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.

time since

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her teeth

a thought occurred

eggs! I

from Ethan’s embrace and

Ethan followed behind her.

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

I told you to keep an eye on the

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

Janet stood in the corner, restlessly watching Ethan clean up

"I’m sorry.

to Charis, so I rushed to you and

Ethan had guessed this.

he raised his eyes

"It’s my fault.

you enough sense

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

leaned her face against his chest, blushing

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rest assured and eat it with

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and said,

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knife

heard what Shelia asked,

a while, he said, "I have no

Victor knew the reason

to be prepared in case of

under ner protection, Victor would find himself in danger one

that he would at least

"Alright."

continued to focus her gaze on the burning

eye, Victor caught a glimpse of Shelia’s profile and the dust that rested

stretched out a hand to wipe

look at Victor with a blank

eyes, he started to

and explained, "Your nose

"Is that so?"

rub her nose

about now? Is

"No,"

said, glancing

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

else did you learn other than roasting

Can you teach me?"

do you want

"In order to survive."

mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me "In

shelia said casually.

felt sad upon

ready to be flipped? It’s

Shelia pointed out.

recall by Shelia, Victor saw a small burn on

flipped the meat over while he was still thinking

.

or not to ask her

after all, Shelia’s own

on the other hand, didn’t

you please

"Hmm,"

said after a

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she broke into

two dimples, meanwhile, became

Victor nodded, "Okay."

she said, "Thanks

encountered, except for my caretaker in the

"Orphanage?"

That’s where

taken over and the old woman was unwell and

as she

elderly woman was

great meals

an orphan…’ Victor pursed his

guardian was needed to look after you since the orphanage was

didn’t you leave with

up at Victor and answered, "I

was the only home Shelia had known for so

okay with you

head, Shelia said,

visit her tomb, so

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

the dingy ground,

that had been scattered by the trees and

placed her hands behind her head,

sighed with disappointment as she gazed up at the

to

you from doing

are people guarding

find me if

that I

my name when I meet her again

blinking her

black eyes remained fixed on Shelia and

continued, "If she had the chance to see you, Van, it would be

spot in her heart for adorable

that I was

It didn’t seem appropriate to use this

Shelia, Victor concluded that the adjective

of her features, particularly

for your upbringing, how come you got

was unable to communicate since she was deaf, mute,

to us

a poker card

gently removed it from her pocket as if it were a treasure and

the orphanage, each kid was

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

stared at the card–the King of

get the best

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

and said, "I am the only one with

meat was toasting as they

her the meat after

set

Eat, please."

came from her gut

hand to her stomach and ate

better than the meat i made myself! Van, you’re

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after a good

her feet, she said, "Let’s

was ready to rise when Shelia

"Come on, get up."

was taken aback, and after a little pause, he

way, Shelia used a dart to put marks on the tree

track of time as they

had

sitting down on a stone and

we’ll have to travel until

can get out

some water

body was perhaps exhausted after so much walking, and

"I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

still have the

"Like never before…"

and continued

motion, she murmured, "Van, you

return, be

to the side of

in mud after a day

you? What’s your

"Plan?"

slow to

plans once we leave

travels

to the police station when I can no longer walk and beg them

answered with

"Shelia."

his mind after staring at Shelia for a

"What’s the problem?"

after

my grandma will like you, I will defend

can count on

me to come with

it all right with you? If

was concerned that

a while before asking, "Are you

"No, I’m not.

treat you the best I

Victor convinced her.

smiled

get out

"Sure."

moment they emerged from the woods, though,

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

on the bodies of Victor and

had been walking since high noon

assuaged when they saw a relatively

we’re out of the

if we

We can…"

could finish her sentence, she

She was confused.

Victor, wanting to

"Van?"

didn’t expect you to come

came, Shelia looked for the source

saw three cars that were parked

looking at them intently as he played with a

feel right away that they were Victor’s

Victor, who in turn

didn’t take his eyes off

that only Shelia could hear, Victor said, "Run into

lost even

finding our way out of the forest, I put marks

and you can

"And then?"

her

straight

"Walk along this road.

meet villagers, borrow a mobile phone from them,

knew that Norton didn’t intend to let him

wanted to play a game with Victor by throwing

if he couldn’t escape this

her back to see his grandmother, and treat her as his

Victor could not fulfill the promise he made in the

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

once you get hold of

he whispered.

my

pick

down

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

"No."

pulled her

eyes were a

want to remember the number, nor

be a

Victor frowned.

that he coughed violently as soon as he finished

adamant and

just didn’t want to spread her palm and let Victor write the phone number

talking about, he

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

for each other!

up when

pulled Sheila

seriously injured and keeping himself standing steadily

hard for him to

deliberately walked up to them

Shelia stepped

with them, Norton

too fast for Victor to

"Let her go!"

a firm grip on Shelia’s

in hearing vexation in

you look

he wiped the mud

the more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed

his tracks when something silver flashed through his

that Norton

out a mouthful of

"No."

"What are you saying?"

said in a contemptuous tone and gave Victor a mocking

felt that he

his fist and

want is

nothing to

So, let her go!"

wow! This is so

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want

she comes from but I

boring for you to die alone? I can do something about that and let

eyes, Victor

pressed against her neck, all Shelia

was

spat out blood and beg for

all you can do? Threaten

smile plastered

anger when

did you

said you

Shelia swallowed.

a sense of

in you to do

So, cut the crap.

kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

desperately tried

knew that she was provoking

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

Norton was indeed angry.

kept his voice in check as he talked to

really? Looks like you really want to

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

to his men and instructed

his eyes and asked anxiously,

Norton didn’t answer.

glared

did as they were

bound, Shelia was taken to

made to ride

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

river was flowing

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

into fists, and the blue veins on his neck

gritted his teeth and yelled, "Let her

of the gushing water, Shelia had

Victor to run

her mouth, she

enough, her

exasperated expression on Victor’s

Victor might be strong but he was

making me

that I’m a good man? Why the hell

Norton approached the rope, squatted down, and blew the

wanting to save her so much, I will give you

in me, huh? What

could just glare

it took to

Shelia, who was in the middle of the river, Norton squinted

two men behind him appeared and stood between the

looked at

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the weakest

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

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

who had been holding

touched its tip with his thumb and warned,

two before

say goodbye to your good

afraid that you won’t even find her

at the flickering flame, Victor didn’t care about

so he quickly rushed up and fought against the

was a mercenary and the most

his weakest subordinates should be strong

Victor was currently badly

state, he might not even be able to defeat one of the two

them were tall and burly

a doubt, Victor was at a disadvantage from

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

hit, Victor

because he was hit repeatedly, his strength left him, and he

of his bones being broken scattered all over his

time, Victor’s face looked

tried to stand, not ready to give

before he could even get back on his feet, he

arm to block it,

again, Victor spat out a mouthful of blood,

point, Victor’s vision

the rope, which was only a few

matter how many

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

into this trouble, so he was willing to do anything to rescue

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

the ground and lost

somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling on his

to open his eyes, but his vision was

the ground, watching the

help but wonder if he was

hadn’t fully recovered yet, so he thought that he might

inch of his body

wanted to stand up, but he couldn’t

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

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

no trace

"Ahem!"

spurting

grabbed unto the soil and opened his eyes as

if he was waiting

waited for a long

he didn’t even know how

found the person he had been

the river or come out from somewhere

pain he

lost consciousness

up again, he was finally

him near the

to rescue him lasted for two days

was found out that Victor had fractures in eight different body

chest and lungs were inflamed, and the critically ill

Victor did after he woke up was ask Carolyn to

wearing an oxygen

not completely out of danger yet, but all he cared about was

sense that she must be a very important person due to

delay to send people to search for

seven days, but Shelia couldn’t

was

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

but one could easily recognize

later, Victor

thing he did after fully

King of Hearts card in a

on the marble tombstone aside from

Shelia’s name on

year of Victor’s recovery, while Karl was on

to the hospital, but he was declared dead on

was also in that

more years, he finished

several small companies under the control of the

of these companies from a very low level to one of the

to prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed over the Sullivan Group

At this time, Roger entered the ward where Rachel

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

can’t eat any

porridge

now, he couldn’t even stand the smell of porridge

no choice but

it again when

tongue out, not

saw Roger standing at the door, so he politely greeted,

month, Roger came to the hospital to visit Joey

the kid gradually got

Joey liked about him was that Roger would bring

much, he could at least taste something aside from

course, Joey could only eat

Rachel turned around and was surprised to see

you say that you wouldn’t come

message in advance to

would say no every time, he would

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

visit, it would probably be

initially, I

moment before finally saying, "But I got

response, Rachel furrowed her brows in

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

operation done to Victor lasted

room opened and closed for several

anything but wait outside until the procedure

since the operation began, the

that the surgery was

life was saved, but he wasn’t completely out

wheeled to

ago that his vital

eligible to be transferred to the general

was still in

expert in the field to check Victor’s condition and give a

it wasn’t what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

healed, they still had

his new injuries just

only a

least tell us when he

asked in a

can’t say that

couldn’t help but frown as

may be blunt, please consider preparing for the worst-case

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

this, it was obvious that this

there was a huge chance

Rachel was

that Rachel had the right

outside Joey’s ward, holding a cigarette between his

and there were dark circles

went down to tell Rachel

news,

if she had already prepared herself for

was a bit

know when she became this

was when Victor had been in a

might have been

the operating room for 70 hours before

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

You can’t smoke here."

if he regained his senses, Carson put out

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

and asked, "Anyway,

"Joey? He’s fine.

said that he has been recovering pretty

will be removed ahead of

head and peeped through the glass

saw Joey sleeping soundly in the

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

then, I’m

that, Carson turned around and left

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

he had nothing

eye,

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

ward almost twenty-four hours a

didn’t show his face to her

from an expert, she was

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

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

at Roger for a long time without being

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

Do you want to

slowly This time, Rachel pressed her

of nowhere, someone gently pulled her sleeve and pulled

want to

pleading in

fact that Victor was in a coma after

woke up in the hospital, he

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

the truth, Rachel didn’t have the heart to hide it

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

just smiled

daddy bad? They say bad people live long

we don’t have to worry

eyes, she felt

she mustered

"Yes, of course."

had a good rest in

Victor, as if there was nothing wrong

the middle of the night from time to time and

a brave kid for keeping it all inside him, but Rachel was aware that

"Okay…"

heart softened, and

was in

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

Rachel simply let him sit in

pushed the wheelchair for him, and the three of

they reached

finally stopped at the

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

approaching, he furrowed his brows

had seen this scene, Carson

the first time I’ve

What brings you here?"

asked Joey as he quickly set the document he was holding aside and raised

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his

ask that? Do I look like someone who will be beaten

those dark circles around

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at

he picked up his phone, opened its

realized that

were so big that it seemed like

was only to

good sleep

young man, but even

"Ha-ha!"

but laugh after seeing

Carson realized that he was fooled by

forward and pinched Joey’s

"You, brat.

dare you tease your godfather? You have guts,

face and retorted, "Huh? Who said that you are

have no

and I

We are best friends.

the one who

that’s how I became

his arms

even if you don’t want it, that fact

and said, "Humph! If I don’t want to admit it,

he withdrew his hand

voice, "I also didn’t expect that I would have a

as I said, it’s a fact that you

you’d better change your attitude towards

he stuck out his tongue

his

his composure and commented,

heard that Mr.Sullivan

Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

didn’t plan to lose his

"Oh, I see."

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

He is resting inside.

466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at the

was going through

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

walked

followed her,

placed

in thoughts for a

about to sav something, Joey spoke

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked at

was not standing very far

a result, Joey could see him from the corner of his

eyebrows as if he was giving Carson

a quick glance at

I need to use the

what

I take

"No!"

in a very

serious

am a

so it wasn’t a problem for Rachel to

that moment, they were no longer in the

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

reaction to Joey’s words, Rachel looked at both

then her gaze

to bother the former, Carson soon observed that she was staring

she wanted him to take Joey to the

and refused to pay any

that, he took out his phone and turned around as if

managed to give Joey a thumbs

Carson pretended like he was answering the

the plan

he headed towards the nurses’

he wasn’t very

phone’s screen lit up while he was

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

"It’s okay.

will take Joey

He is actually right.

embarrassing for a boy like him to

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

those

that Rachel ought to have been closer to him than she

they got along

of them were always

known to

the look of things,

it couldn’t

about the night Rachel

Joey

some time, Carson

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

a quick glance at the phone in

you through with

"What?"

and took a peek at

appeared

I am through with

My

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake

very good

pretended to answer the call

tip of his nose and coughed to ease

you want

head in order to look through

was a

point of view, only the living

Victor, Rachel pushed the door open in no time and

lie in the bed for two

undergo half a year’s

came from behind

a

"Get out of here!"

interrupted Carson’s

saw a man in a suit coming out

He looked dejected.

document

Carson

at first, then

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung

It was quite noticeable.

employee of the Sullivan Group and

asking about what just happened

man’s expression that the project plan had been denied by

Her attention was drawn to the name on the

was what really interested

She turned to Carson.

back at her,

"Well, this is Troy.

a member of

knew exactly what she meant by just looking at

was at a loss for

many surnames

had to

who

bowed and mentioned her

"Miss Bennet."

head slightly

forehead was covered with

scare of his life! Nonetheless,

I’m going

and said,

do that

said, Troy went out of sight

looked at the door

to see that Victor was sitting against

seem as

well and can

door and pushed it

leaned against

follow

some document

he didn’t raise his head and say

her gaze on

was in a

tell that his face was pale despite the fact that he

and

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

she walked towards the

asked you to go

the footsteps, his

at the person who was walking towards

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

Gift Caroline’s POV: Even after we finished the dance, Charles kept his hand on my

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

"The dance is over.

time to let

I reminded him.

his eyes, but he still loosened his grip on my

steps back

I could still feel the warmth of his touch on my

and i felt

my heart was

a moment, it felt like I

the happiest time of my

days were long gone and I could never

looked down, feeling

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

guests suddenly approached me

from behind me and began

glass and taking

to drink and

this time, Elena

for you on the

like to go upstairs

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when

mysterious smile appeared on Elena’s

I followed her to

I got there, I saw that there were bright red

numerous

widened in

whole scene was

I had

that came to mind was Charles, but I

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

on me, and yet I

joy of receiving this birthday surprise

stared at the night scene around me

was tranquil, and yet my mind was

cold sea breeze,

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

sky, a deafening sound

sounded like a

noise, I covered my ears at

on the

trembling uncontrollably, and i felt like my blood

incident at the abandoned warehouse

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

a pair of strong arms held me tightly "There’s no need

I’m here."

above

It was Charles.

i nestled in his arms as tears burst from my

have to