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 last met-too

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her teeth

thought

eggs! I forgot

broke free from Ethan’s embrace and ran

Ethan followed behind her.

who was extremely flustered, and

I told you to keep an eye

to the side while he cleaned up

stood in the corner, restlessly watching Ethan clean up after

"I’m sorry.

so I

Ethan had guessed this.

washed hands, he raised his eyes to look

"It’s my fault.

give you enough

out his arms and

face against his

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

you and I just

a huge grudge

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

wiped off the sweat collecting on her forehead in a casual manner, flipped the meat over, and went on to

want to tell me,

just being a little

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

feeling that Shelia didn’t mean him

crushed some fruits and poured the juice

definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

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

some more for

take the meat, Shelia smiled as if

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

can rest assured and

right then,

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

thought that Victor had gotten

his injuries, she knew she

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead

look away

roast the

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

a bite out of the

for some time, she furrowed her brows and stuck out her

really hard

not

I gave you just now must be the

you tell me? You even finished

say a word and only continued to roast the

aside, Shelia turned around and spotted Victor’s

smiling? Van, you did

smiling?’ Victor never even

and gently

me to roast the meat for

gone a long

and get some

not tired

just sit

hands propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded

Victor roasting the meat so skillfully, she blinked her eyes and said, "Van, you’re good at cooking meat, aren’t you? Did you learn this skill all

learned how to survive in

in a

"Survive in the wildness?"

first time that Shelia had ever heard of such

did you go out of your way to

some fruits and poured the juice over

used a knife to

what Shelia

a while, he said, "I

knew the

learned that because he wanted to be prepared

ner protection, Victor

he would at least have a

"Alright."

to focus her gaze on

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

stretched out a hand to

was startled and turned to look at Victor with a

Victor looked straight into Shelia’s eyes, he

and explained,

"Is that so?"

to rub her nose with the

about now? Is

"No,"

glancing over

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

else did you learn other than roasting meat? I want to learn

Can you teach me?"

do you want to

"In order to survive."

naturally.Chapter 462 Come

shelia said casually.

felt sad

flipped? It’s on the

Shelia pointed out.

a small burn on the meat’s

was still thinking

.

about whether or not

all, Shelia’s

the other hand, didn’t seem to take it

asked, "Will you please

"Hmm,"

after

"Is that a yes?"

eyes glowed, and she broke into

dimples, meanwhile, became

Victor nodded, "Okay."

grinned broadly as she said,

ever encountered, except

"Orphanage?"

That’s where

taken over and the old woman

eyes clouded as

elderly woman was

she prepared great meals and gave me

is an orphan…’

needed to look after you since the orphanage

you leave with

looked up at Victor and

Shelia had known for

okay with you being outdoors on your

her head, Shelia said,

to visit

whereabouts remain unknown to them, and I

dingy ground, Shelia lay

sunshine that had been scattered

her hands behind her head, her lips

with disappointment as she gazed up at

to

you

are people guarding the

me if I

no idea that I have a name

name when I meet her again in

said, blinking

black eyes remained fixed on Shelia and he said

Van, it would be

soft spot in

said that I was a lovely

didn’t seem appropriate to use this term to describe a

Victor concluded that the

description of her features, particularly her

responsible for your upbringing, how come you got your name so

unable to communicate since she was deaf, mute, and

to

a poker card was in

from her pocket as if it were a treasure and presented it

kid was

and let us take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella erupted into laughter,

stared at the card–the King of

Did I get the best

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

and said, "I am the only one

toasting

gave her the meat after he re-applied the

set to

Eat, please."

came from her gut just after

put her hand to her stomach and ate the meat with

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

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after

her feet, she said,

rise when Shelia abruptly extended

"Come on, get up."

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

a dart

of time as

sun had cooled down

down on

we’ll have to

get out before

drank some

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

incoherently, "I’m sure

Let’s move forward."

still have

"Like never before…"

nodded and continued to

her forward motion, she murmured,

you return, be sure to

his gaze to the side of

mud after a day and a night

What’s your

"Plan?"

slow

your plans once we leave the

want to continue my travels and explore

go to the police station when I can no longer

with

"Shelia."

have made up his mind after staring at Shelia for a long

"What’s the problem?"

come with me after we get out

will like you, I will defend you if

can count on

to come with

right with you? If you don’t want

was concerned that Shelia might

while before asking, "Are you joking

"No, I’m not.

to treat you

Victor convinced her.

nodded and smiled at Victor,

we get out

"Sure."

from the woods, though, everything

The sun started to disappear below the horizon, basking the forest in a

light glimmered on the bodies of

since high noon and

when they saw

out

villagers if we walk a

We can…"

Shelia could finish her sentence, she saw Victor stop

She was confused.

at Victor, wanting to

"Van?"

didn’t expect you to

voice came, Shelia looked for the source of the

saw three cars that were parked not

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

away that they were

to shield Victor, who in

eyes off Norton,

said, "Run into

even when it gets

way out of the forest, I put marks all

these marks and you can get back

"And then?"

asked, her

looked straight into

"Walk along this road.

borrow a mobile phone from

didn’t

a game with Victor by throwing

felt that if he couldn’t escape this predicament, Shelia shouldn’t

back to see his grandmother, and treat her

that Victor could not fulfill the promise he made in the

wrote a phone

you get hold of

he whispered.

my

she will pick you up wherever

just looked down at

didn’t respond, Victor looked at

"No."

her

were a little

don’t want to remember the number,

a

Victor frowned.

so anxious that he coughed violently as

and clenched her

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

hear what Victor and Shelia were talking about, he could tell that they were reluctant to leave

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

other! I’m

tensed up when

pulled

and keeping himself standing steadily was taxing

hard for him to

deliberately walked up to them

Shelia

with them, Norton pulled

for Victor to

"Let her go!"

firm grip

in hearing vexation in Victor’s

know you

said as he wiped the mud on Shelia’s face with his

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

tracks when something silver

a knife that Norton pressed

out a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

a contemptuous tone and gave Victor a mocking

felt that he

clenched his fist and

you want is my

has nothing to

So, let her go!"

This

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want to

she comes from but

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

red eyes,

knife pressed against her neck, all Shelia could do was

was tensed

saw Victor spat out blood

that all you can

his mocking smile plastered

his eyes narrowed in anger when

did you

you

Shelia swallowed.

feel a sense of accomplishment by threatening two

in you to do what you intend to

So, cut the crap.

to kill

"Shelia…"

tried to

that she

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

Norton was indeed angry.

voice in check as he talked

Looks like you really want to

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

men and instructed them, "Tie her

asked anxiously, "What are you going to

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared

men did as they were

bound, Shelia was taken to one of

was made to ride

where Norton was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor Woke Up "Ahem!

was flowing

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

blue veins on his

teeth and

of the gushing water,

Victor

the moment she opened her mouth, she was choked

her eyes

the exasperated expression on Victor’s face,

might be strong but he was useless in this kind

making me

good man? Why the hell should I obey

cunning smile, Norton approached the rope,

save her so much, I will give you a

good in me, huh?

just glare

do whatever it took

was in the middle of the river, Norton squinted

two men behind him appeared

stood up and looked at Victor with a wry

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

are the weakest among

only killed two people, and the one

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

had been holding Victor’s arms let go of him

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

two before

goodbye

afraid that you

at the flickering flame, Victor didn’t care about anything

quickly rushed up and

a mercenary and the most popular leader the

his weakest subordinates

was

be able to defeat one of

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

was at a disadvantage from the very

the two men punched Victor right in his abdomen one

as he was hit, Victor staggered and

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

scattered all over his body,

Victor’s face looked

still tried to stand, not ready to give

back on his

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

was hit again, Victor spat out a

this point, Victor’s vision became

on the rope,

matter how

out and

got her into this trouble, so he was willing to do anything

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

he fell back to the ground and

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

open his eyes, but

lay there on the ground, watching

couldn’t help but wonder if he was still

yet, so

the sharp pain that pierced every inch of his body made

up, but he couldn’t move even

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

look at the river, only to find that there was nothing

no trace of

"Ahem!"

coughed violently, spurting out

grabbed unto the soil and opened his eyes as

at the river expectantly, as if he was waiting

waited for a long

even know how much time

he never found the person he

head from the river or come out

pain he was experiencing, Victor couldn’t

lost

Victor woke up again, he was

found him near

him lasted for

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

shattered, his chest and lungs were inflamed,

up was ask Carolyn to

was still wearing an oxygen mask and

not completely out of danger

she could sense that she must be a very important person due to his concern for

didn’t dare delay to send people to search for Shelia along

seven days, but Shelia couldn’t be

and there was

to give Victor was a crumpled playing card that got

mostly covered with mud, but one could easily

later, Victor

after fully recovering was

King of Hearts card in a

was nothing on the marble

Shelia’s name on

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

him to the hospital,

in that year that Carolyn sent Victor

he finished his

several small companies under

these companies from a very low level to one

outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed over the Sullivan

At this time, Roger entered the ward where

edge of the bed, holding a bowl of

eat

porridge for about half a

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

no choice

"Eat it

out, not intending

at the door,

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

gradually got acquainted with

was that Roger would bring some snacks when

much, he could at

could only eat them

around and

say that you wouldn’t come

message in advance to ask her if she wanted to eat something or if she needed

time, he would still

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

visit, it would

initially, I couldn’t

Roger hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "But I got

Rachel furrowed her

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

The operation done to Victor lasted for more than 70

and closed for several

but

since the operation began,

indicated that the

life was saved, but he wasn’t completely out

he was wheeled to

not until two days ago that his

be transferred to the

he was still in a

invited an expert in the field to

it wasn’t what he

Victor sustained serious injuries.

healed, they still

injuries just

said that only a miracle could

you at least tell us

asked in a gloomy

I can’t say that

help but frown as he made things

blunt, please consider preparing for

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

say this, it was obvious that this was

hundred percent, but there was a huge chance

Rachel was the

that Rachel had the right

wall outside Joey’s ward, holding a

disoriented, and there were dark circles round his

down to tell Rachel about this

the tragic news, her face didn’t

already prepared herself for

Carson was a bit

when she

a coma for about half a

might have been

there outside the operating room for 70 hours before the indication light turned

glanced at the cigarette in Carson’s hand and reminded him

You can’t smoke here."

his senses,

bother continue discussing about

asked, "Anyway,

"Joey? He’s fine.

up yesterday and said that he

it’s expected that his plaster will be removed ahead

through

Joey sleeping soundly

for a bit and said,

then, I’m leaving

around and left without looking

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

that, he had nothing

eye, two days

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

just stayed in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four

the same time, Carson didn’t show his face

an expert, she was

now, Roger broke the news that Victor

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

time without being able to speak a

still judging Roger’s

Do you want to

This time, Rachel pressed her

nowhere, someone gently pulled her sleeve

I want to see

Joey, pleading in a

hide the fact that Victor was in a coma

up in the hospital, he

absent-minded and Victor hadn’t come up

out the truth, Rachel didn’t

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

just smiled and

say bad people live long

we don’t have to worry too

Joey’s bright eyes, she felt a lump in her

a few moments, she

"Yes, of course."

weeks, Joey had a good

as if there

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

was a brave kid for keeping it all inside him,

"Okay…"

heart softened, and she

in the second inpatient

yet, it was inconvenient for him to walk

him sit in a

and the three of them went to

enough, they

stopped at the floor of the ward

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

furrowed his brows and eventually saw three people approaching like

scene, Carson knew that he would have been very

first time

What brings you here?"

set the document he was holding aside and raised his

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his innocent

who will be beaten

did those dark circles around your eyes come

"Dark circles?"

almost choked

up his phone, opened its front camera, and looked

realized that

looked totally haggard, and his eye bags were so

of course, this was only to be

hadn’t have a good

originally a handsome young man, but even he

"Ha-ha!"

couldn’t help but laugh after seeing the

laughter, Carson realized that he was fooled by this

forward and pinched Joey’s face

"You, brat.

you tease your godfather? You

a sharp pain on his face and retorted, "Huh? Who said that you are

no opinion regarding

and I

We are best friends.

one who

how I

eyebrows and crossed his

even if you don’t want

and said, "Humph! If I don’t want to

clicked his tongue as he withdrew

also

it’s a fact that you

you’d better change your

he stuck

the corner of his eye, Carson recognized Roger

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

I heard that Mr.Sullivan has

with Rachel

Roger explained.

to lose his composure just because of

"Oh, I see."

the room and said,

He is resting inside.

and see him."Chapter 466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at

knew what was going through her

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked towards

followed her, pushing Joey’s

arms were placed over

was lost in thoughts for

he was about to

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

and looked at

not standing

a result, Joey could see him from

if he was giving

taking a quick glance at him, Joey turned his

to use the

overheard what Joey was

about I take you

"No!"

a very decisive

a serious

I am a

ward, so it wasn’t a problem for

were no longer in the

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

Joey’s words, Rachel looked at both

was Roger, then her

want to bother the former, Carson soon

wanted him to take Joey

and refused to pay any attention

phone and

a thumbs up without

pretended like he was

I have read the plan you sent

he headed towards

wasn’t very good

lit up while he was still

no call at all! Rachel saw what just happened

"It’s okay.

take

He is actually right.

boy like him to be taken to the

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

he heard those

have

few days, they

always in one

reasons best known to her, she still alienated

of things, Rachel

it

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

Joey headed towards

time, Carson came

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

glance at the

you through with

"What?"

sight and took a

a smile appeared

I am

with no choice! My subordinates are

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake smile on her

not very good

had pretended to answer the call only moments ago, the smile

his nose and coughed to ease the awkwardness of the

you want

order to look through the glass panel

was a

living

Rachel pushed the door

said Victor would lie in the bed for two

has to undergo half a

voice came from

is in a stable

"Get out of here!"

interrupted Carson’s

stopped and saw a man in a suit coming out of

He looked dejected.

document

ran into Rachel and Carson as soon as he

was stunned at first,

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung around the man’s

It was quite noticeable.

an employee of the Sullivan Group and the director of the

need asking about what just happened

that the project plan had been denied

been driven out! Her attention was drawn to the

what really

She turned to Carson.

back at her, she

"Well, this is Troy.

works as a member of the Sullivan Group’s

exactly what she meant by just looking at her

a

so many surnames

had to choose

recognized who Rachel

and

"Miss Bennet."

her head

was covered

Nonetheless, he was still

I’m going back to the

waved his hand and said,

should do that

Troy went out of sight

at the

see that Victor was sitting against the head of

as bad

and can

the door and pushed it

against the door

didn’t follow

some document when he heard

didn’t raise his head and say

cast her gaze on

was in a hospital

his face was pale despite the fact that he lowered

and

for more than seventy

entranced that she walked towards the bed

to go

the footsteps,

looked up at the person who was walking

cold and stiff tone, he said softly, "Rachel,

after we

around, I figured it wouldn’t bode well if

"The dance is over.

time to let

I reminded him.

still loosened his

took a few steps back to distance myself

reason, I could still feel the warmth of his touch

blushed and i felt rather

heart

a moment, it felt like

were the

as I reminisced, I knew that those days were long

down, feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

guests suddenly approached me

began chatting with the guests with

said, raising my glass and taking a sip of

had a few to drink and

Elena

for you

upstairs and take

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when you get

mysterious smile appeared on

followed her to the deck

there were bright red rose petals scattered across the

were also numerous

eyes widened in

say, this whole scene

birthday surprise?’ I had no

person that came to mind was Charles, but I quickly cast aside

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

effort on me, and yet I still couldn’t forget

this birthday surprise

stared at the night scene around me in

and

cold sea breeze, I felt even

display lit up the sky, forming the words "Marry

up to the sky, a deafening

like

the noise, I covered my ears

the

body began trembling uncontrollably, and i felt

horrible incident at the abandoned warehouse kept

out of breath I felt so

having a panic attack, a pair of strong arms held me tightly "There’s

I’m here."

from above me, making me

It was Charles.

from my eyes, Gently, he brushed

don’t have to be scared