The Substitute Wife: My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire

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

Then she began to type out her reply to Brandon.

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

the staff member said through gritted teeth.

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

Ignoring her, Janet texted Brandon back.

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

The message from Brandon was a godsend.

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

Brandon replied with a long message.

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

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

The data was tampered with.

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

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

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

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

"How did you find that out?"

The platform was now owned by Lester Silk Fabric.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As she spoke, she tucked her phone away.

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

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

Janet ignored her.

She turned around and left without looking back.

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

"What’s up, Lind?"

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

Janet asked politely.

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

Tiffany looked at her warily and then nodded slowly.

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

"I want to call him and apologize,"

Janet answered simply.

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

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

There are enough discussions about you already,"

Tiffany scolded.

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

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

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

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

Janet reached for the card with a bright smile.

Of course she knew what she was doing.

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

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

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

Janet said, her voice as sweet as honey.

When Ritchie heard this, he was surprised.

Then, he sneered.

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

Janet had given up so soon.

"You’re scared, aren’t you?"

With a smug smile on his face, Ritchie smirked.

"Come to Lester Silk Fabric tomorrow.

You can apologize there in person."

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

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

he barked at his secretary.

"I want them here tomorrow.

Call some famous personalities in the fashion industry as well.

We need people in authority for the event."

The secretary nodded respectfully.

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

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

Get your ass back here."

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

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

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

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

"Get the biggest function hall for the press conference.

I want hundreds of people to be there.

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

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

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

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

1 Another evil grin spread on Ritchie’s face.

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

The secretary pursed his lips and jotted every detail down.

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

The sun shone bright and early the next day.

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

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

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

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

Tiffany remarked from beside her.

She turned to look Janet in the eye.

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

A faint smile appeared on Janet’s lips.

"You’ll find out soon enough.

Don’t worry.

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

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

The room finally settled down as Janet took her place.

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

"Sorry for taking up your time, everyone.

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

From a distance, Ritchie frowned and narrowed his eyes.

He could sense that something wasn’t right.

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

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

"She can’t have,"

the other man replied confidently.

"We’ve taken care to sweep everything.

All the evidence has been locked away.

I think she’s just bluffing."

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is your truth.

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

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

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

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

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

His secretary was also scared silly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Janet smiled and said in a calm voice.

Ritchie was exasperated to hear that.

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

"I thought you came here to apologize.

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

While smiling, Janet didn’t say a word.

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

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

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

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

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

The audience began to discuss this amongst themselves.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She said frantically, "I have no idea.

Don’t ask me…"

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

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

His secretary hurried to stop his curses.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now, she felt much better.

"It’s finally over!"

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

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

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

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

Related videos went viral on the Internet.

Suddenly, Janet’s phone started to ring.

It was Tiffany.

"Lind, I’m impressed.

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

You really knocked them dead!"

"Oh, my God! Seriously?"

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

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

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

There was a lot of positive feedback.

"Wow.

Heart.

Heart.

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

"She’s a lovely girl.

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

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

"Even though I’m a girl, I want her!"

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

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

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

Furious, Ritchie started trashing his office.

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

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

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

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

plummeted.

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

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

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

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

Ritchie glared at him, speechless.

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

"I’m not an idiot.

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

Things didn’t end there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am responsible for all of this.

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

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

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

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

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

She’s just an ordinary employee.

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

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

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

Janet pulled her chair and sat down.

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

"I can’t say I’m surprised.

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

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

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

"It doesn’t matter.

Look on the bright side.

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

Now, all eyes are on my work."

In the end, Luna was put behind bars.

And Janet had become an online celebrity.

Many people now knew her name and saw her designs.

Some even paid for it.

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

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

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

How’d you get the evidence?"

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

Janet froze.

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

"A very capable friend helped me get them."

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

Janet’s eyes twinkled.

"It’s a secret.

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

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

Gerda scratched her head and hurried back to her desk.

Janet couldn’t help but chuckle.

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

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

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

Janet couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Someone texted you."

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

"It seems your wife’s missing you."

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

Instantly, his expression darkened when he read the text.

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

Garrett asked seriously, the smile wiped from his face.

"Janet’s asking Brandon out for dinner."

Ethan put his phone down and sighed.

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

Garrett leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Yeah.

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

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

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

It’s not good for my heart either,"

he sighed.

Ethan frowned and started typing out a brisk reply.

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

You’re an employee of the Larson Group.

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

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

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

That’s thanks enough, Miss Lind,"

Ethan replied politely, keeping things professional.

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

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

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

Transfer her to a subsidiary company.

Then, bring Charis here."

Garrett was just about to take a nap.

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

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

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

"Why did you want to dismiss Janet?"

Ethan asked in a low voice.

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

"I just wanted to protect the company name,"

Charis answered defensively.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at her coldly.

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

No one other than me.

Understood?"

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

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

"I see how it is.

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

Ethan had already noticed that something was wrong with Charis.

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

She and her family had always valued their image.

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

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

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

Charis was a dignified woman.

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

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

She hadn’t cried in years.

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

She had been reluctant to leave him.

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

She and Brandon had worked together for years.

They had shared the company’s ups and downs.

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

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

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

"I met Brandon first,"

Charis muttered through gritted teeth.

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

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

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

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

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

But she couldn’t act as overtly as before.

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

She had to be more careful now.

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

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

Janet’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

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

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

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

But he couldn’t tell her this.

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

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

The manager of the shop at work fired me.

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

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

In fact, there was some truth to his story.

Ritchie had indeed caused him a lot trouble after all.

Hearing this, Janet’s heart immediately softened.

She walked over to help him with the vegetables.

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

I was worried something bad happened to you."

"The problem’s been solved.

Don’t worry,"

Ethan said with a reassuring smile.

That much was true.

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

"Your brother is really hard to deal with."

Janet pouted like a child.

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

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

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

Janet looked up at Ethan curiously.

Almost immediately, she saw the lust in his eyes.

His face was so beautiful.

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

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

Janet’s face turned as red as a tomato.

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

Then she focused on chopping the vegetables.

Amused, Ethan patted her on the head affectionately.

He really liked it when she blushed.

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

He had to admit it really turned him on.

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

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

Ethan stroked Janet’s hair.

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

A long forgotten name appeared on the screen.

It was Patrick Lester.

Chapter 324 Nora’s Birthday Ethan pursed his lips.

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

It was winter and the cold wind was unforgiving.

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

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

Janet’s voice broke the silence.

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

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

He was answering the phone out on the balcony again.

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

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

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

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

"I was busy just now,"

Ethan simply replied.

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

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

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

She wants you and your wife here."

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

— – Janet had overheard Patrick’s loud voice.

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

Ethan held her tighter and sighed.

"We are.

Patrick seldom summons me.

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

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

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

Janet smiled at him sweetly.

"I can tell that you’re fond of her."

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

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

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

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

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

She was the only Lester who ever cared about Ethan.

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

"She’s a kind lady,"

he said calmly.

a long time since they last met-too

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her teeth

thought occurred to

"The eggs! I forgot all

embrace and ran to the kitchen in

Ethan followed behind her.

at Janet, who was extremely flustered, and he

I told you to keep

her to the side while

in the corner, restlessly

"I’m sorry.

you were talking to Charis, so I rushed

Ethan had guessed this.

washed hands, he raised his eyes to

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you enough sense of

spread out his arms and

and leaned her face against

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

I just

a huge grudge

if we just go there?"Chapter 461 In Order To Survive Shelia didn’t notice what was going on at

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

really don’t want to tell me, then forget

just being a

eyes at her, Victor said nothing, and silently retracted the knife he was hiding behind

that Shelia didn’t mean

and poured the juice over

definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

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

more

to take the meat, Shelia smiled as if

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

and eat it with

alert right then, watching Shelia with

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

that Victor had

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

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead and

turned to look away and placed the meat

the rest for

help, Shelia nodded and said,

bite out

for some time, she furrowed her brows and stuck out her

hard to

not

gave you just now must

didn’t you tell me?

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

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

Van, you

smiling?’ Victor never even

gently touched the corner of

me to roast

gone a long

and get some

tired

just sit

chin, Shelia proceeded to

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

to survive

spoke in a deep

"Survive in the wildness?"

Shelia had ever

did you go out of your way

did earlier, Victor also crushed some fruits and

knife to

what Shelia asked, his eyes

while, he said, "I have no

fact, Victor knew the reason

learned that because he wanted to be

under ner protection, Victor would find himself in

would at least have

"Alright."

her

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

hand to wipe off the

turned to look at Victor with a

straight into Shelia’s eyes, he started to

away, and explained,

"Is that so?"

her nose with

about now? Is it still

"No,"

said, glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

you learn other than roasting meat? I want to learn

Can you teach me?"

want to

"In order to survive."

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

shelia said casually.

felt sad upon

ready to be flipped? It’s

Shelia pointed out.

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

meat over while he was still thinking about

.

had second thoughts about whether or

all, Shelia’s

on the other hand, didn’t seem to

you please

"Hmm,"

said after

"Is that a yes?"

and she broke into

two dimples, meanwhile, became much more

Victor nodded, "Okay."

broadly as she said,

I’ve ever encountered, except for

"Orphanage?"

where

the orphanage was taken over and the

clouded as she spoke

was a wonderful

great meals and gave me

an orphan…’ Victor

look after you

you leave with the

at Victor and answered, "I didn’t

Shelia had known for

you being

her head,

to visit her tomb, so

them, and I don’t

the dingy

bathed in shards of sunshine that had been

hands behind her head, her

sighed with disappointment as she gazed up

to

you from doing

people guarding

if I

that

tell her my name when I meet her again in

blinking her

remained fixed on Shelia

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

spot in her heart

said that I was a lovely

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

at Shelia, Victor concluded that the

description of

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

unable to communicate since she was deaf,

referred to

a poker card

were a treasure and presented it to Victor as

orphanage, each kid was given a

elderly 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 maybe

at the card–the

get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

am

was toasting as they were

gave her the meat after

set to

Eat, please."

came from her gut just after his

her hand to her stomach and ate the meat

It’s much better than the meat i made myself!

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after

her feet, she said, "Let’s

nodded and was ready to rise when

"Come on, get up."

pause,

hard way, Shelia used a dart to put

track of time

had

Victor in sitting down on a stone and drank some

not sure how far we’ll have to travel

out before the

some water

was perhaps exhausted after so much walking, and he was

incoherently, "I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

have

"Like never before…"

and continued to

forward motion, she murmured, "Van, you

you return, be sure to eat

his gaze to the side of

after a day and a night in the

What’s

"Plan?"

slow

are your plans once we leave

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

I can no longer walk and

with a

"Shelia."

have made up his mind after

"What’s the problem?"

after we

grandma will like you, I will

count on

me to

If you don’t want to, it doesn’t

concerned that Shelia might

for a while before asking, "Are you joking right

"No, I’m not.

treat you

Victor convinced her.

smiled at

get out

"Sure."

from the woods, though, everything

the horizon, basking the forest in

on the bodies of Victor and

high noon and now, the

was assuaged when they saw a

we’re out of

local villagers if

We can…"

Shelia could finish her sentence, she saw Victor

She was confused.

Victor, wanting to know why he

"Van?"

expect you to come

came, Shelia looked for

cars that were parked

at the front, looking at them

away that they

Victor, who in turn

his eyes off Norton, watching his every

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

get lost even

out of the

marks and you

"And then?"

her eyebrows

straight

"Walk along this road.

borrow a mobile phone from them, and call this

that Norton didn’t intend to let him

wanted to play a game with Victor by throwing him

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

give Shelia a family, bring her back to see his grandmother,

that Victor could not fulfill

Shelia’s hand, Victor wrote a phone number on her palm with his

the number once you get hold of a mobile

he whispered.

is my

pick you up

down

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

"No."

pulled her hand

were a

to remember the number, nor

a good

Victor frowned.

that he coughed violently

remained adamant and clenched

want to spread her palm and let

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

condescending sneer, he said, "Tut, tut, tut,

for each other! I’m

up when saw

intuitively pulled Sheila behind

was seriously injured and keeping himself standing steadily was

be hard for him to fight

walked up to them

Shelia stepped

with them, Norton

for

"Let her go!"

a firm grip on

in hearing

you look

as he wiped the mud on Shelia’s

pain, Victor rushed over and tried to

his tracks when something silver flashed through

a knife that

spat out a

"No."

"What are you saying?"

a mocking

felt that he had difficulty in

his fist and tried to

you want

to do with

So, let her go!"

wow! This is so

Norton curled his lips.

want to let

comes from but

for you to die alone? I can do something

eyes, Victor breathed

knife pressed against her neck, all Shelia could

body was tensed

saw Victor spat out blood and beg for mercy, she scoffed

that all you can

his mocking smile plastered on his

his eyes narrowed in anger when he heard Shelia’s

you just

said you are a

Shelia swallowed.

sense of accomplishment

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

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill me,

"Shelia…"

tried

knew that she was

afraid that Shelia would make Norton’s hackles rise and the man would

Norton was indeed angry.

fierce, but he kept his voice in check as he

Looks like you really

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help you

Norton said, laughing derisively.

to his men and instructed them, "Tie

and asked anxiously, "What are you going

Norton didn’t answer.

glared at

men did as they

Shelia

to ride a different

Norton was taking them.Chapter

river was

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

clenched into fists, and the blue veins on his neck

gritted his teeth and yelled, "Let her

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

Victor to

opened her mouth, she was

enough, her

at the exasperated expression on

thought that Victor might be strong but

making me

you think that I’m a good man? Why the

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

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

some good in me, huh? What

just glare at

would do whatever it took to

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

appeared and stood between the rope and

slowly stood up and looked at Victor

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the weakest

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

continued, "You want to save her, right? Knock them

as Norton finished speaking, the two men who had been holding

with his thumb and warned, "But of course, you have

before

you can say goodbye to

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

flickering flame, Victor didn’t care

so he quickly rushed up

and the most popular leader the Roaring Tiger

subordinates should be

Victor was currently badly

be

of them were tall and burly men that

Victor was at a disadvantage from the very

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

was hit, Victor staggered

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

pain of his bones being broken scattered all over his

Victor’s face looked

stand, not ready

on his feet, he saw another

use his arm to block it, but it didn’t make much

he was hit again, Victor spat out a mouthful of

this point, Victor’s vision

still managed to fix his eyes on the rope, which was only a

didn’t matter how

and the rope

so he was willing to do anything

go on,

back to the ground

After some time, Victor was somewhat awakened when he

open his eyes, but his

the ground, watching the

help but wonder if he

recovered yet, so he thought that he might

that pierced every inch of his body made Victor realize

wanted to stand up, but he couldn’t

bit, grabbing the mud

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

was no trace of

"Ahem!"

spurting

he grabbed unto the soil and opened his eyes as wide

the river expectantly, as if he was

waited for a

know how much time

he never found the person

from the river or come out from somewhere and

loss of blood and the excruciating pain he

lost

Victor woke up again, he was

subordinates found him near

him lasted for two

that Victor had

his right knee were shattered, his chest and lungs were inflamed, and the

woke up was ask Carolyn to send

still wearing an oxygen mask and struggled

danger yet, but all

could sense that she must be a very important person due

dare delay to send people to search for Shelia along

search lasted for seven days, but Shelia couldn’t be

passed and there was still no news

to give Victor was a crumpled playing card that

covered with mud, but one could easily recognize that it was the King

years later, Victor completely

he did after

of Hearts card in a box and buried

on the marble tombstone

Shelia’s

year of Victor’s recovery, while Karl was on

to the hospital, but he was declared

It was also in that

years, he finished

taking over several small companies under

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

outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed over the Sullivan

this time, Roger entered the

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

eat

had been eating porridge for about half a

stand the

no choice but to put

she said, "Eat it again

out, not intending

he saw Roger standing at the door, so he

to the hospital to visit

the kid gradually got acquainted with

him was that Roger would bring some snacks

eat too much, he could at least

only eat

around and was surprised to see

that you

to ask her if she wanted to eat

he would still insist

said that he had an important project meeting today, so he

it would probably

initially, I

Rachel, Roger hesitated for a moment

furrowed

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

465 Dark Circles The operation done to

room opened and closed for several times as doctors went in and

anything but

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

indicated that the

he wasn’t completely

wheeled to

until two days ago that his

be transferred

was still

to check Victor’s condition and

it wasn’t what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

old wounds had healed,

new injuries just

only

least tell us when

in a gloomy

I can’t

but frown

blunt, please consider preparing for the worst-case

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

didn’t say this, it was

a hundred percent, but there was a huge chance that this was

for Carson and Lukas, Rachel was the first one

Rachel had the right to

leaned against the wall outside Joey’s ward, holding

disoriented, and there were dark

to tell Rachel

tragic news, her face

already prepared herself for

Carson was

didn’t know when she

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

it might have

also there outside the operating room for 70 hours

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

You can’t smoke here."

if he regained his senses, Carson put

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

asked, "Anyway, how is the

"Joey? He’s fine.

checked him up yesterday and said that

fact, it’s expected that his plaster will be

his head and peeped through the

Joey sleeping

smile, he stretched for a

I’m

that, Carson turned around and left without

tell Rachel about

that, he had

blink of an eye, two

Victor’s condition, Rachel didn’t intend to

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

the same time, Carson didn’t show his face to her

expert, she was also convinced that

the news that Victor

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

stared at Roger for a long time without being

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

Do you want to go upstairs and

pressed her lips hard

gently pulled her sleeve and pulled her back from

want to see

Joey, pleading in a soft

failed to hide the fact that Victor was in a

the hospital,

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

the truth, Rachel didn’t have the heart to

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

just smiled and

daddy bad? They say

don’t have to worry too

bright eyes, she felt a lump in

she

"Yes, of course."

following two weeks, Joey had a good rest in the

mention Victor, as if there was nothing

the middle of the night from time to time and look at the ceiling

was a brave kid for keeping it all inside him,

"Okay…"

heart softened, and she

in the

was

simply let him sit

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

they reached the

stopped at the floor of the ward where Victor

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

he furrowed his brows and eventually saw three people

this scene, Carson

the first time I’ve

What brings you here?"

set the document he was holding aside

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking his innocent

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

circles around your eyes come

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at Joey’s

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

that

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

course, this was only

a good sleep for half a

a handsome young man, but even he

"Ha-ha!"

help but laugh after seeing the upset

Joey’s seemingly innocent laughter, Carson realized that

Carson stepped forward and pinched

"You, brat.

tease your godfather? You have guts,

"Huh? Who said that you are my godfather? I don’t remember recognizing you as

no opinion

father and I

We are best friends.

one who

how I

raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms in front

if you don’t want it, that

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

he withdrew his hand from

also didn’t expect that I would have

I said, it’s a

change

say anything more, but he stuck out his

the corner of his eye, Carson recognized

to regain his composure and commented,

heard that Mr.Sullivan

I came here with Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

didn’t plan to lose his composure

"Oh, I see."

the room and said,

He is resting inside.

Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked

one knew what was going through

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

nodded and walked

her, pushing

were placed over

in thoughts for

was about to sav something,

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked at the

not standing

him from the corner of his

eyebrows as if he

taking a quick glance at him, Joey

to use the

what Joey was

I take

"No!"

in a

was a serious

I am a

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

that moment, they were no longer in the

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

reaction to Joey’s words, Rachel looked at

then her gaze fell on

Carson soon observed that

she wanted him to

and refused to pay

that, he took out his phone and turned around

to give Joey a thumbs up without Rachel

he

have read the plan you sent

he headed towards the nurses’

wasn’t very good

while he was still

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

"It’s okay.

take

He is actually right.

is very embarrassing for a boy like him

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

heard those words, they displeased

that Rachel ought to have been closer to him than she

they got along really

them were always in one

known to her,

things,

it couldn’t be achieved

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

he and Joey

time, Carson came

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

glance at the phone

you through with the

"What?"

and took a peek at

appeared on

I am

My subordinates are too bad at

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake smile on

very good

to answer the call only moments ago, the smile on his face

the tip of his nose and coughed to ease the awkwardness

want to go

her head in order to look through the

ward was a

her point of view, only the living room could be seen, and it was

the door

doctor said Victor would lie in the bed

half a

came

in a stable condition

"Get out of here!"

interrupted Carson’s

saw a man in

He looked dejected.

was a document

into Rachel and Carson

stunned at first, then his face

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung around the

It was quite noticeable.

Group

about what

man’s expression that the project plan had

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

was what

She turned to Carson.

at her, she raised her eyebrows

"Well, this is Troy.

a member of

meant by just looking at

was at a loss for

so many surnames

had to

recognized who

and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

her head slightly in

was covered

given him the scare of his life! Nonetheless, he was still

Bennet, I’m going back to the

hand and said, "Very well

should do

Troy went out of

at

space was enough for her to see that Victor was sitting against the head of the bed at that given

condition doesn’t seem as bad as

and

to the door and

leaned against

didn’t follow Rachel

document

he didn’t raise his head and say

cast her gaze

in a hospital

face was pale despite the fact that he

and

percent sure that she waited outside the operating room for more than seventy hours half a month ago,

entranced that she walked towards the

to

Victor heard the

person who was

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

after we finished the dance, Charles kept his hand

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

"The dance is over.

time to

I reminded him.

he still loosened his grip on my waist like

steps back

some reason, I could still feel the warmth of

blushed and i felt rather

heart

felt like I had returned to

him were the happiest time of my

knew that those days were long gone and I could never get

feeling

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached

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

my glass and taking a

it, I’d had a few to drink

this time, Elena came

a surprise waiting for you on

you like to go upstairs

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when

appeared

followed her to

there, I saw that there were bright red

also numerous balloons

widened

whole

I had no idea

mind was Charles, but

him?’ A bitter smile appeared on my lips, and

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

of receiving this birthday surprise soon

second floor, I stared at the night

sea was tranquil, and yet

of the cold sea breeze, I

of a sudden, a fireworks display lit up the sky, forming the words

fireworks shot up to the sky, a deafening sound resonated in

sounded like

noise, I covered my ears

on the

uncontrollably, and i felt like

horrible incident at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing

breath I felt so

attack, a pair of strong arms held me tightly

I’m here."

came from above me, making me

It was Charles.

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

to