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.

had been a long time

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her

a thought occurred to

I forgot all about

from Ethan’s embrace and ran to the kitchen in a

Ethan followed behind her.

stared at Janet, who was extremely flustered, and

told you to

gently pulled her to the side while he

the corner, restlessly watching

"I’m sorry.

I rushed to you

Ethan had guessed this.

hands, he raised his eyes to look at

"It’s my fault.

you

he spread out his arms and said

leaned her face against his

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

you and I just

has a huge grudge against

there?"Chapter 461 In Order To Survive Shelia didn’t notice what was going

wiped off the sweat collecting on her forehead in a casual manner, flipped

want to tell me, then

being a little

said nothing, and silently retracted the knife he was hiding

feeling that Shelia didn’t mean

and poured the juice

this definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

turned to look down at the meat Shelia was holding out in her hand and didn’t make a move to

more for myself

the meat, Shelia smiled as if she had just

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

and

right then, watching Shelia with

though Shelia happened to be an easy-going

that Victor

knew she was wrong and he was on guard against

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead

to look away and placed the meat

the rest

he wanted to help, Shelia nodded and said, "Okay, it’s perfectly

took a bite out

furrowed her brows and

hard to

not

just now must be the

didn’t you tell me? You

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

meat aside, Shelia turned

you smiling? Van, you did this

Am I smiling?’ Victor never even

hand and gently touched the corner

me to roast the meat

have gone

get

not tired

sit right

her hands propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down next to

the meat so skillfully, she blinked her eyes and said, "Van, you’re good at

learned how to survive

spoke in

"Survive in the wildness?"

time that Shelia had ever heard

you go out of

earlier, Victor also crushed some

knife

Shelia asked, his eyes darkened

said, "I

fact, Victor knew

to be prepared in case of any

of time that even under ner protection, Victor would

him to learn more skills so that he would at least have a

"Alright."

Shelia continued to focus her gaze on

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

hand to wipe off the

look at Victor with a blank

Victor looked straight into Shelia’s eyes, he started to feel

away, and explained, "Your nose

"Is that so?"

her nose with the

about now? Is it still

"No,"

glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

you learn other than roasting meat? I want to

Can you teach me?"

you want to learn

"In order to survive."

of Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me

shelia said casually.

felt sad upon

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

Shelia pointed out.

Shelia, Victor saw a small burn on the

while he was still thinking about what she

.

second thoughts about whether or not to

after all, Shelia’s own

didn’t

"Will you

"Hmm,"

said after a

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she broke into a

meanwhile, became

Victor nodded, "Okay."

she said, "Thanks so much,

individual I’ve ever encountered, except

"Orphanage?"

That’s where

was taken over and the old woman was unwell and

clouded as she

was a wonderful

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

an orphan…’ Victor pursed his

guardian was needed to look after

leave with the other

at Victor and answered, "I

home Shelia had known for so

they okay with you being outdoors on your

her head, Shelia

visit her tomb,

them, and I

the dingy ground, Shelia

sunshine that had been scattered by the

placed her hands behind her

sighed with disappointment as she

to visit

what keeps you from doing

people guarding

if I go

idea that I

my name when I meet her again in

blinking her

eyes remained fixed on

see you, Van, it would be more than likely that she would

in her heart for

I was a lovely

appropriate to use this term

at Shelia, Victor concluded that

apt description of her features, particularly

"Since she was responsible for

unable to communicate since she was deaf, mute,

never referred to us by

a poker card

if it were a treasure

kid was

them as we

at the card–the

Did I get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

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

toasting as they

her the meat

set

Eat, please."

gut

hand to her stomach and ate the meat with a greedy

better than the meat i

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after a good

her feet,

was ready to rise when

"Come on, get up."

little pause, he took

hard way, Shelia used a dart to put marks

of time as

had cooled

assisted Victor in sitting down on a

we’ll have

we can get out

some

was perhaps exhausted after so much walking, and

incoherently, "I’m

Let’s move forward."

have

"Like never before…"

and continued

she murmured,

return, be sure to eat

to the side of

mud after a day and

What’s

"Plan?"

slow to

remarked, "What are your plans once we leave the forest? Where

I want to continue my travels and

to the police station when I can no longer walk

answered with a

"Shelia."

up his mind after staring at Shelia for a long

"What’s the problem?"

after we

grandma will like you, I will defend you

can count

want me to come

you? If

was concerned that

for a while before asking,

"No, I’m not.

you the best I

Victor convinced her.

nodded and smiled

agree when we get

"Sure."

they emerged from

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

light glimmered on the

high noon and

when they saw a

out of the

we’ll meet local villagers if

We can…"

could finish her sentence,

She was confused.

looked at Victor, wanting

"Van?"

didn’t expect you to

voice came, Shelia looked for the

cars that were parked

them

could feel right away that they were Victor’s

who in turn stood protectively in

his eyes off Norton,

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

lost even when

our way out of the forest, I put

and you can get back

"And then?"

her

straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

a mobile phone

that Norton didn’t

play a game with

couldn’t escape

back to see his grandmother, and treat her

could not fulfill the

Victor wrote a phone number

number once you

he whispered.

my

pick

down at her

respond, Victor looked at

"No."

pulled her hand

eyes were a little

want to remember the number, nor do

a good

Victor frowned.

coughed violently as

adamant and clenched

to spread her palm

were talking about,

he said, "Tut, tut, tut,

for each other! I’m so

tensed up when saw Norton

pulled

seriously injured and keeping himself standing steadily was taxing

would be hard for

walked up to

Shelia

them, Norton pulled Shelia towards

too fast for Victor

"Let her go!"

firm

hearing vexation

know you

he wiped the mud

pain, Victor rushed over

when something silver

that Norton

out a mouthful of

"No."

"What are you saying?"

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

he had difficulty in

fist and

want is

to

So, let her go!"

This is

Norton curled his lips.

don’t want to let her

where she comes from but I find your reaction quite

it’s boring for you to die alone? I

red eyes,

her neck, all Shelia

was

out blood and beg for

that all you

kept his mocking smile

anger when he heard Shelia’s disdainful

did you

you are a

Shelia swallowed.

of

don’t have in you to do what you

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill me, then

"Shelia…"

tried

knew that she was

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

Norton was indeed angry.

but he kept his voice in check as he talked to

really? Looks like you

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

to his men and instructed

eyes and asked anxiously,

Norton didn’t answer.

glared

did as they

and feet bound, Shelia was taken to one of

made to ride a different

brain thinking about where Norton was taking

river was

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

blue veins on his neck became very

his teeth and yelled, "Let her

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

Victor to run

opened her mouth, she was

her

the exasperated expression on Victor’s face, Norton scoffed at

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

making me laugh,

a good man? Why the hell should I

approached the rope, squatted

save her so much, I will give you a

in me, huh? What do you

could just

do whatever it took to

Shelia, who was in the middle of the river, Norton squinted his eyes and snapped

two men behind him appeared and stood between the rope

and looked at

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

the

two people, and the one on the right has

continued, "You want to save her,

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

hand, Norton touched its tip with his thumb and warned,

two before the

say goodbye to your

she’s washed away, I’m afraid that

Victor didn’t care about

of essence, so he quickly rushed up

a mercenary and the most

his weakest subordinates

was currently

his peak state, he might not even be able

burly men that could easily flip Victor

doubt, Victor was at a disadvantage

them, the two men punched Victor right in his abdomen one after another, and hit

As soon as he was hit, Victor staggered

was hit repeatedly, his strength left

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

Victor’s face looked

to stand,

even get back on

his arm

hit again, Victor spat out a mouthful of blood,

Victor’s

fix his eyes on the rope, which was only

how many injuries he

and the rope

so he was willing to do

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

the ground and lost

time, Victor was somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling

open his eyes,

just lay there on the

help but wonder if he was still

hadn’t fully recovered yet, so he thought that he might be

pain that pierced every inch of his body made Victor

up, but he couldn’t move even

bit, grabbing

head to look at the river, only to find that

no trace

"Ahem!"

violently, spurting out more

he grabbed unto the soil and

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

waited for a long

he didn’t even know how

he never found the person he

from the river or come out from somewhere and

loss of blood and the excruciating pain he was experiencing, Victor

he lost consciousness

Victor woke up again,

found him near the

lasted for two days and two

found out that Victor had

chest and lungs were inflamed, and

Victor did after he woke up was ask Carolyn to

wearing an

was not completely out of danger yet, but all he cared about was

was, but she could sense that she must be

dare delay to send people to search for

for seven days, but

week passed and there was still

card that got wet from the rain and

could easily

years later,

after fully recovering was buy a

Hearts card in a box and

nothing on the marble tombstone aside

even Shelia’s

was on a

rush him to the hospital, but he was declared

It was also in that year that Carolyn sent

he finished his

companies under the control of

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

ability, Carolyn gradually

time, Roger entered the ward

the edge of the bed, holding a bowl of porridge,

can’t eat any

porridge for

even stand the

no choice but

said, "Eat it

tongue out,

Roger standing at the door, so he politely greeted,

Roger came to the

kid gradually got acquainted

Roger would bring some

could at least taste something aside from

course, Joey could only eat them

Roger, Rachel turned around and

you say that you wouldn’t come

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

would say no every time, he would still insist

asked, he said that he had an important project meeting today, so he might not be able

still visit, it would probably be

initially, I couldn’t

Rachel, Roger hesitated for a moment

response, Rachel furrowed her brows

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

to Victor lasted

and closed for several

Carson couldn’t do anything but wait outside until the procedure was

began, the

the surgery

life was saved, but he wasn’t completely

was wheeled

until two days ago that his vital

eligible to be transferred to

was still in a

the field to check Victor’s condition and

what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

his old wounds had healed, they still had an

new injuries just made matters

said that only

you at least tell us when he will

in a gloomy

I can’t say that

couldn’t help but frown as he made

I may be blunt, please consider preparing for

Is he going

it was obvious that

not a hundred percent, but there was a huge chance that this was

Rachel was the first

deemed that Rachel had the right to

Joey’s ward,

slightly disoriented, and there were dark circles round

tell

when Rachel heard the tragic news, her

as if she had already prepared herself for

Carson was a

know when she became this mentally

Victor had been in a coma for about half a month

have been even

for

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

You can’t smoke here."

his senses, Carson put out

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

subject and asked, "Anyway, how

"Joey? He’s fine.

up yesterday and said that he has been

will be removed ahead of the

turned his head and peeped through the glass panel on

saw Joey sleeping soundly

a faint smile, he stretched for a

then, I’m leaving

that, Carson turned around and left

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

he had nothing else

blink of an eye, two

Victor’s condition, Rachel didn’t intend

ward almost twenty-four hours a

Carson didn’t show his face

she was also convinced that Victor would never

Roger broke the news that Victor had miraculously woke up

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

time

if she was still judging Roger’s expression if he

you want to go upstairs

asked slowly This time, Rachel pressed her lips hard

pulled her sleeve and pulled her back from her deep

I want to see

was Joey, pleading in a soft

the fact that Victor was in a coma

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

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

out the truth, Rachel didn’t have

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

smiled and made a

bad? They say bad people

we don’t have to worry too

eyes, she felt a

moments, she mustered her courage and

"Yes, of course."

weeks, Joey had a good rest

if

up in the middle of the night

a brave kid for keeping it all inside him, but Rachel was aware

"Okay…"

heart softened, and she

in

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

Rachel simply let him sit

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

enough, they reached

the floor of

was only one patient at this time, Carson was sitting on the

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

had seen this scene, Carson knew that he would

guy, it’s the first time I’ve seen you

What brings you here?"

Joey as he quickly set the document he was holding aside

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking his innocent

like someone who will be beaten

did those dark circles

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at Joey’s

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

that Joey

haggard, and his eye bags were so big

was only to be

have a good sleep for

man, but even he was susceptible

"Ha-ha!"

seeing the upset look on

Carson realized that he was

stepped forward

"You, brat.

tease your godfather? You have

a sharp pain on his face and retorted, "Huh? Who said that you are my godfather?

have no opinion regarding

I grew

We are best friends.

the one who

how I

his eyebrows and crossed his arms in

if you don’t

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

tongue as he withdrew

muttered in a slightly low voice, "I also didn’t expect

a fact

better change your attitude

anything more, but he stuck out

the corner of his eye, Carson recognized Roger

composure and commented,

that

Rachel and

Roger explained.

didn’t plan to lose his composure just

"Oh, I see."

the room and said, "His ward

He is resting inside.

466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at

knew what was

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

nodded and walked

followed her,

arms were placed over

lost in thoughts

was about to sav something,

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked at the

standing very far

a result, Joey could see him from

his eyebrows as if he was

quick glance at him, Joey turned his gaze

to use the

what Joey was

about I

"No!"

in a very decisive

was a serious

am

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

at that moment, they were no longer

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

to Joey’s words, Rachel

Roger, then her gaze fell

the former, Carson soon observed that she was staring at

she wanted him to take Joey

pay any attention to Rachel’s

took out his phone and turned around as

give Joey a thumbs up

he was answering the

Mr.Ramos! I have read the plan you

talking, he headed towards the nurses’

wasn’t very good

up while he was still holding it to his

call at all! Rachel saw what just happened clearly and understood that it was all

"It’s okay.

will take

He is actually right.

embarrassing for a boy like him

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

when he heard those words, they

that Rachel ought to have been closer to

they got along really

of them were always in

to her, she still alienated

look of things, Rachel still

knew that it

night Rachel was standing outside the operating room where Victor

and Joey headed towards

some time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

a quick glance at

through with the phone

"What?"

took

smile appeared on

am through

with no choice! My subordinates are too bad at

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

a fake smile

very good at

pretended to answer the call

tip of his nose and coughed

you want

look through the glass panel on

ward was a

living room could be seen, and it

Rachel pushed the door

said Victor would lie

to undergo half a year’s

came from

is in a

"Get out of here!"

interrupted

man in a suit

He looked dejected.

a document in his

ran into Rachel and Carson as soon as he came

was stunned at first,

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung

It was quite noticeable.

Sullivan Group and the director of the

was no need asking about what just

that

Her attention was drawn to the

what really

She turned to Carson.

at her, she raised her

"Well, this is Troy.

as a member of

knew exactly what she meant

was at a

so many

had to

recognized who

bowed and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

head slightly in

forehead was covered with

of his life! Nonetheless,

going back

waved his hand and said,

do that

Troy went out of sight in a blink of an

at the door

see that Victor was sitting against the head

as bad as

and

to the door

leaned against the door

follow Rachel

reading some document when he

he didn’t raise his head and say coldly,

cast her

was in

could still tell that his face was pale despite the fact that he

and

she 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 of her was

she walked towards the bed

asked you to

the footsteps,

person who was walking towards

of speaking in his usual cold and

Gift Caroline’s POV: Even after we finished the dance, Charles kept

figured it wouldn’t bode well if I lost my

"The dance is over.

to let

I reminded him.

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

few steps back to distance myself

I could still feel the

blushed and

my heart

it felt like I had returned

days with him were the happiest time of my

reminisced, I knew that those days were long gone and

down, feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

guests suddenly approached

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

raising my glass and taking a sip

it, I’d had a few to

this time, Elena

a surprise waiting for you on the

go upstairs

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when you

appeared on

followed her to the deck on

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

also numerous balloons around the

eyes widened in

must say, this whole scene was

my birthday surprise?’ I had

to mind was Charles, but I

on my lips, and somehow, I began

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

of receiving this birthday surprise soon died

second floor, I stared

was tranquil, and yet

the cold sea breeze,

display lit up the sky, forming

the sky, a deafening sound

like a

by the noise, I covered

the

uncontrollably, and i felt like my blood was

horrible incident at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing through

I felt so

a pair of strong arms held me tightly "There’s

I’m here."

above me, making

It was Charles.

arms as tears burst from my

to