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.

long time since

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her teeth

thought

eggs! I forgot all

broke free from Ethan’s embrace and ran to the kitchen in

Ethan followed behind her.

extremely flustered, and he couldn’t help but

silly girl! I told you to keep an eye

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

her thumbs, Janet stood in the corner, restlessly watching

"I’m sorry.

so I rushed to you and

Ethan had guessed this.

washed hands, he raised his

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you enough sense

saying that, he spread out his arms and said gently, "Come

her face

about the invitation from Patrick, she murmured, "The Lesters treat

hates you and I just got him

has a huge grudge against

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

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

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

being a little

silently retracted the knife he was hiding behind his

had a feeling that Shelia didn’t mean

fruits and poured the

this definitely could be

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

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

roast some more for

meat, Shelia smiled as if she

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

assured and

alert right then, watching Shelia with vigilant and

Shelia happened to be an easy-going person, this

had thought that Victor

she

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead

look away and placed the meat

the rest for

and said, "Okay, it’s perfectly

took a bite out

for some time, she furrowed

really hard

was not

I gave you just now must be

tell me? You even

meat out, Victor didn’t say a word and

meat aside, Shelia turned around

smiling? Van, you

Am I smiling?’ Victor never even realized

and gently touched the corner

roast the meat for

gone a long

and get some

tired at

sit

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

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

learned how to

in a deep

"Survive in the wildness?"

time that Shelia had ever heard of such

you go out of your

Shelia did earlier, Victor also crushed some fruits and poured

he used a knife to slice the

Shelia asked, his

a while, he said,

knew the reason

because he wanted to be prepared

ahead of time that even under ner protection, Victor

would at least have a better

"Alright."

Shelia continued to focus her gaze on

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

hand to wipe

look at Victor with

Victor looked straight into Shelia’s eyes,

hand, looked away, and explained,

"Is that so?"

ahead to rub her nose with the back

what about now? Is it

"No,"

glancing

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

other than roasting meat? I want to

Can you teach me?"

do you want

"In order to survive."

mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me "In

shelia said casually.

sad upon hearing

ready to be flipped? It’s on the verge

Shelia pointed out.

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

over while he was still thinking

.

second thoughts about whether or not to ask her

after all,

didn’t seem

asked, "Will you

"Hmm,"

said after a

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and

two dimples, meanwhile, became much more

Victor nodded, "Okay."

as she said, "Thanks

the kindest individual I’ve ever encountered, except for my caretaker

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I

was taken over and the old woman was unwell

eyes clouded as

was

great meals and gave

is an orphan…’ Victor

look after

you leave with the other

and answered, "I didn’t want

only home Shelia had known for so

you being outdoors on your

her head, Shelia

was desperate to visit her tomb,

remain unknown to them, and I don’t intend to

of the dingy ground, Shelia

was bathed in shards of sunshine that had been scattered by

placed her hands behind her head, her

sighed with disappointment as she gazed up

to visit

keeps you from

people guarding the

me if I go

idea that

her my name when I meet her again

blinking her

eyes remained fixed on Shelia and

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

in her heart

said that I

seem appropriate to use this

at Shelia, Victor concluded that the

of her

twice, Victor asked her, "Since she was responsible for your upbringing, how come

since she

referred to us

poker card was in

were a treasure and presented it to Victor

orphanage, each kid was

she put them on the cards and let us take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella erupted into

at the card–the

I get the

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

and said, "I am the

meat was toasting as

her the meat after he re-applied the

all set

Eat, please."

growl came from her gut just

her hand to her

the meat i made myself! Van,

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after a good

feet, she said, "Let’s keep

when

"Come on, get up."

pause,

a dart to put marks on the tree

had lost track of time as they

sun had cooled down

in sitting down on

not sure how far we’ll have to travel

out

drank some

after so much walking, and he

"I’m

Let’s move forward."

still have

"Like never before…"

and continued to

motion, she murmured, "Van,

be sure

gaze to

face was covered in mud after a day and a night in the

you? What’s

"Plan?"

was slow to

once we leave the forest?

know… I want to continue my travels

when I can no longer walk

answered with a

"Shelia."

to have made up his mind after staring at Shelia for a long

"What’s the problem?"

come with me after

you, I will defend you if she

count

want me to come

If you

that Shelia

for a while before asking,

"No, I’m not.

treat you the

Victor convinced her.

smiled at

we get out of

"Sure."

they emerged from the woods, though, everything

to disappear below the horizon, basking the forest in a pale red glow that passed through the branches

glimmered on the bodies

walking since high noon and now, the

was assuaged when they saw a relatively spacious country

out of the

we’ll meet local villagers if we walk

We can…"

could finish her sentence,

She was confused.

looked at Victor, wanting

"Van?"

i didn’t expect

for the source

three cars that were parked

at the front, looking at them intently as he played

feel right away that

in turn

off Norton, watching his every

Victor said, "Run

lost even when it gets

were finding our way out of

marks and you can

"And then?"

her

looked straight

"Walk along this road.

borrow a mobile phone from them, and call this

didn’t intend

with Victor by throwing him into the

couldn’t escape

family, bring her back to see his

that Victor could not fulfill the promise he

Victor wrote a phone number on

the number once you get hold of

he whispered.

my grandmother’s

her and she will pick you up wherever

looked down

didn’t respond, Victor looked at her and

"No."

her hand

were a little

want to remember the

be a good

Victor frowned.

was so anxious that he coughed violently as

remained adamant and clenched her

her palm and let Victor write the phone number

talking about, he could tell that

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

strong feelings for each other! I’m

up when saw

pulled Sheila

was seriously injured and keeping himself standing steadily was taxing

for him to fight

deliberately walked up to

and Shelia stepped

patience with them, Norton pulled

for Victor to stop

"Let her go!"

a firm

hearing vexation in

you look

he wiped the mud

body pain,

his tracks when something silver

that

spat out a mouthful of

"No."

"What are you saying?"

tone and gave Victor a mocking

that he had difficulty in

clenched his fist and

you want is

to do

So, let her go!"

wow! This is so

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want

where she comes from but

it’s boring for you to die alone? I

eyes, Victor

the tip of the knife pressed against her neck, all Shelia

body was tensed

when she saw Victor spat out blood and

that all you can do? Threaten

smile plastered on

his eyes narrowed in anger

you just

you

Shelia swallowed.

just feel a sense of accomplishment by threatening two

you to do what you

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill me,

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to

that she

would make Norton’s hackles rise and the man would do just what she

Norton was indeed angry.

voice in check as he

you

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help you

Norton said, laughing derisively.

and

eyes and asked anxiously, "What are

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared

men did as

Shelia was taken to one of

to ride a

brain thinking about where Norton was

river was

it inundated Shelia, making her

into fists, and the blue veins on

gritted his teeth and

because of

Victor

opened her

her eyes became

at the exasperated expression on

be strong but he

making me

a good man? Why the hell

smile, Norton approached the rope,

save her so much, I

in me, huh? What do you

just glare

do whatever it took to

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

him appeared and

stood up and looked

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the

on my left has only killed two people, and

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

as Norton finished speaking, the two men who had been holding Victor’s arms let go

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

before

you can say goodbye to your

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

at the flickering flame, Victor didn’t care about

essence, so he quickly rushed

was a mercenary and the most popular leader the Roaring Tiger

even his weakest subordinates should be

was currently badly

be able to defeat one of the two

were tall and burly men that could

was at a disadvantage

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

hit, Victor staggered and struggled to stand

left him, and he eventually

being broken scattered all over his

face looked black with

stand, not ready to give

back on his feet,

was still able to subconsciously use his arm to block it, but it

he was hit again, Victor spat out a

Victor’s vision

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

matter how many injuries

out and the rope was

so he was willing to do anything to rescue

go on, his body

to the ground and lost his

raining?’ After some time, Victor was somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling

his eyes, but his

on the ground, watching the raindrops

wonder

hadn’t fully recovered yet, so

sharp pain that pierced every inch of his

stand up, but he couldn’t move even an

a little bit, grabbing

turned his head to look at the river, only to find that there was nothing in it

no trace

"Ahem!"

violently, spurting out more

the soil and opened his

expectantly, as if he was waiting for something to show

for a long

even know how much time passed

never found the person he had been

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

the excruciating pain he was experiencing, Victor couldn’t keep himself

lost consciousness

again, he was finally

subordinates found him near the

him lasted for two days and

diagnosis, it was found out that Victor had fractures in eight different

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

after he woke up was

still wearing an oxygen

not completely out of danger yet,

know who Shelia was, but she could sense that she must be

delay to send people to search for Shelia

days, but Shelia couldn’t be

week passed and there was

was able to give Victor was a crumpled playing card that

but one could easily recognize that it was the

years later, Victor completely

after fully

of Hearts card in a box and

the marble tombstone aside

even Shelia’s

was on a business trip, he suffered a sudden heart

rush him to the hospital,

was also in that year that Carolyn sent

finished

taking over several small companies

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

his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed over the

time, Roger entered the ward where

the edge of the bed, holding a bowl of porridge, and coaxing Joey

eat any

been eating porridge for about half a

couldn’t even stand the smell

choice but

it again when

out,

the door, so he politely

past half a month, Roger came to the hospital

kid gradually

liked about him was that Roger

could at least taste something

only eat them

around

that you wouldn’t come

Rachel a message in advance to ask her if she wanted to eat something or if

no every time, he would still

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

it would probably

I couldn’t

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

response, Rachel furrowed her

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

Circles The operation done to Victor lasted for more than 70

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

couldn’t do anything but

operation began, the indicator light outside

that the surgery

was saved, but he wasn’t completely

wheeled

ago that his

eligible to be

he was still in a

an expert in the field to check

what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

old wounds had healed, they still

injuries just made

he said that only a

you at least tell us

in a

can’t

help but frown as he made

may be blunt, please consider preparing

he’ll never wake up? Is he going to become a vegetable for the rest of

this, it was obvious that this was what he

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

Carson and Lukas, Rachel was

Rachel had the right

Joey’s

slightly disoriented, and there were

to tell

news, her face

was as if she had already

was a bit

know when she became this

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

it might have been

for 70 hours before

hand and reminded him in a

You can’t smoke here."

senses,

expression, he didn’t bother

subject and asked, "Anyway, how is

"Joey? He’s fine.

yesterday and said that

it’s expected that his plaster will be

and peeped through

sleeping soundly in

smile, he stretched for a bit and said, "Good for

then, I’m

around and left without

tell

that, he had nothing else to

an eye, two days eventually

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

ward almost

Carson didn’t show his face

came from an expert, she was also convinced that Victor would never wake

Roger broke the news that Victor had miraculously woke up from being in

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

long time without being able to speak a

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

you want to go

This time, Rachel pressed her lips hard and remained

of nowhere, someone gently pulled her sleeve

I want to

Joey, pleading in

that Victor was

woke up in the hospital, he actually had a

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

out the truth, Rachel didn’t have

say anything, nor did he pester Rachel to go to the ICU to see

he just smiled

say bad people live long

we don’t have to worry too much about

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

few moments, she mustered

"Yes, of course."

two weeks, Joey had a good

as if there was nothing

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

keeping it all inside him, but Rachel

"Okay…"

softened, and she

ward was in the second inpatient

Joey’s wound hadn’t fully healed yet, it was inconvenient

Rachel simply let him sit in a

wheelchair for him, and the three of them went to Victor’s

enough, they reached

The elevator finally stopped at the floor

a VIP ward, and there was only one patient

his

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

the first time I’ve

What brings you here?"

quickly set the document he was holding aside and raised

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking

look like someone who will

dark circles around your eyes come

"Dark circles?"

choked at Joey’s

a panic, he picked up his phone, opened its front camera,

that Joey

bags were so big that it seemed like

this was only

have a good

was originally a handsome young man, but even he was susceptible

"Ha-ha!"

after seeing the

Carson realized that he was fooled by

forward and pinched

"You, brat.

your godfather? You

and retorted, "Huh? Who said that

no opinion regarding

father and I grew up

We are best friends.

the one who

how I became

crossed his arms in front of his

you don’t want

tried to pull Carson’s hand away using his uninjured hand and said, "Humph! If I

as he

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

as I said, it’s a fact that you can’t

change your

anything more, but he

the corner of his

then tried to regain his composure and commented, "I see that

heard that Mr.Sullivan has woken

Rachel and

Roger explained.

lose his composure just

"Oh, I see."

pointed at the room and said, "His ward is over

He is resting inside.

466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at

knew what was going through her

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

nodded and walked towards the

her,

were placed over his

in thoughts for a

was about to sav

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked at the

not standing very far

result, Joey could see him from the corner of his

eyebrows as if he was giving

taking a quick glance at him, Joey

I need to use

overheard what

about I take you

"No!"

a very decisive

serious look on

I am a

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

moment, they were no

take a boy to the ladies’ room, just like it

words, Rachel looked at

then her gaze

bother the former, Carson soon observed that she was staring

to take

to pay any attention

and turned around as if nothing

Joey a

like he

Mr.Ramos! I have read the plan you

talking, he headed

he wasn’t very good

while he was still holding

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

"It’s okay.

will take Joey

He is actually right.

boy like him to be taken

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

heard those

thought that Rachel ought to have been closer

past few days, they got along really

were always

for reasons best known to her, she still

things, Rachel still didn’t love

it couldn’t be achieved

he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the night Rachel was standing outside the operating room where Victor

he and Joey headed

some time, Carson

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

glance at

with

"What?"

followed Rachel’s sight and took a

a smile appeared on his

I am through

My subordinates are too bad at

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

a fake smile

not very good at

that he had pretended to answer the call

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

want to

her head in order to look

was a

her point of view, only the living room

pushed the door open in

would lie in the bed for

to undergo half a year’s

voice came from

in a stable condition

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted Carson’s

and saw a man in a suit coming

He looked dejected.

was a document

Carson as

first,

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung around

It was quite noticeable.

an employee of the Sullivan Group and the director of the

need asking about what just

man’s expression that the

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

was what

She turned to Carson.

he looked back at her, she

"Well, this is Troy.

works as a member of the

she meant by just looking at her

a loss

were so many surnames in

he had

recognized who

and

"Miss Bennet."

her head slightly

was covered with

of his life! Nonetheless, he was still

Miss Bennet, I’m going

and said,

do

out of sight in a

looked at the

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

doesn’t seem as bad as you

is well and

walked to the door

leaned against

didn’t follow Rachel

reading some document when

didn’t raise his head

her gaze

was in a hospital

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

frowned and

waited outside the operating room for more than seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would

so entranced that she walked

to

the

looked up at the person who was walking

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

we finished the dance, Charles kept his hand

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

"The dance is over.

time to

I reminded him.

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

steps back to

I could still feel the warmth of his touch on

and i

my heart

moment, it felt like I

days with him were the happiest time

those days were

down, feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

guests suddenly approached

gaze from behind me and began chatting with the guests with

my glass and taking a sip of

few to drink and

this time, Elena

for you

go upstairs and take a look at

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you

smile appeared

confusion, I followed her to the deck on

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

were also numerous

widened

this whole

birthday surprise?’ I had

person that came to mind was Charles, but I

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

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

of receiving this birthday surprise soon

second floor, I stared at

was tranquil, and yet my

of the cold sea

a sudden, a fireworks display lit up the sky,

shot up to the sky, a deafening sound

like a

the noise, I covered my ears

squatted on the ground

uncontrollably, and i felt like my

horrible incident at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing

out of breath I felt so dizzy that I

having a panic attack, a pair of strong arms held

I’m here."

above

It was Charles.

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

don’t have to be scared ever