The Substitute Wife: 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 they

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her teeth

a thought occurred to

eggs! I forgot all about

embrace and ran to the kitchen in a

Ethan followed behind her.

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

told you to keep an eye on

to the side while

in the corner, restlessly

"I’m sorry.

Charis, so I rushed to you and forgot I

Ethan had guessed this.

he raised his eyes to look at

"It’s my fault.

you enough sense of

he spread out his arms

obeyed and leaned her face against his

the invitation from Patrick, she murmured, "The

and I just

probably has a huge grudge

In Order To Survive Shelia didn’t notice what

her forehead in a casual manner,

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

being

at her, Victor said nothing, and silently retracted the knife

a feeling that Shelia didn’t mean him any

and poured the

definitely could be

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

turned to look down at the meat Shelia was holding out

roast some more

that Victor wasn’t going to take the meat, Shelia smiled as

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

and

then,

an easy-going person, this

had thought that Victor had gotten

knew she was wrong and he was on guard

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead

away and placed the

the rest

nodded and said,

a bite

she furrowed her brows and stuck out her

hard

was not cooked

meat I gave you just now must be

me? You even finished

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

Shelia turned around and

you did

smiling?’ Victor never even realized that he

gently touched

to roast the

have gone a

get some

not tired

just sit

her chin, Shelia

so skillfully, she blinked her eyes and said, "Van, you’re good at cooking meat, aren’t you? Did you learn this skill all by yourself?"I

learned how to survive in the

in

"Survive in the wildness?"

Shelia had ever heard of such

did you go out of

what Shelia did earlier, Victor also crushed some fruits

used a knife to slice the

what Shelia

a while, he said,

fact, Victor knew

that because he wanted to be prepared in case of any

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

would at least

"Alright."

continued to focus her

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

out a hand to wipe off the

turned to look at Victor

Shelia’s eyes, he started to feel a little

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

"Is that so?"

her nose with the back of her

now?

"No,"

glancing over

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

than roasting meat? I

Can you teach me?"

you want to

"In order to survive."

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

shelia said casually.

Victor felt sad

ready to be flipped? It’s on the verge

Shelia pointed out.

a small burn on the meat’s exposed side when he looked

while he was

.

about whether or not to ask her about

all, Shelia’s own

didn’t seem to

you please

"Hmm,"

after

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she broke

two dimples, meanwhile, became much more

Victor nodded, "Okay."

grinned broadly as she said, "Thanks

kindest individual I’ve ever encountered, except

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I was

the orphanage was taken over and the old woman was

clouded as she

woman was a wonderful

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

an orphan…’ Victor

guardian was needed to look after you since the orphanage

didn’t you leave

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

was the only home Shelia had known

okay with you being outdoors on

her head, Shelia

visit her tomb,

unknown to them, and I don’t

spite of the dingy

had been scattered by the trees and fallen to

placed her hands behind

disappointment as she gazed up at the

want to visit

what keeps you from

are people

me if I go

had no idea that I have

my name when I

blinking her

black eyes remained fixed on

had the chance to see you, Van,

a soft spot in her heart for

I

appropriate to use this term

Victor concluded that

of

her, "Since she was responsible for

unable to communicate since she was

to us by

card was in

were a treasure and presented it to Victor

the orphanage, each kid was given a unique

the fruits, she 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 to the reference

stared at the card–the King

get the best

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

the card and said, "I am the only

toasting as they were

her the meat

set

Eat, please."

came from her gut just

she put her hand to her stomach and ate the meat with a

the meat i made

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

after a

feet, she said, "Let’s

when Shelia

"Come on, get up."

was taken aback, and after a little pause, he took Shelia’s hand in his

the hard way, Shelia used a dart to

of time as

sun had cooled down

down on a stone and drank

far we’ll have to travel

get out before the sun

some

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

"I’m

Let’s move forward."

have the

"Like never before…"

continued to

she murmured, "Van,

return, be sure

gaze to the side of her

covered in mud after

What’s your

"Plan?"

was slow

your plans once we

my travels

the police station when I can no longer walk and beg them

answered with

"Shelia."

up his mind after staring at

"What’s the problem?"

with me after

sure my grandma will like you, I

can count on

want me to

with you? If you don’t want to,

that Shelia

a while before

"No, I’m not.

to treat you the

Victor convinced her.

smiled

when we get out of the

"Sure."

from

463 Let Her Go The sun started to disappear below the horizon, basking the forest in a

on the bodies of Victor and

had been walking since high noon and

assuaged when they saw a relatively

out of

villagers if we walk a little

We can…"

Shelia could finish her sentence, she saw Victor

She was confused.

Victor, wanting to know

"Van?"

didn’t expect

voice came, Shelia looked for

saw three cars that were parked not

at the front, looking at them intently as he played with a

feel right away that they were

moved to shield Victor, who in turn stood protectively in

didn’t take his eyes off Norton, watching his every

hear, Victor said, "Run into the

get lost even

were finding our way out of the forest,

and you can get back

"And then?"

asked, her

looked straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

borrow a mobile phone from them, and call this

knew that Norton didn’t intend

just wanted to play a game with Victor

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

her back to see his grandmother, and

seemed that Victor could not fulfill the promise he made in

a phone number on

number once you get hold of a

he whispered.

my grandmother’s

she will pick

just looked down

respond, Victor looked at her and asked in

"No."

pulled her

were a

want to remember the number, nor do

a good

Victor frowned.

was so anxious that he coughed

and clenched

to spread her palm and let Victor write the

and Shelia were talking about, he could tell that they

"Tut, tut, tut, this is so

other! I’m so

when saw Norton approaching

pulled Sheila behind

keeping himself

be hard for him to fight

walked up to

Shelia

with them, Norton pulled Shelia towards

was too fast for Victor to

"Let her go!"

kept a firm grip on Shelia’s

hearing

you look

wiped the mud on Shelia’s face with

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

in his tracks when something silver flashed

knife that Norton pressed

out a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

Victor a

he had difficulty in

and tried to

want is

nothing to do

So, let her go!"

wow! This

Norton curled his lips.

don’t want to

but I find

alone? I can do something about that and

red eyes, Victor breathed

of the knife pressed against her

was

she saw Victor spat out blood and beg

you can

kept his mocking smile plastered on

eyes narrowed in anger when he heard

you

said you are

Shelia swallowed.

feel a sense of accomplishment by threatening

you don’t have in you to do what you intend

So, cut the crap.

to kill me, then

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to

that she was

was afraid that Shelia would make Norton’s hackles rise and the man would do just what

Norton was indeed angry.

he kept his voice in check as he

you really want

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help you with

Norton said, laughing derisively.

turned to his men and

and asked anxiously,

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared at

did as

hands and feet bound, Shelia was taken to one of the

was made to ride

brain thinking about where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor

was flowing

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

into fists, and the blue

teeth and yelled, "Let her

open her eyes because of the gushing water,

wanted Victor to

she opened her mouth, she was choked by

enough, her

the exasperated expression on Victor’s face, Norton

thought that Victor might be strong but he was useless in this

me

good man? Why

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

for the sake of you wanting to save her so much, I will give you

in me, huh? What do you

could just glare

do whatever it took to save

of the river,

behind him appeared

and looked

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the weakest among my

killed two people, and the one

Norton continued, "You want to

who had been holding Victor’s arms let go

hand, Norton touched its tip with his

these two before

can say goodbye

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

the flickering flame, Victor didn’t care

so he quickly rushed up and fought against the two

most popular leader the Roaring

even his weakest subordinates should be strong

was currently

not even be able to defeat one

and burly

doubt, Victor was at a disadvantage

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

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

hit repeatedly, his strength left him, and he

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

face looked

stand, not ready to give

back on his feet, he

still able to subconsciously use his arm

was hit again, Victor spat out a

Victor’s vision

managed to fix his eyes on the rope, which

matter how many injuries he

long as the fire was put out and the rope was grasped, Shelia’s

her into this trouble, so he was willing to do anything

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

back to the

Victor was somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling

struggled to open his eyes, but his vision

lay there on the ground, watching the raindrops

wonder if he

yet, so he thought

pierced every inch of

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

hands a little bit, grabbing the mud under

best, he turned his head to look at the river,

was no trace

"Ahem!"

coughed violently, spurting out more

he grabbed unto the soil and opened

as if he was waiting for something to show

for a

he didn’t even know how much time passed

found the person he

head from the river or come

loss of blood and the excruciating pain he was experiencing, Victor couldn’t

he lost consciousness

Victor woke up again,

him near

lasted

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

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

was ask Carolyn to send

wearing an oxygen mask and

not completely out of danger yet, but

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

to send people to search

lasted for seven days,

passed and there was still no news

a crumpled playing card

covered with mud, but one could easily recognize that it

later, Victor

he did after

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

marble tombstone aside from the

wasn’t even Shelia’s

Karl was

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

was also in that year that Carolyn

he finished his studies and

began taking over several small companies under the control

the sales of these companies from a very low level to one of the top

able to prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed

At this time, Roger entered the ward where

saw her sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a bowl of porridge, and coaxing

eat any

been eating porridge for about half a

even stand the smell

no choice but

it again when

stuck his tongue out, not intending

standing at the door, so he

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

gradually got acquainted with

about him was that Roger would bring some

Joey couldn’t eat too much, he could at least taste something aside from

Joey could only eat them in

turned around and

say that you

here, he would send Rachel a message in advance to ask her

time, he

an important project

visit, it would

initially, I couldn’t

hesitated for a moment

Rachel furrowed her brows in

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

465 Dark Circles The operation done to

closed for several times as doctors went in

do anything but wait

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

the surgery was

was saved, but he wasn’t completely

he was wheeled to

not until two days ago

to be transferred to the

he was still

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

what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

his old wounds had healed, they

injuries just

only a miracle could save Victor’s

tell us when he will wake

asked in

I can’t say that

expert couldn’t help but frown as he made

if I may be blunt,

there’s a chance that he’ll never wake up? Is

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

percent, but there was a

was the first one to

deemed that Rachel had the right to

leaned against the wall outside Joey’s ward, holding a

looked slightly disoriented, and there were dark circles round his

to tell Rachel

tragic news, her face didn’t show

she had already prepared herself for something like

fact, Carson was a

know when she became

was when Victor had been in a coma for about half a

it might have

outside the operating room for 70

in Carson’s hand and reminded him in a

You can’t smoke here."

if he regained his senses, Carson

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

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

"Joey? He’s fine.

up yesterday and said that he

it’s expected that his plaster will be removed

his head and peeped through

sleeping soundly in the

he stretched for

then, I’m

Carson turned around and left without

visited to tell Rachel about the doctor’s diagnosis regarding Victor’s

he had nothing

eye, two

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

just stayed in Joey’s ward

Carson didn’t show his face to her

came from an expert, she was also convinced that Victor

Roger broke the news that Victor had

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

stared at Roger for a long time without being able

she was still judging Roger’s expression if he was saying

Rachel… Do you want to go upstairs and

asked slowly This time, Rachel pressed her lips hard

pulled her sleeve and pulled her back from her deep

I want

was Joey, pleading

fact that Victor was

Joey woke up in the hospital, he actually had a vague

that Rachel had always been absent-minded and Victor

the truth, Rachel didn’t have the heart to

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

smiled and made a

Isn’t daddy bad? They say

have to

bright eyes, she felt a lump

she mustered

"Yes, of course."

following two weeks, Joey had a good rest in

as if

in the middle of the night from time

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

"Okay…"

softened, and she

ward was in the second inpatient

healed yet, it was inconvenient for him to walk all the way

simply let him sit

wheelchair for him, and the three of them

they reached

The elevator finally stopped at the

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

steps approaching, he furrowed his brows

seen this scene, Carson knew that he

first time I’ve seen you up

What brings you here?"

asked Joey as he quickly set the document he was holding aside and

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his innocent

I look like someone who will be beaten easily? Ha!

where did those dark circles around your eyes

"Dark circles?"

choked at

he picked up his phone, opened its front

realized that Joey

haggard, and his eye bags were so big that it

course, this was

hadn’t have a good

young man, but even

"Ha-ha!"

seeing

Carson realized that he was fooled by this little

his head, Carson stepped forward and

"You, brat.

tease your godfather? You have guts,

Who said

no opinion

father and I grew up

We are best friends.

one who

I became your

his eyebrows and crossed his arms in front

if you don’t want it,

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

clicked his tongue as he withdrew his hand

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

it’s a

you’d better change

didn’t say anything more, but he stuck out his tongue

his

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

I heard that Mr.Sullivan

I came here with Rachel and Joey

Roger explained.

plan to lose his composure just because

"Oh, I see."

Carson pointed at the room and

He is resting inside.

Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward Carson pointed at,

knew what was going through

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

nodded and walked towards the

her, pushing

arms were placed over his

in

to sav

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked

was not standing very

see him from the

his eyebrows as if he was

taking a quick glance at

to

what

about I take

"No!"

replied in a very

a serious look on

am a

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

were no

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

words,

Roger, then her

want to bother the former, Carson

wanted him to take Joey

pay any attention to Rachel’s

he took out his phone and

Joey a thumbs up

like he was

I have read the

he headed towards the nurses’

very good at

phone’s screen lit up while he was

what just happened clearly and

"It’s okay.

take Joey

He is actually right.

a boy like him

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

when he heard those words, they displeased

ought to have been closer to

past few days, they got along really

were always

for reasons best known to

the look of things, Rachel

that it

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

Joey headed

some time, Carson came

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

glance at

through with the phone

"What?"

followed Rachel’s sight and took a peek

appeared

I am

with no choice! My subordinates are too bad at

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake

not very good at

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

the tip of his nose and coughed to ease the awkwardness

want

look through

was a

of view, only the living room could be

door

would lie in the bed for two

to undergo half

came

is in a stable condition now,

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted Carson’s

and saw a man in

He looked dejected.

was a document in

into Rachel and Carson as soon as

at first, then his

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung

It was quite noticeable.

an employee of the Sullivan Group and the director of

asking about what just happened to

expression that the project

Her attention was drawn to the name on the

what really

She turned to Carson.

he looked back at her, she raised her

"Well, this is Troy.

of the Sullivan Group’s

she meant by just looking at

a loss for

so many

he had to

recognized who Rachel

bowed and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

nodded her head

was covered

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

going

waved his hand and said, "Very well

do

went out

looked at the

was sitting against the head of the

seem as bad as you

well and

walked to the door and pushed

against the

follow

reading some document when

didn’t raise his head and

her gaze on

was in a

tell that his face was pale despite the fact that

frowned and looked

seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would have thought that the man in

was so entranced that she walked

asked you to go out, didn’t

heard the footsteps, his

at the person who was

instead of speaking in his usual cold and stiff tone, he said

461 The Birthday Gift Caroline’s POV: Even after we finished the dance, Charles

were many guests around, I figured it wouldn’t bode well if

"The dance is over.

time to let

I reminded him.

Reluctance flashed through his eyes, but he still loosened

few steps back

reason, I could still feel

and

heart was

like I

him were the

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

feeling

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached

began chatting with the guests

my glass and

a few to drink

time, Elena came

surprise waiting for you on the second

like to go upstairs and

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when

mysterious smile appeared

my confusion, I followed her to the deck on the second

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

numerous balloons around the

widened in

this whole scene was picturesque

had no idea

person that came to mind was

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

this much effort on me, and yet

this birthday surprise soon

stared at the

and yet my mind was

the cold sea breeze,

fireworks display lit up the sky, forming

sky, a deafening sound resonated in

like a

by the noise, I covered my ears

squatted on the ground

and i felt like

incident at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing through my

was out of breath I felt so dizzy

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

I’m here."

voice came from above me, making me feel

It was Charles.

in his arms as tears burst from my eyes, Gently, he brushed my hair and

to be scared ever