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 they

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her teeth

a thought occurred

eggs! I forgot

from Ethan’s embrace and ran to the kitchen

Ethan followed behind her.

at Janet, who was extremely

girl! I told you to keep an eye

her to the side while

corner, restlessly watching Ethan clean

"I’m sorry.

Charis, so I

Ethan had guessed this.

freshly washed hands, he raised his

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you enough sense

out his arms and said

face

about the invitation from Patrick, she murmured,

and I just got him into

has a huge

In Order To Survive Shelia didn’t notice what was

on her forehead in a casual

want to tell me, then

was just being a

eyes at her, Victor said nothing, and silently retracted the

a feeling that Shelia didn’t mean

poured the juice over

this definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

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

roast some more for

meat, Shelia smiled as if she had just

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

and eat

high alert right then,

easy-going

that Victor

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

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead

away and placed the meat

the rest

Shelia nodded and said, "Okay,

took a bite out

furrowed her brows

hard to

was not cooked fully

gave you just

you tell me? You even

the meat out, Victor didn’t say a word

meat aside, Shelia turned

Van, you did this deliberately,

Victor never even realized that

lifted his hand and gently touched

to roast

have gone a long

get some

tired

sit right

under her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down next to

blinked her eyes and said, "Van, you’re good at cooking meat, aren’t you?

how to survive in

in

"Survive in the wildness?"

was the very first time that Shelia

did you go out of

Victor also crushed some fruits and poured the

a knife to

heard what Shelia asked, his eyes

said, "I have

knew

that because he wanted to be prepared in case of any

time that even under ner protection, Victor would find himself in

learn more skills so that he would at least have a better

"Alright."

Shelia continued to focus her gaze on the burning

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

out a hand to

and turned to look at

Victor looked straight into Shelia’s eyes, he

and explained, "Your nose has dirt

"Is that so?"

went ahead to rub her nose with the

now? Is it still

"No,"

glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

learn other than roasting meat? I want

Can you teach me?"

do you want to learn

"In order to survive."

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

shelia said casually.

Victor felt sad upon

be flipped? It’s on the verge of being

Shelia pointed out.

small burn on the meat’s exposed side when

the meat over while he was still thinking about what she

.

had second thoughts about whether or not to ask her

all, Shelia’s own

hand, didn’t seem to

you please

"Hmm,"

said after

"Is that a yes?"

eyes glowed, and she broke into

two dimples, meanwhile, became

Victor nodded, "Okay."

broadly as she said, "Thanks

kindest individual I’ve ever encountered, except for my

"Orphanage?"

That’s where

ago, the orphanage was taken over and the old woman was

eyes clouded as she spoke

woman was

meals

orphan…’ Victor pursed

guardian was needed to look after

you leave with

up at Victor and answered, "I didn’t want

the only home Shelia had known for

with you being outdoors on

head, Shelia said,

I was desperate to visit her tomb, so I

unknown to them, and I

the dingy ground, Shelia lay

been scattered by

behind

sighed with disappointment as she gazed

to

you from

people guarding the

find me if I

had no idea that

name when I meet her again in

said, blinking

fixed on Shelia and

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

in

I was a

to use

at Shelia, Victor concluded that the

an apt description of

asked her, "Since she was responsible for your upbringing, how come you got your name

unable to communicate since she was deaf, mute, and

to us by

poker card

as if it were

the orphanage, each kid was given a unique

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

stared at the

Did I get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

"I am

was toasting as they

gave her the meat after he re-applied the

all set

Eat, please."

came from her gut just after

she put her hand to her

the meat i made myself!

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after a good

her feet,

and was ready to rise when Shelia abruptly extended

"Come on, get up."

pause, he took Shelia’s hand in his and replied,

hard way, Shelia used a dart to put

had lost track of time

had

sitting down on

not sure how far we’ll have to

we can get out

drank some water

perhaps exhausted after so much walking, and

incoherently, "I’m

Let’s move forward."

still have

"Like never before…"

and continued to

her forward motion, she murmured, "Van,

return, be sure to eat

to the side of her

after a

What’s your

"Plan?"

was slow to

are your plans once we leave the forest? Where will you

don’t know… I want to continue my travels and explore the world’s

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

answered with a

"Shelia."

up his mind after staring at Shelia for a

"What’s the problem?"

me after

will like you, I will defend you if

can count

want me to

right with you? If you don’t want to,

was concerned that

while before asking, "Are you

"No, I’m not.

to treat you the best I

Victor convinced her.

and smiled

we get out

"Sure."

from the woods,

the horizon, basking the forest in a pale red glow

on the

since high noon and

tiredness was assuaged when they saw a relatively

out

villagers if we

We can…"

could finish her sentence, she saw Victor

She was confused.

at Victor, wanting to

"Van?"

well, i didn’t expect

voice came, Shelia looked for the source of the

cars that were parked not

looking at them

away that they were

instinctively moved to shield Victor, who in

didn’t take his eyes off

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

even

we were finding our way out of the forest, I put marks

marks and you can

"And then?"

her

looked straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

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

that Norton didn’t intend to

game with Victor by throwing

if he couldn’t escape this

promised to give Shelia a family, bring her back to

fulfill

wrote a phone number on her palm with his

number once you

he whispered.

is my

her and she will pick you up wherever you

just looked down at her

didn’t respond, Victor looked at

"No."

her hand

were a little

to remember the number,

a good

Victor frowned.

so anxious that he coughed

and clenched her

want to spread her palm and

talking about, he

he said, "Tut, tut,

other! I’m so

when saw Norton approaching

intuitively pulled Sheila

injured and keeping himself

would be hard for

up to

Shelia

them, Norton pulled Shelia

was too fast for

"Let her go!"

firm grip on Shelia’s

hearing vexation

know you

the mud on Shelia’s

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

he stopped in his tracks when

that Norton pressed against

spat out a

"No."

"What are you saying?"

Victor a mocking smile, pretending not to hear what Victor

that he

and tried to

you want

nothing to

So, let her go!"

This is so

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want

but I find your reaction quite

you to die alone? I can do something about that and let her accompany

eyes, Victor

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

body was tensed

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

all you can do?

kept his mocking smile plastered on his

in anger when he heard Shelia’s

did you just

you

Shelia swallowed.

of

have in you to do what you

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill me,

"Shelia…"

tried to

that she was provoking

rise and the man would do

Norton was indeed angry.

voice in

like you

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help you

Norton said, laughing derisively.

men and instructed them, "Tie

eyes and asked anxiously,

Norton didn’t answer.

glared at

did as they were

hands and feet bound, Shelia was taken to

made to

Norton was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor Woke Up

was

it inundated Shelia, making her choke easily

clenched into fists, and the blue veins on his

teeth and yelled, "Let

to open her eyes because of the gushing water, Shelia had

Victor

her mouth, she was choked

enough, her

expression on Victor’s face,

thought that Victor might be strong but he

me laugh,

man? Why the

rope, squatted down, and blew the unsteady

you wanting to save her so much, I will give you a

me, huh?

could just

whatever it took to

middle of the river, Norton squinted his eyes and

men behind him appeared and stood between the rope

up and looked at

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the weakest among my

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

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

soon as Norton finished speaking, the two men who had been holding Victor’s arms let go of him and took

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

these two before the rope

can say goodbye to

afraid that you won’t even find her

the flickering flame, Victor didn’t care about

rushed

most popular

course, even his weakest subordinates should be strong

Victor was currently badly

be able to defeat one

and burly men that could

Victor was at a disadvantage from the

punched Victor right in his

as he was hit, Victor staggered and

hit repeatedly, his strength left him, and

being broken scattered all

Victor’s face

stand, not ready to give

get back on his feet, he

still able to subconsciously use his arm

hit again, Victor spat out a mouthful of blood, and a

Victor’s vision became

fix his eyes on the rope, which was only

didn’t matter how many

was put out and the rope was

trouble, so he

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

the ground

awakened when he felt

to open his eyes, but his vision was

there on the ground, watching

wonder if

fully recovered yet, so he thought that

pain that pierced every inch of his body made Victor realize that he

Victor wanted to stand up, but he couldn’t

hands a little bit,

his head to look at the river, only

was no

"Ahem!"

spurting

he grabbed unto the soil and opened his eyes as wide

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

waited for

he didn’t even know how much time passed

he never found the person he

the

the excruciating pain

lost

up again,

subordinates found him near

to rescue him lasted for two days and two

it was found out that Victor

knee were shattered, his chest and lungs were inflamed,

first thing Victor did after he woke up was ask Carolyn to send people to

an oxygen

not completely out of danger yet, but all he cared

but she could sense that she

didn’t dare delay to send people to search for

search lasted for seven days,

and there was still no

a crumpled playing card that got wet from the

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

later,

did after fully recovering was buy a

the King of Hearts card in a box and buried

the marble tombstone aside

wasn’t even Shelia’s name

Karl was on a business trip, he suffered a

still tried to rush him to the hospital, but he was declared dead on

was also in that year that Carolyn sent Victor

two more years, he finished his studies and finally

companies under the control of

the sales of these companies from

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

At this time, Roger entered the ward

sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a bowl

can’t eat

had been eating porridge for about

stand the smell

choice but to put the bowl

it again when you

out, not intending

Roger standing at the door, so he politely greeted,

the past half a month, Roger came to the hospital to visit Joey from time

gradually

Roger would bring some snacks when he

could

only eat

Rachel turned around and was surprised to

say that you

here, he would send Rachel a message in advance to ask her if she wanted to eat something or

say no every time, he would still insist on getting her

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

could still visit, it would probably be

I

moment before finally saying, "But I

furrowed her brows in

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

Circles The operation done to Victor lasted for

operating room opened and closed for several times as doctors went

couldn’t do anything but

the operation began,

that the

was saved, but he

wheeled to

not until two days ago that his vital

to be transferred to

was still in a

field to check

wasn’t what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

old wounds had healed, they still had

his new injuries just made

said that only a miracle could

least tell us when he

in a gloomy

can’t

help but frown as he

blunt, please

never wake up? Is

say this, it was obvious that this was what

a hundred percent, but there was a huge chance

and Lukas, Rachel was the first

that Rachel had

outside Joey’s

and there were

tell Rachel about this

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

had already prepared herself

Carson was

when she became this mentally

had been in a coma for about

have been even

the operating room for

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

You can’t smoke here."

regained his senses, Carson put out the

indifferent expression, he didn’t bother

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

"Joey? He’s fine.

doctor checked him up yesterday and said that he has

it’s expected that his plaster will be removed ahead

peeped through the glass panel on

saw Joey sleeping soundly

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

then, I’m leaving

around

that he really just visited to tell Rachel

that, he had nothing else

an eye,

of Victor’s

Joey’s ward

the same time, Carson didn’t show his face to her

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

Roger broke the news that Victor had miraculously

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

long time without being

was still judging Roger’s expression

to go upstairs and see

This time, Rachel pressed her lips

her sleeve and pulled her back from her

I want

Joey, pleading in a

failed to hide the fact that Victor was in a

the hospital,

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

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

say anything, nor did he

he just smiled

They say bad people live long

don’t have to worry too much

bright eyes, she felt a

moments, she

"Yes, of course."

following two weeks, Joey had a good rest in the

mention Victor, as if there

knew that Joey would actually wake up in the middle of the night from time to time and look at the ceiling with his eyes

all inside him, but Rachel was aware that

"Okay…"

heart softened, and she

ward was in the second inpatient

healed yet, it was inconvenient for him to walk all

Rachel simply let him sit in

wheelchair for him, and the three of

enough, they reached the

the floor of the ward where

only one patient at this time, Carson

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

scene, Carson knew that he would have been

the first time I’ve

What brings you here?"

document he was holding aside and

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking

like someone who will be beaten easily?

those dark circles around

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at Joey’s

his phone, opened its front camera, and looked at his

realized that Joey was

and his eye bags were so big that

this was only to

a good sleep for half a

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

"Ha-ha!"

but laugh after seeing the upset look

innocent laughter, Carson realized that he was fooled by

stepped forward

"You, brat.

your

and retorted, "Huh? Who said that you are my godfather?

have no opinion regarding

father and I

We are best friends.

one who

how I

his arms in

even if you don’t want it,

to pull Carson’s hand away using his uninjured hand and said, "Humph! If I don’t want to admit it, no one can

tongue as he

"I also didn’t expect that I would

said, it’s a fact that

you’d better change your

anything more, but he stuck out his

the corner of his eye,

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

that

came here with Rachel and Joey

Roger explained.

didn’t plan to lose his composure just because of

"Oh, I see."

room and said,

He is resting inside.

see him."Chapter 466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward Carson pointed at,

knew what was going

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

walked towards the

her, pushing

were placed over

was lost in thoughts for

he was about to sav

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

and looked at the little

was not standing very

him

raised his eyebrows as if

after taking a quick glance at him, Joey turned his

to use

what Joey was

I take you

"No!"

a very decisive

a serious look

I am

a bathroom in Joey’s ward, so it wasn’t a

moment, they were no

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

words,

then her gaze fell on

bother the former, Carson soon observed

him to

to pay any attention to Rachel’s

took out his phone and turned around as if nothing had

Joey a thumbs up

he

I have read the plan you sent

headed towards the

very good

screen lit up while he was still holding

saw what just happened clearly and understood that it was all

"It’s okay.

will take

He is actually right.

him to be taken to the bathroom by

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

he heard those

have been closer to him than

few days, they got along

them were always

to her,

look of things,

knew that it

from thinking about the night Rachel was standing outside the operating

Joey

time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

a quick glance at the phone

through with the

"What?"

took a

appeared on

I am

with no choice! My subordinates are too bad

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

a fake smile

not very

he had pretended to answer the call only moments ago,

his nose and coughed to ease the

want

to look through the glass panel on

was

the living room could be seen, and it was

the door

lie in the bed for

half

came from

a stable condition now,

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted Carson’s

stopped and saw a man in a suit coming

He looked dejected.

was a document in his

Carson as soon as he came

stunned at first,

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung around the

It was quite noticeable.

Group and the director of the

about

expression that the project plan

Her attention was drawn

what really

She turned to Carson.

her, she raised

"Well, this is Troy.

a member of the Sullivan Group’s project

meant

at a loss

were so many surnames in the

had to choose

recognized who

and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

head

forehead was covered with

of his life! Nonetheless,

Bennet, I’m going back to

waved his hand and said, "Very

do

out of sight in

looked at

was sitting against the

seem as

well and

door

leaned against the door

follow

reading some document when he heard

he didn’t raise his head

cast her gaze on

was in

his face was pale despite the fact

and looked rather

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

entranced that she walked towards the bed

to go out,

Victor heard the footsteps, his

looked up at the person

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

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

it

"The dance is over.

to let

I reminded him.

still loosened his grip on my

a few steps back to distance myself

for some reason, I could still feel the warmth of his touch on my

and i felt

my heart was

a moment, it felt like

the happiest time of my

reminisced, I knew that those days were long gone and I

feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached

from behind me and began chatting with the guests with a

and taking a sip

to

this time, Elena

for you on the second

you like to go upstairs and

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you get

mysterious smile appeared on

I followed her to the deck on

there, I saw that there were bright red rose petals scattered

numerous balloons around the

eyes widened

must say, this whole

I had

came to mind was Charles, but

on my lips, and

never spent this much effort on me, and yet I still

this birthday surprise soon

stood on the second floor, I stared

tranquil, and yet my

sea breeze,

a fireworks display lit up the sky, forming

the fireworks shot up to the sky, a deafening

like

the noise, I

squatted on the ground and curled

trembling uncontrollably, and i felt like my blood was

the abandoned warehouse kept flashing through

was out of breath I felt so dizzy that

a pair of strong arms

I’m here."

from above me, making me feel so

It was Charles.

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

don’t have to be scared ever