My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire

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

Then she began to type out her reply to Brandon.

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

the staff member said through gritted teeth.

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

Ignoring her, Janet texted Brandon back.

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

The message from Brandon was a godsend.

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

Brandon replied with a long message.

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

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

The data was tampered with.

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

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

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

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

"How did you find that out?"

The platform was now owned by Lester Silk Fabric.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As she spoke, she tucked her phone away.

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

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

Janet ignored her.

She turned around and left without looking back.

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

"What’s up, Lind?"

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

Janet asked politely.

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

Tiffany looked at her warily and then nodded slowly.

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

"I want to call him and apologize,"

Janet answered simply.

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

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

There are enough discussions about you already,"

Tiffany scolded.

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

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

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

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

Janet reached for the card with a bright smile.

Of course she knew what she was doing.

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

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

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

Janet said, her voice as sweet as honey.

When Ritchie heard this, he was surprised.

Then, he sneered.

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

Janet had given up so soon.

"You’re scared, aren’t you?"

With a smug smile on his face, Ritchie smirked.

"Come to Lester Silk Fabric tomorrow.

You can apologize there in person."

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

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

he barked at his secretary.

"I want them here tomorrow.

Call some famous personalities in the fashion industry as well.

We need people in authority for the event."

The secretary nodded respectfully.

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

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

Get your ass back here."

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

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

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

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

"Get the biggest function hall for the press conference.

I want hundreds of people to be there.

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

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

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

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

1 Another evil grin spread on Ritchie’s face.

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

The secretary pursed his lips and jotted every detail down.

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

The sun shone bright and early the next day.

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

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

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

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

Tiffany remarked from beside her.

She turned to look Janet in the eye.

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

A faint smile appeared on Janet’s lips.

"You’ll find out soon enough.

Don’t worry.

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

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

The room finally settled down as Janet took her place.

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

"Sorry for taking up your time, everyone.

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

From a distance, Ritchie frowned and narrowed his eyes.

He could sense that something wasn’t right.

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

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

"She can’t have,"

the other man replied confidently.

"We’ve taken care to sweep everything.

All the evidence has been locked away.

I think she’s just bluffing."

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is your truth.

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

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

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

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

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

His secretary was also scared silly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Janet smiled and said in a calm voice.

Ritchie was exasperated to hear that.

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

"I thought you came here to apologize.

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

While smiling, Janet didn’t say a word.

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

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

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

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

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

The audience began to discuss this amongst themselves.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She said frantically, "I have no idea.

Don’t ask me…"

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

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

His secretary hurried to stop his curses.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now, she felt much better.

"It’s finally over!"

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

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

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

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

Related videos went viral on the Internet.

Suddenly, Janet’s phone started to ring.

It was Tiffany.

"Lind, I’m impressed.

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

You really knocked them dead!"

"Oh, my God! Seriously?"

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

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

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

There was a lot of positive feedback.

"Wow.

Heart.

Heart.

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

"She’s a lovely girl.

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

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

"Even though I’m a girl, I want her!"

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

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

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

Furious, Ritchie started trashing his office.

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

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

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

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

plummeted.

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

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

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

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

Ritchie glared at him, speechless.

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

"I’m not an idiot.

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

Things didn’t end there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am responsible for all of this.

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

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

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

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

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

She’s just an ordinary employee.

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

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

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

Janet pulled her chair and sat down.

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

"I can’t say I’m surprised.

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

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

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

"It doesn’t matter.

Look on the bright side.

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

Now, all eyes are on my work."

In the end, Luna was put behind bars.

And Janet had become an online celebrity.

Many people now knew her name and saw her designs.

Some even paid for it.

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

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

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

How’d you get the evidence?"

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

Janet froze.

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

"A very capable friend helped me get them."

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

Janet’s eyes twinkled.

"It’s a secret.

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

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

Gerda scratched her head and hurried back to her desk.

Janet couldn’t help but chuckle.

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

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

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

Janet couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Someone texted you."

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

"It seems your wife’s missing you."

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

Instantly, his expression darkened when he read the text.

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

Garrett asked seriously, the smile wiped from his face.

"Janet’s asking Brandon out for dinner."

Ethan put his phone down and sighed.

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

Garrett leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Yeah.

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

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

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

It’s not good for my heart either,"

he sighed.

Ethan frowned and started typing out a brisk reply.

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

You’re an employee of the Larson Group.

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

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

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

That’s thanks enough, Miss Lind,"

Ethan replied politely, keeping things professional.

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

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

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

Transfer her to a subsidiary company.

Then, bring Charis here."

Garrett was just about to take a nap.

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

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

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

"Why did you want to dismiss Janet?"

Ethan asked in a low voice.

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

"I just wanted to protect the company name,"

Charis answered defensively.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at her coldly.

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

No one other than me.

Understood?"

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

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

"I see how it is.

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

Ethan had already noticed that something was wrong with Charis.

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

She and her family had always valued their image.

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

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

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

Charis was a dignified woman.

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

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

She hadn’t cried in years.

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

She had been reluctant to leave him.

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

She and Brandon had worked together for years.

They had shared the company’s ups and downs.

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

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

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

"I met Brandon first,"

Charis muttered through gritted teeth.

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

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

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

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

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

But she couldn’t act as overtly as before.

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

She had to be more careful now.

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

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

Janet’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

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

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

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

But he couldn’t tell her this.

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

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

The manager of the shop at work fired me.

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

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

In fact, there was some truth to his story.

Ritchie had indeed caused him a lot trouble after all.

Hearing this, Janet’s heart immediately softened.

She walked over to help him with the vegetables.

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

I was worried something bad happened to you."

"The problem’s been solved.

Don’t worry,"

Ethan said with a reassuring smile.

That much was true.

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

"Your brother is really hard to deal with."

Janet pouted like a child.

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

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

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

Janet looked up at Ethan curiously.

Almost immediately, she saw the lust in his eyes.

His face was so beautiful.

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

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

Janet’s face turned as red as a tomato.

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

Then she focused on chopping the vegetables.

Amused, Ethan patted her on the head affectionately.

He really liked it when she blushed.

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

He had to admit it really turned him on.

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

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

Ethan stroked Janet’s hair.

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

A long forgotten name appeared on the screen.

It was Patrick Lester.

Chapter 324 Nora’s Birthday Ethan pursed his lips.

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

It was winter and the cold wind was unforgiving.

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

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

Janet’s voice broke the silence.

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

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

He was answering the phone out on the balcony again.

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

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

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

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

"I was busy just now,"

Ethan simply replied.

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

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

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

She wants you and your wife here."

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

— – Janet had overheard Patrick’s loud voice.

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

Ethan held her tighter and sighed.

"We are.

Patrick seldom summons me.

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

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

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

Janet smiled at him sweetly.

"I can tell that you’re fond of her."

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

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

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

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

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

She was the only Lester who ever cared about Ethan.

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

"She’s a kind lady,"

he said calmly.

been a long time since they last met-too

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her teeth

thought

eggs! I

free from Ethan’s embrace and ran to the kitchen

Ethan followed behind her.

Janet, who was extremely flustered,

you to keep an

to the side while he cleaned up the mess himself

thumbs, Janet stood in the corner, restlessly watching Ethan

"I’m sorry.

you were talking to Charis, so I rushed to you and forgot

Ethan had guessed this.

he raised his

"It’s my fault.

give you

saying that, he spread out his arms and

face against

from Patrick, she murmured, "The Lesters treat you

I just got

a huge grudge against

In Order

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and silently retracted the knife he was hiding behind

feeling that Shelia didn’t mean him any

crushed some fruits and poured the juice over

definitely could

Here you go."

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had thought that Victor

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

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go ahead and

look away and placed

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

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time, she furrowed her brows and

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propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down next

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Shelia had ever heard

out of your way

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used a knife

heard what Shelia asked,

while, he said, "I have no

fact, Victor knew

wanted to be prepared

of time that even under ner protection,

that he would at least have a better

"Alright."

her gaze on the burning

of his eye, Victor caught a glimpse of Shelia’s profile and the

hand to wipe

turned to look

straight into Shelia’s eyes, he started

and explained, "Your nose has dirt on

"Is that so?"

nose with

what about now? Is it still

"No,"

said, glancing over

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

did you learn other than roasting meat? I want

Can you teach me?"

want to learn

"In order to survive."

naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me "In order

shelia said casually.

sad upon hearing

meat ready to be flipped? It’s on the verge of

Shelia pointed out.

Victor saw a small burn on the meat’s exposed

while he was still thinking about what she

.

or not to ask

all, Shelia’s own

hand, didn’t seem to take it

asked, "Will you

"Hmm,"

after

"Is that a yes?"

and she

dimples, meanwhile, became much more

Victor nodded, "Okay."

as she said,

the kindest individual I’ve ever encountered, except

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I was

ago, the orphanage was taken over and the old woman was unwell and

clouded as she

elderly woman was

great meals and

an orphan…’ Victor

to look after you since

you leave with

at Victor and answered, "I didn’t want to

the only home Shelia had

you

her head, Shelia said,

was desperate to visit her tomb, so I

to them, and I don’t

the dingy

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

placed her hands behind her head, her lips

she gazed up

to

keeps you from

people guarding the

find me if I

no idea that I have a name

when I meet her again

said, blinking

black eyes remained fixed on

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

spot in

said that I was

seem appropriate to use this term to describe

at Shelia, Victor concluded that the

of her features,

she was responsible for your upbringing, how come you got your

since she

referred to

a poker card was in

as if it were a treasure and

each kid was given a unique

the fruits, she put them on the cards and let us take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella erupted

stared at the

I get the best

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

the card and said, "I am

toasting

meat after

set to

Eat, please."

her gut just after his

hand to her stomach and ate the meat with a

much better than the meat i

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after

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

and was ready to rise when Shelia abruptly extended her

"Come on, get up."

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

way, Shelia used a dart to put marks on

of time

had

on a stone and

sure how far we’ll

can get out

drank some water

so much walking, and he was

"I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

still have the

"Like never before…"

and continued

she murmured, "Van, you

be sure to

lowered his gaze to

mud after a day

you? What’s your

"Plan?"

slow to

we leave

my travels

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

answered with

"Shelia."

have made up his mind after staring at

"What’s the problem?"

me after we get out of

you, I will defend you if

can count

me to come

If you don’t

concerned that Shelia

paused for a while before asking,

"No, I’m not.

to treat you the best I

Victor convinced her.

and smiled at Victor, saying,

when we get out of the

"Sure."

emerged from the woods, though, everything

to disappear below the horizon, basking the forest

glimmered on the bodies of

walking since high noon and

assuaged when they saw a relatively spacious

out

if we walk a little

We can…"

Shelia could finish her sentence,

She was confused.

wanting to know why he

"Van?"

i didn’t expect you to come out

for the source

cars that were

stood at the front, looking at them intently as he played with

right away that they were

Victor, who in

didn’t take his eyes off

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

won’t get lost even when it

our way out of the forest, I put marks all

marks and you

"And then?"

asked, her eyebrows

looked straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

meet villagers, borrow a mobile

knew that Norton didn’t

play a game with Victor

escape

promised to give Shelia a family, bring her back to see his

not fulfill the promise

Victor wrote a phone

call the number once you get hold of a mobile

he whispered.

is my

she will pick you up wherever you

looked down at her

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

"No."

her

were

to remember the number, nor

be a good

Victor frowned.

anxious that he coughed violently as soon as

remained adamant and clenched her

want to spread her palm and

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

he said, "Tut,

each other! I’m

up when saw Norton approaching

pulled Sheila behind

was seriously injured and keeping himself standing steadily was

be hard for him to

deliberately walked up to

Shelia stepped

them, Norton pulled Shelia

too fast for Victor to stop

"Let her go!"

kept a firm grip on

in hearing vexation in

know you look

the mud on

the more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed over and tried to take

in his tracks when something silver

a knife that Norton pressed against

a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

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

felt that he

his fist and

you want is my

to do

So, let her go!"

This is so

Norton curled his lips.

don’t want to

where she comes from but I

boring for you to die alone? I

eyes, Victor

the knife pressed against her neck, all Shelia

body was

out blood and beg for mercy,

that all you can do? Threaten

his mocking smile plastered on his

anger when he

you just

said you are a

Shelia swallowed.

of accomplishment

you

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill

"Shelia…"

tried

that she was provoking

rise and the man would do just what she

Norton was indeed angry.

he kept his voice in check

Looks like you really

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

his men and instructed them,

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

Norton didn’t answer.

glared at

did as they

and feet bound, Shelia was taken

made to ride a

about where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor Woke

river was

it inundated Shelia, making her

the blue veins on his neck

gritted his teeth and yelled, "Let her

to open her eyes because of the gushing water,

wanted Victor

opened her

enough, her

on Victor’s

strong but he was

me

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

Norton approached the rope,

sake of you wanting to save her so much, I will give you

still some good in me, huh?

just glare

would do whatever it

of the river, Norton squinted his

him appeared and stood

slowly stood up and looked at Victor with

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

the weakest among

two people, and the one on the right has killed

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

two men who had been holding Victor’s arms let go of him

knife in his hand, Norton touched its tip with his

two before the rope

you can say goodbye to

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

at the flickering flame, Victor didn’t care about

was of essence, so he quickly rushed up and

mercenary and the most popular

subordinates should

was currently

might not even be able to defeat one of the two weakest

were tall and burly men that

a doubt, Victor was at a disadvantage from

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

he was hit, Victor staggered and struggled

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

all

this time, Victor’s face looked black

still tried to stand,

on his feet,

arm to block it,

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

this point, Victor’s vision

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

how many

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

trouble, so he

his mind wanted to go on, his

fell back to the ground and lost his

After some time, Victor was somewhat awakened

eyes, but his

on the ground,

help but wonder if he was

consciousness hadn’t fully recovered yet, so

enough, the sharp pain that pierced every inch of

Victor wanted to stand up, but

a little bit, grabbing the mud under

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

was no trace

"Ahem!"

spurting out

soil and

at the river expectantly, as if he was

waited for

he didn’t even know how

he never found the person he had been

hoped that someone would raise her head from the river or come out

and the excruciating pain

he lost

woke up again, he

found him

to rescue him lasted for two days and

it was found out that Victor had fractures in eight different body

right knee were shattered, his chest and lungs were

after he woke up was ask Carolyn to send people to

still wearing an oxygen mask and struggled

danger yet, but all

who Shelia was, but she could sense that she must be a very important person

dare delay to send people to search for

lasted for seven days, but

passed and there was still no news

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

could easily

years later, Victor

did after fully recovering was buy a

card in a box

the marble tombstone aside

even Shelia’s name

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

still tried to rush him to the

that year that Carolyn

finished his studies

began taking over several small companies under

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

to prove his outstanding ability,

entered the

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

can’t eat any

porridge for about half a

stand the smell

no choice but to put the

said, "Eat it again when you get

out, not intending to

the

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

gradually got acquainted

about him was that Roger would bring some snacks

couldn’t eat too much, he could at

Joey could only eat

around and was surprised to see

you say that

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

she would say no every time, he

important project meeting today, so he

could still visit, it would probably be

initially, I couldn’t

hesitated for a moment before

response, Rachel furrowed her brows

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

The operation done to

of the operating room opened and closed for several

and Carson couldn’t do anything but wait

on the fourth day since the operation began, the indicator light outside the room was

the surgery was

was saved, but he

was wheeled to the

not until two days ago that his vital signs became

became eligible to be transferred to the general

was still in

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

wasn’t what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

wounds had healed, they

injuries just

he said that only a

at least tell us when he will wake

in

I can’t say that

couldn’t help but frown as he made things

blunt,

up? Is he going to become a vegetable for

it was obvious that

not a hundred percent, but there was a huge chance that this was it for

Lukas, Rachel was the first one to

Carson deemed that Rachel had the right

wall outside Joey’s ward,

slightly disoriented, and there were dark

tell Rachel about this important

tragic news, her face

was as if she had already

fact, Carson was a

she became

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

it might have been

there outside the operating room for 70 hours before the indication light

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

You can’t smoke here."

if he regained his senses, Carson put out the

he didn’t bother continue discussing about Victor’s

the subject and asked, "Anyway, how is the

"Joey? He’s fine.

up yesterday and said that he

his plaster will be

through the glass panel on the

saw Joey sleeping soundly

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

I’m

Carson turned around and left

visited to tell Rachel about

he had nothing

eye, two days eventually

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

stayed in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four hours a

didn’t show

the diagnosis came from an expert, she was also

Victor had miraculously woke up from

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

long time without being able to speak

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

Do you want to go

slowly This time, Rachel pressed her lips hard and remained

gently pulled her sleeve and pulled her back

I want to

was Joey, pleading

hide the fact that Victor was in a

up in the hospital,

absent-minded

Joey finally found out the truth, Rachel

anything, nor did he pester

just smiled and made

Isn’t daddy bad? They say

don’t have to worry

she felt a lump in her

a few moments, she mustered

"Yes, of course."

two weeks, Joey had a good rest in

mention Victor, as if there was

night from time to time and look at

was a brave kid for keeping it all inside him, but Rachel was aware that he missed Victor so

"Okay…"

softened, and

in the second

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

him sit

him, and the three of them went

enough, they reached

The elevator finally stopped at the floor of

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

approaching, he furrowed his

Victor had seen this scene, Carson knew that he

time I’ve seen

What brings you here?"

he quickly set the document he

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking

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

circles around your eyes

"Dark circles?"

choked

panic, he picked up his phone, opened its front

realized that Joey was

bags were

of course, this was only to

a good sleep for

young man, but even he

"Ha-ha!"

help but laugh after seeing the upset

Carson realized that he was fooled

stepped forward and pinched Joey’s

"You, brat.

tease your

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

no opinion regarding

I grew up

We are best friends.

one

how I became

crossed his arms in front

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

uninjured hand and said, "Humph! If I don’t want to

he

a slightly low voice, "I also

it’s a

better change

he stuck

corner of his eye, Carson recognized

tried to regain his composure and commented, "I

I heard that Mr.Sullivan has

here with Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

lose his composure

"Oh, I see."

and said, "His

He is resting inside.

Rachel looked at the ward

was

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked towards

her, pushing

were placed

lost in thoughts for

was about to sav something,

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked

was not standing

a result, Joey could see him from the

eyebrows as if he was

taking a quick glance at

I need to use

what Joey was

about I take you

"No!"

replied in a very

a serious look

I am a

so it wasn’t a problem for Rachel to take

that moment, they were no

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

words, Rachel looked

then her gaze fell

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

she wanted him to take Joey

coughed and refused to pay any attention to

phone and

give Joey a thumbs up without

like he was

the

he headed towards the

wasn’t very good at

while he was

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

"It’s okay.

will take Joey

He is actually right.

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

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

heard those words, they

that Rachel ought to have

few days, they got along

always in

known to her, she still

of things, Rachel

that it couldn’t be achieved

couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the night Rachel was standing outside the operating room where Victor was operated

he and Joey headed

time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

took a quick glance at the phone

you through with the phone

"What?"

Rachel’s sight and took

smile appeared on

I am through with

choice! My subordinates are too bad

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

a fake smile

very

had pretended to answer the call only moments ago, the

and coughed to ease the awkwardness of

you want

raised her head in order to look

was a

the living room could

see Victor, Rachel pushed the door open in no time

Victor would lie in the bed for

has to undergo half a

came from

in a

"Get out of here!"

interrupted

saw a man in a suit coming out of the

He looked dejected.

a document in his

Carson as

was stunned at first, then his face

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung

It was quite noticeable.

Sullivan Group and

asking about what just

expression that the project plan had been denied by

Her attention was drawn to the

what really interested

She turned to Carson.

at her, she raised

"Well, this is Troy.

as a member of the Sullivan

meant by just looking at her

a

so many surnames in the

he had to

recognized who

and mentioned her

"Miss Bennet."

nodded her head slightly in

was

Nonetheless, he was still holding the

I’m going back

and said, "Very well

do

Carson said, Troy went out of sight

looked at

that Victor was sitting

as

is well and can

walked to the door

against the

follow Rachel

document when he heard

he didn’t raise his head

cast her gaze on

in a

could still tell that his face was pale despite the fact that he lowered

frowned and

more than seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would have thought that the man in front of her

that she

you to

heard the

at the person who

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

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

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

"The dance is over.

to let

I reminded him.

loosened his grip on my waist like i

steps back to distance myself

could still feel the warmth

and i felt

my heart

felt like I

the happiest

days were long gone and I could

down, feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached me and greeted

to ignore the burning gaze from behind me and began chatting with

raising my glass and taking a sip of

a few to drink and

Elena came

waiting for you on the second

you like to go upstairs

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when you get

appeared

her to the deck on

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

numerous balloons around

widened

this whole scene was picturesque and

birthday surprise?’ I had

that came to mind was Charles, but I

possibly be him?’ A bitter smile appeared on my lips, and somehow, I

spent this much effort on me, and

this birthday surprise

on the second floor, I stared

was tranquil, and yet

of the cold sea breeze,

of a sudden, a fireworks display lit up

fireworks shot up to the sky, a deafening sound resonated in

like a

noise, I covered my ears

the ground and

body began trembling uncontrollably, and i

at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing through

I was out of breath I felt so dizzy that

having a panic attack, a pair of strong arms

I’m here."

from above me, making

It was Charles.

i nestled in his arms as tears burst from my eyes, Gently, he brushed my hair and tried to

don’t have to