My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire

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

Then she began to type out her reply to Brandon.

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

the staff member said through gritted teeth.

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

Ignoring her, Janet texted Brandon back.

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

The message from Brandon was a godsend.

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

Brandon replied with a long message.

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

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

The data was tampered with.

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

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

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

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

"How did you find that out?"

The platform was now owned by Lester Silk Fabric.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As she spoke, she tucked her phone away.

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

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

Janet ignored her.

She turned around and left without looking back.

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

"What’s up, Lind?"

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

Janet asked politely.

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

Tiffany looked at her warily and then nodded slowly.

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

"I want to call him and apologize,"

Janet answered simply.

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

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

There are enough discussions about you already,"

Tiffany scolded.

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

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

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

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

Janet reached for the card with a bright smile.

Of course she knew what she was doing.

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

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

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

Janet said, her voice as sweet as honey.

When Ritchie heard this, he was surprised.

Then, he sneered.

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

Janet had given up so soon.

"You’re scared, aren’t you?"

With a smug smile on his face, Ritchie smirked.

"Come to Lester Silk Fabric tomorrow.

You can apologize there in person."

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

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

he barked at his secretary.

"I want them here tomorrow.

Call some famous personalities in the fashion industry as well.

We need people in authority for the event."

The secretary nodded respectfully.

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

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

Get your ass back here."

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

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

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

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

"Get the biggest function hall for the press conference.

I want hundreds of people to be there.

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

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

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

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

1 Another evil grin spread on Ritchie’s face.

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

The secretary pursed his lips and jotted every detail down.

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

The sun shone bright and early the next day.

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

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

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

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

Tiffany remarked from beside her.

She turned to look Janet in the eye.

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

A faint smile appeared on Janet’s lips.

"You’ll find out soon enough.

Don’t worry.

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

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

The room finally settled down as Janet took her place.

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

"Sorry for taking up your time, everyone.

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

From a distance, Ritchie frowned and narrowed his eyes.

He could sense that something wasn’t right.

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

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

"She can’t have,"

the other man replied confidently.

"We’ve taken care to sweep everything.

All the evidence has been locked away.

I think she’s just bluffing."

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is your truth.

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

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

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

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

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

His secretary was also scared silly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Janet smiled and said in a calm voice.

Ritchie was exasperated to hear that.

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

"I thought you came here to apologize.

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

While smiling, Janet didn’t say a word.

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

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

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

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

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

The audience began to discuss this amongst themselves.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She said frantically, "I have no idea.

Don’t ask me…"

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

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

His secretary hurried to stop his curses.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now, she felt much better.

"It’s finally over!"

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

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

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

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

Related videos went viral on the Internet.

Suddenly, Janet’s phone started to ring.

It was Tiffany.

"Lind, I’m impressed.

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

You really knocked them dead!"

"Oh, my God! Seriously?"

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

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

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

There was a lot of positive feedback.

"Wow.

Heart.

Heart.

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

"She’s a lovely girl.

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

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

"Even though I’m a girl, I want her!"

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

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

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

Furious, Ritchie started trashing his office.

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

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

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

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

plummeted.

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

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

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

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

Ritchie glared at him, speechless.

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

"I’m not an idiot.

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

Things didn’t end there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am responsible for all of this.

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

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

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

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

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

She’s just an ordinary employee.

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

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

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

Janet pulled her chair and sat down.

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

"I can’t say I’m surprised.

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

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

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

"It doesn’t matter.

Look on the bright side.

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

Now, all eyes are on my work."

In the end, Luna was put behind bars.

And Janet had become an online celebrity.

Many people now knew her name and saw her designs.

Some even paid for it.

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

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

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

How’d you get the evidence?"

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

Janet froze.

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

"A very capable friend helped me get them."

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

Janet’s eyes twinkled.

"It’s a secret.

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

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

Gerda scratched her head and hurried back to her desk.

Janet couldn’t help but chuckle.

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

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

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

Janet couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Someone texted you."

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

"It seems your wife’s missing you."

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

Instantly, his expression darkened when he read the text.

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

Garrett asked seriously, the smile wiped from his face.

"Janet’s asking Brandon out for dinner."

Ethan put his phone down and sighed.

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

Garrett leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Yeah.

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

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

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

It’s not good for my heart either,"

he sighed.

Ethan frowned and started typing out a brisk reply.

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

You’re an employee of the Larson Group.

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

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

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

That’s thanks enough, Miss Lind,"

Ethan replied politely, keeping things professional.

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

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

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

Transfer her to a subsidiary company.

Then, bring Charis here."

Garrett was just about to take a nap.

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

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

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

"Why did you want to dismiss Janet?"

Ethan asked in a low voice.

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

"I just wanted to protect the company name,"

Charis answered defensively.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at her coldly.

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

No one other than me.

Understood?"

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

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

"I see how it is.

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

Ethan had already noticed that something was wrong with Charis.

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

She and her family had always valued their image.

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

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

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

Charis was a dignified woman.

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

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

She hadn’t cried in years.

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

She had been reluctant to leave him.

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

She and Brandon had worked together for years.

They had shared the company’s ups and downs.

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

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

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

"I met Brandon first,"

Charis muttered through gritted teeth.

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

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

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

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

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

But she couldn’t act as overtly as before.

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

She had to be more careful now.

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

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

Janet’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

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

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

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

But he couldn’t tell her this.

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

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

The manager of the shop at work fired me.

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

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

In fact, there was some truth to his story.

Ritchie had indeed caused him a lot trouble after all.

Hearing this, Janet’s heart immediately softened.

She walked over to help him with the vegetables.

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

I was worried something bad happened to you."

"The problem’s been solved.

Don’t worry,"

Ethan said with a reassuring smile.

That much was true.

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

"Your brother is really hard to deal with."

Janet pouted like a child.

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

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

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

Janet looked up at Ethan curiously.

Almost immediately, she saw the lust in his eyes.

His face was so beautiful.

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

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

Janet’s face turned as red as a tomato.

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

Then she focused on chopping the vegetables.

Amused, Ethan patted her on the head affectionately.

He really liked it when she blushed.

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

He had to admit it really turned him on.

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

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

Ethan stroked Janet’s hair.

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

A long forgotten name appeared on the screen.

It was Patrick Lester.

Chapter 324 Nora’s Birthday Ethan pursed his lips.

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

It was winter and the cold wind was unforgiving.

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

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

Janet’s voice broke the silence.

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

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

He was answering the phone out on the balcony again.

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

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

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

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

"I was busy just now,"

Ethan simply replied.

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

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

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

She wants you and your wife here."

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

— – Janet had overheard Patrick’s loud voice.

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

Ethan held her tighter and sighed.

"We are.

Patrick seldom summons me.

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

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

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

Janet smiled at him sweetly.

"I can tell that you’re fond of her."

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

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

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

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

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

She was the only Lester who ever cared about Ethan.

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

"She’s a kind lady,"

he said calmly.

had been a long time since they

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her teeth

thought

eggs! I

Ethan’s embrace and ran to the kitchen in a

Ethan followed behind her.

Janet, who was extremely flustered, and he couldn’t help

to

her to the side while he

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

"I’m sorry.

so I

Ethan had guessed this.

drying his freshly washed hands, he raised

"It’s my fault.

you enough

out his arms and said gently,

face against his chest,

from Patrick, she murmured, "The Lesters treat you badly, especially

hates you and I just got him into

probably has a huge grudge against

In Order To Survive

casual manner, flipped the meat over, and

want to

just being a

her, Victor said nothing, and silently retracted the knife he was hiding

feeling that Shelia

crushed some fruits and poured

this definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

look down at the meat Shelia was holding out in her hand and didn’t make a

some more

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

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

rest assured and

right then, watching Shelia with vigilant

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

that Victor

she knew she was wrong and he was on

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead

away

roast the

that he wanted to help, Shelia nodded and said,

bite

time, she furrowed her brows and stuck out her

really hard to

was not cooked

gave you just now

didn’t you tell me? You even finished

didn’t say a word and only continued

Shelia turned around and spotted

you smiling? Van, you did this

Am I smiling?’ Victor never

lifted his hand and gently touched the corner of his

to roast the

have gone a long

get

tired at

sit right

propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded to

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

to survive

spoke in

"Survive in the wildness?"

very first time that Shelia

did you go out of your

some fruits

knife to slice the

heard what Shelia asked,

he said, "I have

knew

to be prepared in case of any

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

that he would at least have a

"Alright."

to focus her

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

stretched out a hand to wipe off the

startled and turned to look at Victor

Shelia’s eyes, he

and explained, "Your nose has dirt on

"Is that so?"

her nose with the back of

what about now?

"No,"

said, glancing over

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

what else did you learn other than roasting meat? I want to

Can you teach me?"

you want

"In order to survive."

of Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come

shelia said casually.

felt sad upon

meat ready to be flipped?

Shelia pointed out.

Shelia, Victor saw a small burn on the meat’s exposed side when he looked at

over while he was still thinking about what she just

.

thoughts about whether or not to ask her

all, Shelia’s

on the other hand, didn’t

"Will you please

"Hmm,"

said after

"Is that a yes?"

glowed, and she broke into

meanwhile, became

Victor nodded, "Okay."

as she said, "Thanks so much,

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

"Orphanage?"

where I

over and the old woman was unwell and

as she spoke

elderly woman was

she prepared great meals and gave me a lot of fresh

an orphan…’ Victor pursed his

look after you since

leave with

looked up at Victor and answered, "I didn’t want

home Shelia had known

okay with you being

head, Shelia

desperate to visit her

remain unknown to them, and I

the dingy ground, Shelia lay

sunshine that had been scattered by the trees and fallen to

her hands behind

sighed with disappointment as she

want to visit

you from

people guarding

if I

that I have a name

when I

blinking her

remained fixed on Shelia

see you, Van,

a soft spot in her

I was a lovely

seem appropriate to use this term to describe a

concluded that the

apt description of her features, particularly

she was responsible for your upbringing, how come

unable to communicate since she was deaf,

never referred to

a poker card was in

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

orphanage, each kid was given a

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

at the card–the King

Did I get the

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

the card and said, "I am the only one with the King

toasting as

gave her the meat after he

set

Eat, please."

gut just

was embarrassed, so she put her hand to her stomach and ate the

the meat i made myself! Van, you’re

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after a good

feet, she said,

rise when Shelia abruptly extended her

"Come on, get up."

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

used a dart to put marks on the tree

had lost track of time

sun had cooled down

assisted Victor in sitting down on a stone and drank

we’ll have to travel

can get out before the sun

drank some water as

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

said incoherently, "I’m

Let’s move forward."

have

"Like never before…"

continued

murmured, "Van, you look rather

return, be sure to eat

lowered his gaze to the side of

after a day and

you? What’s

"Plan?"

slow

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

to continue my travels and explore

to the police station when I can no longer walk and

answered with

"Shelia."

mind after staring at Shelia for a

"What’s the problem?"

come with me after we

sure my grandma will like you, I

count on

to come with

it all right with you? If you don’t

concerned that Shelia might

a while before asking, "Are

"No, I’m not.

you the best I

Victor convinced her.

nodded and smiled at Victor,

get out

"Sure."

emerged from the woods,

basking the forest in a pale red glow that passed through the

light glimmered on the

high noon and now,

tiredness was assuaged when they saw a relatively spacious country

out of the

meet local villagers if we walk a little

We can…"

could finish her sentence, she

She was confused.

wanting to know why

"Van?"

didn’t expect you to

came, Shelia looked for the

were parked not far from

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

could feel right away that they were Victor’s

to shield Victor, who in turn stood protectively

didn’t take his eyes off

Victor said, "Run into the forest when I

get lost even when it gets

our way out of the forest, I put marks all

and you can

"And then?"

her eyebrows

straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

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

that Norton didn’t intend to

wanted to play a game with Victor by throwing him into the

escape this predicament,

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

Victor could not fulfill the promise he made in

phone number on her palm with

call the number once you get hold of a

he whispered.

is my grandmother’s

she will pick

down at

respond, Victor looked

"No."

her

eyes were

want to remember the number, nor do I want

a

Victor frowned.

so anxious that he coughed violently as soon as he finished

adamant and clenched

her palm and let Victor write the phone number

were talking about, he could tell that they were reluctant to leave each

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

each other!

when saw

intuitively pulled Sheila

keeping himself

hard for

walked up to them

Shelia stepped

Norton pulled Shelia towards

was too fast for Victor to stop

"Let her go!"

a firm grip on Shelia’s

in hearing

know you look

the mud on Shelia’s face

would all the more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed over and

stopped in his tracks when something silver flashed through

knife that Norton pressed

spat out a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

in a contemptuous tone and gave Victor a mocking smile,

felt that he had difficulty

his fist and tried to steady

want

nothing to do with

So, let her go!"

wow! This

Norton curled his lips.

want to let

she comes from but

to die alone? I can do something about that and let her accompany

red eyes, Victor

pressed against her neck, all Shelia could do was raise

was

she saw Victor spat out blood and beg for mercy, she

you can do? Threaten

smile plastered on

his eyes narrowed in anger when

you just

said you are

Shelia swallowed.

of accomplishment by

don’t have in you

So, cut the crap.

to kill me, then

"Shelia…"

tried to stop

she was

Norton’s hackles rise and the man would do just what she

Norton was indeed angry.

his voice in check as

you really

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

turned to his men and instructed

asked anxiously, "What are you going

Norton didn’t answer.

glared

as

feet bound, Shelia was taken to

made to ride

was taking them.Chapter

was

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

and the blue veins

his teeth and yelled,

open her eyes because of the gushing

actually wanted Victor

the moment she opened her mouth, she was choked by

enough, her

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

strong but he

making me laugh,

think that I’m a good man?

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

wanting to save

still some good in me, huh? What

could just

do whatever it

middle of the river, Norton squinted his eyes and snapped

men behind him appeared and stood between the rope and

slowly stood up and looked at Victor

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

the

two people, and the one on the

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

finished speaking, the two men who had been holding Victor’s arms let go of him and took a few

playing with the knife in his hand, Norton touched its tip with

two before

goodbye to your

moment she’s washed away, I’m afraid

flame, Victor didn’t care about

quickly rushed up and fought

mercenary and the most popular leader the

weakest subordinates

was currently

peak state, he might not even be able to defeat one of the two weakest subordinates of

were tall and burly

Victor was at a disadvantage from the

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

soon as he was hit, Victor staggered and struggled to stand

strength left him, and

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

this time, Victor’s face

to stand, not ready to give

could even get back on his feet,

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

he was hit again, Victor spat out a

this point, Victor’s vision

still managed to fix his eyes on the rope, which

how many injuries he

as the fire was put out and the rope

trouble, so he

as his mind wanted to go on,

fell back to the

was somewhat awakened when

eyes, but his vision was

lay there on the ground, watching the

but wonder if he was

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

that pierced every inch of his body made Victor realize that he

wanted to stand up, but he couldn’t move

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

best, he turned his head to look at the river, only to find that there was nothing in

was no trace of

"Ahem!"

violently, spurting

he grabbed unto the soil and opened

river expectantly, as if

for

know how

found the person he had

would raise her head from the river or come out

to loss of blood and the excruciating pain he was

lost

woke up again,

subordinates found him near the

rescue him lasted for two days and two

out that Victor had fractures

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

first thing Victor did after he woke up was ask

still wearing an oxygen mask

completely out of danger yet, but all he cared about

but she could sense that she

delay to send people

search lasted for seven days, but

there was

was a crumpled playing card

could easily recognize that it

later, Victor

thing he did after

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

marble tombstone aside

even Shelia’s name

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

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

was also in that year that Carolyn

two more years, he finished his studies and finally

companies under

time, Victor raised the sales of these companies from a very low level to one of the top

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

this time, Roger entered the ward

the edge of the bed, holding a

can’t eat

porridge for about

now, he couldn’t even stand the smell of porridge

no choice but

she said, "Eat it again

tongue out, not intending to

he saw Roger standing at the

the past half a month, Roger came to the hospital to

kid gradually got acquainted

that Roger would bring some

too much, he could at least taste something

course, Joey could only eat them in

Rachel turned around and was surprised to see

that

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

she would say no every time, he

asked, he said that he had an important project meeting

visit, it

I couldn’t

at Rachel, Roger hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "But

Rachel furrowed her

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

465 Dark Circles The operation done to Victor

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

Carson couldn’t do anything but wait outside until the procedure was

on the fourth day since the operation began,

indicated that the surgery was

but he wasn’t completely

he was wheeled

ago that his vital signs

eligible to be

was still

the field to

it wasn’t what he

Victor sustained serious injuries.

wounds had healed, they still

new injuries

the end, he said that only a miracle could save Victor’s

least tell us when

in

I can’t say that

couldn’t help but frown

blunt, please consider preparing for the worst-case

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

say this, it was obvious that this was what

percent, but there was a huge chance that this was

for Carson and Lukas, Rachel was the first

Carson deemed that Rachel had the right

Joey’s ward, holding a cigarette between

looked slightly disoriented, and there

just went down to tell Rachel about this

heard the tragic news, her

was as if she had already prepared herself for something like

was a bit

she became this

Victor had been in a coma for about half a

might have been

there outside the operating room for 70 hours

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

You can’t smoke here."

if he regained his senses, Carson put

bother continue discussing about

changed the subject and asked, "Anyway,

"Joey? He’s fine.

checked him up yesterday and said that he has

it’s expected that his plaster will be

through the glass panel on the

sleeping soundly

a faint smile, he stretched for a bit and

then, I’m

turned around and

just visited to tell Rachel about the doctor’s diagnosis regarding

from that, he had

of an eye, two days eventually

made aware of Victor’s

stayed in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four

same time, Carson didn’t show his face to

came from an expert, she was also convinced that Victor would never wake

that Victor had miraculously woke up from

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

Roger for a long time

was still judging Roger’s expression if he was saying

Do you want to

asked slowly This time, Rachel pressed her

gently pulled her sleeve and

want

was Joey, pleading

the fact that Victor was in a coma

the hospital,

he found that Rachel had always been absent-minded and Victor hadn’t

Joey finally found out the truth, Rachel didn’t

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

he just smiled and

daddy bad? They say bad people live long

we don’t have to worry too

at Joey’s bright eyes, she felt a

few moments, she mustered her

"Yes, of course."

two weeks, Joey had a good rest in the

if there was nothing wrong

of the night from time to time and look at the ceiling with

kid for keeping it all inside him,

"Okay…"

heart softened,

ward was in the second

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

let him sit in

wheelchair for him, and the

they

elevator finally stopped at the floor

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

there were steps approaching, he furrowed his brows and eventually saw three

this scene, Carson knew that he would have been

it’s the first time I’ve seen you

What brings you here?"

quickly set the document he was holding aside and raised

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking

someone who will be

did those dark circles

"Dark circles?"

choked at

opened its front camera,

realized that

and his eye bags were

of course, this was

hadn’t have a good

was originally a handsome young man, but even

"Ha-ha!"

but laugh after seeing the

that he

Carson stepped forward

"You, brat.

dare you tease your godfather? You have guts,

and retorted, "Huh? Who said that you are my godfather?

have no

father and I

We are best friends.

one who picked

I became

crossed his

even if you don’t want it,

and said, "Humph! If I don’t want to admit it,

as he withdrew his hand from

"I also didn’t expect that I would

it’s a fact that

you’d better change

but he

his

then tried to regain his composure and commented, "I

heard that Mr.Sullivan has

Rachel and Joey to

Roger explained.

lose his composure just because of Carson’s

"Oh, I see."

Carson pointed at the room and

He is resting inside.

Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward Carson pointed at, she became

what was going through

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

nodded and walked towards the

her, pushing

arms were placed over his

in

to sav something, Joey spoke before

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked at the little

not standing very far

Joey could see him from the

his eyebrows as if he was

taking a quick glance at him, Joey turned his gaze

need to use the

overheard what Joey

I

"No!"

replied in a very decisive

serious look on

I am

Joey’s ward, so it wasn’t

they were no longer in

to take a boy to the ladies’ room,

Joey’s words, Rachel looked

Roger, then her gaze fell

to bother the former, Carson soon observed that

she wanted him to take Joey to the

and refused to pay

and

Joey a thumbs up without Rachel

he was

have read the plan you sent

headed towards the

he wasn’t very good at

while he was still holding it to

there was no call at all! Rachel saw what just happened clearly

"It’s okay.

will take Joey

He is actually right.

for a boy like him to be

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

he heard those words, they

that Rachel ought to have been closer to him than

past few days, they got along really

them were always in one

to her, she

look of things, Rachel still didn’t love

that it couldn’t be achieved

from thinking about the night Rachel was standing

and Joey headed

some time, Carson came

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

quick glance at the

with the

"What?"

sight and took a peek at his

smile appeared on his

I am through

was left with no choice! My subordinates are too bad at making

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

fake smile on her

very good

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

the tip of his nose and coughed to

you want to

to look through the glass panel on

was a

her point of view, only the living room could be seen, and

see Victor, Rachel pushed the door open in no

doctor said Victor would lie in

undergo half a year’s

came from behind

is in a stable condition now,

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted Carson’s

and saw a man in a

He looked dejected.

a document

Carson as soon as he

first, then his face

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung around the man’s

It was quite noticeable.

employee of the Sullivan Group and

need asking about what just happened

from the man’s expression that the project

must have been driven out! Her attention was

surname was what really interested

She turned to Carson.

her,

"Well, this is Troy.

a member of the Sullivan Group’s project

knew exactly what she meant by just looking at

was at a loss

so many surnames

he had to

recognized who

bowed and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

head

was

life! Nonetheless, he was still holding the document tightly in his

going back

his hand and

do

heard what Carson said, Troy went out of sight in a blink of

looked at the

was sitting against the head of the bed at that given

as

is well and can work

to the door

against the

didn’t follow

some document when

didn’t raise his head and

her gaze

was in a

was pale despite the

frowned and looked

hundred percent sure that she waited outside the operating room for more than seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would have thought that the man in front

entranced that she walked towards the

you to go out,

the footsteps, his

the person who was walking

of speaking in his usual cold and stiff

after we finished

figured it wouldn’t

"The dance is over.

to let

I reminded him.

through his eyes, but he still loosened his grip on

steps back to distance myself

feel the warmth of his

and i

heart was

moment, it felt like I had returned

with him were the happiest

those days were long gone and I could

down, feeling conflicted

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

guests suddenly approached me and greeted

and began chatting with the

my glass and taking

had a few to drink and

Elena came

waiting for you on

like to go upstairs and take

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you get

appeared

her to the deck on

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

also numerous balloons around

widened

say, this whole scene

I had no

that came to mind was Charles, but I quickly cast aside that

on my lips, and somehow,

effort on

this birthday

floor, I stared at the night scene around me

tranquil, and yet my mind

cold sea breeze,

lit

to the sky, a deafening

sounded like

noise, I

the

i felt like my blood

the abandoned

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

panic attack, a pair of strong

I’m here."

from above me,

It was Charles.

nestled in his arms as tears burst from my eyes, Gently, he brushed my

have to