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

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her

a thought occurred

shouted, "The eggs! I forgot all about

and ran to the

Ethan followed behind her.

at Janet, who was extremely

told you to keep an eye on

her to the side while he cleaned up the

corner,

"I’m sorry.

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

Ethan had guessed this.

washed hands, he raised his eyes to look at Janet

"It’s my fault.

you

that, he spread out his arms and

face against his chest,

invitation from Patrick, she murmured,

you and I just got

probably has a huge

there?"Chapter 461 In Order To Survive Shelia didn’t notice what was going

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

if you really don’t want to

just being a little

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

a feeling that Shelia didn’t mean him

poured the juice over the

definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

out in her hand and didn’t make a

some more for

the meat, Shelia smiled as if she had just realized

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

rest assured and eat

high alert right then, watching Shelia

be an easy-going person, this

that

his injuries, she knew she was wrong and he

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead

look away and placed the

roast the

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

bite out of

chewing for some time, she furrowed

really hard to

not cooked

you just now must be the

tell me? You even finished

didn’t say a word and only continued to roast the

aside, Shelia turned around and spotted Victor’s

you smiling? Van, you did

I smiling?’ Victor never even realized that

hand and gently touched the corner of his

roast the meat

gone

get

not tired at

sit

hands propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit

"Van, you’re good

how to survive in the

spoke in

"Survive in the wildness?"

the very first time that Shelia had ever heard of such

out of your

Victor also crushed some fruits

knife to slice

Shelia

a while, he said, "I have

Victor knew

wanted to be prepared in

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

learn more skills so that he would at least have a better chance to

"Alright."

continued to focus her gaze

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

out a hand to wipe off the

look at Victor with a

Victor looked straight into Shelia’s eyes,

retracted his hand, looked away, and explained, "Your nose

"Is that so?"

rub her nose with the

about now? Is

"No,"

glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

than roasting

Can you teach me?"

do you want to

"In order to survive."

words came out of Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me

shelia said casually.

sad

to be flipped? It’s on the verge of being

Shelia pointed out.

on

was still thinking about what

.

second thoughts about whether or not to ask her about

all,

on the other hand, didn’t

"Will you please

"Hmm,"

said after a

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she broke into a

dimples, meanwhile, became much

Victor nodded, "Okay."

broadly as she said,

the kindest individual I’ve ever encountered, except for

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I

orphanage was taken over and the old woman was unwell

eyes clouded as she

elderly woman was

meals and gave me a lot of

is an orphan…’ Victor pursed his

was needed to look after you since the orphanage was taken

didn’t you leave

up at Victor and answered, "I

only home Shelia had known for

with you

her head, Shelia

I was desperate to visit

them, and I don’t intend

dingy ground, Shelia

of sunshine that had been

her hands behind her

disappointment as she gazed up

to visit

you from

are people

me if I go

idea that

when I meet her again in

blinking her

remained fixed on Shelia and

to see you, Van, it would be more than likely that she would like

spot in her heart for

that I

seem appropriate to use this term to describe a

Shelia, Victor concluded

an apt description of her features, particularly her

asked her, "Since she was responsible for your

was unable to communicate since she was

never referred to

card was

as if it were a treasure and presented it to Victor

kid was given a unique

cards and let us take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella

the card–the King

Did I get the best

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

am the only one with the King of

was toasting as they

her the meat after

set

Eat, please."

her gut just

her stomach and ate the

meat i made

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after a good

rose to her feet, she said,

ready to rise when Shelia abruptly extended her

"Come on, get up."

was taken aback, and after a little pause,

hard way, Shelia used a dart to put marks on the tree

track of time

had

on a stone and drank some

sure how far we’ll have to travel until

can get out before the

drank some water

and he was coughing up blood for the

"I’m

Let’s move forward."

still have the

"Like never before…"

nodded and continued to hold

murmured,

be sure

gaze to

after a day and a night in

you? What’s your

"Plan?"

was slow to

once we

want to continue my travels and explore the world’s finest rivers

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

with a

"Shelia."

mind after staring at Shelia for a

"What’s the problem?"

after we get

will like you, I

count on

me to come with

all right with you? If

was concerned that Shelia might

for a while before asking, "Are you joking right

"No, I’m not.

treat you the best I

Victor convinced her.

smiled at Victor, saying,

when we get out

"Sure."

they emerged from the

disappear below the horizon, basking the forest in a pale red glow that passed through

the bodies of Victor

since high noon and

was assuaged when they saw

out of

meet local villagers if we walk a little

We can…"

sentence, she saw

She was confused.

at Victor, wanting to know why he

"Van?"

didn’t expect you to come

Shelia looked for the

saw three cars that were parked not far

them intently as he played with a

could feel right away

Victor, who in turn stood protectively

didn’t take his eyes off Norton, watching

hear, Victor said, "Run into the forest

lost even when it gets

of the forest, I put marks all

you can get

"And then?"

asked, her

looked straight

"Walk along this road.

a mobile phone from them,

Norton didn’t intend to let him

with Victor by throwing him into

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

had promised to give Shelia a family, bring her back to see his grandmother, and treat

it seemed that Victor could not fulfill the promise he

Shelia’s hand, Victor wrote a phone number on her palm with his

number once you

he whispered.

is my

pick you

looked down

respond, Victor looked at her and asked in confusion,

"No."

pulled her

were a little

to remember the number, nor do I want

a good

Victor frowned.

anxious that he coughed

adamant and clenched

to spread her palm and let Victor write the

if Norton couldn’t hear what Victor and Shelia were talking about, he could tell that they were reluctant to

said, "Tut, tut, tut, this is

strong feelings for each other! I’m so moved

when saw Norton approaching

intuitively pulled Sheila

himself

would be hard for him to

up to

Shelia stepped

with them, Norton pulled Shelia

fast for Victor

"Let her go!"

firm grip

satisfaction in hearing vexation in Victor’s

you

as he wiped the mud on Shelia’s face with

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

tracks when something silver flashed through

was a knife that Norton pressed

a

"No."

"What are you saying?"

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

he had

fist and tried to steady

you want

to do with

So, let her go!"

This is

Norton curled his lips.

don’t want to let her

from but I find your reaction quite

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

eyes, Victor breathed

tip of the knife pressed against her neck, all Shelia could

body was

when she saw Victor spat out blood and beg

that all you can do?

kept his mocking smile plastered

eyes narrowed in anger when he heard Shelia’s disdainful

you

you are a

Shelia swallowed.

just feel a sense of accomplishment by threatening two

in you to do what

So, cut the crap.

kill me, then

"Shelia…"

desperately tried

she was provoking

afraid that Shelia would make Norton’s hackles rise

Norton was indeed angry.

looked fierce, but he kept his voice in check

Looks like you really

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

his men and instructed them, "Tie her

eyes and asked anxiously, "What are

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared at

as they were

and feet bound, Shelia was taken to one of the

to ride

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

was flowing

as the water rushed over, it inundated Shelia, making her choke easily

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

gritted his teeth and yelled, "Let

to open her eyes because of the gushing water,

Victor

moment she opened her mouth, she

her eyes

exasperated expression on Victor’s

but he was useless in

making me

good man? Why

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

save her

still some good in me,

could just

it took to save

of the river, Norton squinted his eyes and

men behind him appeared and stood between the rope and

looked at Victor with

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the weakest among

two people, and

"You want to save her, right? Knock

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

the knife in his hand, Norton touched its tip with

these two before the rope

goodbye to your good

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

at the flickering flame, Victor didn’t

so he quickly rushed

a mercenary and the most popular

weakest subordinates should be strong

was currently

be able to defeat one of the two weakest subordinates

of them were tall and burly men that could

a doubt, Victor was at a disadvantage from

two men punched Victor right in his abdomen one after another, and hit

he was hit, Victor

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

being broken scattered all

this time, Victor’s face looked

to stand, not ready to

could even get back on

to subconsciously use his arm to block it, but

was hit again, Victor spat out a mouthful

Victor’s

eyes on the rope,

didn’t matter how many injuries

and the rope was grasped,

into this trouble, so he

go on, his body

fell back to the ground and lost

awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling on

struggled to open his eyes, but

lay there on the ground,

wonder if

yet, so he thought

the sharp pain that pierced every inch of his body

stand up, but

a little bit, grabbing the mud under his hands

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

was no trace

"Ahem!"

spurting out

soil and opened his eyes as

at the river expectantly, as if he was waiting

waited for

fact, he didn’t even know how much time

never found the person he

head from the river or come out from somewhere and call

the excruciating pain he was experiencing, Victor couldn’t

he lost consciousness

woke up again, he

found him near

him lasted for

out that Victor had fractures

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

Victor did after he woke up was ask Carolyn to

was still wearing an oxygen mask

out of danger

could sense that she must

send people to search for Shelia along

for seven days,

there was still no

card that got wet from the rain and then

surface was mostly covered with mud, but one could easily recognize that

years later, Victor

did after fully recovering was

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

on the marble tombstone aside from the

wasn’t even Shelia’s

was on a business trip, he suffered a sudden heart

to the hospital, but he was declared dead

in that year

finished his studies and finally

began taking over several small companies under the control of the

companies from

able to prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually

entered the

edge of the bed, holding a bowl of porridge, and coaxing Joey to

can’t eat

porridge for about half a

now, he couldn’t even stand the smell

and had no choice

she said, "Eat it again when

tongue out, not intending to

Roger standing at the door, so he politely greeted,

Roger came to the hospital to visit Joey

kid gradually got

liked about him was that Roger would bring some

too much, he could at least taste something

could only eat them

around and was surprised

that you wouldn’t come

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

time, he

important project meeting today, so he might not

still visit, it would probably

initially, I couldn’t

Rachel, Roger hesitated for a moment before finally saying,

response, Rachel furrowed her brows

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

operation done to Victor lasted for

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

Carson couldn’t do anything but wait

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

that the surgery was successfully

saved, but he wasn’t

was wheeled

ago that his vital signs

became eligible to be

was still in a

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

what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

his old wounds had healed, they still had

injuries just made

said that only a miracle could save Victor’s

us when

asked in a gloomy

can’t say

expert couldn’t help but frown as

blunt, please consider

chance that he’ll never wake up? Is he

expert didn’t say this, it was obvious that this

was not a hundred percent, but there was a huge

Lukas, Rachel was the first one

Carson deemed that Rachel had

leaned against the wall outside Joey’s ward, holding

there were dark circles round

to tell Rachel about this important

Rachel heard the tragic news, her face

had already prepared herself for

was

didn’t know when she

was when Victor had been in a

might have been

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

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

You can’t smoke here."

his senses, Carson put out

bother continue

changed the subject and asked,

"Joey? He’s fine.

checked him up yesterday and said that he has been recovering

that his plaster will be removed ahead of the initial

and peeped through the glass panel on the

sleeping

he stretched for a bit and said, "Good for

I’m leaving

that, Carson turned around and left without

tell Rachel about the doctor’s

that, he had nothing else to

an eye, two

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

in Joey’s ward

Carson didn’t

an expert, she was also

broke the news that Victor had

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

for a long time without being able

judging

Do you want to go

slowly This time, Rachel pressed her lips

her sleeve and pulled her back

I want to see

Joey, pleading in a

fact that Victor was in a coma after obtaining

up in the hospital, he

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

finally found out the truth, Rachel didn’t have

didn’t cry or say anything, nor did he pester

smiled and made

They say bad

to worry too much about

at Joey’s bright eyes, she felt

moments, she mustered her

"Yes, of course."

had a good rest in the

as if there was nothing wrong

of the night from

brave kid for keeping it all inside him,

"Okay…"

heart softened, and she

was in the

healed yet, it was inconvenient for

him sit in a

wheelchair for him, and the three of

they reached the

the floor of the ward where

one patient at this time, Carson was sitting on the sofa in the hall, dealing with

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

this scene, Carson

guy, it’s the first time I’ve seen you up

What brings you here?"

document

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking his

that? Do I look like someone who will be beaten easily?

did those dark circles around your eyes

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at Joey’s

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

that Joey

his eye bags were so big that

this was only

have a good sleep for half

a handsome young man, but even he was susceptible to stress

"Ha-ha!"

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

innocent laughter, Carson realized that he was fooled by this little

his head, Carson stepped forward and pinched

"You, brat.

you tease your godfather? You have guts,

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

have no opinion

I grew up

We are best friends.

one

I

eyebrows and crossed his arms in

if you don’t want it, that fact

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

as he

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

said, it’s a

change your attitude towards

but he stuck out his

of the corner of his eye, Carson

regain his composure and commented, "I

I heard that Mr.Sullivan has woken

I came here with Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

his

"Oh, I see."

pointed at the room and

He is resting inside.

see him."Chapter 466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward

knew what was going through

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

nodded and walked towards the

her, pushing Joey’s

arms were placed

in thoughts for a

about to

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked at the little

was not standing very

see him from

eyebrows as if he was giving Carson a

taking a quick glance at him, Joey turned his

I need to

overheard what Joey was

about I

"No!"

replied in a very decisive

serious

I am

it wasn’t a problem for Rachel to take

were no

boy to the ladies’ room, just like it wouldn’t be right for her

Joey’s words,

was Roger, then her

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

she wanted him to

coughed and refused to pay

that, he took out his phone and turned around as if

give Joey a thumbs up

he

I have read the

he headed

very good

lit up while he was still holding it to his

saw what just happened clearly and understood that

"It’s okay.

take Joey

He is actually right.

embarrassing for a boy like him to be taken to the

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

those words, they displeased

ought to have been closer to him than

they

were always in

best known to her,

look of things, Rachel still didn’t love

it couldn’t

the night Rachel was

Joey headed towards the

some time, Carson

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

took a quick glance at

through with

"What?"

and took a peek at

appeared

I am through with

with no choice! My

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

fake smile

very

pretended to answer the

the tip of his nose and coughed to ease the

want

order to look through the glass

ward was a

only the living room

pushed the door open

Victor would lie

to undergo half a

came

a stable condition now,

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted

a man in a suit

He looked dejected.

a document in his

into Rachel and Carson as soon

stunned at first, then his face

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung around the

It was quite noticeable.

of the Sullivan Group and the director

was no need asking about

could tell from the man’s expression that the project plan

attention was drawn to the

was what

She turned to Carson.

at her, she raised her

"Well, this is Troy.

a member of the Sullivan Group’s

knew exactly what she meant

at a loss for

many surnames in

had

who

and mentioned her

"Miss Bennet."

her head slightly

forehead was

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

Miss Bennet, I’m going

waved his hand and said,

do

heard what Carson said, Troy went out of sight in

looked at the

to see that Victor was

doesn’t seem as bad as

is well and

walked to the door and pushed it

leaned against the

didn’t follow

document when

head and

cast her

in a

pale despite the fact that he lowered

frowned and looked rather

outside the operating room for more than seventy hours half

so entranced that she walked towards the

you to go

Victor heard the footsteps, his frown

looked up at the person who

cold and stiff tone, he said softly, "Rachel, you

after we finished the dance, Charles kept his hand

around, I figured it

"The dance is over.

time to let

I reminded him.

his eyes, but he still loosened his

took a few steps back to

could still feel the

blushed and

heart was

a moment, it felt like I

him were the happiest

were

down, feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached

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

glass and taking a sip of

a few to drink

this time, Elena came

surprise waiting for

go upstairs

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when

smile appeared

her to the deck on the

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

were also numerous

widened in

whole scene was picturesque

surprise?’ I had no idea who had prepared

to mind was Charles, but I quickly cast

on my lips, and somehow, I began

effort on me, and yet I still couldn’t

this birthday surprise

stood on the second floor, I stared

was tranquil, and yet my mind was

sea

of a sudden, a fireworks display lit up the sky, forming the

the fireworks shot up to the sky, a deafening sound

like

the noise, I

the ground and

began trembling uncontrollably, and i felt like my

horrible incident at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing through my

breath I felt so

pair of strong arms held me tightly "There’s no

I’m here."

familiar voice came from above me, making me

It was Charles.

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

to be scared ever