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

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her

a thought occurred

eggs! I forgot

Ethan’s embrace and ran to

Ethan followed behind her.

extremely flustered, and he couldn’t help

I told you to keep an eye

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

thumbs, Janet stood in the corner, restlessly watching Ethan

"I’m sorry.

so I rushed to

Ethan had guessed this.

drying his freshly washed hands, he raised his

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you enough sense of

spread out his arms and

her face against his

thinking about the invitation from Patrick, she murmured, "The Lesters treat you badly,

and I just got him

has a

we just go there?"Chapter 461 In Order

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

really don’t want to tell me, then

being

silently retracted the knife he

Shelia didn’t mean

fruits and poured the

definitely

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

the meat Shelia was holding out

some more

meat, Shelia smiled as if she had

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

and

then, watching Shelia with vigilant and cold

to be an easy-going person, this didn’t

thought that Victor had gotten

injuries, she knew she was wrong and he was on guard against

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead

to look away and placed the meat

roast the rest

help, Shelia nodded and said, "Okay,

took a bite out

time, she furrowed her brows and stuck out

hard to

was not cooked

you just now must be

didn’t you tell me? You even finished

that Shelia spit the meat out, Victor didn’t say

aside, Shelia turned around and spotted

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

never even realized that he was

gently touched

roast the

have gone a long

and get

not tired at

just sit right

propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded to

so skillfully, she blinked her eyes and said, "Van, you’re good at cooking meat, aren’t you?

learned how to survive

in a

"Survive in the wildness?"

time that Shelia had ever heard

did you go out of your way

earlier, Victor also crushed some fruits and poured the

used a knife to slice

what Shelia asked, his eyes darkened

a while, he said, "I have no

knew the reason

to be prepared in case

ner protection, Victor would find

he would at least have a better chance to survive in

"Alright."

to focus her gaze on

caught a glimpse of Shelia’s profile and the dust

out a hand to wipe off the

startled and turned to look at Victor with a

straight into Shelia’s eyes,

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

"Is that so?"

her nose with the back of

about now? Is it

"No,"

glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

else did you learn other than roasting meat? I want

Can you teach me?"

you want to learn

"In order to survive."

out of Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter 462

shelia said casually.

felt sad upon hearing

flipped? It’s on the verge

Shelia pointed out.

burn on

over while he was still thinking about what

.

had second thoughts about whether or not to ask her

was, after all, Shelia’s own

the other hand, didn’t seem to take

asked, "Will you please

"Hmm,"

said after a

"Is that a yes?"

glowed, and she broke into

two dimples, meanwhile, became

Victor nodded, "Okay."

as she said, "Thanks so

kindest individual I’ve ever encountered, except for

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I

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

clouded as she

elderly woman was

younger, she prepared great meals and

is an orphan…’

look after you since the orphanage

didn’t you leave with the other

at Victor and answered, "I didn’t want

home Shelia had known for

they okay with you being outdoors on your

her head, Shelia said,

to visit

unknown to them,

dingy ground, Shelia lay

had been scattered by the trees and

hands behind her head, her

sighed with disappointment as she gazed

want to visit

you from

people guarding

me if I

had no idea that I have a name

I meet

said, blinking

eyes remained fixed on

see you, Van, it would

had a soft spot in her heart

I was a

didn’t seem appropriate to use this

concluded that

description of her features,

she was responsible for your upbringing, how come you got your name

was unable to communicate since she was deaf,

referred to us

card was

were a treasure

kid was given

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

the card–the King

I get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

am the

toasting as

gave her the meat

set

Eat, please."

from her gut

embarrassed, so she put her hand to her stomach and ate the meat with a greedy

much better than the meat i made myself! Van,

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

after a good

her feet, she

was ready to rise when Shelia abruptly extended her hand to

"Come on, get up."

a little pause, he took Shelia’s

way, Shelia used a dart

track of time as

had cooled

in sitting down on a stone

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

we can get out before

drank some water

body was perhaps exhausted after so much walking, and he was coughing up blood for the second

"I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

have

"Like never before…"

nodded and continued to

motion, she murmured,

you return, be sure to

his gaze to the

face was covered in mud after

you? What’s your

"Plan?"

slow to

"What are your plans once we leave the forest?

travels and explore

the police station when I can no

answered with a

"Shelia."

have made up his mind after staring at Shelia for

"What’s the problem?"

come with me after we

I will defend you if she doesn’t

count on

want me to

all right with you? If you don’t

was concerned that

before asking, "Are you joking right

"No, I’m not.

treat you the

Victor convinced her.

smiled at Victor,

when we get out of

"Sure."

moment they emerged from the woods,

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

light glimmered on the bodies

had been walking since high noon and now, the

tiredness was assuaged when they saw a

out of

if we walk a little

We can…"

could finish her sentence,

She was confused.

Victor, wanting to

"Van?"

well, i didn’t expect you to

came, Shelia looked for the source of

saw three cars that were parked not far

stood at the front, looking at them intently as he

right away that

in turn stood protectively

take his eyes off

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

even

way out of the forest, I put marks all the

marks and you can get back

"And then?"

asked, her

straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

meet villagers, borrow a mobile phone from

that Norton didn’t intend

a game with

felt that if he couldn’t escape this predicament,

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

could not fulfill the promise he made in the

hand, Victor wrote a phone number on

once you get hold of a

he whispered.

is my grandmother’s

she will pick you up wherever you

looked down at

didn’t respond, Victor looked at her and

"No."

her

eyes were a

to remember the number, nor do I

a good

Victor frowned.

so anxious that he coughed violently as soon

adamant and clenched her

her palm and let Victor

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

said, "Tut, tut,

strong feelings for each other!

when saw

intuitively pulled Sheila behind

and keeping himself standing steadily was taxing

be hard for him to

up to them

and Shelia

Norton pulled Shelia towards

for Victor to

"Let her go!"

kept a firm

hearing vexation

you

as he wiped the mud on Shelia’s face with his

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

stopped in his tracks when something silver flashed through

that Norton pressed against

out a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

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

that he had difficulty in

his fist and tried

want is

to do

So, let her go!"

wow! This is

Norton curled his lips.

want to

but I

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

red eyes, Victor breathed

her neck, all Shelia could do was raise her

body was tensed

saw Victor spat out blood and beg for

you can do?

kept his mocking smile plastered on

in anger when he heard Shelia’s disdainful

did you just

you

Shelia swallowed.

feel a sense of accomplishment by threatening two

you don’t have in you to do what

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to stop

that she was

hackles rise and the

Norton was indeed angry.

he kept his voice in check

you really

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

his men and instructed them, "Tie her

squinted his eyes and asked anxiously,

Norton didn’t answer.

glared

men did as they

and feet bound, Shelia was taken to one of the

made to ride

Norton was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor Woke

river was

inundated Shelia, making her choke easily Victor saw

into fists, and the blue veins on his

his teeth and yelled,

because of the gushing water, Shelia

wanted Victor to

she opened her mouth, she was

her eyes

expression on Victor’s face,

Victor might be strong but he was useless in this kind

making me laugh,

good man? Why the

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

sake of you wanting to save her so much,

still some good in me, huh? What

just glare at

it took

in the middle of the

appeared and stood between the rope and

stood up and looked at Victor with a

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the weakest among my

killed two people, and the one on the right

brief pause, Norton continued, "You want to save her, right? Knock

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

tip with his thumb and

these two before

say goodbye

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

Victor didn’t care about

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

mercenary and the most

subordinates should

Victor was currently

peak state, he might not even be able to defeat one of the

were tall and burly men that could easily

was at a disadvantage from

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

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

strength left him, and he eventually knelt

all over his body, making him feel somewhat

Victor’s face looked

stand, not ready

he could even get back on his feet, he saw

arm to block it, but it

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

Victor’s vision became

his eyes on the rope,

matter how many injuries he

put out and the rope was grasped, Shelia’s

into this trouble, so he was willing to do

wanted to go on, his body couldn’t keep

the ground

awakened when he felt

his eyes,

on the ground, watching the raindrops

help but wonder if he was

yet, so he thought

pain that pierced every inch of

but he couldn’t

bit, grabbing the mud under his hands in

turned his head to look at the river, only to

was no

"Ahem!"

spurting out

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

if he was waiting for

waited for a long

didn’t even know how much

never found the person he had

the river or come out

loss of blood and the excruciating pain he

lost

woke up again,

him

rescue him lasted for

it was found out that

chest and lungs were inflamed,

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

wearing an oxygen

was not completely out of danger

Shelia was, but she could sense that she must be

dare delay to send people to

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

was still no

give Victor was a crumpled playing card that got

covered with mud, but one could easily recognize that it

years later, Victor

after fully recovering was

of Hearts card in

marble tombstone

Shelia’s

second year of Victor’s recovery, while Karl was on a

to the hospital, but

It was also in that year that Carolyn sent Victor

more years, he finished

taking over several small companies under the

companies from a very low level to one of the top

to prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed over the

entered the ward where Rachel

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

eat

been eating porridge for about half

couldn’t even stand the smell

had no choice but

said, "Eat it again when you

tongue out, not intending

at the door, so he politely greeted,

to the hospital to visit

the kid gradually

him was that Roger would

he could at least taste something aside from

course, Joey could only eat

Rachel turned around and was surprised to

that

in advance to ask her

every time, he would still insist

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

it would probably

I couldn’t

Rachel, Roger hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "But I got a

Rachel furrowed her brows

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

to Victor lasted for more than 70

closed for several times as doctors went in and

and Carson couldn’t do anything but wait outside

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

that the surgery

saved, but he wasn’t completely

was wheeled to the

two days ago that his

be transferred to

was still

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

wasn’t what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

his old wounds had healed,

new injuries

that only a miracle

at least tell us when he will

asked in

I can’t

couldn’t help but frown as

blunt, please consider preparing for the

saying there’s a chance that he’ll never wake up? Is he going to become a vegetable

was obvious that this

but there was a

for Carson and Lukas, Rachel was the first one

that Rachel had the right to

leaned against the wall outside Joey’s ward, holding

disoriented, and there were

went down to tell Rachel about this important

heard the tragic news, her

already

fact, Carson was

she became this

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

might have

outside the operating room for 70 hours before the indication light turned

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

You can’t smoke here."

if he regained his senses, Carson put

bother continue discussing about Victor’s

subject and asked,

"Joey? He’s fine.

him up yesterday and said that he

his plaster will

through the glass panel on

Joey sleeping soundly in

a faint smile, he stretched for a bit and said, "Good for

I’m

Carson turned around and left without looking

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

from that, he had nothing else

the blink of an eye,

was made aware of Victor’s condition, Rachel

just stayed in Joey’s ward almost

same time, Carson didn’t show

came from an expert, she was also

broke the news that Victor had miraculously woke

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

at Roger for a long time without

was still judging Roger’s expression if

Rachel… Do you want to go

This time, Rachel pressed her lips hard and

nowhere, someone gently pulled her sleeve

I want to

was Joey, pleading in

to hide the fact that Victor was

the hospital, he actually had a

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

the truth, Rachel didn’t have the heart to

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

he just smiled and

bad? They say bad people live

to worry too much

Joey’s bright eyes, she

moments, she mustered

"Yes, of course."

two weeks, Joey had

didn’t mention Victor, as if there was

in the middle of the night from time to time

all inside him, but Rachel was aware that he missed Victor

"Okay…"

softened,

ward was in the second

yet, it was inconvenient for

simply let him

pushed the wheelchair for him, and the three of them went to

they reached the

the floor of the ward

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

furrowed his

Victor had seen this scene, Carson knew that he would have

the first time I’ve seen

What brings you here?"

asked Joey as he quickly set the document he was

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking his innocent

Why would you ask that? Do I look like someone who will be

those dark circles around your eyes

"Dark circles?"

choked

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

realized that Joey was

his eye bags were so big that it seemed like

was only to

hadn’t have a good sleep for half a

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

"Ha-ha!"

laugh after seeing the upset

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

stepped forward and pinched Joey’s

"You, brat.

tease your godfather? You have

Who said that you are my godfather? I

have no opinion regarding

father and I

We are best friends.

the one who

I became your

eyebrows and crossed his arms in front of his

even if you don’t want it, that fact

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

his tongue as he withdrew his hand from Joey’s

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

as I said, it’s a fact that

better change your attitude

more, but he

of the corner of his eye, Carson recognized

then tried to regain his composure and commented,

heard that Mr.Sullivan has

here with Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

his

"Oh, I see."

at the room and said, "His ward is over

He is resting inside.

Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward Carson

what was

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked towards

followed her,

arms were placed over his

lost in thoughts

to sav something, Joey spoke before

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

and looked at

was not standing very

him

as if

after taking a quick glance at him, Joey

I need to use

what Joey was

about I

"No!"

replied in a very decisive

was a serious look on his

I am

Joey’s ward, so it wasn’t

they were no longer

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

reaction to Joey’s words, Rachel looked

it was Roger, then her gaze

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

him to take Joey to the

refused to pay

his phone and turned

managed to give Joey a thumbs

like he was answering

Mr.Ramos! I have read the plan you

he headed towards

he wasn’t very good at

up while he was still holding it to

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

"It’s okay.

take Joey

He is actually right.

very embarrassing for a boy like him to be taken

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

those words, they displeased

that Rachel ought to have

past few days, they got

were always in

to

the look of things,

it couldn’t be achieved

he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the night Rachel was standing outside the operating room where Victor

and Joey headed

time, Carson came

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

quick glance at the

with the

"What?"

and took a peek at his

appeared

am through with

was left with no choice! My subordinates are too bad at making

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

a fake smile

very good

that Rachel knew that he had pretended to answer the call only

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

want to go

raised her head in order to look through the glass

ward was a

point of view, only the living room

see Victor, Rachel pushed the door open in

would lie in

undergo half

voice came from

in a stable condition now,

"Get out of here!"

interrupted Carson’s

in a suit coming out

He looked dejected.

a document

Carson as soon as he came

stunned at first,

"Mr.Scott!"

hung around the man’s

It was quite noticeable.

was an employee of the Sullivan Group and the

need asking about what just happened to

that the project plan had been

attention was drawn to

what really

She turned to Carson.

looked back at her, she

"Well, this is Troy.

as a member of the

knew exactly what she meant

was at a

were so many surnames in the

he had to

recognized who

bowed and

"Miss Bennet."

her head slightly in

was covered

him the scare of his life! Nonetheless, he was

I’m going back to

hand and said, "Very well

should do

out of sight in

at the

for her to see that Victor was sitting against the head of the bed at

seem as bad as

and can

to the door

against

didn’t follow

reading some document

his head and say coldly, "Get

cast her gaze on

in a

tell that his face was pale despite the fact

and looked rather

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

was so entranced that she walked towards

to go out, didn’t

Victor heard the footsteps, his frown

the person

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

we finished the

it

"The dance is over.

to let

I reminded him.

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

few steps back to

some reason, I could still feel

face blushed and i

heart

it felt like

days with him were the happiest time of

reminisced, I knew that those days were long gone and I could never get them back

looked down, feeling conflicted

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached me and

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

my glass and taking a sip

few to

this time, Elena came

waiting for you

go upstairs

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you

appeared

confusion, I followed her to

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

were also numerous balloons around

widened in

whole scene was picturesque and

had no idea who

person that came to mind was Charles, but

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

had never spent this much effort on me, and

receiving this birthday surprise soon

floor, I stared at the night scene

was tranquil, and yet my mind was

sea breeze, I felt

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

shot up to the sky, a deafening sound resonated

sounded like a

the noise, I

squatted on the

and i felt like my blood was

at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing through my

out of breath I felt so dizzy that I almost

attack, a pair of strong arms held me tightly "There’s no need to

I’m here."

voice came from above me, making me feel

It was Charles.

from my eyes, Gently, he brushed

don’t have to