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

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her teeth

a thought occurred to

eggs! I forgot all

broke free from Ethan’s embrace and ran to the

Ethan followed behind her.

extremely flustered, and he couldn’t help

silly girl! I told you to keep an eye

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

in the corner, restlessly watching Ethan clean up

"I’m sorry.

to Charis, so I rushed to you

Ethan had guessed this.

hands, he raised his

"It’s my fault.

give you enough sense of

he spread out his arms and said gently, "Come

face against his chest,

from Patrick, she

you and I just got

a huge grudge

In Order To Survive Shelia

forehead in a casual manner, flipped the meat over, and went on

if you really don’t want to tell me, then

just being a little

at her, Victor said nothing, and silently retracted the

feeling that Shelia didn’t mean him

fruits and poured the

definitely could be

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

holding out in her

roast some more

take the meat, Shelia smiled as

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

rest assured and

right then, watching

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

had thought that Victor had

she knew she was wrong and he was on guard

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead

to look away

the rest for

help, Shelia nodded and said, "Okay, it’s perfectly fine if you don’t

took a bite out of the

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

really hard to

not

I gave you just now must be

tell me? You

say a

turned around and spotted

are you smiling? Van, you did

never

hand and gently touched the corner of

roast

gone a long

and get

not tired

just sit right

hands propped 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?

learned how to survive in the

in

"Survive in the wildness?"

the very first time that Shelia

of your way to

also crushed some fruits and poured the juice

knife to slice the

he heard what Shelia asked, his eyes

said,

Victor knew the reason

to be prepared in case

time that even under ner

would at least have a better chance to survive

"Alright."

to focus her

of Shelia’s profile and the

stretched out a hand to wipe off the

was startled and turned to look at Victor with a blank

Shelia’s eyes, he started to feel

and explained, "Your nose has dirt

"Is that so?"

ahead to rub her nose with

about now?

"No,"

said, glancing over

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

learn other than roasting meat? I

Can you teach me?"

do you want to

"In order to survive."

out of Shelia’s mouth very naturally.Chapter

shelia said casually.

Victor felt sad upon hearing

to be flipped? It’s on the verge of being

Shelia pointed out.

saw a small burn on the meat’s exposed

he was still thinking

.

had second thoughts about whether or not

all,

on the other hand, didn’t seem to take

asked, "Will you please

"Hmm,"

after

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she

meanwhile, became much

Victor nodded, "Okay."

she said,

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

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I

years ago, the orphanage was taken over and

clouded as she

woman was a wonderful

I was younger, she prepared great meals and gave me a

an orphan…’ Victor pursed

after you

you leave with

Victor and answered,

was the only home Shelia had known for so

okay with you

her head, Shelia

I was desperate to visit her

unknown to them, and I don’t intend to

spite of the dingy ground,

shards of sunshine that had been scattered by the trees and

behind her

sighed with disappointment as she

want to visit

you from doing

are people

me if I

had no idea that I have a name

my name when I meet her

blinking her

black eyes remained fixed on Shelia

had the chance to see you, Van, it would be

a soft spot in her heart for

said that I was

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

Shelia, Victor concluded that the

an apt description of

"Since she was responsible for your upbringing, how come

unable to communicate since she

never referred to

a poker card was in

as if it were a treasure and presented it

the orphanage, each kid was

us take them as we pleased, but we were naughty,’ shella erupted into laughter, which was

stared at the card–the King

Did I get the best

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

and said, "I am the

toasting as they

her the meat after he re-applied

all set to

Eat, please."

came from her gut just after his words

embarrassed, so she put her hand to her stomach and

than the meat i made myself! Van,

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after a

she rose to her feet, she said,

rise when Shelia

"Come on, get up."

aback, and after a little pause,

way, Shelia used a

track of

had

on a

not sure how far we’ll have to travel

get out

some water

walking, and he was coughing

"I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

still have

"Like never before…"

continued to

her forward motion, she murmured,

you return, be

gaze to the side

in mud after a day and a

you? What’s your

"Plan?"

was slow

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

I want to continue my travels and

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

answered with

"Shelia."

have made up his mind after staring at Shelia

"What’s the problem?"

after we

like you, I will

count on

want me to come

with you? If you don’t want to, it

that

paused for a while before asking, "Are you

"No, I’m not.

you the best

Victor convinced her.

smiled at Victor,

we get

"Sure."

moment they emerged from the woods, though, everything

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

glimmered on the

high noon and now, the sun was

tiredness was assuaged when they saw a

out of the

local villagers if

We can…"

her sentence, she saw Victor stop

She was confused.

at Victor, wanting to know why

"Van?"

didn’t expect you to come out

Shelia looked for the

that were

stood at the front, looking at them intently

away that they were Victor’s

who in turn stood protectively in front of

eyes off Norton, watching his every

only Shelia could hear, Victor said, "Run into the forest when

get lost even when it gets

our way out of the forest, I put marks all

marks and you can get back

"And then?"

her eyebrows

looked straight into

"Walk along this road.

meet villagers, borrow a mobile phone from

that Norton didn’t intend to

with Victor by throwing him into the

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

promised to give Shelia a family, bring her back to see his grandmother, and treat her as

Victor could not fulfill the promise he made in

Victor wrote a phone number on her palm with his

you get hold of

he whispered.

my

and she will pick you up

down at her

respond, Victor looked at her

"No."

her

were a little

want to remember the

be a good

Victor frowned.

was so anxious that he coughed violently as soon as he finished

and clenched

to spread her palm and let

talking about, he could tell that they were reluctant

he said, "Tut, tut, tut, this is

each other! I’m so moved

when saw

intuitively pulled Sheila

keeping himself standing steadily was taxing for

would be hard for him to fight off

walked up

and Shelia stepped

Norton pulled Shelia towards

for Victor to stop

"Let her go!"

a firm grip on

satisfaction in hearing vexation in Victor’s

you look

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

would all the more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor

in his tracks when something silver flashed through

was a knife that

a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

in a contemptuous tone and gave Victor a mocking smile,

that he had difficulty in

clenched his fist and tried to

want is

nothing to do with

So, let her go!"

wow! This is so

Norton curled his lips.

don’t want to let her

comes from but I find your reaction

die alone? I can do something about that

red eyes, Victor breathed

the tip of the knife pressed against her

body was

blood

you can do?

kept his mocking smile

eyes narrowed in anger when

did you

you are a

Shelia swallowed.

a sense of

you don’t have in you to do

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill me,

"Shelia…"

desperately tried to

knew that she was provoking

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

Norton was indeed angry.

but he kept his voice in

you really want

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help you

Norton said, laughing derisively.

his men and instructed them, "Tie

anxiously, "What

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared at

men did as they

bound, Shelia was

to ride a

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

river was flowing

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

fists, and the blue veins on his neck

gritted his teeth and yelled,

her eyes because of the gushing water, Shelia

Victor to

moment she opened her mouth,

her eyes became

at the exasperated expression on Victor’s face, Norton scoffed

Victor might be strong but

making me

you think that I’m a good man? Why the

approached the rope, squatted down, and blew the

to save her so much, I will

me, huh? What do

just

would do whatever it took to save

middle of the river, Norton squinted his eyes and snapped

appeared and stood between

and looked at Victor with a

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the weakest

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

continued, "You want

two men who had been holding Victor’s arms let go of him and

playing with the knife in his hand, Norton touched its tip with his

before

can say goodbye to

she’s washed away, I’m afraid

Victor didn’t care about

quickly rushed up

most popular

even his weakest subordinates should be

was currently

peak state, he might not even be able

and burly men that could easily flip

was at

rushed over to them, the two men punched Victor right in his abdomen one after another, and hit

As soon as he was hit, Victor staggered

was hit repeatedly, his strength left him, and

pain of his bones being broken scattered all over his body, making him feel

this time, Victor’s face looked

still tried to stand, not

he could even get back on

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

out a mouthful of blood,

Victor’s

to fix his eyes on the rope, which was only a few steps

didn’t matter how many injuries

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

so he was willing to do anything

his mind wanted to go on, his body

to the ground

it raining?’ After some time, Victor was somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling

open his eyes, but his

the ground,

help but wonder if he was still

so he thought that he might

inch of his body made Victor realize that

to stand up, but he

a little bit, grabbing the mud under his hands

the river,

no trace of

"Ahem!"

spurting out

unto the soil and opened his eyes as wide as

expectantly, as if he was waiting for something

waited for

didn’t even know how

the person he

head from the river or come out

and the excruciating pain he was experiencing, Victor couldn’t keep himself

he lost consciousness

again,

him near the

lasted for two

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

lungs were inflamed, and the critically ill notice was issued six

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

wearing an oxygen

not completely out of danger yet,

she must be a very important person

to send people to search for

search lasted for seven days, but

passed and there was still no

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

covered with mud, but one could easily

later, Victor completely

did after fully recovering was buy

put the King of Hearts card in a box and buried

nothing on the marble

even Shelia’s name

was on a

to the hospital,

also in that

years, he finished his

small companies under the control of the

companies from a very low level to one of the top in the

prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually

Roger entered the ward where Rachel

bed, holding

eat

been eating porridge for about

he couldn’t even stand the smell of

and had no choice but to put the

"Eat it again when you

his tongue out, not

the

the past half a month, Roger came to the

kid gradually got

Joey liked about him was that Roger would bring some snacks when he

couldn’t eat too much, he could at least taste something

could only eat

around and

that you

here, he would send Rachel a message in advance to ask her if she

would say no every time, he

Roger asked, he said that he had an important project meeting

he could still visit, it

initially, I couldn’t

a moment

response, Rachel furrowed her brows in

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

to Victor lasted for more than 70

closed for several times

but wait outside until the

since the operation began, the indicator light outside the room was turned

indicated that the surgery was successfully

was saved, but he

was wheeled

days ago that his vital signs became

be

still in a

to check Victor’s condition and

it wasn’t what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

healed, they still had an

his new injuries just

the end, he said that only a miracle could

least tell us

asked in a gloomy

afraid I can’t say

help but frown as he made

blunt, please consider

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

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

there was a huge chance that this was it

and Lukas, Rachel was the first

Carson deemed that Rachel had the

outside Joey’s ward, holding a cigarette

disoriented, and there were

just went down to tell Rachel about this

tragic news, her face didn’t show

had already prepared herself

was

she became

it was when Victor had been in a coma for about half a

have been

there outside the operating room for 70 hours

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

You can’t smoke here."

regained his senses, Carson put

expression, he didn’t bother continue discussing about Victor’s grim

and asked, "Anyway, how is the

"Joey? He’s fine.

checked him up yesterday and said that he has

expected that his plaster will be removed ahead of the initial

and peeped through the glass panel on

Joey sleeping soundly in

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

then, I’m

that, Carson turned around and

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

that, he had nothing else to

blink of an eye, two days eventually passed

Victor’s condition, Rachel didn’t intend

Joey’s ward almost twenty-four

Carson didn’t

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

the news that Victor had miraculously woke up from

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

Roger for a long time without being able to

was still judging Roger’s expression if he was saying the

you want to go upstairs and

slowly This time, Rachel pressed

pulled her sleeve and pulled her back from her deep

want to see

was Joey, pleading in

the fact that Victor was in a

up in the hospital,

always been absent-minded and

Joey finally found out the truth, Rachel didn’t

did he pester Rachel to go

smiled and made

daddy bad? They say

have to worry too much about

Joey’s bright eyes, she

few moments, she mustered her

"Yes, of course."

two weeks, Joey had a good

Victor, as if there was nothing wrong going

the middle of the night from time to time and look at the ceiling with his eyes wide

brave kid for keeping it all inside him, but

"Okay…"

heart softened, and she

in the second

yet, it was inconvenient

simply let him sit in

wheelchair for him, and the three of them

enough, they reached the

finally stopped at the floor of

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

he furrowed his brows and

Victor had seen this scene, Carson

time I’ve seen you up

What brings you here?"

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

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking his

like someone who will be beaten easily? Ha! I’m the one who beats

did those dark circles around

"Dark circles?"

choked at

he picked up his phone, opened its front camera, and

that Joey

bags were so big that it seemed

was only

good

handsome young man, but

"Ha-ha!"

but laugh after seeing the upset look

innocent laughter, Carson realized that he was fooled

his head, Carson stepped forward and pinched

"You, brat.

dare you tease your godfather? You have

face and retorted, "Huh? Who said that

have no opinion

father and I

We are best friends.

the one who

I became

his eyebrows and crossed his arms in front of his

for you, even if you don’t want it, that

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

he withdrew his

voice, "I also didn’t expect

it’s a fact that you can’t

better change your

anything more, but he stuck out his

the corner of his eye, Carson

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

heard that

I came here with Rachel and Joey to

Roger explained.

his composure just because of Carson’s

"Oh, I see."

pointed at the room and said, "His

He is resting inside.

Cooperation Rachel looked at

was going through

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

walked towards

followed her,

arms were placed over his

in thoughts

when he was about to sav something,

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked at the little

not standing

a result, Joey could see him from the corner

raised his eyebrows as if he was giving Carson a

taking a quick glance at him, Joey turned his gaze

need to

overheard what

about I

"No!"

in a very decisive

a serious

am a

bathroom in Joey’s ward, so it wasn’t a problem for Rachel to take him to

moment, they were

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

reaction to Joey’s words, Rachel looked at

Roger, then her

Carson soon observed that she was staring at

she wanted him to

and refused to pay any attention to Rachel’s

that, he took out his phone and turned around

managed to give Joey a

Carson pretended like he was answering the

the plan you sent

talking, he headed

wasn’t very good at

up while he was still holding it

call at all! Rachel saw what just happened clearly and understood that it was all

"It’s okay.

take Joey

He is actually right.

is very embarrassing for a boy like him to be taken

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

heard those words, they

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

few days, they got along really

were always in one another’s

reasons best known to her,

of things, Rachel still didn’t love

that it couldn’t

Rachel was standing outside the operating room where Victor

Joey headed towards the

time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

quick glance at the

through with the

"What?"

sight and took

smile appeared on his

I am through

left with no choice! My subordinates are too bad at

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake

very

Carson realized that Rachel knew that he had pretended to answer the

of his nose and coughed to ease the awkwardness of

want to go

order to look through

ward was a

view, only the living room

Rachel pushed the door open in no

said Victor would lie in

undergo half a

came from behind

a stable condition

"Get out of here!"

interrupted

saw a man in a suit coming out of

He looked dejected.

a document in

Rachel and Carson as

stunned at first, then his face

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung

It was quite noticeable.

Group and the director

need asking about what just

could tell from the man’s expression that the project plan had been denied

Her attention was drawn to the name on the

was what

She turned to Carson.

he looked back at her,

"Well, this is Troy.

of the Sullivan Group’s

exactly what she meant

was at a

so many surnames in the

he had to

recognized who

bowed and

"Miss Bennet."

nodded her head

was covered with

Victor had given him the scare of his life! Nonetheless, he was still holding

going back to

hand and said, "Very

should do

he heard what Carson said, Troy went out of sight

at the

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

seem as bad as

is well and can work

door

leaned against the

didn’t follow

document

his head and say

her

in a

tell that his face was pale despite the

and looked rather

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

she

you to go

the footsteps, his frown

at the person who was walking towards

his usual cold and stiff tone, he

Birthday Gift Caroline’s POV: Even after we finished

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

"The dance is over.

to let

I reminded him.

eyes, but he still loosened his grip

a few steps back to distance

some reason, I could still feel

blushed and

my heart

like I had returned

with him were the

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

looked down, feeling

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached

began

glass and taking a sip

knowing it, I’d had a few to drink

Elena came

waiting for you on the

go upstairs and take

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when

appeared on

to the deck

were bright red rose petals scattered across

were also numerous

eyes widened in

whole scene was picturesque

surprise?’ I had no

was Charles, but

it possibly be him?’ A bitter smile appeared on my

effort on

of receiving this

I stood on the second floor, I stared at the night

was tranquil, and yet my mind was

the cold sea breeze,

lit

up to the sky, a deafening sound resonated

sounded like a

the noise, I

squatted on the

body began trembling uncontrollably, and i felt like my blood

horrible incident at the abandoned warehouse

I felt so dizzy that I almost

I was having a panic attack, a pair of strong

I’m here."

from above me,

It was Charles.

my

don’t have to be scared