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 they last met-too

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her teeth

thought occurred

I forgot all

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

Ethan followed behind her.

was extremely flustered, and he couldn’t help but

I told you to keep

side while he cleaned up the

thumbs, Janet stood in the corner, restlessly watching Ethan clean up

"I’m sorry.

were talking to Charis, so I

Ethan had guessed this.

he raised his

"It’s my fault.

give you enough

saying that, he spread out his

her face against his chest,

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

I

probably has a huge grudge

we just go there?"Chapter 461 In Order To Survive

a casual manner, flipped the meat over,

want to tell me, then

being a

nothing, and silently retracted

had a feeling that Shelia didn’t mean

and poured the

definitely

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

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

some more for

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

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

rest assured and eat

alert right then, watching

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

thought that Victor

she knew she was wrong and he was on guard against

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead

turned to look away

roast the rest

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

a bite out of

some time, she furrowed her brows and

hard

was not cooked

gave you just now must be the

didn’t you tell me? You even

say a word and only continued to roast

Shelia turned around and spotted

you smiling? Van, you did this deliberately,

smiling?’ Victor never even

and gently touched the

roast the meat

gone a

get some

tired at

just sit right

Shelia proceeded to

you’re good at cooking meat, aren’t you? Did you learn this skill all by

learned how to survive in

in

"Survive in the wildness?"

the very first time that Shelia had ever heard of

out of your

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

knife to slice the

Shelia asked,

while, he said, "I have no

knew

because he wanted to be prepared in case of any

that even under ner protection, Victor would find himself in danger one

would at

"Alright."

focus her gaze on the burning

caught a glimpse of Shelia’s profile

a hand to

turned to look

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

away, and explained, "Your nose has dirt on

"Is that so?"

to rub her nose with the back

about now? Is it

"No,"

said, glancing over

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

learn other than roasting meat? I want to learn

Can you teach me?"

do you want

"In order to survive."

Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me "In order

shelia said casually.

sad

meat ready to be flipped? It’s

Shelia pointed out.

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

over while he was

.

or not to ask her

was, after all,

the other hand, didn’t seem to take it

you please teach

"Hmm,"

said after

"Is that a yes?"

glowed, and she broke

dimples, meanwhile, became much more

Victor nodded, "Okay."

broadly as she said, "Thanks so

I’ve ever encountered, except for my

"Orphanage?"

where I

the orphanage was taken over and the old woman

as

was a

was younger, she prepared great meals and

orphan…’

after you

didn’t you leave with the

and answered, "I didn’t

the only home Shelia

okay with you being outdoors on

her head, Shelia

visit her tomb, so

them, and I don’t intend to

of the dingy ground,

in shards of sunshine that had been scattered by the trees and

behind

sighed with disappointment as she

to visit

what keeps you from

are people

me if I go

that I have a

tell her my name when I meet

blinking her

remained fixed on Shelia and he said

Van, it

a soft spot in her heart

that I was

use this

Shelia, Victor concluded that

of

her, "Since she was responsible for

to communicate since she was

to us

poker card was in

were a treasure and presented

orphanage, each kid

the elderly woman split the fruits, she put them on the cards and let us take them as we pleased, but we

the card–the King of

I get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

card and said, "I am

toasting

meat after he re-applied

set to

Eat, please."

came from her gut

put her hand to her stomach and ate the meat with a greedy

better than the meat i made myself!

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

after a

she rose to her feet, she said,

was ready to rise when Shelia abruptly extended her hand to

"Come on, get up."

pause, he took Shelia’s hand in

Shelia used a dart to put

lost track of time

sun had cooled

in sitting down on a stone and drank

we’ll have

out before the

some water

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

"I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

still have the

"Like never before…"

continued to

forward motion, she murmured,

return, be sure to eat

his gaze to the

covered in mud after a day and

you? What’s your

"Plan?"

slow

we leave the forest?

my travels and

the police station when I can no longer

answered with a

"Shelia."

appeared to have made up his mind after staring at Shelia

"What’s the problem?"

me after we get out of

I will defend

count

want me to come

all right with you? If you don’t want to, it doesn’t

concerned that Shelia might

while before

"No, I’m not.

promise to treat you the

Victor convinced her.

and smiled

get out

"Sure."

emerged from the woods,

the horizon, basking the forest in a pale

light glimmered on the

been walking since high noon and now, the sun

tiredness was assuaged when they saw

out of the

villagers if we walk a

We can…"

sentence, she saw

She was confused.

looked at Victor, wanting to know why he

"Van?"

didn’t expect you to

looked for the source

saw three cars that were

at them intently as he

right away

Victor, who in turn

didn’t take his eyes off Norton, watching

hear, Victor said, "Run

lost even when it gets

our way out of the

you can get

"And then?"

asked, her

looked straight

"Walk along this road.

villagers, borrow a mobile phone from them,

Norton didn’t intend to

with Victor

if he couldn’t escape this predicament,

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

that Victor could not fulfill the promise he

a phone number on

number once you get hold of

he whispered.

is my

and she will pick

down at her

respond, Victor looked at

"No."

her

eyes were a

the number, nor do I

a good

Victor frowned.

coughed violently as soon as he finished

adamant and clenched her

spread her palm and

about, he could

a condescending sneer, he said, "Tut,

strong feelings for each other!

up when saw

pulled Sheila

was seriously injured and keeping himself standing steadily was taxing for

be hard for

deliberately walked up to

Shelia stepped

them, Norton

was too fast for

"Let her go!"

a firm grip on

in hearing vexation in Victor’s

know you look

wiped the mud on Shelia’s face with

body pain, Victor rushed over and tried to

stopped in his tracks when something silver flashed through his

a knife that

spat out a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

contemptuous tone and gave Victor a mocking smile,

that he

clenched his fist and

you want is

has nothing to do

So, let her go!"

wow! This

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want to

but I find

you think it’s boring for you to die alone? I can do something about

red eyes, Victor breathed

knife pressed against her neck,

body was tensed

spat out blood

you can do?

smile plastered on his

narrowed in anger

did you

said you are a

Shelia swallowed.

just feel a sense of accomplishment by

in you to

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill me,

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to

she was provoking

rise and the man would do

Norton was indeed angry.

but he kept his voice in check as he talked to

really? Looks like you really want to

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help you with

Norton said, laughing derisively.

his men and instructed

asked anxiously,

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared at

men did as they were

Shelia was taken

made to

his brain thinking about where Norton was taking them.Chapter

river was flowing

inundated Shelia, making her choke easily Victor saw how Shelia’s

fists, and the blue veins on his neck became very

his teeth and yelled, "Let

of

actually wanted Victor to run

opened her mouth, she was

enough, her eyes

exasperated expression on Victor’s

be strong but he was useless in

me laugh,

think that I’m a good man? Why the

Norton approached the rope, squatted down,

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

in me, huh?

just glare

do whatever it took

in the middle of the river, Norton squinted his

men behind him appeared and stood between the rope and

and looked at Victor with a

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

the weakest among

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

a brief 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 of him and took

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

before the rope

you can say goodbye to

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

Victor didn’t care about

so he quickly rushed up

was a mercenary and the most popular leader the

course, even his weakest subordinates should be strong as

was currently

might not even be

them were tall and burly men that could

was at a disadvantage from the

punched Victor right in his abdomen

as he was hit, Victor staggered and struggled to

left him, and he

broken scattered all over his body, making him

this time, Victor’s face looked black with

still tried to stand, not ready to give

he could even get back on

to subconsciously use his arm to block

out a mouthful of blood, and a

point, Victor’s vision became

eyes on the rope, which was only a few steps

matter how many

long as the fire was put out and the rope was grasped, Shelia’s

got her into this trouble, so he was

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

to the ground and lost his

was somewhat awakened

eyes, but his vision was

the ground, watching the

help but wonder if he was still

hadn’t fully recovered yet, so he

sharp pain that pierced every inch of his body made Victor

to stand up, but he couldn’t move

could only move his hands a little bit, grabbing the mud under his hands in

head to look at the river, only to find that there was

was no

"Ahem!"

violently, spurting out

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

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

waited for a

know how much time passed

found the person he had been

head from the river or come out from

the excruciating pain he was

he lost

Victor woke up again, he was

subordinates found him near the

rescue him lasted for two days and

it was found out that

his chest and lungs were inflamed, and the

woke up was ask Carolyn to

wearing an oxygen mask

not completely out of danger yet, but all he cared

that she must be a very important person due to

didn’t dare delay to send people to search for

days, but Shelia couldn’t

week passed and there was still no

was a crumpled playing card that got wet from the rain and

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

later, Victor

he did after fully recovering was buy a

card in a box and buried it under a

on the marble tombstone aside

wasn’t even Shelia’s name on

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

rush him to the hospital, but

in that year that Carolyn sent Victor

finished his studies and finally

several small companies under the control of

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

ability, Carolyn gradually handed over

time, Roger entered

of the bed, holding a bowl of porridge, and coaxing Joey to eat

can’t eat

been eating porridge for about

stand the smell of porridge

and had no choice but to

she said, "Eat it

out, not

saw Roger standing at the door, so

half a month, Roger came to the hospital to visit Joey

the kid gradually got acquainted with

that Roger would bring some snacks

eat too much, he could at least

only eat them in

around and

that you wouldn’t

he would send Rachel a message in advance to

every time, he would still insist

said that he had an important

could still visit, it would probably be very

initially, I

hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "But I

Rachel furrowed her brows in

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

Dark Circles The operation done to Victor lasted for more than

and closed for several times as doctors

couldn’t do anything but wait outside until the procedure

operation began, the indicator light outside the room was

the surgery was successfully

life was saved, but he wasn’t completely out of

wheeled to

ago that his vital signs

eligible to be transferred

still

to check Victor’s

what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

healed, they still had

injuries just

he said that only a miracle

you at least tell us when he will wake

asked in a gloomy

I can’t say

frown as he made

blunt, please consider preparing for the worst-case

chance that he’ll never wake up? Is he going to become a vegetable for

the expert didn’t say this, it was obvious that this was

but there was

Rachel was

Carson deemed that Rachel had the

Joey’s

there were dark circles round

went down to tell Rachel

heard the tragic news,

was as if she had already prepared herself for something

fact, Carson was a bit

she

a coma for about half

have been

the operating room for 70 hours before the indication light

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

You can’t smoke here."

if he regained his senses, Carson

he didn’t bother

asked, "Anyway, how is the little

"Joey? He’s fine.

and said that he has been recovering pretty

that his plaster will be

through the glass panel on the

saw Joey sleeping

he stretched for a bit and said,

I’m leaving

saying that, Carson turned around and left

he really just visited to tell Rachel

from that, he had nothing

eye,

Victor’s condition,

stayed in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four

Carson didn’t show his

an expert, she was

broke the news that Victor

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

for a long time without being able

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

Do you want to go upstairs

pressed her lips hard and remained

sleeve and pulled her back from

I want to

was Joey, pleading in a

hide the fact that Victor

the hospital, he actually had

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

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

anything, nor did he pester Rachel

he just smiled and made

daddy bad? They say bad people

have to worry too much

she felt a lump in her

she mustered her courage

"Yes, of course."

weeks, Joey had a good rest in

as if there was nothing wrong going

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

inside him, but Rachel was aware

"Okay…"

heart softened,

ward was in

healed yet, it was inconvenient for him to walk

Rachel simply let him

the wheelchair for him, and the

enough, they reached

at the floor

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

he furrowed his brows and eventually saw

wer If Victor had seen this scene, Carson knew that he

time I’ve

What brings you here?"

he quickly set the document

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking his innocent

who will be beaten easily? Ha!

did those dark circles around your

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at Joey’s

opened its front camera, and looked at

that

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

course, this was

a good

young man, but even he was

"Ha-ha!"

after seeing the upset look

realized that

Carson stepped forward and pinched Joey’s face

"You, brat.

tease your

face and retorted, "Huh? Who said that

have no opinion

father and I grew up

We are best friends.

one who picked

I

crossed his arms in front of

you, even if you don’t want it, that

his uninjured hand and said, "Humph! If I don’t want

tongue as he withdrew

a slightly low voice, "I also

said, it’s a fact that you

you’d better change

anything more, but he stuck

of the corner of his

tried to regain his composure and commented, "I see that you’re not busy today,

I heard that

with Rachel and Joey

Roger explained.

to lose his composure just because

"Oh, I see."

at the room and said, "His ward

He is resting inside.

466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked

what was going through

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

walked towards

followed her,

arms were placed

lost in thoughts for a

to sav something, Joey

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked at

standing very far

result, Joey could see him from the corner

if he was giving Carson a

quick glance at him, Joey

I need to use

what

I take you

"No!"

a very decisive

was a serious look on

am a

ward, so it wasn’t a

moment, they were no longer

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

Joey’s words, Rachel looked

was Roger, then her gaze

to bother the former, Carson soon observed

to take

refused to pay any attention

that, he took out his phone and turned around as if nothing

a thumbs

like he was answering

I have read the plan you

talking, he headed towards the

very good at

screen lit up while he was still holding

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

"It’s okay.

will take Joey

He is actually right.

very embarrassing for a boy like him to be taken to the bathroom by

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

when he heard those words,

thought that Rachel ought to have been closer to him than she

few days, they got along really

always

best known to her, she still alienated

the look of things, Rachel still didn’t love

it

couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the night Rachel was standing

Joey

some time, Carson

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

at the phone

with the

"What?"

and took a

a smile appeared

am through with

choice! My subordinates

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

fake smile on

very good at

that he had pretended to answer

nose and coughed to ease the

you want to go

look

was

the living room

Victor, Rachel pushed the door open in no time and

Victor would lie in the

half a year’s rehabilitation

came from behind

a stable

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted

man in

He looked dejected.

document in

and Carson as soon as

was stunned at first, then

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung around the man’s

It was quite noticeable.

was an employee of the Sullivan Group and the director of the

need asking about

man’s expression that the project plan had

out! Her attention was

what really

She turned to Carson.

looked back at her, she raised her eyebrows

"Well, this is Troy.

member of the Sullivan Group’s project

knew exactly what she meant by just

was at a loss for

so many surnames in

he had

who Rachel

and

"Miss Bennet."

her head

was covered with

scare of his life! Nonetheless, he was still holding the document

Miss Bennet, I’m going

hand and said,

do that

what Carson said, Troy went out of sight in

looked at the door

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

doesn’t seem as

well and can

door and

leaned against the

follow

some document when he

head and say coldly, "Get

cast her gaze

was in

pale despite

frowned and

seventy hours half

entranced that she walked towards

you to go out, didn’t

Victor heard the footsteps, his

the person who was

his usual cold and

Even after we finished

I figured it wouldn’t bode well if

"The dance is over.

to let

I reminded him.

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

steps back

feel the warmth of his

face blushed and i

my heart was

moment, it felt like I had returned to the

were the happiest time of

days were

looked down, feeling conflicted and

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached me

gaze from behind me and began

my glass and taking a

had a few to drink and was starting to get

this time, Elena

for you on

like to go upstairs and take a look

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when you get

smile appeared on Elena’s

I followed her to

there were bright red rose petals scattered across the floorboard, forming

numerous

widened in

whole scene

had no idea who

came to mind was Charles, but I quickly cast aside

smile appeared on my lips,

on me, and yet

receiving this

I stood on the second floor, I stared at the

sea was tranquil, and

sea breeze,

lit up the sky, forming the

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

sounded like a

I covered my

squatted on the

and i felt

at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing through

breath I felt so dizzy that

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

I’m here."

familiar voice came from above me, making me feel

It was Charles.

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

have to be