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.

been a long time

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her

a thought occurred

eggs! I forgot all

from Ethan’s embrace and ran

Ethan followed behind her.

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

to

to the side while he cleaned up the mess

her thumbs, Janet stood in the corner, restlessly watching

"I’m sorry.

so I rushed to

Ethan had guessed this.

he raised his eyes

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you enough sense

spread out his arms and said gently, "Come

leaned her face against his chest, blushing

she murmured, "The

I just got him

a huge grudge

Order To Survive Shelia didn’t

in a casual

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

just being a little

Victor said nothing, and silently retracted the

a feeling that Shelia didn’t mean him any

some fruits and poured the juice

definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

meat Shelia was holding out

some more

Victor wasn’t going to take the meat, Shelia smiled as if she had

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

rest assured and eat

on high alert right then, watching Shelia with vigilant and

an easy-going person, this didn’t mean that she

had thought that Victor

she knew she was wrong and he was on guard against

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead

away and placed the meat

the rest

he wanted to help, Shelia nodded and said, "Okay, it’s perfectly fine if you don’t

a bite out of

furrowed her brows and stuck out

hard

not

meat I gave you just now

didn’t you tell me? You even

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

aside, Shelia turned around and spotted

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

never even realized

hand and gently touched the corner of his

roast

gone

get

tired

sit right

hands propped under her chin, Shelia

you’re good at cooking meat, aren’t you? Did you

to survive

in

"Survive in the wildness?"

first time that Shelia had ever heard of such

you go out of your

Shelia did earlier, Victor also crushed some fruits and poured the juice over the

a knife

what Shelia asked, his eyes darkened

he said, "I have

fact, Victor knew the reason

he wanted to be prepared in case of

time that even under ner protection, Victor

he would at least have a

"Alright."

continued to focus her gaze on the

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

a hand to wipe

to look at Victor with a

into Shelia’s eyes, he started to feel a little

hand, looked away, and explained, "Your nose

"Is that so?"

went ahead to rub her nose with

about now? Is it

"No,"

said, glancing over

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

you learn other than roasting meat? I want

Can you teach me?"

do you want to

"In order to survive."

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

shelia said casually.

sad upon

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

Shelia pointed out.

by Shelia, Victor saw a small burn on the meat’s exposed side when he looked at it

over while he was still thinking about what

.

second thoughts about whether or not

all, Shelia’s

didn’t

"Will you please teach

"Hmm,"

after a

"Is that a yes?"

glowed, and she

meanwhile,

Victor nodded, "Okay."

broadly as she said, "Thanks so

the kindest individual I’ve ever encountered,

"Orphanage?"

where I was

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

eyes clouded as she

was a

great meals and gave me a lot

an orphan…’ Victor pursed

look after

didn’t you leave with the

and

the only home Shelia had known

you being outdoors on your

her head, Shelia

to visit her

them,

dingy ground, Shelia lay down

of sunshine that had been scattered by the trees and fallen to

her hands behind her head, her lips

as she gazed up at the

to

what keeps you from

are people guarding the

me if I

had no idea that

name when I meet

said, blinking

black eyes remained fixed on

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

soft spot in

that I was

seem appropriate to use this term to

Victor concluded

description of her features, particularly

was responsible for

was unable to communicate since she was deaf, mute,

never referred to us

card

were a treasure

orphanage, each kid

woman split 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

stared at the card–the

get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

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

toasting as

her the meat after he re-applied

set

Eat, please."

gut just after his words

to her stomach and ate the meat with a

the meat

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after a good

feet, she

ready to rise when

"Come on, get up."

little pause, he took Shelia’s hand in his

a dart to

had lost track of time as they

had cooled down

sitting down on

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

we can get out before the

some water as

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

said incoherently, "I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

have

"Like never before…"

and continued to hold

motion, she murmured, "Van,

you return, be

his gaze to the side

small face was covered in mud after a day and a

you? What’s

"Plan?"

slow

we

to continue my travels and explore the

to the police station when I can no longer walk

answered with

"Shelia."

his mind after staring at

"What’s the problem?"

after

will like you, I

count

me to come with

it all right with you? If you don’t

concerned that Shelia

while before asking, "Are you joking

"No, I’m not.

to treat you

Victor convinced her.

smiled at Victor,

get out

"Sure."

emerged from the

the horizon, basking the forest in

glimmered on the bodies

been walking since high noon and now, the

tiredness was assuaged when they saw a relatively spacious

we’re out

villagers if we walk a little

We can…"

sentence, she

She was confused.

wanting to know

"Van?"

i didn’t expect you to come out

looked for the

were

at the front, looking at them intently

away that they

shield Victor, who in turn stood protectively

take his eyes off Norton, watching

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

get lost even when it

way out of the

and you

"And then?"

asked, her

looked straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

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

didn’t intend to let him

with Victor by throwing him into the

couldn’t escape this predicament, Shelia

to give Shelia a family, bring her back

it seemed that Victor could not fulfill the promise he made

hand, Victor wrote a phone number on her palm with

number once you get hold of a

he whispered.

my

she will pick you up

just looked down

Victor looked at her and asked

"No."

her

were

don’t want to remember the number, nor

a good

Victor frowned.

was so anxious that he coughed violently as soon

remained adamant and

spread her palm and let Victor write the

were talking about, he could

"Tut, tut, tut,

each other! I’m so

tensed up when saw

intuitively pulled Sheila behind

keeping himself

be hard for him

walked up to them

and Shelia

them, Norton pulled

fast for Victor

"Let her go!"

kept a firm grip on Shelia’s

hearing vexation in Victor’s

you look

the mud on

all the more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed over and tried to take Shelia back from

he stopped in his tracks when something silver flashed through his

a knife that Norton pressed against

a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

Victor a mocking smile,

felt that he had

his fist and tried

you want is my

to do

So, let her go!"

This is

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want

don’t where she comes from but I find your

to die alone? I can do something

eyes, Victor breathed

of the knife pressed against her neck, all Shelia could do was raise

was tensed

Victor spat out blood and beg for mercy, she scoffed

that all you

smile

eyes narrowed in anger when

you

said you

Shelia swallowed.

of accomplishment by

in you to do what you intend to

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill me,

"Shelia…"

tried to

that she was provoking

would make Norton’s hackles rise and the man would

Norton was indeed angry.

voice in check as he talked to

Looks like you really

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

and instructed

anxiously, "What are you

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared at

as they

her hands and feet bound, Shelia

was made to ride a

was taking them.Chapter 464

river was

as the water rushed over, it inundated Shelia, making her choke easily Victor

the blue

gritted his teeth and yelled, "Let her

open her eyes because of the gushing

wanted Victor to

her

her eyes

expression on Victor’s face, Norton

might be strong but he was useless in

making me laugh,

think that I’m a good man? Why the hell should I

approached the rope,

save her so much, I will give

in me, huh? What do you

just glare at

whatever it took

middle of the river, Norton squinted his

him appeared and stood between the rope

slowly stood up and looked at Victor

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

are the weakest

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

continued, "You want

two men who had been holding Victor’s arms let go of him

with the knife in his hand, Norton touched its tip with his thumb and warned, "But of course,

these two before the

you can say goodbye to your good

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

Victor didn’t care

so he quickly rushed up and

and the most popular leader the Roaring Tiger

course, even his weakest subordinates should be strong as

Victor was

his peak state, he might not even be

tall and burly

doubt, Victor was at a disadvantage from the very

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

As soon as he was hit, Victor staggered and struggled

his strength left him, and he

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

time, Victor’s face looked

tried to stand,

could even get back on his feet, he saw

arm to block it, but

he was hit again, Victor spat out a mouthful of blood, and a tooth also fell

point, Victor’s vision

fix his eyes on the rope, which was

didn’t matter how many injuries he

was put out and the rope was grasped,

he was willing to do anything to

his mind wanted to go on, his body couldn’t keep

the ground and

Victor was somewhat awakened when

open his eyes, but his vision was

there on the ground,

help but wonder if he was still

yet, so he thought that

that pierced every inch of his body made Victor realize that he

up, but he couldn’t move

a little bit, grabbing the mud under his hands

turned his head to look at the river, only to find that

was no trace

"Ahem!"

violently, spurting out more

soil and

the river expectantly, as if he was

waited for a

know how much time

he never found the person he had been

her head from the river or come out from

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

he lost

Victor woke up again,

subordinates found him near

him lasted for two days and

that Victor had fractures in

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

up was ask Carolyn to send

still wearing an oxygen

of danger yet, but all

but she could sense that she

to send people to search for Shelia along

days, but Shelia

and there was still no news

Carolyn was able to give Victor was a crumpled playing card that got wet from the

surface was mostly covered with mud, but one could easily

later, Victor

he did after fully recovering was

King of Hearts card in a box and buried it under

on the marble tombstone

even Shelia’s name on

year of Victor’s recovery, while Karl was on

him to the hospital, but he

was also in that year

years, he finished his

over several small companies under the control of the

Victor raised the sales of these companies from a very low level

his outstanding ability, Carolyn

At this time, Roger entered the

her sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a bowl of

can’t eat

had been eating porridge for about

now, he couldn’t even stand the

had no choice but

it again when you

out, not intending to

he saw Roger standing at the door, so

to the hospital to visit Joey from

gradually

liked about him was that Roger would bring some snacks

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

only eat them in

Joey greeted Roger, Rachel turned around

you say that you wouldn’t come

advance to ask her if she

he

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

it would

initially, I couldn’t

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

Rachel furrowed her brows in

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

Circles The operation done to Victor lasted for more

door of the operating room opened and closed for several times as doctors went in and

anything but wait outside until the

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

indicated that the surgery was successfully

but he wasn’t

he was wheeled to the

days ago that his vital

eligible to be transferred to the general

was still in a

the field to check

what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

his old wounds had healed, they still had an

his new injuries

only

at least tell us

asked in a gloomy

I can’t

but frown as he made things

be blunt, please consider preparing for

Is he going to become a vegetable for the rest

it was obvious

a hundred percent, but there was a huge chance that

Lukas, Rachel was the first one to know about

Carson deemed that Rachel had the

wall outside Joey’s ward, holding a

there were

down to tell Rachel about this

heard the tragic news, her face didn’t

had already prepared herself for something like

was a

when she became

a coma for about half a month

it might have been even

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

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

You can’t smoke here."

regained his senses, Carson put

didn’t bother continue

then changed the subject and asked, "Anyway,

"Joey? He’s fine.

said that

fact, it’s expected that his plaster will be removed ahead of

his head and peeped through the glass panel on

Joey sleeping soundly in

smile, he stretched for a bit

then, I’m

saying that, Carson turned around and

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

that, he had nothing else to

the blink of an eye, two days eventually

made aware of Victor’s condition,

in Joey’s ward

Carson didn’t show his face to

diagnosis came from an expert, she was also convinced that

Victor

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

stared at Roger for a long time without

if she was still judging

Rachel… Do you want to go

This time, Rachel pressed

of nowhere, someone gently pulled her sleeve and pulled her back

I want to

was Joey, pleading in a soft

to hide the fact that Victor was in a coma after obtaining serious

hospital, he actually had

found that Rachel had always been absent-minded and Victor

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

nor did

smiled

They say bad people

don’t have to worry too much

at Joey’s bright eyes, she felt a lump in her

a few moments, she mustered her courage

"Yes, of course."

two weeks, Joey had a good rest

Victor, as if

Joey would actually wake up in the middle of the night from time to time and look at

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

"Okay…"

heart softened, and

was in the

healed yet, it was

simply let him

him, and the three

they

The elevator finally stopped at the floor of the

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

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

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

the first time I’ve

What brings you here?"

he quickly set the document he was holding aside and

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking his

Why would you ask that? Do I look like someone who will be beaten easily? Ha! I’m

where did those dark circles around your

"Dark circles?"

choked

his phone, opened its front camera, and

that

were so big that it seemed

course, this was only

good

young man, but even he was susceptible to stress

"Ha-ha!"

but laugh after seeing

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

head, Carson stepped forward and pinched Joey’s face

"You, brat.

dare you tease your godfather? You have guts,

"Huh? Who said that you are

have no opinion regarding

and I grew

We are best friends.

one who

I

raised his eyebrows and crossed his

you, even if you don’t want it, that fact

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

clicked his tongue as he

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

I said, it’s a fact that you

you’d better change

say anything more, but he

his eye, Carson recognized

commented, "I see that

heard that

here with Rachel and

Roger explained.

his composure just because of Carson’s

"Oh, I see."

room and said, "His ward is

He is resting inside.

Rachel looked at the ward

knew what was going through her

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

walked towards the

her,

placed over his

in thoughts for a

to sav

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

and looked

standing very far

see him from

raised his eyebrows as if

quick glance at

need to

what Joey

about I

"No!"

in a very

serious look on

am

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

were no longer in

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

to Joey’s words,

it was Roger, then her gaze

to bother the former, Carson soon observed that

him to take Joey to

coughed and refused to pay

took out his phone and turned around as if nothing

Joey a thumbs up

like he

Mr.Ramos! I have read the plan

talking, he headed towards

wasn’t very

lit up while he was still

Rachel saw what just happened

"It’s okay.

take Joey

He is actually right.

for a boy like him to be taken to the

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

those words, they displeased

ought to have been closer

past few days, they

them were always

to her,

the look of things, Rachel still

knew that it couldn’t

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

Joey headed towards the

some time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

glance at the

with the phone

"What?"

followed Rachel’s sight and took a peek at

appeared on

am through with

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

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake smile on

very

that he had pretended to answer the

nose and coughed to

want

raised her head in order to look through

ward was

view, only the living room could be seen, and it

door open

said Victor would lie in the bed

half a year’s

voice came from

a

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted Carson’s

and saw a man in a

He looked dejected.

was a document in his

Carson

was stunned at first, then his

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung

It was quite noticeable.

an employee of the Sullivan Group and

about what

from the man’s expression that the project plan had

was drawn to the name

was what really

She turned to Carson.

back at her, she raised her eyebrows

"Well, this is Troy.

as a member of the Sullivan

knew exactly what she meant by just looking

at a loss for

many surnames in

he had

who

bowed and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

head

forehead was

scare of his life! Nonetheless,

I’m going

and said, "Very

should do

Troy went out of

looked at the

to see that Victor was sitting against the head of

doesn’t seem as bad as you

is well and

walked to the door and

against the door

follow

document

he didn’t raise his head and say coldly, "Get

cast her

in

that his face was pale despite the fact that

and looked

she wasn’t a hundred percent sure that she waited outside the operating room for more than seventy

she walked towards the bed

to go out,

heard the footsteps, his frown

up at the person who was walking towards

his usual cold and stiff tone, he said softly,

we finished the dance, Charles kept his

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

"The dance is over.

time to let

I reminded him.

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

back

feel the warmth of his touch

blushed and i

heart was

felt like I had

were the happiest time

I knew that those days were long gone

feeling conflicted

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached me

me and began chatting with the guests with a smile on my

my glass and taking a sip of

had a few to drink and was starting to get

Elena came to

for you on the

like to go upstairs and take

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when

smile appeared on

I followed her to the deck on the

I saw that there were bright red

were also numerous

widened in

this whole scene

this my birthday surprise?’ I had no

person that came to mind was

could it possibly be him?’ A bitter smile appeared on my lips, and somehow, I began to

much effort on me, and yet I still couldn’t forget

of receiving this birthday surprise soon

floor, I stared at the night scene around

was tranquil, and yet my mind was

sea breeze, I

sudden, a fireworks display lit up

up to the sky, a

like a

by the noise, I

squatted on the

and i felt like

at the abandoned warehouse kept

I

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

I’m here."

above me, making me feel

It was Charles.

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

have to