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

thought

I forgot

embrace and ran to the kitchen in a

Ethan followed behind her.

who was extremely flustered, and he couldn’t

told you to keep an eye

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

the corner, restlessly watching Ethan

"I’m sorry.

so I

Ethan had guessed this.

hands, he raised his eyes to

"It’s my fault.

give you enough sense of

out his

her face

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

you and I just got him

probably has a huge grudge

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

wiped off the sweat collecting on her forehead in a casual manner,

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

was just being

and silently retracted the knife

Shelia

poured

this definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

meat Shelia was holding out in her hand and didn’t make a

more for myself

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

right then, watching Shelia with vigilant and cold

be an easy-going person, this didn’t mean that she was

that Victor

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

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead

look away and placed

the

wanted to help, Shelia nodded and

a bite out

she furrowed her

really hard to

was not cooked fully

gave you just now

tell me?

Victor didn’t say a

aside, Shelia turned around

you smiling? Van, you

Victor never even realized

his hand and gently touched the corner

roast the meat for

gone

and get some

tired at

sit right

propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded

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

learned how to survive in the

in

"Survive in the wildness?"

very first time that Shelia had ever heard of

of your

what Shelia did earlier, Victor also crushed some fruits and

used a knife to slice the

what Shelia asked, his

while, he said, "I have

Victor knew the reason

to be prepared in

of time that even under ner protection,

would at least have a better chance

"Alright."

her gaze on the

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

out a hand to wipe off the

was startled and turned to look at

into Shelia’s eyes,

his hand, looked away, and explained, "Your nose has dirt

"Is that so?"

ahead to rub her nose with the back of her

about now? Is it still

"No,"

glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

what else did you learn other than roasting meat? I

Can you teach me?"

want

"In order to survive."

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

shelia said casually.

sad upon hearing

ready to be flipped? It’s

Shelia pointed out.

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

meat over while he was still thinking about what she

.

about whether or not to

all, Shelia’s own

other hand, didn’t seem to take it

you please

"Hmm,"

after a

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she broke into a

meanwhile, became much more

Victor nodded, "Okay."

as she said, "Thanks so much,

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

"Orphanage?"

where I

ago, the orphanage was taken over and the old

clouded as she

was a wonderful

was younger, she prepared great meals and gave me a lot of

orphan…’

to look after

didn’t you leave with the

and answered, "I didn’t want to

home Shelia

you being

her head,

to visit her tomb,

to them, and I don’t intend

dingy ground, Shelia

shards of sunshine that had been scattered by the trees

placed her hands behind her head, her lips

as she gazed

want to

you

are people

me if I

idea that I

my name when I

blinking her

remained fixed on Shelia

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

had a soft spot in her heart

said that I was a

appropriate to use this term to describe

at Shelia, Victor concluded that

of her features,

"Since she was responsible for your upbringing,

unable to communicate since she was deaf, mute, and

to us by

poker card was

if it were a treasure and presented

orphanage, each kid

fruits, she put them on the cards and let us take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella erupted into laughter, which was maybe due to the

stared at the card–the

Did I get the

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

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

meat was toasting as they

meat after he re-applied the

all set to

Eat, please."

growl came from her gut

she put her hand to her

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

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

after

her feet, she said,

was ready to rise when Shelia abruptly extended her

"Come on, get up."

after a little pause, he took Shelia’s

way, Shelia used a dart to put

of

sun had

down on a stone and drank

how far we’ll have to

get out before

some water as

much walking, and he was coughing

said incoherently, "I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

still have

"Like never before…"

nodded and continued to

her forward motion, she murmured, "Van, you look

be sure

to the side of her

covered in mud after a

you? What’s your

"Plan?"

was slow

we leave

travels and explore the world’s

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

with a

"Shelia."

his mind after staring at

"What’s the problem?"

me after we get out

my grandma will like you, I

can count

to

all right with you? If you

was concerned that

a while before asking, "Are you

"No, I’m not.

you

Victor convinced her.

and smiled at Victor, saying,

we get out

"Sure."

moment they emerged from the woods,

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

light glimmered on the bodies of

since high noon and now, the

when they saw a relatively spacious country

out of

if we walk

We can…"

finish her sentence, she saw Victor

She was confused.

wanting to know why he

"Van?"

i didn’t expect you to come

voice came, Shelia looked for

were parked not far

stood at the front, looking at them intently as he played

feel right away that they

moved to shield Victor, who in turn stood protectively

didn’t take his eyes off Norton, watching

hear, Victor said, "Run into the

lost even when it

out of the forest, I put marks all the

and you can get

"And then?"

asked, her

straight

"Walk along this road.

a mobile phone from them, and call

knew that Norton didn’t intend

play a game with Victor by throwing him into the

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

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

it seemed that Victor could not fulfill the promise he made in

Victor wrote a phone number on

number once you get hold of a

he whispered.

is my

will pick you up wherever you

looked down at her

didn’t respond, Victor looked at her and

"No."

her hand

eyes were

don’t want to remember the number, nor do I want

a good

Victor frowned.

anxious that he coughed violently

adamant and

spread her palm

couldn’t hear what Victor and Shelia were talking about, he could tell that they were

condescending sneer, he said, "Tut, tut,

each other!

when saw

intuitively pulled

injured and keeping himself standing steadily was taxing

for

deliberately walked up to them

and Shelia

them, Norton pulled Shelia towards

too fast for

"Let her go!"

firm grip

satisfaction in hearing

know you look

mud on Shelia’s

more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed over and tried to take

in his tracks when something silver flashed through his

knife that

a mouthful of

"No."

"What are you saying?"

and gave Victor a mocking smile, pretending not

he had difficulty

his fist and tried to

you want is my

nothing to

So, let her go!"

wow! This is so

Norton curled his lips.

want to let

she comes from but I

you to die alone? I can do something about

red eyes, Victor breathed

tip of the knife pressed against her neck,

was

she saw Victor spat out blood

you can

mocking smile

anger when he heard Shelia’s

you

said you are

Shelia swallowed.

a sense of accomplishment by threatening two

don’t have in you

So, cut the crap.

want to kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

desperately tried

she

would make Norton’s hackles rise and the

Norton was indeed angry.

kept his voice in check as

like you really want

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help you

Norton said, laughing derisively.

turned to his men and instructed them, "Tie her

his eyes and asked anxiously, "What are you going

Norton didn’t answer.

glared

men did as

feet bound, Shelia was taken

made to

was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor Woke Up

was

the water rushed over, it inundated Shelia, making her choke easily Victor saw how Shelia’s face became paler by

into fists, and the blue veins on his neck

gritted his teeth and

to open her eyes because of the gushing water,

Victor to

the moment she opened her mouth, she was choked

enough, her

expression on Victor’s face, Norton

Victor might be strong but

me

think that I’m a good man?

cunning smile, Norton approached the rope, squatted down, and blew

save her so much,

some good in me,

could just glare

would do whatever it took

in the middle of the river, Norton squinted his

after, two men behind him appeared and stood between

up and looked at Victor with

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the weakest among my

my left has only killed two people, and the

brief pause, Norton continued, "You want to save

holding Victor’s arms let

touched its tip with his

these two before the rope

goodbye to

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

at the flickering flame, Victor didn’t

he quickly rushed up and fought against the

a mercenary and the most popular leader the Roaring Tiger

course, even his weakest subordinates

Victor was currently badly

his peak state, he might not even be able

of them were tall and burly men that could easily flip Victor

a doubt, Victor was at a disadvantage from

the two men punched Victor right in his abdomen

was hit, Victor

because he was hit repeatedly, his strength left

his bones being broken scattered all over his body, making him

face looked

to stand, not ready to

before he could even get back on his feet, he saw another punch

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

hit again, Victor spat out a mouthful of blood,

point, Victor’s vision

the rope, which

how many injuries he

long as the fire was put out and

into this trouble, so he was willing to

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

he fell back to the

some time, Victor was somewhat awakened when he felt

his eyes, but his

lay there on the

help but wonder if he was

fully recovered yet, so he thought that he might be

soon enough, the sharp pain that pierced every inch of his body made Victor realize that he was

up, but he couldn’t move even an

bit, grabbing the mud under his

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

no trace

"Ahem!"

coughed violently, spurting

the soil and opened his

expectantly, as if he was waiting for something to show

for

he didn’t even know

the person

the river or come out from somewhere

pain he

lost consciousness

Victor woke up again, he was

him near

rescue him lasted for two

it was found out that Victor had fractures in

chest and lungs were inflamed, and

thing Victor did after he woke up was

was still wearing an

completely out of danger yet,

but she could sense that she must

delay to send people to search

lasted for seven days, but Shelia couldn’t

passed and there was still no news

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

could

years later, Victor completely

thing he did after fully

put the King of Hearts card in a box and

on the marble

even Shelia’s

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

the hospital, but

It was also in that year that Carolyn

years, he finished

taking over several small companies under the

time, Victor raised the sales of these companies from

outstanding ability,

At this time, Roger entered the

he saw her sitting on the edge of the bed,

eat any

had been eating porridge for about

even stand the smell of porridge

no choice but

"Eat it again when

tongue out,

standing at the door, so

half a month, Roger came to the hospital

gradually

him was that Roger would

eat too much, he could at least

Joey could only

turned around and was surprised

that you

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

time, he would still insist on

he said that he had an important project

could still visit, it would probably be

I

for a moment before finally saying, "But I got

Rachel furrowed her

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

done to Victor

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

Carson couldn’t do anything but

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

indicated that the

saved, but he wasn’t completely

was wheeled

until two days ago that his vital signs became

became eligible to be transferred to the general

still in

field to check Victor’s condition and give a

wasn’t what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

his old wounds had healed, they still had an

injuries just made matters

said that only a miracle could

us when he will

in a gloomy

I can’t say that

couldn’t help but frown

be blunt, please

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

this, it was

was not a hundred percent, but there was a huge chance

was

deemed that Rachel had the right to

leaned against the wall outside Joey’s ward, holding a cigarette between his

and there were dark circles round his

went down to tell Rachel about

Rachel heard the tragic news, her face didn’t show much

already

fact, Carson was

she became this mentally

in a coma for about half a month

have been even

outside the operating room for 70 hours before the indication light

of silence, Rachel glanced at the cigarette in Carson’s hand and reminded him in a low voice, "This is the area for children’s

You can’t smoke here."

regained his senses, Carson put out the

didn’t bother

changed the subject and asked, "Anyway, how

"Joey? He’s fine.

said that he

plaster will be

and peeped through the glass

saw Joey sleeping

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

I’m leaving

that, Carson turned around and left without looking

visited to tell Rachel

he had nothing else

blink of an eye, two days eventually

of Victor’s condition, Rachel didn’t intend

Joey’s ward almost twenty-four

Carson didn’t show his face to her

was also convinced that Victor

now, Roger broke the news that Victor had miraculously woke

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

time without

as if she was still judging Roger’s

to go

Rachel pressed her lips hard

gently pulled her sleeve and

want to see

pleading

the fact that Victor was in a coma

up in the hospital, he actually had

been absent-minded and

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

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

just smiled and made a

bad? They say bad

don’t have to worry

she felt

she

"Yes, of course."

Joey had a good rest in

as if

middle of the night from time

him, but Rachel

"Okay…"

softened, and

ward was in the second

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

him sit in a

him, and the three

they reached

the floor of the ward where Victor

and there was only one patient

furrowed his brows and eventually saw three people

wer If Victor had seen this scene, Carson

the first time

What brings you here?"

quickly set the document he

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his innocent

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

did those dark circles around your eyes come

"Dark circles?"

choked at Joey’s

up his phone, opened its

that

bags were so big that it seemed

course, this was only to

have a good

but even he was susceptible to stress

"Ha-ha!"

seeing the

laughter, Carson realized that he was fooled by this

Carson stepped forward and

"You, brat.

dare you tease your godfather? You have

retorted, "Huh? Who said that you are

have no

and I grew up

We are best friends.

the one who picked

how I

eyebrows and crossed his arms

don’t

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

tongue as he

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

a fact

you’d better change your attitude towards

but he stuck

of the corner of his eye, Carson recognized Roger standing

tried to regain his composure and commented,

heard that

Rachel and Joey to

Roger explained.

his composure just

"Oh, I see."

the room and said, "His

He is resting inside.

Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward Carson pointed

one knew what was

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked towards

her,

were placed

in thoughts for a

about to sav something, Joey spoke

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked at the

was not standing very far

a result, Joey could see him from the corner

his eyebrows as if he was giving

quick glance at him, Joey turned his gaze

I need to

overheard what Joey

about I take you

"No!"

a

a serious look on

am

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

they were no longer in

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

Joey’s words, Rachel looked

Roger, then her gaze fell

want to bother the former, Carson soon observed

wanted him to take Joey to the

refused to pay any attention

his phone and turned around as if

managed to give Joey a

he was answering

I have read the plan you sent

talking, he headed towards the

he wasn’t very good

while he

at all! Rachel saw what just happened clearly

"It’s okay.

take

He is actually right.

embarrassing for a boy like him to be taken to the

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

those

that Rachel ought to have been

past few days, they got along really

of them were always

for reasons best known to her,

things, Rachel still didn’t

it

Rachel was standing outside

he and Joey headed

some time, Carson came

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

quick glance at the phone

you through with

"What?"

and took a peek

a smile appeared

am through with

My

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake smile

very good at

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

the tip of his nose and coughed to ease

want

in order to look through the glass panel on

ward was

of view, only the living

pushed the door

Victor would lie in the bed

half a year’s

came

in a stable

"Get out of here!"

interrupted

man in a suit coming out of

He looked dejected.

was a document in

Carson as soon as

stunned at first, then

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung around the man’s

It was quite noticeable.

an employee of the Sullivan Group and

about what just

the man’s expression that the

attention was drawn to the name on the

was what

She turned to Carson.

at her,

"Well, this is Troy.

member of the Sullivan Group’s

what she meant by

was at a

many surnames

he had to choose

recognized who Rachel

and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

her head

forehead was covered with

scare of his life! Nonetheless, he was still holding

going back to

waved his hand and

do that

went out

at

her to see that Victor was sitting against the head

doesn’t seem as bad as you

well and can work

to the door and

leaned against the door

didn’t follow Rachel

was reading some document when he heard

his head and say

her gaze

was in a

face was pale despite the fact

and looked

room for more than seventy hours half a month ago, Rachel would have thought that the man in front of her

that she

asked you to

Victor heard the footsteps, his

the person who

of speaking in his usual cold and stiff tone, he

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

figured it wouldn’t bode well if I

"The dance is over.

to

I reminded him.

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

a few steps back

some reason, I could still feel the warmth

blushed and i felt

heart was

like I had returned to

were the happiest time

even as I reminisced, I knew that those days were long gone and I could never get them back

down, feeling

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached me

gaze from behind me and began chatting with the

said, raising my glass and taking a sip

it, I’d had a few to drink and was starting to get

time, Elena

a surprise waiting for you

to go upstairs and take a look at

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when you

mysterious smile appeared

my confusion, I followed her to the

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

also numerous balloons around the

widened

say, this whole

birthday surprise?’ I had no idea who

to mind was Charles, but I quickly

possibly be him?’ A bitter smile appeared on my lips, and somehow, I began to

effort on

receiving this birthday

stared at the night scene around

sea was tranquil, and yet my mind

the cold sea breeze, I

display lit up the sky, forming

the sky, a deafening sound resonated in

like a

by the noise, I

on the

and i felt like

incident at the abandoned warehouse

breath I

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

I’m here."

from above me, making me feel so

It was Charles.

my

to be scared