My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire

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

Then she began to type out her reply to Brandon.

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

the staff member said through gritted teeth.

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

Ignoring her, Janet texted Brandon back.

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

The message from Brandon was a godsend.

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

Brandon replied with a long message.

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

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

The data was tampered with.

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

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

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

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

"How did you find that out?"

The platform was now owned by Lester Silk Fabric.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As she spoke, she tucked her phone away.

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

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

Janet ignored her.

She turned around and left without looking back.

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

"What’s up, Lind?"

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

Janet asked politely.

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

Tiffany looked at her warily and then nodded slowly.

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

"I want to call him and apologize,"

Janet answered simply.

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

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

There are enough discussions about you already,"

Tiffany scolded.

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

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

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

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

Janet reached for the card with a bright smile.

Of course she knew what she was doing.

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

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

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

Janet said, her voice as sweet as honey.

When Ritchie heard this, he was surprised.

Then, he sneered.

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

Janet had given up so soon.

"You’re scared, aren’t you?"

With a smug smile on his face, Ritchie smirked.

"Come to Lester Silk Fabric tomorrow.

You can apologize there in person."

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

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

he barked at his secretary.

"I want them here tomorrow.

Call some famous personalities in the fashion industry as well.

We need people in authority for the event."

The secretary nodded respectfully.

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

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

Get your ass back here."

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

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

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

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

"Get the biggest function hall for the press conference.

I want hundreds of people to be there.

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

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

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

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

1 Another evil grin spread on Ritchie’s face.

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

The secretary pursed his lips and jotted every detail down.

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

The sun shone bright and early the next day.

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

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

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

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

Tiffany remarked from beside her.

She turned to look Janet in the eye.

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

A faint smile appeared on Janet’s lips.

"You’ll find out soon enough.

Don’t worry.

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

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

The room finally settled down as Janet took her place.

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

"Sorry for taking up your time, everyone.

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

From a distance, Ritchie frowned and narrowed his eyes.

He could sense that something wasn’t right.

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

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

"She can’t have,"

the other man replied confidently.

"We’ve taken care to sweep everything.

All the evidence has been locked away.

I think she’s just bluffing."

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is your truth.

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

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

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

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

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

His secretary was also scared silly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Janet smiled and said in a calm voice.

Ritchie was exasperated to hear that.

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

"I thought you came here to apologize.

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

While smiling, Janet didn’t say a word.

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

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

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

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

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

The audience began to discuss this amongst themselves.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She said frantically, "I have no idea.

Don’t ask me…"

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

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

His secretary hurried to stop his curses.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now, she felt much better.

"It’s finally over!"

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

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

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

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

Related videos went viral on the Internet.

Suddenly, Janet’s phone started to ring.

It was Tiffany.

"Lind, I’m impressed.

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

You really knocked them dead!"

"Oh, my God! Seriously?"

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

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

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

There was a lot of positive feedback.

"Wow.

Heart.

Heart.

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

"She’s a lovely girl.

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

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

"Even though I’m a girl, I want her!"

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

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

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

Furious, Ritchie started trashing his office.

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

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

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

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

plummeted.

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

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

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

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

Ritchie glared at him, speechless.

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

"I’m not an idiot.

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

Things didn’t end there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am responsible for all of this.

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

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

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

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

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

She’s just an ordinary employee.

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

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

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

Janet pulled her chair and sat down.

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

"I can’t say I’m surprised.

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

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

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

"It doesn’t matter.

Look on the bright side.

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

Now, all eyes are on my work."

In the end, Luna was put behind bars.

And Janet had become an online celebrity.

Many people now knew her name and saw her designs.

Some even paid for it.

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

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

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

How’d you get the evidence?"

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

Janet froze.

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

"A very capable friend helped me get them."

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

Janet’s eyes twinkled.

"It’s a secret.

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

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

Gerda scratched her head and hurried back to her desk.

Janet couldn’t help but chuckle.

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

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

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

Janet couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Someone texted you."

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

"It seems your wife’s missing you."

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

Instantly, his expression darkened when he read the text.

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

Garrett asked seriously, the smile wiped from his face.

"Janet’s asking Brandon out for dinner."

Ethan put his phone down and sighed.

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

Garrett leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Yeah.

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

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

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

It’s not good for my heart either,"

he sighed.

Ethan frowned and started typing out a brisk reply.

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

You’re an employee of the Larson Group.

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

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

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

That’s thanks enough, Miss Lind,"

Ethan replied politely, keeping things professional.

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

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

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

Transfer her to a subsidiary company.

Then, bring Charis here."

Garrett was just about to take a nap.

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

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

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

"Why did you want to dismiss Janet?"

Ethan asked in a low voice.

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

"I just wanted to protect the company name,"

Charis answered defensively.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at her coldly.

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

No one other than me.

Understood?"

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

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

"I see how it is.

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

Ethan had already noticed that something was wrong with Charis.

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

She and her family had always valued their image.

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

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

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

Charis was a dignified woman.

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

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

She hadn’t cried in years.

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

She had been reluctant to leave him.

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

She and Brandon had worked together for years.

They had shared the company’s ups and downs.

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

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

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

"I met Brandon first,"

Charis muttered through gritted teeth.

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

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

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

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

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

But she couldn’t act as overtly as before.

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

She had to be more careful now.

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

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

Janet’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

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

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

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

But he couldn’t tell her this.

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

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

The manager of the shop at work fired me.

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

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

In fact, there was some truth to his story.

Ritchie had indeed caused him a lot trouble after all.

Hearing this, Janet’s heart immediately softened.

She walked over to help him with the vegetables.

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

I was worried something bad happened to you."

"The problem’s been solved.

Don’t worry,"

Ethan said with a reassuring smile.

That much was true.

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

"Your brother is really hard to deal with."

Janet pouted like a child.

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

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

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

Janet looked up at Ethan curiously.

Almost immediately, she saw the lust in his eyes.

His face was so beautiful.

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

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

Janet’s face turned as red as a tomato.

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

Then she focused on chopping the vegetables.

Amused, Ethan patted her on the head affectionately.

He really liked it when she blushed.

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

He had to admit it really turned him on.

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

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

Ethan stroked Janet’s hair.

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

A long forgotten name appeared on the screen.

It was Patrick Lester.

Chapter 324 Nora’s Birthday Ethan pursed his lips.

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

It was winter and the cold wind was unforgiving.

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

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

Janet’s voice broke the silence.

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

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

He was answering the phone out on the balcony again.

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

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

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

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

"I was busy just now,"

Ethan simply replied.

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

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

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

She wants you and your wife here."

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

— – Janet had overheard Patrick’s loud voice.

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

Ethan held her tighter and sighed.

"We are.

Patrick seldom summons me.

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

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

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

Janet smiled at him sweetly.

"I can tell that you’re fond of her."

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

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

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

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

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

She was the only Lester who ever cared about Ethan.

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

"She’s a kind lady,"

he said calmly.

a long time since

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her

thought

shouted, "The eggs! I forgot

embrace and ran to the kitchen

Ethan followed behind her.

stared at Janet, who was extremely

told you to keep an eye on the

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

in the corner, restlessly watching

"I’m sorry.

I rushed to you and forgot I was

Ethan had guessed this.

he raised his eyes

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you enough sense

he spread out his arms and said gently,

obeyed and leaned her face against

invitation from Patrick, she murmured, "The

you and I just

has a

In Order To Survive

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

want to tell me, then forget about

being

and silently retracted the

Shelia

crushed some fruits and poured

definitely could be

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

to look down at the meat Shelia was holding out in her hand

some more for

meat, Shelia

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

rest assured and eat it with

was on high alert right then, watching

Shelia happened to be an easy-going person, this didn’t mean that

had thought that Victor had

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

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead

to look away and placed

the rest

to help, Shelia nodded and said, "Okay,

bite out of

furrowed her brows and stuck out

hard to

not cooked fully

I gave you just now must

didn’t you tell me? You even

didn’t say a

aside, Shelia turned around

you smiling? Van, you did

never even realized that he

gently touched the corner of

me to roast

gone a long

and get some

not tired at

just sit

her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down next to

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

to survive

in a

"Survive in the wildness?"

was the very first time that Shelia had

go out of your way to

Victor also crushed some fruits

used a knife to slice

Shelia asked,

a while, he said, "I

fact, Victor knew the

to be

ner protection, Victor would find himself

learn more skills so that he would at least have a

"Alright."

focus her

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

out a hand to

and turned to look

into Shelia’s eyes, he started to feel

hand, looked away, and

"Is that so?"

to rub her nose

now?

"No,"

glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

what else did you learn other than roasting meat?

Can you teach me?"

do you want to

"In order to survive."

mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me "In order to

shelia said casually.

sad upon

the meat ready to be flipped? It’s on the

Shelia pointed out.

on the meat’s exposed side when

the meat over while he was still thinking

.

or not to ask

after all,

other hand, didn’t seem to take

asked, "Will you please

"Hmm,"

said after a

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she

meanwhile, became much more

Victor nodded, "Okay."

grinned broadly as she said, "Thanks so much,

ever encountered, except for my caretaker in the

"Orphanage?"

where I

years ago, the orphanage was taken over and

eyes clouded as she

was a wonderful

she prepared great meals and gave

orphan…’ Victor pursed

was needed to look after you since

you leave with

looked up at Victor and answered, "I didn’t want to

only home Shelia had known for so

they okay with you being

head, Shelia

desperate to visit

unknown to them, and I don’t

dingy ground,

shards of sunshine that had been scattered by

behind

disappointment as she gazed up at the

to

what keeps you from

people guarding

find me if I

had no idea that I have

her my name when I

blinking her

fixed on Shelia

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

had a soft spot in her heart

said that I was

use this term to describe

Shelia, Victor concluded that

description of

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

communicate since she

never referred to

a poker card

if it were a treasure and presented

kid was given a

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

the card–the King

Did I get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

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

toasting as

the meat

set

Eat, please."

came from her gut just

embarrassed, so she put her hand to her stomach and ate the

than the meat i made

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after a

to her feet, she said,

nodded and was ready to rise when Shelia abruptly extended

"Come on, get up."

little pause, he took

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

track of time

had cooled down

in sitting down on a

how far we’ll have to travel until

can get out before the sun

drank some water as

much walking, and he was coughing up blood for the second

"I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

have

"Like never before…"

continued to hold

murmured, "Van, you look rather

be sure

to the side

after a

you? What’s

"Plan?"

slow to

we leave the

travels and explore the world’s finest rivers

no longer walk and beg them

with

"Shelia."

his mind after staring

"What’s the problem?"

me after we get out

I will defend you if she

can count on

want me to come with

with you? If you don’t want

that Shelia

for a while before asking, "Are you joking right

"No, I’m not.

you the best

Victor convinced her.

and smiled at

agree when we get out of

"Sure."

they emerged from the woods,

the horizon, basking the forest in a pale

the bodies of Victor

high noon and now, the sun

was assuaged when they

out of

meet local villagers if we walk a little

We can…"

Shelia could finish her sentence, she saw Victor

She was confused.

at Victor, wanting to

"Van?"

well, well, i didn’t expect you to

Shelia looked for the source of the

three cars that were parked not

stood at the front, looking at them

could feel right away that they were Victor’s

in turn stood protectively in front

didn’t take his eyes off Norton,

Shelia could hear, Victor said, "Run into the forest when

even when

finding our way out of the forest, I put

marks and you

"And then?"

asked, her eyebrows

straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

a mobile phone from

that Norton didn’t intend to let him

game with Victor by throwing him into the

if he couldn’t escape this

promised to give Shelia a family, bring her back to see

seemed that Victor could not fulfill the promise

Victor wrote a phone

number once you

he whispered.

is my

will pick

just looked down at

that Shelia didn’t respond, Victor looked at

"No."

pulled her hand

were a little

don’t want to remember the number, nor do I want

a good

Victor frowned.

coughed violently as soon

adamant and clenched her

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

about, he could tell that they were reluctant

"Tut, tut, tut, this is

other! I’m so moved by

when saw Norton approaching

pulled Sheila

himself

be hard for

deliberately walked up to

and Shelia stepped

them, Norton pulled Shelia towards

was too fast for Victor

"Let her go!"

firm grip on

hearing vexation in

you

said as he wiped the mud

this would all the more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain,

stopped in his tracks when something

that Norton pressed

a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

said in a contemptuous tone and gave Victor a mocking smile, pretending not to hear what Victor had

felt that he had difficulty in

his fist and tried

want is my

has nothing to do

So, let her go!"

This

Norton curled his lips.

want to

but I find your reaction

boring for you to die alone? I can do

red eyes, Victor breathed

the knife pressed against her neck, all Shelia could

was

spat out blood and beg for mercy,

all you can do?

kept his mocking smile plastered on

narrowed in anger when

you just

you are a

Shelia swallowed.

just feel a sense of

in you to do what you intend

So, cut the crap.

want to kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

tried to

she

rise and the man would do just

Norton was indeed angry.

his voice in check as he talked to

Looks like you really want to

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help you with

Norton said, laughing derisively.

turned to his men and instructed them,

squinted his eyes and asked anxiously, "What are you going

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared

did as they were

Shelia was taken to one

made to

where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor

was

her choke easily Victor saw how Shelia’s face became paler by

fists, and the blue veins on his neck

and yelled,

eyes because of the gushing water,

actually wanted Victor

moment she opened her

enough, her

on Victor’s face, Norton

strong but

making me

think that I’m a good man? Why

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

the sake of you wanting to save her so much,

still some good in me, huh?

just glare

it took to save

who was in the middle of the

behind him appeared and stood between the rope

up and looked at Victor

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

are the weakest

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

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

speaking, the two men who had been holding Victor’s arms let go of

his hand, Norton touched its tip with

before the rope

goodbye to your

away, I’m afraid that you won’t even find her

flickering flame, Victor didn’t care about anything

rushed up and fought against the two

most popular leader the

his weakest subordinates should be strong

was

even be able to defeat one of the two weakest subordinates of

of them were tall and burly men that could

a doubt, Victor was at a disadvantage from the

over to them, the two men punched Victor right in his abdomen one after

he was hit, Victor staggered and struggled

was hit repeatedly, his strength left him, and he eventually knelt on the

broken scattered all over

this time, Victor’s face looked

tried to stand, not ready

even get back on his

use his arm to block

a mouthful of

this point, Victor’s vision

managed to fix his eyes on the rope,

matter how

and the

her into this trouble, so he was

his mind wanted to go on, his

back to the

was somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling on his

to open his eyes, but his vision was

on the ground,

but wonder if he was still

consciousness hadn’t fully recovered yet, so he thought

pierced every inch of his body made Victor realize

stand up, but he couldn’t move

hands a little bit, grabbing the mud under his

at the river, only to

no trace

"Ahem!"

spurting

the soil and opened his eyes as

the river expectantly, as if he was waiting for something to

for a

know how much

found the

that someone would raise her head from the river or come out from somewhere and

blood and the excruciating pain he was experiencing, Victor

lost

woke up again, he was finally

found him near

him lasted for two days and

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

bones in his right knee were shattered, his chest and lungs were inflamed, and the critically ill notice was

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

wearing an oxygen mask and struggled

was not completely out of danger

but she could sense that she must be a very important person due to his concern for

didn’t dare delay to send people to search

search lasted for seven days, but

and there was still no news

was a crumpled playing card that got wet from

mostly covered with mud, but one could easily recognize

later,

first thing he did after fully

King of Hearts card in a box and buried it

nothing on the marble tombstone aside from

wasn’t even Shelia’s name on

was on a business trip, he suffered a

him to the

It was also in that year that

two more years, he finished his studies

small companies under the control of the

raised the sales of these companies from a very

outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed

entered the ward where

her sitting on the edge of the bed, holding

can’t eat

porridge for

he couldn’t even stand the

had no choice but to put the

"Eat it again when

tongue out, not intending

saw Roger standing at the door,

a month, Roger came to the hospital to visit Joey

gradually got acquainted with

Roger

he could

could only eat them in

Rachel turned around

say that

in advance to ask her if she wanted

time, he would still insist on

that he had an important project meeting today,

could still visit, it would probably be very late

I couldn’t

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

furrowed her brows

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

Dark Circles The operation done to

opened and closed for

but wait outside until the procedure was

the operation began, the indicator light outside the room was turned

the surgery

saved, but he wasn’t completely

was wheeled

days ago that his vital

be

he was still in

in the field to check Victor’s

it wasn’t what he

Victor sustained serious injuries.

had healed, they

his new injuries

end, he said that only a miracle could save

at least tell us when he will

in a gloomy

afraid I can’t

help but frown as

blunt, please consider preparing for

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

this, it was obvious that this was

was a huge chance that

Rachel was the first one to know about

that Rachel had the

the wall outside Joey’s ward,

slightly disoriented, and there were dark circles round his

down to tell Rachel about

when Rachel heard the tragic news,

had already prepared herself for something like

Carson was

know when she became this

been in a coma for about half a month after the

have

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

the cigarette in Carson’s hand and reminded

You can’t smoke here."

his senses, Carson put out the

didn’t bother continue

subject and asked, "Anyway, how is the little

"Joey? He’s fine.

up yesterday and said that he has been

that his plaster will be removed ahead of the initial

peeped through the glass panel on the

Joey sleeping soundly in

smile, he stretched for a

then, I’m

turned around and

really just visited to tell Rachel about the

had nothing

blink of an eye, two days

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

just stayed in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four hours

time, Carson didn’t

expert, she was

news that Victor had

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

long time without

she was still judging Roger’s expression

you want to go upstairs and

pressed her lips hard and

sleeve and

I want to

Joey, pleading in

hide the fact that Victor was in a coma after obtaining

up in the hospital, he actually had

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

Joey finally 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

smiled and made a

bad? They say bad people

to worry

Joey’s bright eyes, she felt a lump

she mustered her

"Yes, of course."

weeks, Joey had a good rest

mention Victor, as if there

Joey would actually wake up in the middle of the night from

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

"Okay…"

softened, and

ward was in the second

fully healed yet, it was inconvenient for him to walk all

let him sit in a

the three

enough, they reached the

The elevator finally stopped at the

VIP ward, and there was only one patient at this time, Carson was sitting on the sofa in the hall, dealing with

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

seen this scene, Carson knew that he would have

first time

What brings you here?"

as he quickly set the document he was holding aside and raised his

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking

someone who will be beaten easily? Ha! I’m the

those dark circles

"Dark circles?"

choked at Joey’s

opened its front

that Joey was

haggard, and his eye bags were so big that it seemed like someone

course, this was only to be

good sleep for half

handsome young man, but even he was susceptible to

"Ha-ha!"

couldn’t help but laugh after seeing the upset look on

seemingly innocent laughter, Carson realized that he was

Carson stepped forward and

"You, brat.

you tease your godfather? You

a sharp pain on his face and retorted, "Huh? Who said

have no opinion

father and I

We are best friends.

the one who

I became your

his eyebrows and crossed his arms in

if you don’t want it, that fact

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

tongue as he withdrew his

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

it’s a fact

change your attitude

but he stuck out his tongue

of the corner of his eye, Carson recognized Roger standing

his composure and commented, "I see that you’re not busy

that

with Rachel and Joey

Roger explained.

plan to lose his

"Oh, I see."

at the room and said, "His ward is

He is resting inside.

see him."Chapter 466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at

knew what was

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

nodded and walked

her, pushing

were placed

was lost in thoughts for a

was about to sav something, Joey

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked at

standing very far

Joey could see him from the corner of

his eyebrows as if

quick glance at him, Joey turned his gaze

to use

what

I

"No!"

in a very decisive

was a serious

I am

so it wasn’t a problem for Rachel to take him to the

that moment, they were no

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

reaction to Joey’s words,

was Roger, then her

want to bother the former, Carson soon observed

wanted him to

coughed and refused to pay any attention to Rachel’s

phone and turned

a thumbs up

Carson pretended like he was

read the

talking, he headed towards

he wasn’t very good

phone’s screen lit up while he was still holding it to his

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

"It’s okay.

will take Joey

He is actually right.

a boy like him to be taken to the bathroom

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

those

that Rachel ought to have been closer to him

past few days, they got along really

always

reasons best known to her, she still

look of things,

it couldn’t be

the night Rachel was standing outside the operating room

and Joey headed towards the

time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

took a quick glance at

with the phone

"What?"

Rachel’s sight and took a peek

appeared

I am through

no choice! My subordinates are

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

fake smile on her

very good at

that he had pretended to answer the call only moments ago, the smile on

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

you want to go

raised her head in order to look through the glass panel on the

ward was a

point of view, only the living room

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

doctor said Victor would lie in the bed for

to undergo half a year’s rehabilitation

voice came

a stable condition now,

"Get out of here!"

interrupted Carson’s

in a suit coming out of the

He looked dejected.

was a document

and Carson as soon

stunned at first, then

"Mr.Scott!"

hung around

It was quite noticeable.

Sullivan Group and the

about what just happened

the man’s expression that the project plan had been

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

what really interested

She turned to Carson.

her, she raised her eyebrows

"Well, this is Troy.

works as a member of the Sullivan Group’s project

she meant by just

at a loss for

so many surnames in the

had to choose

who

bowed and

"Miss Bennet."

her head

was

him the scare of his life! Nonetheless, he

Miss Bennet, I’m going back

hand and

do

Troy went out of sight in a blink

looked at the

space was enough for her to see that Victor was sitting against the head

seem as bad as you

is well and can work

walked to the door and pushed it

leaned against

follow

document when

raise his head and

cast her

was in

tell that his face was pale despite the fact

and looked rather

wasn’t a hundred percent sure that she waited outside the operating room for more than seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would have thought that the man in front

entranced that she walked

you to go out,

heard the footsteps, his frown

the person

in his usual cold and stiff tone, he said

after we finished the dance, Charles kept his hand on

many guests around, I figured it

"The dance is over.

to let

I reminded him.

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

back to distance

some reason, I could still feel the

blushed and

heart was

it felt like I had returned

him were the happiest time of

those days were long gone

looked down, feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached me and greeted

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

and taking a sip of

few to

time, Elena came

surprise waiting for you on the

to go upstairs and take a look

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when

appeared

to the deck on

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

numerous balloons around the

widened in

this whole scene was picturesque and

my birthday surprise?’ I had no

came to mind was Charles, but I quickly cast aside that

bitter smile appeared on my lips, and somehow, I began to despise myself for having

never spent this much effort on me,

of receiving this birthday

stood on the second floor, I stared at the night

tranquil, and yet my mind

of the cold sea breeze, I felt even

a fireworks display lit up the sky, forming

sky, a deafening sound resonated in

like

by the noise, I covered my ears at

on the

and i felt like my blood

the abandoned

I felt so dizzy that I almost

having a panic attack, a pair of strong arms held me tightly "There’s

I’m here."

from above me, making

It was Charles.

as tears burst from my eyes, Gently, he brushed my hair and tried to

don’t have to