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.

time since they

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her teeth

thought occurred to

I forgot all

free from Ethan’s embrace and ran to the

Ethan followed behind her.

at Janet, who was extremely flustered, and he couldn’t help

silly girl! I told you to keep an eye on the

head, he gently pulled her to the side

stood in the corner, restlessly

"I’m sorry.

so I rushed to you

Ethan had guessed this.

hands, he raised his eyes to look at

"It’s my fault.

you

he spread out his arms

face against his chest, blushing

the invitation from Patrick, she murmured,

you and I

probably has a

happen if we just go there?"Chapter 461 In Order To Survive

her forehead in a casual manner, flipped the meat over,

really don’t want to

was just being a

said nothing, and silently retracted the knife he

had a feeling that Shelia

some fruits and poured

definitely could be

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

out in her hand and didn’t make

more for

meat, Shelia smiled as if she

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

rest assured and eat it

right then, watching Shelia with vigilant and cold

an easy-going

that Victor

she saw his injuries, she knew she was wrong and he was on guard

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead and

look away and placed

roast the rest for

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

took a bite out

some time, she furrowed her brows and stuck

really hard to

was not cooked

I gave you just

me?

the meat out, Victor didn’t say a word

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

Van, you did this deliberately,

I smiling?’ Victor never even realized that he

gently touched the corner of

roast

have gone

and get

not tired at

sit

chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down

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

how to survive

in

"Survive in the wildness?"

time that Shelia had ever heard of such

out of your

earlier, Victor also crushed some fruits and poured the juice

used a knife to

he heard what Shelia asked, his

while, he said, "I have no

fact, Victor knew the reason

that because he wanted to be prepared in case of

time that even under ner protection, Victor would find himself

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

"Alright."

focus her gaze

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

a hand to

look

into Shelia’s eyes, he started to feel

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

"Is that so?"

nose

what about now? Is it still

"No,"

said, glancing over

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

you learn other than roasting meat? I

Can you teach me?"

do you want to learn

"In order to survive."

out of Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come

shelia said casually.

sad upon

to be flipped? It’s on

Shelia pointed out.

on the meat’s exposed side when he

the meat over while he was still thinking about what she

.

had second thoughts about whether or not

after all, Shelia’s own

hand, didn’t seem

asked, "Will you

"Hmm,"

after

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she

dimples, meanwhile, became much more

Victor nodded, "Okay."

as she said, "Thanks so much,

are the kindest individual I’ve ever encountered, except for my caretaker

"Orphanage?"

where

was taken over and the old

clouded as she spoke about

was a

I was younger, she prepared great meals and gave me a

is an orphan…’ Victor pursed his

after you since the orphanage was

you leave with the

at Victor and answered,

was the only home Shelia

okay with you

her head,

I was desperate to visit her tomb, so

whereabouts remain unknown to them, and

of the dingy ground, Shelia lay

bathed in shards of sunshine that had been scattered by the trees and fallen

hands behind her head, her lips

disappointment as she gazed up at the

to visit

what keeps you from

people

me if I go

that I

when I meet her again in the

said, blinking her

black eyes remained fixed on

chance to see you, Van, it would be

spot in

said that I was a lovely

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

at Shelia, Victor concluded that the

an apt description of her features,

"Since she was responsible for your upbringing,

communicate since she was deaf, mute, and

never referred to

card was

were a treasure and presented it to Victor

each kid was

put them on the cards and let us take them as we pleased, but we were

stared at the card–the King

Did I get the

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

card and said, "I am the only one with the King of

was toasting as they were

gave her the meat after

set

Eat, please."

gut

her stomach and ate the meat with

much better than the meat i made myself!

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after a good

to her feet, she said,

was ready to rise when

"Come on, get up."

after a little pause, he took Shelia’s hand in

hard way, Shelia used a dart to put

of

had

down on

sure how far we’ll have to travel until

get out before the sun

drank some

after so much walking, and he was coughing up

incoherently, "I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

still have

"Like never before…"

continued to

motion, she murmured, "Van, you look rather

be sure to eat

lowered his gaze to

mud after a

you? What’s

"Plan?"

was slow

"What are your plans once we

don’t know… I want to continue my travels and explore the world’s finest

no longer

with

"Shelia."

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

"What’s the problem?"

me after we get out

I will

can count

me to come

right with you? If you don’t want

concerned that

paused for a while before asking, "Are you

"No, I’m not.

treat you the best I

Victor convinced her.

smiled at Victor, saying,

get

"Sure."

emerged from

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

on the bodies of

walking since high noon and now, the sun was

when they saw a relatively spacious country

out

we’ll meet local villagers if we

We can…"

Shelia could finish her sentence, she saw

She was confused.

looked at Victor, wanting to know why he

"Van?"

well, well, i didn’t expect you to come out

looked for the source of

saw three cars that were parked not

stood at the front, looking at them intently as

away that they were Victor’s

Victor, who in turn stood protectively in

his eyes off Norton, watching his every

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

get lost even when it gets

of the forest, I

and you can

"And then?"

her eyebrows

looked straight into

"Walk along this road.

you meet villagers, borrow a mobile phone from them, and

didn’t

play a game with Victor

he couldn’t escape this predicament, Shelia shouldn’t

bring her back to see his grandmother, and

that Victor could not fulfill

phone number on her

the number once you get

he whispered.

is my

she will pick you up wherever you

just looked down at

didn’t respond, Victor looked at her and asked in confusion,

"No."

pulled her

eyes were

want to remember the

a good

Victor frowned.

that he coughed violently as soon as he

adamant and

want to spread her palm and let Victor write

couldn’t hear what Victor and Shelia were talking about, he could tell that

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

feelings for each other! I’m

tensed up when saw Norton

intuitively pulled

and keeping himself standing

hard for

up to them

Shelia

patience with them, Norton pulled Shelia towards

for Victor

"Let her go!"

a firm grip on

hearing vexation in

you

the mud

incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed over

he stopped in his tracks when something silver flashed

that Norton pressed against Shelia’s

a

"No."

"What are you saying?"

a contemptuous tone and gave Victor a

he had

clenched his fist and tried to

want

to do

So, let her go!"

This is so

Norton curled his lips.

want to let

don’t where she comes from but I find

alone? I can do something

eyes, Victor

against her neck, all

body was

blood

all you can

mocking smile plastered on

in anger when he heard Shelia’s disdainful

did you just

said you are

Shelia swallowed.

feel a sense of accomplishment by threatening

more, you don’t have in you

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

desperately tried

that she was

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

Norton was indeed angry.

he kept his voice in check as he talked

really? Looks like you

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

turned to his men and instructed them, "Tie

anxiously, "What are

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared

did as they were

feet bound, Shelia

was made to ride

where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor Woke

river was

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

fists, and the blue veins on his neck became

and yelled, "Let

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

actually wanted Victor to run

opened her mouth, she was

enough, her eyes became

the exasperated expression on Victor’s face,

Victor might be strong but he was useless

me

man? Why the hell should I

the rope, squatted down, and

save her so much, I

me, huh?

just

do whatever it took to save

the

after, two men behind him appeared and

and looked at

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

are the weakest among

people, and the one

"You want to save her, right? Knock them

men who had been holding Victor’s

hand, Norton touched its tip with his thumb and warned, "But of course, you have to

before the rope

can say goodbye to your good

away, I’m afraid

at the flickering flame, Victor didn’t care about

quickly rushed up and fought against the

mercenary and the most

course, even his weakest subordinates should be strong as

Victor was

might not even be able to defeat one of the two weakest subordinates

and burly men that could

was at

in his abdomen one after

hit,

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

his bones being broken scattered all

Victor’s face looked

still tried to stand,

even get back on his

still able to subconsciously use his arm to block

a mouthful

point, Victor’s vision

on the rope, which was only a few steps

didn’t matter how many injuries

the fire was put out and the rope was grasped,

he was willing

his mind wanted to go on,

back to the ground and

it raining?’ After some time, Victor was somewhat awakened when he

his eyes, but his vision was still

lay there on the ground, watching

couldn’t help but wonder if

so he thought

every inch of

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

hands a little bit, grabbing the mud under his hands in

turned his head to look at the river, only to find that there was nothing in it

no trace of

"Ahem!"

spurting out

himself, he grabbed unto the soil and

as if he was waiting for

waited for a

even know how much

never found the person he had been

someone would raise her head from the river or come out from

the excruciating pain he was experiencing, Victor couldn’t

he lost

Victor woke up again, he was

him near

him lasted for two days and

was found out that Victor

lungs were inflamed, and the critically ill notice was issued six

woke up was ask Carolyn to send people to look for

wearing an oxygen mask and

out of danger yet, but all he cared about was

but she could sense that she must be

delay to send people

lasted for seven days, but Shelia

there was still

was able to give Victor was a crumpled playing card that

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

years later,

first thing he did after

of Hearts card in

the marble tombstone aside from

even Shelia’s name on

while Karl was on a

rush him to the hospital, but he was declared dead

It was also in that year that Carolyn

he finished his studies

began taking over several small companies under the control of

shortest time, Victor raised the sales of these companies from a very low

to prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed over the Sullivan

At this time, Roger entered the ward where Rachel

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

eat

had been eating porridge

even stand

sighed and had no choice

said, "Eat it again

tongue out, not

the

In the past half a month, Roger came to

gradually got acquainted with

him was that Roger would bring some

much, he could at

Joey could only

around and

you say that you

Roger came here, he would send Rachel a message in advance to ask her if she wanted to eat something

he would still insist on

night, when Roger asked, he said that he had an important

it would

I couldn’t

Roger hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "But

response, Rachel furrowed her brows

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

Circles The operation done to

opened and closed for several times as doctors went in

Carson couldn’t do anything but

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

the surgery was

was saved, but he wasn’t

wheeled to the

two days ago

be

was still

invited an expert in the field to

wasn’t what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

had healed, they still

his new injuries just

he said that only a miracle could

you at least tell us when he

in a

I can’t say

couldn’t help but frown as he

be blunt, please consider

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

say this, it was obvious that this

there was a huge chance that

was the first one

Rachel

outside Joey’s ward, holding a

slightly disoriented, and there were

down to tell

Rachel heard the tragic news, her face

she had already prepared

Carson was a bit

know when she

when Victor had been in a coma for about half

it might have been

outside the operating room for 70 hours before the indication

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

You can’t smoke here."

he regained his senses, Carson put out the

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

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

"Joey? He’s fine.

said that he

plaster will be removed ahead of

through the

Joey sleeping

for a

I’m leaving

turned around

tell Rachel about

from that, he had nothing

eye,

of Victor’s condition, Rachel didn’t intend to

just stayed in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four

the same time, Carson didn’t show his

from an expert, she was also convinced that

news that Victor had miraculously

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

long time without being able to speak

she was still judging Roger’s expression if he was

to go upstairs and see

This time, Rachel pressed her lips

gently pulled her sleeve and pulled her back from her

want to see

was Joey, pleading in a soft

failed to hide the fact that Victor was in

woke up in the hospital,

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

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

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

just smiled

say bad people

have to

she felt a lump in

a few moments, she mustered

"Yes, of course."

following two weeks, Joey had

didn’t mention Victor, as if there was nothing wrong going

night from time

it all inside him, but Rachel was aware

"Okay…"

softened, and she

ward was in the

was inconvenient for him

him sit in a

him, and the three of them went to Victor’s

they reached the

elevator finally stopped at the floor of the ward where Victor

the entire floor was a VIP ward, and there was only one patient at this time, Carson was sitting on the sofa in

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

Carson knew that he would have been very

the first time

What brings you here?"

set the document he was holding aside and raised

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking

ask that? Do I look like someone who

those dark circles

"Dark circles?"

choked at Joey’s

he picked up his phone, opened its front

realized that

and his eye bags were so

was only to be

hadn’t have a good sleep

man, but even he was susceptible to stress and

"Ha-ha!"

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

seemingly innocent laughter, Carson realized that he was fooled by

head, Carson stepped forward and

"You, brat.

your godfather?

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

have no opinion

I grew up

We are best friends.

the one who picked

I became your

and crossed his arms in front of his

don’t want

pull Carson’s hand away using his uninjured hand and said, "Humph! If I don’t want to admit it, no one can make

clicked his tongue as he withdrew

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

I said, it’s a

change your attitude towards

more, but he stuck out his tongue at

of the corner of his eye, Carson recognized

his composure and commented, "I see that

that Mr.Sullivan

came here with Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

lose his composure just

"Oh, I see."

room and

He is resting inside.

Rachel looked at the ward Carson

what was going

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

walked towards

her, pushing

were placed over his

lost in thoughts

about to sav

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked at the little

not standing

a result, Joey could see him

his eyebrows as if he was giving

taking a quick glance at

to

what Joey was

I take

"No!"

a very

was a serious look on his

I am

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

were no longer in

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

reaction to Joey’s words, Rachel

it was Roger, then her gaze fell on

didn’t want to bother the former, Carson soon

him to take Joey to the

coughed and refused to pay

his phone and

a thumbs up without Rachel

pretended like he was answering the

have read the plan

he headed towards

he wasn’t very good

up while he was

call at all! Rachel saw what

"It’s okay.

will take Joey

He is actually right.

is very embarrassing for a boy like him to be taken

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

when he heard those words,

that Rachel ought to have been closer to

few days, they got along really

of them were always

to her, she still alienated

things, Rachel still didn’t love

it

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

Joey headed towards the

some time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

at the

with the phone

"What?"

took

smile appeared on his

I am

with no choice! My subordinates are

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

a fake smile on

not very

had pretended to answer the call only moments ago, the smile

tip of his nose and coughed to ease

want to go

in order to look through the

was a

only the living room could

couldn’t see Victor, Rachel pushed the door open in no time

doctor said Victor would lie in the bed for

half a year’s

came from

is in a stable condition

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted

man in a suit coming out

He looked dejected.

document in

and Carson as

stunned at first, then his

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung around the

It was quite noticeable.

of the Sullivan Group and the

asking about

man’s expression that the project plan had

out! Her attention was drawn to the name on the work

surname was what really

She turned to Carson.

looked back at her, she raised her eyebrows

"Well, this is Troy.

as a member of the Sullivan Group’s

knew exactly what she meant by just looking at

a loss

many surnames in the

he had to

recognized who

bowed and

"Miss Bennet."

her head slightly

forehead was

of his life! Nonetheless, he was still holding the

Miss Bennet, I’m going back to

and

do

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

at the

see that Victor was

doesn’t seem as bad

and can work

the door and pushed it

leaned against

didn’t follow

document when he

didn’t raise his head

her

was in a

was pale despite

and

she waited outside the operating room for more than seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would have thought that the man in front of her

entranced that she walked

you to go out,

the footsteps,

at the person who was walking towards

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

POV: Even after we finished the dance, Charles kept his hand on my

I figured it wouldn’t bode well if

"The dance is over.

to

I reminded him.

still loosened

steps back to distance myself from

feel

face blushed and

heart

moment, it felt like

him were the happiest

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

feeling conflicted

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached me

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

raising my glass and taking a sip of

few to drink and was starting to

this time, Elena came to

for you on

you like to go upstairs and take a

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you

appeared on Elena’s

her to the deck on the

I saw that there were bright red rose petals scattered

were also numerous balloons around

widened

whole scene was

surprise?’ I had

that came to mind was Charles, but I quickly

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

had never spent this much effort on me, and yet I

of receiving this birthday

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

was tranquil, and yet my mind

cold sea breeze, I felt

a sudden, a fireworks display lit up the

shot up to the sky, a

sounded like

noise, I covered my ears at

squatted on the ground and

began trembling uncontrollably, and i felt

horrible incident at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing through my

out of breath I felt so dizzy

strong arms held me tightly

I’m here."

familiar voice came from above me, making me feel so

It was Charles.

as tears burst from my eyes, Gently,

have to be scared ever