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!"

whined, her

a thought occurred

"The eggs! I forgot all about

and ran to

Ethan followed behind her.

extremely flustered, and he

I told you to keep an eye

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

in the corner,

"I’m sorry.

thought you were talking to Charis, so I rushed to

Ethan had guessed this.

freshly washed hands, he raised his eyes to

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you enough

saying that, he spread out his arms

her face against

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

hates you and I just got

has a

In Order To Survive Shelia

forehead in a casual manner,

you really don’t want to tell me, then forget about

was just being

nothing, and silently retracted the knife he

had a feeling that Shelia didn’t

and poured the juice over

this definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

to look down at the meat Shelia was holding out

roast some more for

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

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

can rest assured and eat

then, watching Shelia with vigilant and cold

be an easy-going

thought that

saw his injuries, she knew she

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead and

away and placed the meat

roast the

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

took a bite out of

furrowed her brows and

hard to

was not cooked fully

gave you just now must be the

me? You

didn’t say a word and only continued

Shelia turned

smiling? Van, you

never even realized that

gently touched

me to roast the

have gone a long

and get

not tired

just sit

chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down next

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

learned how to survive

spoke in a deep

"Survive in the wildness?"

very first time that Shelia

of your way

crushed some fruits and poured the juice over the

used a knife to slice the

he heard what Shelia asked,

a while, he said, "I

knew the reason

that because he wanted to be prepared in

of time that even under ner protection, Victor would find

to learn more skills so that he would at least have a better chance to survive in case of

"Alright."

focus her gaze on

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

stretched out a hand to wipe off

look at Victor with a

eyes, he started

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

"Is that so?"

to rub her nose with the back

now? Is it

"No,"

glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

what else did you learn other than roasting

Can you teach me?"

want to

"In order to survive."

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

shelia said casually.

felt sad upon hearing

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

Shelia pointed out.

burn on the meat’s exposed side

was still

.

whether or not

all,

the other hand, didn’t seem to take it

asked, "Will you

"Hmm,"

said after a

"Is that a yes?"

and she

meanwhile, became much

Victor nodded, "Okay."

broadly as she said,

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

"Orphanage?"

where I

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

clouded as she

was a

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

is an orphan…’ Victor pursed his

needed to look after you since the orphanage

didn’t you leave with the

at Victor and answered, "I didn’t want

only home Shelia had

okay with you being outdoors on

head,

to visit

them, and I

spite of the dingy ground,

had been scattered by the

hands behind her head,

as she

want to visit

what keeps you

are people

if I go

had no idea that I have

I meet her again in

blinking

black eyes remained fixed on

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

spot in her heart

that I was

It didn’t seem appropriate to use

Victor concluded that the

an apt description of her

she was responsible for your upbringing,

communicate since she was deaf, mute,

to us by

poker card

from her pocket as if it were a

each kid was given a

them on the cards and let us take them as we

at the card–the King of

I get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

retracted the card and said, "I am

was toasting as they

her the meat after he

set

Eat, please."

came from her gut just

hand to her stomach and ate the meat with a

than the meat

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after a

feet,

was ready to rise when Shelia abruptly extended

"Come on, get up."

little pause,

way, Shelia used a dart

had lost track of

had cooled

Victor in sitting down on a stone and drank

we’ll have to

out before

some water

much walking, and he was coughing up blood for

"I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

still have the

"Like never before…"

and continued

she murmured,

return, be sure

lowered his gaze to the side of her

covered in mud after a

you? What’s

"Plan?"

was slow

are your plans once we

to continue my travels and explore the world’s

police station when I can no longer walk and beg

answered with a

"Shelia."

made up his mind after staring at

"What’s the problem?"

me after we get

I will defend you if she

can count on

want me to come

If you don’t want

was concerned that Shelia might

for a while before asking,

"No, I’m not.

promise to treat you the best

Victor convinced her.

and smiled

when we get out of

"Sure."

from the

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

light glimmered on the bodies of Victor and

been walking since high noon and now, the

they saw a

we’re out of the

meet local villagers if we walk a little

We can…"

finish her sentence, she

She was confused.

looked at Victor, wanting to know why he

"Van?"

well, well, i didn’t expect you to

voice came, Shelia looked for the source of

that were parked not far

stood at the front, looking at them intently as he

feel right away that they

moved to shield Victor, who in turn stood

didn’t take his eyes off Norton, watching

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

get lost even when

way out of

marks and you can

"And then?"

asked, her

looked straight

"Walk along this road.

mobile phone

didn’t intend to

just wanted to play a game with Victor

escape this predicament,

bring her back to see his grandmother, and treat her

could not fulfill the promise

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

the number once you get

he whispered.

my

her and she will pick

just looked down at

respond, Victor looked

"No."

her

eyes were

to remember the number, nor do I want

a

Victor frowned.

anxious that he coughed violently as soon as he finished

and clenched

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

Shelia were talking about,

said, "Tut,

other! I’m so

when

intuitively pulled Sheila

himself standing steadily was taxing for

hard for him to fight off

deliberately walked up to them

Shelia stepped

Norton pulled Shelia

fast for Victor to stop

"Let her go!"

firm grip on Shelia’s

hearing

you look

he wiped the mud

Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed over and tried to take Shelia back from

he stopped in his tracks when something silver flashed

a knife that Norton pressed

out a

"No."

"What are you saying?"

and gave Victor a

felt that he had difficulty

fist and tried to steady

you want

has nothing to do

So, let her go!"

This is so

Norton curled his lips.

don’t want to let

where she comes from but I find your

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

red eyes, Victor breathed

pressed against her neck, all Shelia could

body was tensed

saw Victor spat out blood and beg for mercy, she

you can

his mocking smile

his eyes narrowed in anger when

you just

said you

Shelia swallowed.

sense of

have in you to do what you intend to

So, cut the crap.

kill me, then

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to

knew that she was

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

Norton was indeed angry.

but he kept his voice in

you really

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

his men and instructed them, "Tie

asked anxiously, "What are

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared

as they were

feet bound, Shelia

made to

racked his brain thinking about where Norton was taking

river was

the water rushed over, it inundated Shelia, making her choke easily Victor saw how Shelia’s face became

blue veins on his neck

gritted his teeth and yelled, "Let her

because of the gushing

wanted Victor to run

her mouth, she was

enough, her

at the exasperated expression on Victor’s face, Norton

strong but he was

me laugh,

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

smile, Norton approached the rope,

for the sake of you wanting to save her so

me, huh? What do you

just glare at

do whatever it took to save

who was in the middle of the river,

two men behind him appeared and stood between

stood up and looked at Victor

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

are the

killed two people, and the one on the right has

want to save her, right? Knock them

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

Norton touched its tip with his thumb

these two before

goodbye

away, I’m afraid that you won’t

flame, Victor didn’t care about

he quickly rushed up and fought against the two

a mercenary and the most popular leader

course, even his weakest subordinates should be strong as

was currently

might not even be

were tall and burly men that could easily

a doubt, Victor was at a disadvantage from the

them, the two men punched Victor right in his abdomen

was hit, Victor staggered and struggled to

he was hit repeatedly, his strength left him,

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

this time, Victor’s face looked black with

tried to stand, not ready to give

could even get back on his feet, he saw another

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

a mouthful of blood,

this point, Victor’s vision became

on the rope, which was only a few

didn’t matter how

and the rope

this trouble, so he was

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

to the ground

awakened when he felt droplets of rain

struggled to open his eyes, but his

the ground, watching the

help but wonder if

consciousness hadn’t fully recovered yet, so he thought

the sharp pain that pierced every inch of his body made

wanted to stand up, but he couldn’t move even an

move his hands a little bit, grabbing the

his head to look at the river, only to find

no

"Ahem!"

violently, spurting

he grabbed unto the soil and

as if he was waiting for

for a long

fact, he didn’t even know how much time passed

the person he

would raise her head from the river or come out from

loss of blood and the excruciating pain he was experiencing,

lost consciousness

woke up again, he was finally

subordinates found him near

lasted for two

doctor’s diagnosis, it was found out that

lungs were inflamed, and the critically

first thing Victor did after he woke up was

was still wearing an oxygen mask

of danger yet, but all he

know who Shelia was, but she could sense that she must be a very important person

to send people to

for seven days, but

passed and there was still no

crumpled playing card that got wet from

one could easily recognize that it was the King of

later, Victor completely

after fully recovering

the King of Hearts card in a box and

on the marble tombstone

Shelia’s name on

the second year of Victor’s recovery, while Karl was

to rush him to the hospital, but he was declared dead

It was also in that year that Carolyn sent Victor

he finished

over several small companies under the

companies from a very low level

to prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn

this time, Roger entered the ward

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

eat

been eating porridge

now, he couldn’t even stand the smell

no choice but to put

"Eat it again when you

out, not intending to

the door, so he

a month, Roger came to the hospital to visit Joey from time

the kid gradually

was that Roger would

eat too much, he could at

only eat them in

Rachel turned around

say that

he would send Rachel a message in advance to ask her if

she would say no every time, he would still insist on getting her

important project meeting today, so he might not

could still visit, it would probably be very late

I couldn’t

moment before finally saying,

furrowed her brows in

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

to Victor lasted for more

operating room opened and closed for

anything but wait outside until the

fourth day since the operation began, the indicator

that the surgery was successfully

he wasn’t completely

was wheeled to

until two days ago

be transferred to the

still

to check Victor’s condition

it wasn’t what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

wounds had healed,

his new injuries just made matters

the end, he said that only a

at least tell us when he

asked in

I can’t say that

but frown

be blunt, please

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

the expert didn’t say this, it was obvious that this was what he

there was

for Carson and Lukas, Rachel was the first

Carson deemed that Rachel had the

Joey’s ward, holding

there were dark circles round his

just went down to tell Rachel

tragic news, her face didn’t show much

she had already prepared herself

was a

know when she became

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

have been even

operating room for

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

You can’t smoke here."

senses, Carson put out the

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

changed the subject and asked, "Anyway,

"Joey? He’s fine.

up yesterday and said that he has been

his plaster will be removed ahead of the

through the glass panel

Joey sleeping soundly in the

smile, he stretched for a

I’m leaving

around and

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

from that, he had nothing

the blink of an eye, two days eventually passed

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

Joey’s ward almost twenty-four

didn’t show his face

was also convinced that Victor would never

Victor had miraculously woke up from being

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

Roger for a long time without being able to speak a

still judging Roger’s expression if he

Rachel… Do you want to go upstairs and see

pressed her lips hard

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

want

was Joey, pleading in a soft

that Victor was in

up in the hospital, he actually had a

on, he found that Rachel had always been absent-minded

out the truth, Rachel didn’t have

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

just smiled and

Isn’t daddy bad? They say bad

don’t have to worry too much about

Joey’s bright eyes, she felt

moments, she mustered

"Yes, of course."

had a good rest in

as if there was nothing

would actually wake up in the middle of the night

him, but Rachel was aware that he

"Okay…"

heart softened, and she

ward was in

wound hadn’t fully healed yet, it was inconvenient for

let him sit

for him, and the three of

they reached the

The elevator finally stopped at 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

If Victor had seen this scene, Carson knew

first time I’ve seen you up

What brings you here?"

quickly set the document he was holding aside and raised

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his

someone who will be beaten easily?

did those dark circles around

"Dark circles?"

choked

opened its

that Joey

his eye bags were

this was only

good sleep for half

was originally a handsome young man, but even he was susceptible

"Ha-ha!"

help but laugh after seeing the upset look on

laughter, Carson realized that he was fooled by this

his head, Carson stepped forward and pinched Joey’s

"You, brat.

dare you tease your godfather? You

Who said that you are my godfather? I don’t remember

no opinion regarding

I grew

We are best friends.

one who picked

I

eyebrows and crossed his arms in front of

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

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

his tongue as he withdrew his hand from Joey’s

also didn’t expect

as I said, it’s a fact that

you’d better change your attitude

but he

of the corner of his eye, Carson recognized Roger

composure and commented, "I see

heard that Mr.Sullivan has

with Rachel and

Roger explained.

plan to lose his composure just because of Carson’s

"Oh, I see."

at the room and said, "His ward is

He is resting inside.

him."Chapter 466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at

was going

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

walked towards the

her, pushing

arms were placed

lost in thoughts

about to sav something, Joey

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked at the little

standing very far

Joey could see him from the corner

raised his eyebrows as if he was giving Carson a

after taking a quick glance at him, Joey

need to use the

overheard what Joey

I

"No!"

replied in a very decisive

was a serious look

I am

a bathroom in Joey’s ward, so it wasn’t a

at that moment, they were no longer

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

to Joey’s words,

Roger, then her gaze fell

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

him to take Joey

pay any attention

he took out his phone and turned

Joey a thumbs up without

pretended like he was

read the plan you sent to

he headed

he wasn’t very

lit up while he was

that there was no call at all! Rachel saw what

"It’s okay.

will take

He is actually right.

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

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

he heard those words,

thought that Rachel ought to have been

days, they got along really

were always in

known to her, she still alienated

things, Rachel still didn’t

it couldn’t be achieved

Rachel was standing outside the

and Joey

some time, Carson

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

quick glance at the phone in his

through with the phone

"What?"

sight and took

appeared on

am through with

with no choice! My

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

a fake smile on her

very good at

he had pretended to answer the call

nose and coughed

you want to go

in order to look through the glass panel on the

ward was a

only the living room could be seen, and it was

door open

Victor would lie in the

to undergo half a year’s rehabilitation

voice came from

in a stable condition

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted

a man in a suit coming out

He looked dejected.

was a document in his

Carson

at first,

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung

It was quite noticeable.

employee of the Sullivan Group and the director of the project

no need asking about what just

that

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

surname was what

She turned to Carson.

her, she raised

"Well, this is Troy.

member of the Sullivan

exactly what she meant by

was at a loss

so many surnames

had to

recognized who

bowed and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

nodded her head

was

scare of his life! Nonetheless, he was still

going back to the

hand and said, "Very

do that

out

looked at the

that Victor was sitting against the

seem as

well and can

to the door and

leaned against the door

didn’t follow

was reading some document when he

head and say

her gaze on

was in a

his face was pale despite

frowned and

waited outside the operating room for more than seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would

entranced that she walked towards the

you to go out, didn’t

the

up at the person who was

instead of speaking in his usual cold and stiff tone, he said softly, "Rachel, you

after we

many guests around, I figured it wouldn’t

"The dance is over.

time to let

I reminded him.

his eyes, but he still loosened

few steps back

for some reason, I could still feel the warmth of

and i felt

my heart

moment, it felt like I had returned to

were the happiest

those days were long gone and I could

looked down, feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached me and greeted

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

raising my glass and taking a

it, I’d had a few to drink and was

Elena

a surprise waiting for you on the

like to go upstairs and

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you get

smile appeared on

I followed her to the

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

numerous balloons around

widened

say, this whole scene was picturesque and

I had no

first person that came to mind was Charles, but I quickly

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

effort on me, and yet

joy of receiving this birthday surprise soon

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

and yet my

of the cold sea breeze, I

lit up the sky, forming the

to the sky, a deafening sound resonated

like

the noise, I

squatted on the

began trembling uncontrollably, and i felt like my

the abandoned warehouse

seconds, I was out of breath I felt

I was having a panic attack, a pair of strong arms held me

I’m here."

came from above me, making me feel

It was Charles.

as tears burst from my

to be scared