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.

a long time since they last

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her

thought occurred

shouted, "The eggs! I forgot all

from Ethan’s embrace and ran to the kitchen in

Ethan followed behind her.

extremely flustered, and he couldn’t help

I told you to keep

the side while he

thumbs, Janet stood in the corner, restlessly

"I’m sorry.

so I rushed to

Ethan had guessed this.

he raised his eyes to

"It’s my fault.

give you enough sense

saying that, he spread out his

her face against his

the invitation from Patrick, she murmured, "The Lesters

hates you and I just got him into

probably has a huge

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

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

want to tell me, then forget

was just being a little

silently retracted the knife he was

Shelia didn’t

and poured

this definitely

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

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

some more for

to take the meat, Shelia smiled as

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

assured and eat

then, watching Shelia with vigilant and cold

though Shelia happened to be an easy-going person, this

thought that Victor

his injuries, she knew she was wrong and he was

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead

look away

roast the rest

and

bite out of the

furrowed her

hard to

was not cooked

gave you just

didn’t you tell me? You even

spit the meat out, Victor didn’t say

meat aside, Shelia turned

you did this deliberately, didn’t

smiling?’ Victor never even

lifted his hand and gently touched the corner of

roast

have gone

and get some

tired

just sit right

Shelia proceeded to sit down

she blinked her eyes and said, "Van, you’re good

to survive in the

spoke in

"Survive in the wildness?"

very first time that Shelia had

go out of your way to learn

Victor also crushed some

a knife

he heard what Shelia asked,

while, he said,

knew the reason

because he wanted to be prepared in case of

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

skills so that he would at least have a

"Alright."

focus her gaze on

caught a glimpse of Shelia’s profile and the

hand to

startled and turned to look

Shelia’s eyes, he started to

looked away, and

"Is that so?"

nose with the back of her

about now? Is it

"No,"

said, glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

else did you learn other than

Can you teach me?"

do you want to

"In order to survive."

Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter 462

shelia said casually.

Victor felt sad

flipped? It’s

Shelia pointed out.

recall by Shelia, Victor saw a small burn on the meat’s exposed

was

.

whether or not to ask her about

was, after all, Shelia’s own

other hand, didn’t seem to take it

asked, "Will you please teach

"Hmm,"

said after

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she

two dimples, meanwhile,

Victor nodded, "Okay."

as she said, "Thanks so

ever encountered, except for my

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I

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

as she spoke about

woman was a

great meals and gave me a lot

orphan…’ Victor pursed

look after you since the orphanage was

you leave

up at Victor and answered, "I

Shelia had known for

they okay with you being outdoors on your

her head,

desperate to visit her

whereabouts remain unknown to them, and I don’t intend

of the dingy ground, Shelia lay

shards of sunshine that had been scattered by the

placed her hands behind her head,

as she gazed up

want to visit

keeps you from

people guarding the

find me if

no idea that I have a

her my name when I meet her again in the

blinking

on

Van, it would be more than likely that she

soft spot in her heart

said that I

didn’t seem appropriate to use this term to describe a

Shelia, Victor concluded that the

description of her features,

"Since she was responsible for your upbringing, how come

since she was deaf, mute,

never referred to

card was in

her pocket as if it were a treasure and presented it to Victor as she

the orphanage, each kid

the elderly woman split the fruits, she put them on the cards and let us take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella erupted into laughter, which was maybe due

at the card–the King

get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

"I am the only

meat was toasting

gave her the meat

all set

Eat, please."

gut just

put her hand to her

the meat i made

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after a good

she rose to her feet, she said,

rise when Shelia abruptly extended her hand

"Come on, get up."

aback, and after a little pause, he

way, Shelia used a dart to put marks

track of

sun had cooled down

Victor in sitting down on

not sure how far we’ll have to travel

can get out before the

drank some

and he was coughing up

said incoherently, "I’m sure

Let’s move forward."

still have the

"Like never before…"

and continued

motion, she murmured, "Van, you look

you return, be

his gaze to the side of

covered in mud after a day and a night

What’s your

"Plan?"

was slow to

once we

continue my travels and explore the

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

answered with

"Shelia."

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

"What’s the problem?"

me after we get

you, I will defend

count on

to

you? If you don’t want

that Shelia might

before asking, "Are you joking right

"No, I’m not.

promise to treat you the best

Victor convinced her.

nodded and smiled at Victor, saying,

agree when we get out of the

"Sure."

moment they emerged from

The sun started to disappear below the horizon, basking the forest in a pale red

the bodies of

had been walking since high noon and now,

they saw a

we’re out of the

meet local villagers if we walk a little

We can…"

could finish her sentence, she saw Victor

She was confused.

wanting to

"Van?"

well, well, i didn’t expect

came, Shelia looked for the

cars that were parked not

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

feel right away

moved to shield Victor, who in turn

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

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

won’t get lost even when it gets

way out of the forest, I

you can get

"And then?"

her eyebrows

looked straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

you meet villagers, borrow a mobile phone from them,

didn’t intend to

to play a game with Victor by throwing him

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

family, bring her back to see his grandmother, and

could not fulfill the

Victor wrote a phone

call the number once you get hold

he whispered.

is my

she will pick you

just looked down at

looked at her and asked in

"No."

her hand

eyes were a little

want to remember the

be a

Victor frowned.

that he coughed violently as

and clenched

to spread her palm and let Victor write the phone

hear what Victor and Shelia were talking about, he could tell that they were reluctant to leave each

condescending sneer, he said, "Tut, tut, tut, this

strong feelings for each other! I’m so

tensed up when saw Norton approaching

intuitively pulled Sheila

keeping himself standing steadily was taxing for

would be hard for

up to them

and Shelia

them, Norton pulled Shelia

was too fast for Victor to

"Let her go!"

kept a firm grip on Shelia’s

found satisfaction in hearing

know you look

wiped the mud on

knew this would all the more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed

in his tracks when something silver flashed

that

out a

"No."

"What are you saying?"

tone and gave Victor a mocking smile, pretending

felt that he

fist and tried to steady

you want is

has nothing to do with

So, let her go!"

This is so

Norton curled his lips.

want to let

where she comes from but I find

think it’s boring for you to die alone? I can do something about that and

red eyes, Victor

the knife pressed against her

was tensed

spat out blood and beg for mercy, she

all you can

mocking smile plastered on his

narrowed in anger when

you just

said you are

Shelia swallowed.

of accomplishment by

in you to do what

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to stop

knew that she was

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

Norton was indeed angry.

his voice in check as he talked to

you

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help you with

Norton said, laughing derisively.

and instructed them, "Tie

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

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared

did as

feet bound, Shelia was taken to

made to ride a different

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

was

making her choke easily Victor saw how Shelia’s

clenched into fists, and the blue veins on

teeth and yelled,

eyes because of the gushing water, Shelia had difficulty

Victor to

opened her

her eyes

on Victor’s face, Norton scoffed at

Victor might be strong but

me laugh,

you think that I’m a good man?

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

to save her

in me, huh? What do you

could just glare at

it took to

middle of the river, Norton squinted his

behind him appeared and stood between the

and looked at Victor with

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the weakest among

left has only killed two people, and the

pause, Norton continued, "You want to

been holding Victor’s arms let go of him and took a few

knife in his hand, Norton touched its tip with his thumb and warned, "But of course,

two before the

you can say goodbye to your

afraid that you

at the flickering flame, Victor didn’t

quickly rushed up and

mercenary and the most popular leader the Roaring

course, even his weakest subordinates should

Victor was currently badly

state, he might not even be able to defeat one

burly men

at

in his abdomen one

he was hit, Victor staggered and struggled to

because he was hit repeatedly, his strength left him, and he eventually

bones being broken scattered all over his body, making

face looked black with

still tried to stand, not

back on his

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

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

point, Victor’s vision became

the rope, which was only a few steps away from

matter how many

fire was put out and the

so he was willing to do

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

to the

somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain

open his eyes, but his

lay there on the

wonder if

fully recovered yet, so he thought that

every inch of his body

Victor wanted to stand up, but he couldn’t move

move his hands a little bit, grabbing the

at the

no

"Ahem!"

coughed violently, spurting out

himself, he grabbed unto the soil and opened his eyes as

as if he was waiting for something

for a long

fact, he didn’t even know how

found the person

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

and the excruciating pain he was experiencing,

lost consciousness

up again,

found him

him lasted for two days and two

found out that Victor had fractures in eight different body

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

woke up was ask Carolyn to send people to look for

was still wearing an oxygen mask and struggled

danger

who Shelia was, but she could sense that she must be a very important person due to his concern

people to search for Shelia

search lasted for seven days, but Shelia couldn’t be

passed and there was still no

was able to give Victor was a crumpled playing card that got wet from the rain and then dried

surface was mostly covered with mud, but one could

years later,

after fully

the King of Hearts card in a box

was nothing on the marble tombstone

wasn’t even Shelia’s name

recovery, while Karl was on a

to the hospital, but he was declared dead

that year

years, he finished his studies

small companies under the control of

companies from a very low level

to prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually

At this time, Roger entered the ward where

of the bed, holding a bowl of porridge, and

can’t eat

been eating porridge for about half

he couldn’t even stand the

no choice but

she said, "Eat it

stuck his tongue out, not intending

he saw Roger standing at the door, so he

month, Roger came to the hospital

kid gradually got acquainted with

that Roger would bring some

he could at

course, Joey could only eat them

turned around and was surprised to

say that you wouldn’t come

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

he would still insist on getting

he said that he had an important project meeting today, so he might not be able to

could still visit, it would

I

moment before finally saying, "But I got a

response, Rachel furrowed her

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

done to Victor

and closed for several

anything but wait outside

the fourth day since the operation began, the indicator light outside

the

he wasn’t completely

wheeled to the

not until two days ago that his vital signs

became eligible to be transferred

he was still in

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

what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

healed, they still had

his new injuries just

only

least tell us when

in

afraid I can’t say

but frown as

be blunt, please consider preparing for the

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

this, it was obvious that this

percent, but there was a huge chance that

Rachel was the first one to

Rachel had the right

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

and there were dark circles

down to tell Rachel

Rachel heard the tragic news, her face didn’t show much

as if she had already prepared herself for

fact, Carson was a bit

when she became this mentally

in a coma for about half a month after

might have been

for 70 hours before the indication

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

You can’t smoke here."

he regained his senses, Carson put out

indifferent expression, he didn’t bother continue

asked, "Anyway, how is the

"Joey? He’s fine.

and said

his plaster will be removed ahead

his head and peeped through

sleeping soundly

a faint smile, he stretched for a bit

then, I’m

Carson turned around and

really just visited to tell Rachel about

had nothing

of an eye, two

Victor’s condition, Rachel

Joey’s ward

Carson didn’t show his face to her

expert, she was also convinced that Victor would

Roger broke the news that Victor had miraculously woke up from being in

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

long time without being able to

if she was still judging Roger’s expression

Rachel… Do you want to

Rachel pressed her lips hard

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

want to see

Joey, pleading in a

to hide the fact that Victor was

woke up in the hospital,

been absent-minded and Victor hadn’t come up in any

finally found out the truth, Rachel didn’t have the heart to hide it

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

smiled

say bad people live

have to worry too much

bright eyes, she felt a lump

few moments, she mustered

"Yes, of course."

had a good rest in

if

night from time to time and look at the ceiling with his eyes wide

inside him, but Rachel was aware that

"Okay…"

heart softened, and

ward was in the second

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

Rachel simply let him sit

him, and the three

enough, they reached the

at the floor of the

and there was only one patient at this time, Carson was sitting on the sofa in the

he heard that there were steps approaching, he furrowed his brows and eventually

had seen this scene, Carson knew

first time I’ve seen you up

What brings you here?"

asked Joey as he quickly set the document he was holding aside and raised his

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his

you ask that? Do I look like someone who will

did those dark circles

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at Joey’s

he picked up his phone, opened its front

realized that

his eye bags were so big that

of course, this was

hadn’t have a good sleep for

young man, but even he was susceptible

"Ha-ha!"

seeing the upset look on Carson’s

that he was

his head, Carson stepped forward and pinched Joey’s

"You, brat.

dare you tease your godfather? You have guts,

retorted, "Huh? Who said that you

have no opinion regarding

father and I grew

We are best friends.

the one

I

eyebrows and crossed his arms in front of

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

said, "Humph! If I don’t want to admit it, no one can make

tongue as he

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

it’s a fact that you

you’d better change

more, but he stuck out

of the corner of his eye, Carson

and commented, "I see that you’re

heard that

here with Rachel and Joey

Roger explained.

lose his composure just because of Carson’s

"Oh, I see."

the room and said, "His ward is over

He is resting inside.

Cooperation Rachel looked

knew what was going through her

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked towards the

followed her, pushing Joey’s

arms were placed

lost in thoughts for a

to sav something, Joey spoke

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked at the little

standing very

him from the corner of

if he was giving Carson

a quick glance at

to

overheard what

I take you

"No!"

a very decisive

was a serious look on his

I am a

ward, so it wasn’t a problem

were no longer in

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

to Joey’s words, Rachel

Roger, then her gaze fell on

want to bother the former, Carson soon observed that she

wanted him to

refused to pay

out his phone and

managed to give Joey a thumbs up without

pretended like he was

Mr.Ramos! I have read the plan you sent

headed

very

up while he was still holding it to

at all! Rachel saw what just happened

"It’s okay.

will take

He is actually right.

like him to be taken to the bathroom by

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

when he heard those

have been

past few days, they got along

them were always in

to

of things, Rachel still

that it couldn’t be

Rachel was standing outside the

and Joey headed towards the

some time, Carson

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

took a quick glance at the phone in

through with

"What?"

took a

a smile appeared on his

I am through with

left with no choice! My subordinates are too

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

fake smile on her

very good at

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

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

want to

look through the glass panel

ward was a

living room could be seen,

pushed the door open in

lie in the bed for two

half

came from behind

is in a stable

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted Carson’s

a man in a suit coming

He looked dejected.

document in

ran into Rachel and Carson as

was stunned at first, then his

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung

It was quite noticeable.

an employee of the Sullivan Group and the

about what just happened

tell from the man’s expression that the

have been driven out! Her attention was

surname was what really

She turned to Carson.

her, she raised her eyebrows

"Well, this is Troy.

as a member of the

what she meant by just looking at

at a loss

many surnames in the

he had to choose

recognized who Rachel

and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

head slightly in

was

Victor had given him the scare of his life! Nonetheless,

I’m going back

his hand and said,

should do that

Troy went out of sight in a blink

at the door

see that Victor was sitting against

condition doesn’t seem as

is well and

the door

against the

follow

reading some document when he heard the

he didn’t raise his head and say coldly,

cast her

in

face was pale despite the fact that he lowered

and looked

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

was so entranced that she walked towards the bed

you to go out,

heard the

person who was walking

of speaking in his usual cold and stiff tone, he

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

many guests around, I figured it wouldn’t bode

"The dance is over.

to let

I reminded him.

he still loosened

took a few steps back

some reason, I could still feel the

blushed and i felt

my heart was

like I had returned to

the happiest time of my

I reminisced, I knew that those days were

feeling conflicted and

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached

me and began chatting with the guests

said, raising my glass and taking a sip of

a few to drink

this time, Elena came to

for you on the

upstairs

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you get

mysterious smile appeared on

her to the deck

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

also numerous balloons around the

widened

this whole scene was picturesque and

had no idea

mind was Charles, but

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

never spent this much effort on me, and yet I still couldn’t

receiving this birthday surprise soon

on the second floor, I stared at the night scene around

and yet

of the cold sea breeze, I

fireworks display lit up the sky, forming the

up to the sky, a deafening sound resonated in the

like

I covered my ears at

on the ground and

uncontrollably, and i felt

abandoned warehouse kept

out of breath I felt so dizzy that I

strong arms held me tightly "There’s no need to be

I’m here."

familiar voice came from above me, making me feel so

It was Charles.

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

have to be