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.

time

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her teeth

a thought occurred to

I forgot all

Ethan’s embrace and ran to

Ethan followed behind her.

stared at Janet, who was extremely

to keep an eye on

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

thumbs, Janet stood in the corner, restlessly watching

"I’m sorry.

you were talking to Charis, so I

Ethan had guessed this.

raised his eyes to

"It’s my fault.

give you enough sense

his arms

leaned her face

about the invitation from Patrick, she

hates you and I just got him

a huge grudge

happen if we just go there?"Chapter 461 In Order

sweat collecting on her forehead in a casual manner, flipped the meat over,

want to

was just being a little

his eyes at her, Victor said nothing, and silently

feeling that Shelia didn’t mean him

some fruits and poured the juice over the

definitely

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

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

some more for

going to take the meat, Shelia smiled as if she had just realized

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

can rest assured and

alert right then, watching

easy-going person, this didn’t

thought that Victor

knew she was wrong and he was

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead

look away and placed

the

that he wanted to help, Shelia nodded and said, "Okay, it’s perfectly fine if you don’t

bite out of the

chewing for some time, she furrowed her

really hard

was not

meat I gave you just

me? You

say a word and

turned around and spotted Victor’s

you smiling? Van, you did this deliberately, didn’t

I smiling?’ Victor never even realized that he

his hand and gently touched the corner

roast

have gone a long

get

tired at

sit right

propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down next

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

learned how to

in a

"Survive in the wildness?"

first time that Shelia had ever heard of such a

out of your way

also crushed some fruits and poured the juice over

a knife to slice

Shelia asked, his eyes

said, "I have

knew

because he wanted to be prepared in

even under ner protection, Victor would find himself in danger

he would at least

"Alright."

her gaze on

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

out a hand to wipe off

to look at

Victor looked straight into Shelia’s eyes, he started to feel

retracted his hand, looked away, and

"Is that so?"

went ahead to rub her nose with the back of her

about now? Is it still

"No,"

said, glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

than roasting meat?

Can you teach me?"

want to learn

"In order to survive."

mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me "In order

shelia said casually.

sad upon

the meat ready to be flipped?

Shelia pointed out.

burn on the meat’s exposed side when he looked at

meat over while he was still thinking

.

whether or

all, Shelia’s own

didn’t seem to take it

asked, "Will you

"Hmm,"

after

"Is that a yes?"

eyes glowed, and she broke

dimples, meanwhile,

Victor nodded, "Okay."

grinned broadly as she said, "Thanks so much,

ever encountered, except for my

"Orphanage?"

where

orphanage was taken over and the

eyes clouded as she spoke

elderly woman was a wonderful

prepared great meals and gave me a lot

an orphan…’ Victor

to look after you since the orphanage

you leave with

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

only home Shelia had known for so

okay with you being

her head,

was desperate to visit

remain unknown to them, and I

the dingy ground, Shelia

of sunshine that had been scattered by the trees and

her hands behind her

sighed with disappointment as she gazed up at the

want to

what keeps you

are people

me if I

had no idea that I

I meet

blinking

remained fixed on

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

soft spot in

said that I was a

appropriate to use this term to describe a

at Shelia, Victor concluded that

description of her features, particularly her

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

since she was deaf, mute, and

to us

card

from her pocket as if it were

the orphanage, each kid was given a

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

stared at the card–the King

Did I get the best

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

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

toasting as they were

meat after he

set

Eat, please."

came from her gut just after his words

to her stomach and

much better than the meat

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after

to her feet, she said,

when Shelia abruptly extended her

"Come on, get up."

and after a little pause, he took Shelia’s

Shelia used a dart to put marks on the

lost track of time as they

sun had

assisted Victor in sitting down on a

how far we’ll have to travel until we’re

we can get out

drank some water

walking, and he was

said incoherently, "I’m sure

Let’s move forward."

have

"Like never before…"

nodded and continued

motion, she murmured, "Van, you

be

to the side

after a

you? What’s your

"Plan?"

slow to

are your plans once we leave

to continue my travels and explore the

police station when I can no longer walk and beg them

with a

"Shelia."

to have made up his mind after staring at Shelia for a

"What’s the problem?"

with me after we get

will like you, I will defend you if

count on

me to

all right with you? If you don’t

concerned that Shelia

paused for a while before

"No, I’m not.

to treat you the

Victor convinced her.

and smiled at

get out

"Sure."

emerged from the woods, though,

the horizon, basking the

the bodies of Victor

since high noon and now, the sun

they saw a

we’re out of

local villagers if

We can…"

Shelia could finish her sentence, she saw Victor

She was confused.

looked at Victor, wanting to know

"Van?"

didn’t expect you

came, Shelia looked for

three cars that were

front, looking at them intently as he played with a

feel right away that

to shield Victor, who in turn stood protectively

didn’t take his eyes off Norton, watching his every

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

won’t get lost even when it

finding our way out of the forest, I put marks all the

marks and you can

"And then?"

asked, her

looked straight into

"Walk along this road.

you meet villagers, borrow a mobile

didn’t intend

wanted to play a game with Victor by throwing him into

that if he couldn’t escape this predicament,

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

it seemed that Victor could not fulfill the promise he made in

wrote a phone number on

number once you get hold

he whispered.

is my grandmother’s

she will pick you up wherever you

down at her

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

"No."

her hand

eyes were

to remember the number, nor do I

be a

Victor frowned.

was so anxious that he coughed violently as soon as

remained adamant and clenched

her palm and let

talking about, he could tell that they were

said, "Tut, tut, tut, this is so

for each other! I’m so

when saw

intuitively pulled Sheila behind

keeping himself standing steadily

would be hard for him to fight

walked up to them

and Shelia

them, Norton

too fast for

"Let her go!"

kept a firm grip on Shelia’s

hearing vexation in Victor’s

you

mud

all the more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed

in his tracks when something silver flashed

knife that Norton

out a

"No."

"What are you saying?"

and gave Victor a

he had

clenched his fist and tried

you want is

nothing to do with

So, let her go!"

wow! This is so

Norton curled his lips.

don’t want to

she comes from but I find your reaction quite

die alone? I can do something

eyes, Victor breathed

of the knife pressed against her

body was

saw Victor spat out blood and beg for mercy,

that all you

smile plastered on

in anger when he heard Shelia’s disdainful

did you

you are a

Shelia swallowed.

of accomplishment by

have in you to do what you intend to

So, cut the crap.

to kill me,

"Shelia…"

tried

knew that she

that Shelia would make Norton’s hackles rise and the

Norton was indeed angry.

kept his voice in check as he talked

like you

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help you with

Norton said, laughing derisively.

turned to his men and instructed

his eyes and asked anxiously, "What are

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared

men did as

hands and feet bound, Shelia

to ride a different

thinking about where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464

was flowing

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

hands clenched into fists, and the blue veins on

his teeth and yelled,

open her eyes because of the gushing water,

wanted Victor

her mouth, she was choked by

enough, her eyes became

exasperated expression on Victor’s face, Norton scoffed at

strong but he was useless in this

making me laugh,

man? Why the

approached the rope, squatted down, and blew the unsteady

save her so much, I will give

still some good in me,

could just

whatever it

of the river, Norton

two men behind him appeared

looked at Victor with a wry

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

are the weakest among

two people, and

want to save her, right? Knock

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

with his thumb

before the rope

say goodbye to

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

at the flickering flame, Victor didn’t care

rushed up and fought against the two

was a mercenary and the most popular leader the Roaring

weakest subordinates

Victor was currently

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

tall and burly men that could easily

a doubt, Victor was at

Victor rushed over to them, the two men punched Victor right in his abdomen one after another, and hit his back with

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

hit repeatedly, his strength left

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

face looked black

stand, not ready to give

get back on his feet, he saw

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

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

point, Victor’s vision became

the rope, which was only a few

how many injuries he

the fire was put out and the

her into this trouble, so he was willing to do anything

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

the ground and lost his

time, Victor was somewhat awakened

eyes, but

lay there on the

wonder if he was still

yet, so he thought that he might

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

but

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

his head to look at the river, only to find that there was nothing in it

no trace

"Ahem!"

coughed violently, spurting

the soil and

river expectantly, as if he was

for a

even know how

found the person

from the river or come

and the excruciating pain he

lost

woke up again, he

subordinates found him

rescue him lasted for two days and

it was found out that Victor had fractures in

bones in his right knee were shattered, his chest and lungs were inflamed, and the critically ill notice was issued

Victor did after he woke up was ask Carolyn to

still wearing an oxygen mask and

completely out of danger yet, but all he

she must be a very important

didn’t dare delay to send people to search for Shelia

for seven days, but

was still no

able to give Victor was a crumpled playing card that

mud, but one could easily recognize that it was the

later,

thing he did after fully recovering was

card in a box and

was nothing on the marble

wasn’t even Shelia’s

was on

still tried to rush him to the hospital,

It was also in that year that Carolyn sent

two more years, he finished his studies and finally

taking over several small companies under the control of the

from a very low level

able to prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed over the Sullivan

this time, Roger entered the ward

on the edge of the bed, holding a bowl of

can’t eat

had been eating porridge

he couldn’t even stand the smell of porridge

sighed and had no choice but to put the

"Eat it again when you

stuck his tongue out,

at the door, so he politely

Roger came to

gradually got acquainted

Joey liked about him was that Roger would

couldn’t eat too much, he could

course, Joey could only eat them

Joey greeted Roger, Rachel turned around and was surprised

that

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

time, he would still insist on

he had an important project meeting today, so he might not

could still visit, it

I

moment before

Rachel furrowed her brows

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

Circles The operation done to Victor lasted for more than 70

and closed for several times as doctors went in

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

began, the indicator light outside the room

that the surgery

saved, but he wasn’t completely out of

he was wheeled

days ago that his

be transferred to the

he was still

the field to check Victor’s

it wasn’t what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

wounds had healed, they

new injuries

only a miracle

us when he

asked in

afraid I can’t say

frown as

I may be blunt, please consider preparing

you’re saying there’s a chance that he’ll never wake up? Is

expert didn’t say this, it was obvious that

was a huge

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

Rachel had the

outside Joey’s

there were dark circles

tell Rachel about this important

when Rachel heard the tragic news, her

as if she had already prepared herself for something like

Carson was

when she became

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

have been even

room for 70 hours before the indication

cigarette in Carson’s hand and reminded him in a

You can’t smoke here."

he regained his senses, Carson put

didn’t bother continue discussing about Victor’s

subject and asked, "Anyway, how is the

"Joey? He’s fine.

doctor checked him up yesterday and said that

that his plaster will

and peeped through the glass panel on

Joey sleeping soundly in the

he stretched for a bit and

I’m

Carson turned around

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

had nothing

the blink of an eye,

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

Joey’s ward almost twenty-four hours a

time, Carson didn’t show his face to

was

now, Roger broke the news that Victor had miraculously woke up

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

Roger for a long time

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

you want to go

Rachel pressed her lips hard and remained

nowhere, someone gently pulled her sleeve and pulled her back from her

I want to see

pleading in a

that Victor was in a coma after

in the hospital, he actually had a

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

when Joey finally found out the truth, Rachel didn’t

anything, nor did he pester Rachel to go to the ICU to see

smiled and made a

say bad people

have to worry too much

bright eyes, she felt

moments, she mustered her

"Yes, of course."

weeks, Joey had a good rest

as if there was nothing wrong

the night from time

him, but Rachel was aware

"Okay…"

softened,

was in the second inpatient

was inconvenient for him to walk

let him sit in

pushed the wheelchair for him, and the

they reached the

The elevator finally stopped at the floor of the ward

ward, and there was only one patient at this

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

Carson knew that he would

the first time I’ve seen you up

What brings you here?"

document he was holding aside and

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking his

ask that? Do I look like someone who will be

circles around

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at Joey’s

a panic, he picked up his phone, opened its front camera, and looked at

realized that Joey was

and his eye bags were so big that it seemed

course, this was only to be

good sleep

man, but even

"Ha-ha!"

laugh after seeing the upset

Carson realized that

head, Carson stepped forward

"You, brat.

dare you tease your godfather? You

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

have no opinion

and I grew

We are best friends.

the one

I

his eyebrows and crossed his arms in front

even if you don’t want it, that fact

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

tongue as he withdrew

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

it’s a fact that you can’t

better change your attitude

he stuck out his tongue

of the corner of his eye, Carson recognized Roger

and commented,

I heard that Mr.Sullivan has woken

Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

plan to lose his composure just

"Oh, I see."

room and said, "His ward is

He is resting inside.

Rachel looked at the ward Carson

was

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

nodded and walked towards the

her,

were placed

lost in thoughts for

was about to sav something,

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked

not standing very far

see him

his eyebrows as if he was giving Carson a

a quick glance at

to use the

overheard what Joey was

about I take you

"No!"

replied in a

serious look on

I am

wasn’t a problem for Rachel to take him

at that moment, they were no longer

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 to the

to Joey’s words,

it was Roger, then her gaze fell on

want to bother the former, Carson soon observed that she was staring at

to take Joey to

and refused to pay any attention

he took out his phone and turned around

managed to give Joey a

Carson pretended like he was

read the plan you

he headed towards the nurses’

very good at

he was still holding it to

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

"It’s okay.

will take

He is actually right.

for a boy like him

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

those words,

have been

they

them were always in one another’s

best known to her, she

things, Rachel still didn’t love

it couldn’t be achieved

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

Joey headed

time, Carson

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

took a quick glance at the phone in his

you through with the

"What?"

took a peek

smile appeared on

am through

no choice! My

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake

not very good

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

tip of his nose and coughed to ease the awkwardness of the

want

head in order to look through

ward was

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

see Victor, Rachel pushed the door open in no time and

doctor said Victor would lie in the

has to undergo half a year’s

came from behind

a stable

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted Carson’s

saw a man in a

He looked dejected.

a document

ran into Rachel and Carson as soon as he

was stunned at first,

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung

It was quite noticeable.

Group and the director of the project

no need asking about what just happened

from the man’s expression that the

must have been driven out! Her attention was drawn to the name on

what

She turned to Carson.

back at her, she

"Well, this is Troy.

works as a member of the

meant by just looking at

at a loss

many

he had

who

bowed and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

her head slightly in

forehead was covered

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

Bennet, I’m going back to the

and

do that

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

at

to see that Victor was sitting against the head

doesn’t seem as bad

well and can

the door and pushed

leaned against the

follow

document when he heard

didn’t raise his head and say coldly, "Get

her

in

was pale despite the fact that he lowered his

frowned and looked rather

a 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

that she walked

you to go out, didn’t

the footsteps,

at the person who was walking

his usual cold and

we

there were many guests around, I figured it wouldn’t bode well if I lost my

"The dance is over.

to

I reminded him.

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

few steps back to distance myself from

still feel

and i felt rather

heart

like I had

with him were the happiest

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

down, feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

guests suddenly approached me and

myself to ignore the burning gaze from behind me and began chatting with the guests with a smile

and taking a sip of

to drink and was starting

time, Elena

a surprise waiting for you on

upstairs and take a look at

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you

appeared on Elena’s

my confusion, I followed her to the deck

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

also numerous

widened in

whole scene was

birthday surprise?’ I had no idea who had

was Charles, but

bitter smile appeared on my lips, and somehow, I began to despise

on me,

joy of receiving this birthday surprise soon

I stood on the second floor, I stared at the night scene around me in

sea was tranquil, and

the cold sea breeze, I felt even

fireworks display lit

shot up to the sky, a deafening sound resonated

like a

I covered

the ground

i felt like my blood was running

horrible incident at the abandoned warehouse

was out of breath I felt so dizzy that I almost

a panic attack, a pair of strong arms held me

I’m here."

came from above me, making me

It was Charles.

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

to be scared ever