My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire

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

Then she began to type out her reply to Brandon.

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

the staff member said through gritted teeth.

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

Ignoring her, Janet texted Brandon back.

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

The message from Brandon was a godsend.

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

Brandon replied with a long message.

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

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

The data was tampered with.

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

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

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

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

"How did you find that out?"

The platform was now owned by Lester Silk Fabric.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As she spoke, she tucked her phone away.

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

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

Janet ignored her.

She turned around and left without looking back.

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

"What’s up, Lind?"

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

Janet asked politely.

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

Tiffany looked at her warily and then nodded slowly.

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

"I want to call him and apologize,"

Janet answered simply.

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

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

There are enough discussions about you already,"

Tiffany scolded.

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

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

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

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

Janet reached for the card with a bright smile.

Of course she knew what she was doing.

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

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

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

Janet said, her voice as sweet as honey.

When Ritchie heard this, he was surprised.

Then, he sneered.

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

Janet had given up so soon.

"You’re scared, aren’t you?"

With a smug smile on his face, Ritchie smirked.

"Come to Lester Silk Fabric tomorrow.

You can apologize there in person."

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

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

he barked at his secretary.

"I want them here tomorrow.

Call some famous personalities in the fashion industry as well.

We need people in authority for the event."

The secretary nodded respectfully.

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

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

Get your ass back here."

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

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

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

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

"Get the biggest function hall for the press conference.

I want hundreds of people to be there.

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

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

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

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

1 Another evil grin spread on Ritchie’s face.

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

The secretary pursed his lips and jotted every detail down.

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

The sun shone bright and early the next day.

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

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

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

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

Tiffany remarked from beside her.

She turned to look Janet in the eye.

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

A faint smile appeared on Janet’s lips.

"You’ll find out soon enough.

Don’t worry.

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

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

The room finally settled down as Janet took her place.

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

"Sorry for taking up your time, everyone.

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

From a distance, Ritchie frowned and narrowed his eyes.

He could sense that something wasn’t right.

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

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

"She can’t have,"

the other man replied confidently.

"We’ve taken care to sweep everything.

All the evidence has been locked away.

I think she’s just bluffing."

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is your truth.

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

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

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

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

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

His secretary was also scared silly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Janet smiled and said in a calm voice.

Ritchie was exasperated to hear that.

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

"I thought you came here to apologize.

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

While smiling, Janet didn’t say a word.

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

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

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

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

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

The audience began to discuss this amongst themselves.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She said frantically, "I have no idea.

Don’t ask me…"

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

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

His secretary hurried to stop his curses.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now, she felt much better.

"It’s finally over!"

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

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

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

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

Related videos went viral on the Internet.

Suddenly, Janet’s phone started to ring.

It was Tiffany.

"Lind, I’m impressed.

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

You really knocked them dead!"

"Oh, my God! Seriously?"

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

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

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

There was a lot of positive feedback.

"Wow.

Heart.

Heart.

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

"She’s a lovely girl.

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

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

"Even though I’m a girl, I want her!"

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

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

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

Furious, Ritchie started trashing his office.

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

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

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

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

plummeted.

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

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

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

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

Ritchie glared at him, speechless.

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

"I’m not an idiot.

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

Things didn’t end there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am responsible for all of this.

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

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

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

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

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

She’s just an ordinary employee.

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

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

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

Janet pulled her chair and sat down.

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

"I can’t say I’m surprised.

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

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

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

"It doesn’t matter.

Look on the bright side.

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

Now, all eyes are on my work."

In the end, Luna was put behind bars.

And Janet had become an online celebrity.

Many people now knew her name and saw her designs.

Some even paid for it.

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

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

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

How’d you get the evidence?"

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

Janet froze.

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

"A very capable friend helped me get them."

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

Janet’s eyes twinkled.

"It’s a secret.

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

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

Gerda scratched her head and hurried back to her desk.

Janet couldn’t help but chuckle.

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

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

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

Janet couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Someone texted you."

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

"It seems your wife’s missing you."

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

Instantly, his expression darkened when he read the text.

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

Garrett asked seriously, the smile wiped from his face.

"Janet’s asking Brandon out for dinner."

Ethan put his phone down and sighed.

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

Garrett leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Yeah.

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

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

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

It’s not good for my heart either,"

he sighed.

Ethan frowned and started typing out a brisk reply.

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

You’re an employee of the Larson Group.

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

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

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

That’s thanks enough, Miss Lind,"

Ethan replied politely, keeping things professional.

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

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

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

Transfer her to a subsidiary company.

Then, bring Charis here."

Garrett was just about to take a nap.

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

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

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

"Why did you want to dismiss Janet?"

Ethan asked in a low voice.

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

"I just wanted to protect the company name,"

Charis answered defensively.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at her coldly.

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

No one other than me.

Understood?"

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

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

"I see how it is.

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

Ethan had already noticed that something was wrong with Charis.

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

She and her family had always valued their image.

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

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

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

Charis was a dignified woman.

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

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

She hadn’t cried in years.

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

She had been reluctant to leave him.

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

She and Brandon had worked together for years.

They had shared the company’s ups and downs.

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

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

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

"I met Brandon first,"

Charis muttered through gritted teeth.

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

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

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

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

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

But she couldn’t act as overtly as before.

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

She had to be more careful now.

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

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

Janet’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

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

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

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

But he couldn’t tell her this.

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

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

The manager of the shop at work fired me.

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

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

In fact, there was some truth to his story.

Ritchie had indeed caused him a lot trouble after all.

Hearing this, Janet’s heart immediately softened.

She walked over to help him with the vegetables.

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

I was worried something bad happened to you."

"The problem’s been solved.

Don’t worry,"

Ethan said with a reassuring smile.

That much was true.

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

"Your brother is really hard to deal with."

Janet pouted like a child.

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

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

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

Janet looked up at Ethan curiously.

Almost immediately, she saw the lust in his eyes.

His face was so beautiful.

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

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

Janet’s face turned as red as a tomato.

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

Then she focused on chopping the vegetables.

Amused, Ethan patted her on the head affectionately.

He really liked it when she blushed.

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

He had to admit it really turned him on.

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

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

Ethan stroked Janet’s hair.

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

A long forgotten name appeared on the screen.

It was Patrick Lester.

Chapter 324 Nora’s Birthday Ethan pursed his lips.

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

It was winter and the cold wind was unforgiving.

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

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

Janet’s voice broke the silence.

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

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

He was answering the phone out on the balcony again.

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

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

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

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

"I was busy just now,"

Ethan simply replied.

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

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

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

She wants you and your wife here."

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

— – Janet had overheard Patrick’s loud voice.

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

Ethan held her tighter and sighed.

"We are.

Patrick seldom summons me.

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

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

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

Janet smiled at him sweetly.

"I can tell that you’re fond of her."

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

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

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

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

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

She was the only Lester who ever cared about Ethan.

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

"She’s a kind lady,"

he said calmly.

long time since

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her

a thought occurred

shouted, "The eggs! I

broke free from Ethan’s embrace and ran

Ethan followed behind her.

stared at Janet, who was extremely

silly girl! I told you to keep an

side while

the corner, restlessly watching

"I’m sorry.

Charis, so I

Ethan had guessed this.

raised his eyes to look at

"It’s my fault.

give you enough sense

his arms and said gently, "Come

obeyed and leaned her face

the invitation from Patrick, she murmured, "The Lesters treat

you and I just got him into

probably has a huge grudge against

Order

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

want to tell me, then

was just being a

her, Victor said nothing, and silently retracted the

feeling that Shelia didn’t mean

fruits and poured

this definitely

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

Shelia was holding out in her hand and didn’t make

roast some more

the meat,

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

rest assured and eat it

right then, watching Shelia with vigilant and cold

an easy-going person, this didn’t mean

that Victor had gotten

his injuries, she knew she was wrong and he was

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead and

look away and

the rest

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

took a bite out

furrowed

really hard to

was not cooked

I gave you just now must be

tell me? You even finished

didn’t say a

her meat aside, Shelia turned around and spotted Victor’s

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

Am I smiling?’ Victor never even realized that

lifted his hand and gently touched the corner of his

roast the meat for

gone a

get

not tired at

just sit right

chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down next

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

how to

in

"Survive in the wildness?"

time that Shelia had ever heard

you go out of your way to

earlier, Victor also crushed some

used a knife to

Shelia asked, his eyes darkened

said, "I

knew the

to be prepared

even under ner protection, Victor

him to learn more skills so that he would at least

"Alright."

continued to focus her gaze

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

stretched out a hand to wipe off

startled and turned to look at

looked straight into Shelia’s eyes,

hand, looked away, and explained, "Your nose has dirt

"Is that so?"

her nose

what about now?

"No,"

said, glancing

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

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

Can you teach me?"

want to learn

"In order to survive."

of Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter 462

shelia said casually.

Victor felt sad upon hearing

flipped? It’s on

Shelia pointed out.

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

while he was still

.

or not to

all,

hand, didn’t

"Will you please teach

"Hmm,"

after

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she

dimples, meanwhile, became much

Victor nodded, "Okay."

as she said,

the kindest individual I’ve ever encountered,

"Orphanage?"

That’s where

was taken over and the old

as she spoke about

elderly woman was a wonderful

younger, she prepared great meals and gave me a lot of fresh

orphan…’

was needed to look after you since

leave with the

at Victor and

was the only home Shelia had known

you being

her head,

I was desperate to visit her tomb,

them, and

dingy ground,

been scattered by

behind

with disappointment as she gazed up at the

to

you from

people

if I go

had no idea that I

her my name when I

blinking her

black eyes remained fixed on Shelia and

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

spot in her

said that I

appropriate to use this term

at Shelia, Victor concluded that the

apt description of her features,

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

unable to communicate since she was deaf, mute,

to us by

card was in

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

the orphanage, each kid was given a

cards and let us take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella erupted into laughter, which was maybe due to the

at the card–the King

Did I get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

and said, "I am

toasting as

meat

all set to

Eat, please."

growl came from her gut just after

embarrassed, so she put her hand to her

the meat i made myself!

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after a

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

ready to rise when Shelia abruptly

"Come on, get up."

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

hard way, Shelia used a dart to put

track of

sun had cooled

down on a stone

how far we’ll have to travel

get out before the

drank some water as

walking, and he was

incoherently, "I’m

Let’s move forward."

still have the

"Like never before…"

and continued to

murmured, "Van, you look

you return, be sure to eat

his gaze to the side of

was covered in mud after a

you? What’s

"Plan?"

was slow

"What are your plans once we leave

to continue my travels and explore

I can no longer walk and

answered with a

"Shelia."

have made up his mind

"What’s the problem?"

come with me after we get

I will defend you if she

can count on

want me to come

you? If you don’t want to,

concerned that Shelia

a while before asking,

"No, I’m not.

treat you

Victor convinced her.

nodded and smiled at Victor, saying,

we get out

"Sure."

emerged from the

the horizon, basking the forest

on the bodies of Victor and

walking since high noon and now, the

tiredness was assuaged when they saw a relatively spacious country

we’re out of

meet local villagers if we walk

We can…"

could finish her sentence, she

She was confused.

looked at Victor, wanting to

"Van?"

didn’t expect you to come out

Shelia looked for the source of the

saw three cars that were

front, looking at them intently as he played

feel right away

instinctively moved to shield Victor, who in

eyes off Norton,

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

lost even when it

we were finding our way out of the forest, I put

and you can get back

"And then?"

her

straight into

"Walk along this road.

a mobile

didn’t intend to let him

game with Victor by throwing him

if he couldn’t escape this

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

fulfill the promise he made in

Victor wrote a phone number on her palm with his

once you get hold of a mobile

he whispered.

is my grandmother’s

she will pick you

looked down at

Victor looked at her

"No."

pulled her

eyes were a little

want to remember the number, nor do I want

be a good

Victor frowned.

he coughed violently as soon as

and

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

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

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

for each other!

when saw Norton

pulled Sheila behind

injured and keeping himself standing steadily was taxing

be hard for him to fight

walked up to them

Shelia stepped

patience with them, Norton

was too fast for Victor

"Let her go!"

a firm

in hearing

know you

as he wiped the mud on

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

stopped in his tracks when something silver flashed through his

that

a

"No."

"What are you saying?"

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

he had difficulty

clenched his fist and tried to

want is my

to do with

So, let her go!"

This is so

Norton curled his lips.

want to

where she comes from but I find your reaction quite

you to die alone? I can do

eyes, Victor

of the knife pressed against her neck, all Shelia

body was tensed

saw Victor spat out blood and beg for

you can do?

smile plastered on his

anger when he heard Shelia’s

did you just

you are

Shelia swallowed.

feel a sense of accomplishment by threatening two

in you to

So, cut the crap.

want to kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

tried to stop

she

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

Norton was indeed angry.

kept his voice

really? Looks like you really want to

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help you

Norton said, laughing derisively.

turned to his men and instructed them,

and asked anxiously, "What are you

Norton didn’t answer.

glared at

as they were

hands and feet bound, Shelia was

to ride a different

brain thinking about where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor Woke Up "Ahem!

river was flowing

Shelia, making her

hands clenched into fists, and the blue veins on his neck became very

his teeth and yelled, "Let her

to open her eyes because of the gushing water, Shelia had

wanted Victor to

moment she opened her

enough, her eyes became

on Victor’s face, Norton

be strong but he was useless in this kind

making me laugh,

I’m a good man? Why the hell should I obey

Norton approached the rope, squatted down, and blew the

of you wanting to save her

in me, huh? What do you

could just

would do whatever it took

the river, Norton squinted his

appeared

up and looked at Victor with a

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

are the weakest

one on my left has only killed two people, and the one on the right

a brief pause, Norton continued, "You want to save

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

its tip with his thumb

these two before the

goodbye to your

afraid that you won’t even find

flame, Victor didn’t care

essence, so he quickly rushed up and fought against the two

and the most popular

course, even his weakest subordinates should be

Victor was currently

not even be able to defeat

tall and burly men that

was at a disadvantage from the

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

as he was hit, Victor staggered and

was hit repeatedly, his strength left

being broken scattered all over

this time, Victor’s face looked

tried to stand, not ready to give

could even get back on his

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

hit again, Victor spat out a mouthful of blood, and

point, Victor’s vision

to fix his eyes on the rope, which was only

didn’t matter how

and the rope was grasped, Shelia’s life could be

her into this trouble, so he was willing to

wanted to go on,

he fell back to the ground and

some time, Victor was somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling

to open his eyes, but his vision was

lay there on the

help but wonder if

yet, so he

inch of his body made Victor realize that he

but he couldn’t move even an

little bit,

at the river, only to find that there was

was no trace

"Ahem!"

violently, spurting

grabbed unto the soil and opened his eyes as

if he was waiting for something to show

for a

he didn’t even know how

the person

that someone would raise her head from the river or

and the excruciating pain he was experiencing, Victor

he lost consciousness

up again, he was

subordinates found him

him lasted for two days and

a doctor’s diagnosis, it was found out that Victor had fractures in eight different

and lungs were inflamed, and the critically ill notice

first thing Victor did after he woke up was ask Carolyn to send people to look for

was still wearing an oxygen mask and

completely out of danger yet, but all he cared about was

she could sense that she must

dare delay to send people

for seven days, but Shelia couldn’t

week passed and there was still no news about

crumpled playing card that got wet from the

one could easily recognize that it was the King

years later, Victor

thing he did after

Hearts card in a box and buried it under a

marble tombstone

even Shelia’s name on

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

the

that year that Carolyn sent Victor

more years, he finished his studies and

taking over several small companies under the control of the

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

his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed over the

time, Roger entered

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

can’t eat

eating porridge for about

couldn’t even stand the smell

sighed and had no choice but to put the bowl

she said, "Eat it again when

tongue out, not intending

he saw Roger standing at the door, so

the past half a month, Roger came to the

kid gradually got

was that Roger would

much, he could at least

could only eat

greeted Roger, Rachel turned around and was

that

a message in advance to ask her if she wanted

she would say no every time, he

that he had an important project meeting today, so he might

could still visit, it would

initially, I couldn’t

a moment before finally saying, "But I got

response, Rachel furrowed

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

done to Victor

operating room opened and closed for several times as

and Carson couldn’t do anything but wait outside until

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

indicated that the surgery was successfully

life was saved, but he wasn’t

was wheeled to

days ago that his vital signs

became eligible to be transferred to

he was still

expert in the field to check

it wasn’t what he

Victor sustained serious injuries.

wounds had healed, they

injuries just made

only a miracle could

you at least tell us when

asked in

can’t

expert couldn’t help but frown

I may be blunt, please consider preparing for the

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

didn’t say this, it was obvious

but there was a huge chance

Carson and Lukas, Rachel was the first one to know

that Rachel

Joey’s ward, holding a cigarette

there

to tell Rachel about

tragic news, her face didn’t show

if she had already prepared herself

was a

didn’t know when she

was when Victor had been in a coma for about half

have

there outside the operating room for 70 hours before the

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

You can’t smoke here."

his senses, Carson put out the

her indifferent expression, he didn’t bother continue discussing about Victor’s grim

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

"Joey? He’s fine.

and said that he has

it’s expected that his plaster will be removed ahead of

peeped through the

Joey sleeping soundly in

faint smile, he stretched for a

then, I’m leaving

Carson turned around

to tell Rachel about the doctor’s

that, he had nothing

of an eye, two days eventually passed

made aware of Victor’s condition, Rachel

in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four hours

Carson didn’t show his face to

was also convinced that Victor would never

Roger broke the news that Victor had miraculously woke up

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

time without being able to speak

judging Roger’s expression

you want to go upstairs

Rachel pressed her lips hard and

sleeve and

I want to see

pleading in a

the fact that Victor was in a coma after

hospital, he actually had

Rachel had always been absent-minded and Victor hadn’t come up in

Rachel didn’t have the heart

nor did he pester Rachel to go to the ICU

smiled and made a

Isn’t daddy bad? They say

have to worry too

eyes, she felt a

few moments, she mustered her

"Yes, of course."

Joey had a good rest in the

as if there was nothing wrong going

middle of the night from time to time and look at the

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

"Okay…"

softened,

was in the

fully healed yet, it was

simply let him

the three of them went to Victor’s

they reached the

the floor

VIP ward, and there was only one patient at this time, Carson was sitting on

his brows and eventually saw three people approaching like

this scene, Carson knew that he would have

it’s the first time

What brings you here?"

the document he was

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking

who will

those dark circles

"Dark circles?"

choked

phone, opened its front camera, and

realized that Joey

his eye bags were so big that it seemed

was

hadn’t have a good sleep for half

a handsome young man, but even

"Ha-ha!"

help but laugh after seeing the upset look on Carson’s

laughter, Carson realized that he was fooled by

his head, Carson stepped forward and pinched Joey’s

"You, brat.

dare you tease your

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

have no opinion regarding

father and I grew

We are best friends.

one who picked

that’s how I

and crossed his arms in front of

if you don’t

and said, "Humph! If I don’t want

as he withdrew his

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

as I said, it’s a fact

change

but he stuck out his tongue at

corner of his eye, Carson recognized

tried to regain his composure and commented, "I see that

heard that

here with Rachel and Joey

Roger explained.

lose his composure just because of Carson’s

"Oh, I see."

room and said, "His ward

He is resting inside.

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

was going

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked towards the

followed her, pushing

arms were placed

lost in thoughts for

about to

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

and looked at the little

standing very

could see him from the

if he was giving

at him, Joey

need to use

what Joey was

about I take you

"No!"

replied in a

was a serious look on his

am

was a bathroom in Joey’s ward, so it wasn’t a problem for Rachel to take him

they were no longer

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

reaction to Joey’s words, Rachel looked

then her gaze

Carson soon observed

wanted him to take

coughed and refused to pay any attention to Rachel’s

his phone and turned around as if nothing

Joey a

pretended like he was

have read the plan you

headed towards the nurses’

very good at

phone’s screen lit up while he was still

Rachel saw what just happened

"It’s okay.

will take Joey

He is actually right.

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

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

he heard those

that Rachel ought to have been

past few days, they got along really

always in one another’s

best known to her, she still alienated

things,

it couldn’t

himself from thinking about the night Rachel was standing outside the operating room

and Joey headed towards

time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

took a quick glance at

you through with the

"What?"

followed Rachel’s sight and took a peek

smile appeared

I am through

choice! My subordinates

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake smile on

not very

Carson realized that Rachel knew that he had pretended to answer the

nose and

want

order to look through the glass

ward was a

from her point of view, only the living room

see Victor, Rachel pushed the door

said Victor would lie in the bed for

to undergo half a year’s rehabilitation

came from

is in a stable condition

"Get out of here!"

interrupted Carson’s

man in a suit

He looked dejected.

document in

Rachel and Carson as soon as he came

at first, then his face

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung around the

It was quite noticeable.

employee of the Sullivan Group and the

about what just happened

expression that the project plan had been denied

been driven out! Her attention was drawn

what

She turned to Carson.

her, she

"Well, this is Troy.

of the

what she meant by just looking at

at a loss

were so many surnames in

had

recognized who Rachel

bowed and

"Miss Bennet."

head

was covered with

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

Bennet, I’m going

hand and said, "Very well

should do

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

looked at the door

enough for her to see that Victor was sitting against

condition doesn’t seem as

well and can

to the door

leaned against the

didn’t follow Rachel

some document when

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

her gaze

was in a

his face was pale despite the fact that he

and looked

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

was so entranced that she

asked you to go out,

Victor heard the footsteps, his

up at the person who was walking

and

461 The Birthday Gift Caroline’s POV: Even after we

many guests around, I figured it wouldn’t

"The dance is over.

time to let

I reminded him.

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

a few steps back to distance myself from

for some reason, I could still feel the warmth of his touch on

face blushed and i felt rather

heart

moment, it felt like I

with him were the happiest time of

I knew that those days were long gone and

down, feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached me

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

raising my glass and taking a

it, I’d had a few to drink and was

this time, Elena

for you on

upstairs and take a look

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you

appeared

confusion, I followed her to the

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

were also numerous balloons around the

eyes widened

say, this whole scene was picturesque

surprise?’ I had no idea who

mind was Charles,

could it possibly be him?’ A bitter smile appeared on my lips, and somehow, I began to despise

much effort on me, and yet I

this birthday

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

and

cold sea breeze,

display lit up the

sky,

sounded like

the noise, I covered

on the ground

trembling uncontrollably, and i

incident at the abandoned warehouse

I felt so dizzy that

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

I’m here."

from above me, making

It was Charles.

in his arms as tears burst from my eyes, Gently,

have to