shelia didn’t respond, Victor looked at

"No."

pulled her hand

eyes were a little

want to remember the number, nor

be a good

Victor frowned.

so anxious that he coughed violently as soon as

and clenched her

just didn’t want to spread her palm and let Victor write the phone

Shelia were talking about,

"Tut, tut, tut,

for each other! I’m so moved by

up when saw

intuitively pulled

was seriously injured and keeping himself standing steadily

hard for him to fight off

walked up

and Shelia

Norton pulled

was too fast for Victor

"Let her go!"

firm grip on Shelia’s

hearing vexation in Victor’s

know you look

he wiped the mud

knew this would all the more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed over and tried to

stopped in his tracks when something

knife that Norton

spat out a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

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

felt that he had difficulty

fist and

want is

nothing to do

So, let her go!"

This is

Norton curled his lips.

don’t want to let

comes from but

die alone? I can do something about that and

red eyes, Victor breathed

of the knife pressed against her neck, all Shelia could

body was

out blood and beg for mercy,

that all you can do? Threaten

smile plastered on his

in anger when he heard Shelia’s disdainful

you

you

Shelia swallowed.

a sense of accomplishment

you to do what you intend

So, cut the crap.

kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

tried to

that she was provoking

make Norton’s hackles rise and

Norton was indeed angry.

but he kept his voice in check as he talked

you really want to

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help you with

Norton said, laughing derisively.

to his men and instructed them,

his eyes and asked anxiously, "What are you going to

Norton didn’t answer.

glared at

as

and feet bound, Shelia was

was made to

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

river was

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

hands clenched into fists, and the blue veins on his

and yelled, "Let

because of

Victor to run

she opened her mouth, she was

her eyes

the exasperated expression on

be strong but he was useless in

making me

man? Why the hell should I

smile, Norton approached the rope, squatted down,

to save her

good in me, huh? What

just glare

whatever it took

the river, Norton squinted his eyes and

men behind him appeared and stood

looked at Victor

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

the

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

want to save

two men who had been holding Victor’s

with his thumb and

two before

say goodbye

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

at the flickering flame, Victor

was of essence, so he quickly rushed up and

and the most

subordinates

was

his peak state, he might not even be able

them were tall and burly men that could easily flip Victor

Victor was at a disadvantage from the

Victor right in his

was hit,

his strength left him, and he eventually knelt on the

being broken scattered all over his body,

Victor’s face

still tried to stand, not

he could even get back on

subconsciously use his arm to block it, but it

was hit again, Victor spat out a mouthful of blood, and a tooth also fell

point, Victor’s vision became

on the rope, which was only a few steps away

didn’t matter how many

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

her into this trouble, so he was

much as his mind wanted to go on, his body couldn’t keep up any

back to the ground and lost his

awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling on

his eyes, but

lay there on the ground, watching the raindrops

but wonder

so he thought

every inch of his body made Victor

stand up, but he couldn’t move even

a little bit, grabbing the mud under his hands

at the river, only

was no trace

"Ahem!"

spurting

and opened his

as if he was

for a

he didn’t even know

the person he had been

raise her head from the river or come out from somewhere and

the excruciating pain

he lost

up again, he was

him

to rescue him lasted for two days and two

a doctor’s diagnosis, it was found out that Victor had

his right knee were shattered, his chest and lungs

first thing Victor did after he woke up was ask Carolyn

an oxygen

not completely out of danger yet, but all he cared

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

delay to send people

for seven days, but Shelia couldn’t be

there was

was a crumpled playing card that got wet from the rain and

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

years later, Victor

first thing he did after fully recovering

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

was nothing on the marble tombstone aside from

Shelia’s name on

was on a business trip,

him to the hospital, but he was declared dead

in that year that Carolyn sent Victor

finished

companies under the control of the Sullivan

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

prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed over the

time, Roger entered the ward where Rachel

of the bed, holding a

eat

porridge for about

stand the

no choice but

said, "Eat it

out, not

the door, so

In the past half a month, Roger came to

the kid gradually

him was that Roger would bring

he could at least taste something

Joey could only eat them

greeted Roger, Rachel turned around and was surprised to see

you say that you wouldn’t

in advance to ask her

would say no every time, he would still insist

an important project meeting today,

it would probably

initially, I couldn’t

Roger hesitated for a moment before finally saying,

Rachel furrowed her

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

Dark Circles The operation done to Victor

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

and Carson couldn’t do anything but wait outside until

the fourth day since the operation began, the indicator

the surgery was

was saved, but he wasn’t completely

he was wheeled

until two days ago that

be

was still in

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

what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

old wounds had healed, they

his new injuries just made matters

that only a miracle could save Victor’s

least tell us when he will

asked in a

afraid I can’t

help but frown as he

I may be blunt, please consider preparing for

never wake up? Is he going to become a vegetable

it was obvious that this was what

but there was a huge chance that

Lukas, Rachel was the first one to

deemed that Rachel had the

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

and there were

tell Rachel

Rachel heard the tragic news, her face

as if she had already prepared

Carson was a bit

she

when Victor had been in a coma for about half a month after the

have been

for

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

You can’t smoke here."

if he regained his senses, Carson

indifferent expression, he didn’t bother

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

"Joey? He’s fine.

him up yesterday and said that he

plaster will

turned his head and peeped through the glass panel on

Joey sleeping soundly

faint smile, he stretched for a

I’m leaving

turned around and left without looking

he really just visited to tell Rachel about the

he had nothing

of an eye, two days eventually passed

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

Joey’s ward almost twenty-four

same time, Carson didn’t show his

the diagnosis came from an expert, she was

Victor

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

time without being able to speak

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

want to go upstairs and

Rachel pressed her

someone gently pulled her sleeve and pulled her back from her

I want to see

pleading in a soft

failed to hide the fact that Victor was in a coma after obtaining serious

Joey woke up in the hospital, he actually had

found that Rachel had always been absent-minded and

the truth, Rachel didn’t have the heart to

truth, Joey didn’t cry or say anything, nor did he pester Rachel to

he just smiled and made

bad? They say bad people live long

we don’t have to worry too

Joey’s bright eyes, she felt a lump in

a few moments, she

"Yes, of course."

two weeks, Joey had a

Victor, as if there was nothing wrong going

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

keeping it all inside him, but Rachel was aware that

"Okay…"

heart softened,

ward was in the second

wound hadn’t fully healed yet, it was inconvenient for him to walk all the way

let him sit

pushed the wheelchair for him, and the three of them went to Victor’s ward

they reached the

elevator finally stopped at the floor of the ward

out that the entire floor was a VIP ward, and there was only one patient at this time, Carson

heard that there were steps approaching, he furrowed his brows and eventually saw three people approaching like a

this scene, Carson knew that he would have

the first time I’ve seen you up

What brings you here?"

he quickly set the document he

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking his innocent

ask that? Do I look like someone who will be

dark circles around

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at

opened its front camera,

realized that

his eye bags were so big that it seemed like

of course, this was only

hadn’t have a good sleep for

but even he

"Ha-ha!"

seeing the upset look on

that he was

stepped forward and pinched

"You, brat.

dare you tease your godfather?

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

no opinion regarding

and I grew

We are best friends.

the one who picked

how I

crossed his arms in

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

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

clicked his tongue as he withdrew his hand

slightly low voice, "I also didn’t

I said, it’s a fact that you

you’d better change your attitude towards

but he

corner of his eye, Carson recognized

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

heard that

Rachel and Joey to

Roger explained.

to lose his composure just because of

"Oh, I see."

Carson pointed at the room and said, "His

He is resting inside.

Rachel

was going through

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

nodded and walked

her, pushing Joey’s

were placed over his

in thoughts for

about to

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

and looked at the little

not standing very far

see him from the corner of his

eyebrows as if he

glance at him, Joey turned his gaze

need to use

overheard what Joey was

I take you

"No!"

a

serious

am a

so it wasn’t a problem for Rachel to take him to

at that moment, they were no longer in the

appropriate for Rachel to take a boy to the ladies’ room, just like it wouldn’t

reaction to Joey’s words, Rachel looked

was Roger, then her gaze

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

to take Joey to the

coughed and refused to pay

took out his phone and turned

managed to give Joey a

pretended like he was answering the

I have read the plan

talking, he headed towards the

wasn’t very

phone’s screen lit up while he was still holding

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

"It’s okay.

will take

He is actually right.

like him to be taken to the bathroom

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

those words, they displeased

have been closer

they got along

them were always in one

best known to her, she

of things, Rachel still didn’t love

knew that it couldn’t be achieved

thinking about the night Rachel was standing outside the operating room

and Joey headed

some time, Carson

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

a quick glance at

through with the phone

"What?"

and took a peek at his

smile appeared

am through with

choice! My

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

a fake

very good at

to answer the call only moments

nose and coughed to ease the awkwardness

you want to go

raised her head in order to look

ward was a

of view, only the living room could be

the door open in no

doctor said Victor would lie in the bed for

undergo half a year’s rehabilitation

came from

in a stable

"Get out of here!"

interrupted

a man in a suit coming out of

He looked dejected.

was a document

and Carson as soon as

stunned at first, then

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung around the

It was quite noticeable.

employee of the Sullivan Group and

about what just happened to

the man’s expression that the project plan had been denied

Her attention was drawn to the name on the work

was what really

She turned to Carson.

at her, she raised

"Well, this is Troy.

works as a member of the Sullivan Group’s project

exactly what she meant by just

at a loss

many surnames in the

had to

who

and

"Miss Bennet."

her head slightly in

was

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

I’m going back

his hand and said, "Very well

should do that

out of sight in a

at the

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

condition doesn’t seem as bad as you

and can

door and pushed

leaned against

didn’t follow

was reading some document when he heard the

his head and say coldly, "Get

cast her

was in a hospital

still tell that his face was pale

frowned and

than seventy hours

was so entranced that she walked towards

asked you to

heard the footsteps, his

the person who was

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

Even after we finished the dance, Charles

guests around, I figured it wouldn’t bode well

"The dance is over.

to let

I reminded him.

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

steps back

could still feel the warmth of his touch on

blushed and i

my heart

it felt like I had returned to the

him were the happiest

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

down, feeling

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached

gaze from behind me and began chatting with the guests with a smile on my face "Thank

my glass and taking

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

time, Elena came

surprise waiting for you

go upstairs and take a look

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when

appeared

her to the

red rose petals scattered across

were also numerous balloons

eyes widened

must say, this whole

birthday surprise?’ I had no idea who had

mind was

A bitter smile appeared on my lips, and

much effort on me, and yet I still

receiving this birthday surprise soon died

I stared at the night scene around me

was tranquil, and yet my mind

cold sea

fireworks display lit up

fireworks shot up to the sky,

like a

noise, I

on the

and i felt like

at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing

seconds, I was out of breath I felt so dizzy that I almost

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

I’m here."

from above me, making

It was Charles.

burst from my eyes, Gently,

have to