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

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her

a thought

I

from Ethan’s embrace and ran to the kitchen in

Ethan followed behind her.

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

girl! I told you to keep an eye on the

her to the side while

corner, restlessly watching Ethan clean

"I’m sorry.

were talking to Charis, so I rushed to

Ethan had guessed this.

his freshly washed hands, he raised his

"It’s my fault.

give you enough sense of

out his arms and said gently,

obeyed and leaned her face

the invitation from Patrick, she murmured, "The

and I

probably has a huge

just go there?"Chapter 461 In Order

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

you really don’t want to

was just being

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

a feeling that Shelia

and poured the juice

this definitely

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

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

more for myself

going to take the meat,

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

assured and

right then, watching Shelia with

though Shelia happened to be an easy-going person,

had thought that

knew she was wrong and he was

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead and

to look away and placed the

roast the rest

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

took a bite out of the

time, she furrowed her brows and stuck

hard to

not

I gave you just now must be the

tell me? You even

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

Shelia turned around and spotted

are you smiling? Van, you did

smiling?’ Victor never even realized that he was

hand and gently touched the corner of his

me to roast the meat

have gone a

and get some

not tired at

just sit right

her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down next

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

learned how to survive

in

"Survive in the wildness?"

the very first time that Shelia had

go out of your

earlier, Victor also crushed some fruits and poured the juice

knife to slice the

Shelia asked, his

said, "I have no

fact, Victor knew the

learned that because he wanted to be prepared in case of any

ner protection, Victor would

pushed him to learn more skills so that he would at least have a better chance to survive in case

"Alright."

her gaze

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

a hand to

and turned to look at Victor with

straight into Shelia’s eyes, he started

looked away, and explained, "Your nose has dirt on

"Is that so?"

ahead to rub her nose with the back

what about now?

"No,"

said, glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

other than roasting meat? I

Can you teach me?"

want to learn

"In order to survive."

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

shelia said casually.

felt sad upon

to be flipped? It’s

Shelia pointed out.

saw a small burn on the meat’s

was

.

or not to

was, after all, Shelia’s

on the other hand, didn’t seem

asked, "Will you

"Hmm,"

after

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she broke into a

two dimples, meanwhile, became much

Victor nodded, "Okay."

broadly as she said, "Thanks

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

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I

taken over and the

eyes clouded as she spoke about

was a wonderful

meals and gave me a lot of fresh

is an orphan…’ Victor

after you since the

you leave

Victor and answered, "I

only home Shelia

okay with you being outdoors

head, Shelia

to visit her tomb, so I

to them, and I don’t intend to

the dingy

shards of sunshine that had been

her hands behind

she

to visit

you from

people guarding the

find me if I

that I have a

I

said, blinking her

black eyes remained fixed on Shelia and

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

a soft spot in her heart

said that I

It didn’t seem appropriate to use this term

at Shelia, Victor concluded that

apt description of her features, particularly her

she was responsible for your upbringing, how come you got

since she was deaf, mute,

referred to us

a poker card was in

her pocket as if it were a treasure and presented it to Victor

each kid

them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella erupted into laughter, which was maybe due to the

stared at the

get the best

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

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

was toasting as they

her the meat after

all set to

Eat, please."

gut

hand to her stomach and ate the

much better than the meat i

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

after

to her feet, she said,

to rise when Shelia abruptly extended her

"Come on, get up."

after a little pause,

way, Shelia used a dart to put

lost track of time as they

sun had cooled

sitting down on a stone and

how far we’ll have to

out

drank some water as

after so much walking, and he was

"I’m

Let’s move forward."

still have the

"Like never before…"

and continued to hold

motion, she murmured, "Van, you look

be

his gaze to

covered in mud after a day

you? What’s

"Plan?"

slow

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

I want to continue my travels and explore the world’s

the police station when I can no longer walk and beg

answered with a

"Shelia."

to have made up his mind after staring at Shelia for

"What’s the problem?"

with me after we

I will defend you

count

want me to come

If you don’t want

concerned that Shelia

before asking,

"No, I’m not.

to treat you the best I

Victor convinced her.

smiled

get out of the

"Sure."

from the

below the horizon, basking the forest in a pale red

light glimmered on the bodies of Victor and

been walking since high noon and now, the sun

tiredness was assuaged when they

out of the

we’ll meet local villagers if we walk

We can…"

sentence, she

She was confused.

looked at Victor, wanting to

"Van?"

didn’t expect you

for the

were parked not far from

looking at them intently as he played with

could feel right away that they were Victor’s

instinctively moved to shield Victor, who in

off Norton, watching his every

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

lost even when it gets

out of the forest, I put marks

these marks and you

"And then?"

her

looked straight into

"Walk along this road.

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

didn’t intend to

play a game with Victor by throwing

felt that if he couldn’t escape

back to see his grandmother, and treat her as his

fulfill the promise

wrote a phone number

once you get hold of a

he whispered.

is my

pick you up wherever

looked down at her

Victor looked at her and asked in

"No."

pulled her

eyes were

the number, nor do I want

be a good

Victor frowned.

was so anxious that he coughed violently

and clenched

didn’t want to spread her palm

what Victor and Shelia were talking about, he could tell that they were

"Tut, tut, tut, this is so

feelings for each other! I’m

up when saw Norton approaching

intuitively pulled Sheila behind

injured and keeping himself standing steadily was taxing

be hard for him to fight off

up to them

Shelia stepped

patience with them, Norton pulled Shelia

fast for Victor to

"Let her go!"

kept a firm grip

satisfaction in hearing vexation in Victor’s

you

said as he wiped the mud

body pain, Victor rushed over and tried

tracks when

a knife that

a mouthful of

"No."

"What are you saying?"

Victor a mocking smile, pretending not to hear what Victor

he

and tried

want

nothing to do with

So, let her go!"

This

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want

where she comes from but I find your

for you to die alone?

eyes,

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

body was

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

that all you can do?

his mocking smile plastered on his

anger when he heard Shelia’s

you

you are

Shelia swallowed.

a sense of accomplishment

have in you to do what

So, cut the crap.

to kill me,

"Shelia…"

desperately tried

knew that she

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

Norton was indeed angry.

but he kept his voice in check as he talked

really? Looks like you

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help you with

Norton said, laughing derisively.

men and

anxiously, "What are you

Norton didn’t answer.

glared

as they

hands and feet bound, Shelia was taken to one

to ride a

racked his brain thinking about where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464

was

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

into fists, and the blue veins

and yelled, "Let

of the

wanted Victor to run

opened her mouth,

enough, her eyes became

the exasperated expression on Victor’s face, Norton

strong but he was useless in

me laugh,

think that I’m a good man? Why

rope, squatted down, and

to save her so much, I will give you a

in me, huh? What do

just

would do whatever it

of the river, Norton squinted his

behind him appeared and stood between the

stood up and looked at Victor with a wry

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

the weakest among my

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

continued, "You want to save her,

the two men who had been holding Victor’s arms let go of him and took a few steps

with the knife in his hand, Norton touched its tip with his

before

can say goodbye to your good

moment she’s washed away, I’m afraid that you

flame, Victor didn’t care about anything

was of essence, so he quickly rushed up and fought

mercenary and the most popular leader

subordinates

Victor was currently

in his peak state, he might not even be able to defeat one of the

tall and burly men

Victor was at a disadvantage

in his abdomen one after another, and hit his back with

was hit, Victor staggered and struggled

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

bones being broken scattered all over his body,

time, Victor’s face looked

still tried to stand, not ready to

even get back on his feet, he saw

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

a mouthful of blood, and a tooth also

point, Victor’s

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

how many injuries he

put out and the rope was grasped,

this trouble, so he

much as his mind wanted to go on,

back to the ground and lost his

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

open his eyes, but his vision was still

lay there on the ground, watching the

but wonder if he was

yet, so he thought that he might

pierced every inch of his

up, but he

move his hands a little bit, grabbing the mud under his

the

was no

"Ahem!"

coughed violently, spurting

grabbed unto the soil and opened his eyes as wide as he

at the river expectantly, as if he was

waited for a long

even know how much time

the

hoped that someone would raise her head from the river

excruciating pain he was experiencing,

he lost

up again, he

subordinates found him near

rescue him lasted for two days and

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

and lungs were inflamed, and the critically ill notice was

he woke up was

wearing an oxygen mask and struggled

out of danger yet, but all he cared

but she could sense that she must be

send people to search for Shelia along

days, but Shelia couldn’t

week passed and there was still

Carolyn was able to give Victor was a crumpled playing card that got wet from the rain and then dried by the

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

later,

did after fully recovering was buy

of Hearts card in

the marble tombstone aside

wasn’t even Shelia’s

second year of Victor’s recovery, while Karl was on a business trip, he suffered a

rush him to the hospital,

in that year

finished his

several small companies under the control of the Sullivan

from a very low level to one of the top in

Victor was able to prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn

this time, Roger entered the ward

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

can’t eat any

eating porridge for about half a

he couldn’t even stand

and had no choice but

said, "Eat it again when you

tongue out, not

he saw Roger standing at the door, so

past half a month, Roger came to the

the kid gradually got

that Roger would

Joey couldn’t eat too much, he could at least

could only eat them in

turned around and was surprised

say that you wouldn’t come

to ask

no every time, he would still

had an important project

he could still visit, it

initially, I

for a moment

Rachel furrowed her brows

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

operation done to Victor lasted for more than

room opened and closed for several

and Carson couldn’t do anything but wait

the operation began, the indicator light outside the

the surgery was successfully

he wasn’t completely out of

he was wheeled to the

ago that his vital signs

to be transferred

was still

expert in the field to check Victor’s condition

it wasn’t what he

Victor sustained serious injuries.

healed,

injuries just

that only

you at least tell us

in a gloomy

afraid I can’t say that

but frown as

if I may be blunt, please consider

wake up? Is he going to become a vegetable

didn’t say this, it was obvious that

a hundred percent, but there was

was the

deemed that Rachel had the

the wall outside Joey’s ward, holding a cigarette

looked slightly disoriented, and there

went down to tell Rachel

Rachel heard the tragic news, her face

if she had already prepared herself

Carson was a bit

didn’t know when she became this

a coma for about half a month after

it might have been even

there outside the operating room for 70 hours before

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

You can’t smoke here."

he regained his senses, Carson put out

bother continue discussing

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

"Joey? He’s fine.

up yesterday and said that he

that his plaster will be removed ahead of the

turned his head and peeped through the glass

Joey sleeping soundly in

stretched for

I’m leaving

turned around

visited to tell Rachel about the doctor’s

had

the blink of an eye, two days eventually passed

Victor’s condition,

just stayed in Joey’s ward almost

didn’t show his

expert, she was also convinced that Victor would

Roger broke the news that Victor had

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

for a long time

judging Roger’s expression if he was

Do you want to go

Rachel pressed her lips hard and

pulled her sleeve and pulled

want

pleading in

that Victor was in a coma

the hospital, he actually had a vague

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

out the truth, Rachel

cry or say anything, nor did he pester Rachel to go to

just smiled

say

have to worry

she

few moments, she

"Yes, of course."

weeks, Joey had a good rest in the

mention Victor, as if

of the night from time

him, but Rachel

"Okay…"

softened, and

was in the

wound hadn’t fully healed yet, it was inconvenient for him

him sit in a

the three of them went to Victor’s

they reached

The elevator finally stopped at the floor of the ward

one patient at this time,

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

Victor had seen this scene, Carson

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

What brings you here?"

document he was holding

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his

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

did those dark circles around your eyes come

"Dark circles?"

choked at

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

that Joey

totally haggard, and his eye bags were so big that

this was only

hadn’t have a good sleep

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

"Ha-ha!"

after seeing the upset

realized that he was fooled

Carson stepped forward and pinched

"You, brat.

your godfather? You have

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

have no

and I grew up

We are best friends.

one who picked

I became your

crossed his

if you don’t want

Carson’s hand away using his uninjured hand and said, "Humph!

he withdrew his hand

also didn’t expect that I

it’s a fact that you

you’d better change your

anything more, but he stuck

the corner of his eye, Carson recognized Roger

commented, "I see that

heard that

Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

plan to lose his composure just

"Oh, I see."

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

He is resting inside.

466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at

what was going

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked towards the

her, pushing Joey’s

arms were placed

was lost in thoughts for

to

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked at the

standing very

see him from the

as if he

glance at him,

I need to use the

overheard what Joey

I

"No!"

a

serious

am

ward, so it wasn’t a problem for Rachel to take him to the

that moment, they were

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

reaction to Joey’s words, Rachel looked

Roger, then her

bother the former, Carson soon observed that she

she wanted him to

and refused to pay

his phone and turned around as if nothing

Joey a thumbs up without

he was answering

read the plan you sent

headed

wasn’t very

he was still

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

"It’s okay.

take

He is actually right.

a boy like him to be taken to the bathroom

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

he heard those

ought to have been closer to

few days, they got

of them were always

for reasons best known to her,

of things, Rachel

knew that it couldn’t be

the night Rachel was standing outside

Joey headed towards

some time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

glance at the phone

through with the phone

"What?"

Rachel’s sight and took a peek

a smile appeared

am

left with no choice! My

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake smile on her

very good at

he had pretended to answer the call only moments ago,

his nose and coughed to ease the awkwardness of the

want to

in order to look through the glass panel on the

was

only the living

the door open in no time and walked

would lie in the

has to undergo half a year’s rehabilitation

came

a stable condition

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted Carson’s

in a

He looked dejected.

a document in his

ran into Rachel and Carson as soon as he

first, then his

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung around the man’s

It was quite noticeable.

of the Sullivan Group

was no need asking about what just happened to

tell from the man’s expression that the project plan had been

driven out! Her attention was drawn to

what really

She turned to Carson.

he looked back at her, she raised her eyebrows

"Well, this is Troy.

a member of

what she meant by just looking at her

was at a

many surnames in the

had to

who Rachel

and

"Miss Bennet."

her head

was covered

his life! Nonetheless, he was still

Miss Bennet, I’m going

hand and said, "Very well

should do that

heard what Carson said, Troy went out of

looked at the door

that Victor was sitting against the head of the bed at

condition doesn’t seem as

well and

walked to the door

against the

follow

reading some document when

raise his head

cast her

was in

was pale despite the fact that he lowered his

frowned and

for more than seventy hours half

entranced that she walked towards the

to go out, didn’t

heard the footsteps, his

at the person who

in his usual cold and stiff

Even after we finished the dance, Charles kept his hand on

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

"The dance is over.

time to let

I reminded him.

but he still loosened his grip on my waist like

few steps back to

reason, I could still feel the warmth

blushed and i

my heart

it felt like I had returned to

with him were the

knew that those days were long gone

looked down, feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

guests suddenly approached me and greeted

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

and

a few to drink and was starting to get

this time, Elena came to

waiting for you on the second

you like to go upstairs

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when you get

appeared

her to the deck

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

also numerous

widened in

this whole scene was picturesque and

my birthday surprise?’ I had no

came to mind was Charles, but I quickly cast aside

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

had never spent this much effort on me, and yet I still couldn’t forget

joy of receiving this

stared at the night

sea was tranquil, and yet

of the cold sea breeze, I felt

display lit up the sky, forming the words

the fireworks shot up to the sky,

sounded like

by the noise, I covered my ears at

the ground and

i felt like my blood was

abandoned warehouse kept

seconds, I was out of breath I felt so dizzy that I almost

of strong arms held

I’m here."

came from above me, making me feel so

It was Charles.

tears burst from my eyes, Gently, he brushed my hair and

to be scared ever