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.

a long time since they last

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her teeth

thought occurred to

I

broke free from Ethan’s embrace and

Ethan followed behind her.

extremely flustered, and he couldn’t

girl! I told you to keep

head, he gently pulled her to the side while he cleaned

Janet stood in the corner, restlessly watching

"I’m sorry.

Charis, so I

Ethan had guessed this.

freshly washed hands, he raised his eyes

"It’s my fault.

give you

saying that, he spread out his

her face

she

hates you and I just got him into

a huge

Order To Survive

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

don’t want to tell me,

just being a

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

that Shelia didn’t mean him

crushed some fruits and poured the juice over the

definitely could be

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

holding out in her hand and didn’t

some more

take the meat, Shelia smiled as

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

assured and eat it with

then,

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

that Victor

she was wrong

"I’m not very hungry.

go ahead

to look away and

the rest for

and said, "Okay, it’s perfectly fine

a bite

for some time, she furrowed her brows and

hard

was not cooked

I gave you just

tell me? You even finished

spit the meat out, Victor didn’t say a word and only continued to roast the

her meat aside, Shelia turned around and

you

never even realized that he

hand and gently touched the corner of his

roast the

gone

get some

tired

sit right

propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded to

the meat so skillfully, she blinked her eyes and said, "Van, you’re good

to

spoke in a

"Survive in the wildness?"

the very first time that Shelia had ever heard of such a

go out of

Victor also crushed some fruits and poured the

knife

Shelia

a while, he said, "I have

fact, Victor knew the

that because he wanted to

ahead of time that even under ner protection, Victor would find himself

skills so that he would at least have a better

"Alright."

to focus her gaze on

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

out a hand to

was startled and turned to look at

looked straight into Shelia’s eyes, he

retracted his hand, looked away, and

"Is that so?"

nose with the back

what about now? Is it still

"No,"

said, glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

you learn other than

Can you teach me?"

want to

"In order to survive."

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

shelia said casually.

Victor felt sad upon hearing

the meat ready to be flipped? It’s

Shelia pointed out.

burn on the

was still thinking about what she

.

whether or not to ask her

was, after all, Shelia’s own

didn’t seem

asked, "Will you please teach

"Hmm,"

after a

"Is that a yes?"

and she

two dimples, meanwhile, became

Victor nodded, "Okay."

as she said, "Thanks so much,

I’ve ever encountered, except for my

"Orphanage?"

That’s where I was

two years ago, the orphanage was taken over and the

clouded as she spoke about

elderly woman was a wonderful

great meals and

is an orphan…’ Victor pursed his

guardian was needed to look after you since the orphanage was taken

leave with the

looked up at Victor and

home Shelia

they okay with you being outdoors on your

head, Shelia said,

to visit her

unknown to them, and I don’t intend to

the dingy ground, Shelia lay

that had been scattered by the trees and fallen

placed her hands behind her head, her lips

as she gazed up

want to visit

keeps you from

are people guarding

me if I

idea that I

tell her my name when I

said, blinking her

fixed on Shelia

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

had a soft spot in her heart for adorable

I was a

to use this

Shelia, Victor concluded that

description of her features, particularly her

she was responsible for your upbringing, how come you

to communicate since she was deaf, mute, and

never referred to us

a poker card was in my

her pocket as if it were a treasure and

kid

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

stared at the card–the King of

I get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

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

meat was toasting

meat

set

Eat, please."

came from her gut just after his words

embarrassed, so she put her hand to her stomach

the meat i made myself! Van,

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

rejuvenated after a

rose to her feet, she said,

nodded and was ready to rise when Shelia

"Come on, get up."

pause, he took

used a dart to put marks on the

of time

had cooled

assisted Victor in sitting down on a stone and drank

how far we’ll have to travel

we can get out before

drank some water

exhausted after so much walking, and he was

said incoherently, "I’m sure

Let’s move forward."

still have

"Like never before…"

continued

forward motion, she murmured, "Van,

you return, be sure to eat

lowered his gaze to the

after a

What’s your

"Plan?"

was slow to

your plans once we leave the forest? Where will

travels and explore the

no longer walk and beg them

answered with

"Shelia."

his mind after staring at Shelia for a

"What’s the problem?"

with me after we get

will like you, I

can count

to come with

you? If you don’t want to,

concerned that Shelia might

paused for a while before asking, "Are you

"No, I’m not.

you the best I

Victor convinced her.

and smiled

get out of

"Sure."

they emerged from the

463 Let Her Go The sun started to disappear below the horizon, basking the forest in a pale red glow that passed through the

on the bodies of Victor and

noon

assuaged when they saw a relatively spacious country

we’re out

meet local villagers if we walk

We can…"

could finish her sentence, she saw Victor stop

She was confused.

wanting

"Van?"

expect you to come out

voice came, Shelia looked for the source

were

stood at the front, looking at them intently as

could feel right away

moved to shield Victor, who in turn stood protectively in front

eyes off

Victor said, "Run into the forest when I tell

get lost even when it

our way out of the forest, I put marks all

and you

"And then?"

asked, her

looked straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

villagers, borrow a mobile phone

that Norton didn’t intend to let

with Victor by throwing him into

escape this

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

that Victor could not fulfill the promise he made in

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

you get hold of a mobile

he whispered.

my grandmother’s

and she will pick you

down at

respond, Victor looked at

"No."

pulled her

eyes were a

remember the number, nor

a

Victor frowned.

so anxious that he coughed violently as soon as he finished

and clenched

her palm and let Victor write

hear what Victor and Shelia were talking about,

a condescending sneer, he said, "Tut, tut, tut, this

each other! I’m so

tensed up when saw Norton

pulled Sheila behind

injured and keeping himself standing steadily

be hard for him to fight off

walked up to them

Shelia stepped

them, Norton

was too fast for Victor to

"Let her go!"

a firm grip on

found satisfaction in hearing

know you look

wiped the mud on Shelia’s face with his

all the more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed over

in his tracks when

was a knife that Norton pressed against

spat out a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

and gave Victor a mocking

that he had difficulty

and tried

want

to do

So, let her go!"

wow! This

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want

from but I find your

to die alone? I can do

eyes, Victor

knife pressed against her neck, all

was tensed

spat out blood and beg for mercy, she

all you

kept his mocking smile

eyes narrowed in anger

did you just

said you

Shelia swallowed.

a sense of

you don’t have in you to

So, cut the crap.

kill me, then

"Shelia…"

tried to

knew that she was provoking

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

Norton was indeed angry.

voice in check as he talked to

you really

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help you

Norton said, laughing derisively.

men and instructed them, "Tie her

squinted his eyes and asked anxiously, "What are you going to

Norton didn’t answer.

just glared at

did as

feet bound, Shelia was taken to one of

to ride

his brain thinking about where Norton was

was flowing

over, it inundated Shelia, making her choke easily Victor saw how

into fists, and the blue

teeth and

because of the gushing water, Shelia had

actually wanted Victor

she opened her mouth, she was choked

her eyes became

at the exasperated expression on Victor’s face,

Victor might be strong but he was useless in this kind of

making me

that I’m a good man? Why the hell should

smile, Norton approached the rope,

of you wanting to save

me,

could just glare

whatever it

Shelia, who was in the middle of the river,

after, two men behind him appeared and stood between the rope and

slowly stood up and looked at Victor

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

are the weakest among

killed two people, and the one

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

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

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

these two before the

can say goodbye to your good

afraid that you won’t even find her

at the flickering flame, Victor didn’t care

so he quickly rushed up and

a mercenary and the most popular leader the

subordinates should be strong

was currently

his peak state, he might not even be able to defeat one

burly men that could easily flip Victor

doubt, Victor was at

the two men punched Victor right in his abdomen one after another, and hit his back

as he was hit, Victor staggered and struggled to

because he was hit repeatedly, his strength left him,

all over his body, making him

time, Victor’s face looked black

still tried to stand,

even get back on

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

spat out a mouthful of blood, and

point, Victor’s vision

to fix his eyes on the rope, which was only

matter how many injuries he

and the rope was grasped, Shelia’s life

so he was willing

to go on,

back to the ground

time, Victor was somewhat awakened when he felt

to open his eyes, but

there on the ground,

wonder if

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

every inch of his body made Victor realize that

up, but he

a little bit, grabbing the mud under his hands

look at the river, only to find that there

was no trace

"Ahem!"

violently, spurting

soil and opened his eyes as

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

waited for

didn’t even know how much time passed

he never found the person he

raise her head from the river or come out from

and the excruciating pain he was

he lost consciousness

again,

subordinates found him near

operation to rescue him lasted

diagnosis, it was found out that

shattered, his chest and lungs were inflamed, and the critically ill

woke up was ask Carolyn

wearing an oxygen mask and

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

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

didn’t dare delay to send people

for seven days, but Shelia couldn’t

week passed and there was still no

was a crumpled playing card that got wet from the

mud, but one could easily recognize that it was the King

later, Victor

after fully recovering was buy

King of Hearts card in a box and buried it under

was nothing on the marble tombstone

even Shelia’s name on

while Karl was

the hospital, but he was

that

finished his studies and finally

over several small companies under the control of the Sullivan

sales of these companies from

outstanding ability,

time, Roger entered

saw her sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a bowl of porridge, and coaxing Joey to

eat

been eating porridge for about half a

now, he couldn’t even stand the smell

choice but to

she said, "Eat it again when

his tongue out, not intending

standing at the door, so he

half a month, Roger came to the hospital to visit

the kid gradually got

was that Roger would

he could

course, Joey could only eat

turned around and was surprised

you say that

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

would say no every time, he would

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

it would probably be very

initially, I couldn’t

a moment before finally saying, "But I got

furrowed her

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

done to Victor

closed for several times as doctors

Carson couldn’t do anything but wait

fourth day since the operation began, the indicator light

that the surgery was successfully

was saved, but he wasn’t completely out

he was wheeled to

two days ago that his vital

eligible to be transferred to the

still

the field to check Victor’s condition and give a

wasn’t what he

Victor sustained serious injuries.

old wounds had healed, they still had

injuries just made matters

that only

least tell us when he will

in

can’t say

expert couldn’t help but frown as he made

fact, if I may be blunt, please consider preparing

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

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

there was a huge chance that this

and Lukas, Rachel was

deemed that Rachel had the right

wall outside Joey’s ward, holding a cigarette

and there were

down to tell

news, her face didn’t

she had already prepared herself for something like

fact, Carson was

when she became this

when Victor had been in a coma

might have been

room for 70 hours

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

You can’t smoke here."

senses, Carson

he didn’t bother continue

the subject and asked, "Anyway, how is the

"Joey? He’s fine.

doctor checked him up yesterday and said that

that his plaster will be removed

turned his head and peeped through the

Joey sleeping

smile, he stretched for a

then, I’m leaving

turned around and

just visited to tell Rachel about

from that, he had

eye, two

Victor’s condition, Rachel didn’t intend to visit

ward almost

time, Carson didn’t

from an expert, she was also convinced

Roger broke the news that Victor had miraculously

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

a long time without

judging Roger’s

want to go upstairs and

time, Rachel pressed her lips hard and

sleeve and pulled her

want to see

pleading in a

fact that Victor was in a coma after obtaining serious

in the hospital, he

had always been absent-minded and Victor hadn’t

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

nor did he pester Rachel

just smiled

say bad

have to worry too

bright eyes, she felt

a few moments, she mustered her courage and

"Yes, of course."

weeks, Joey had a

if there was

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

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

"Okay…"

softened,

was in the second inpatient

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

let him sit in a

wheelchair for him, and the

they

stopped at the floor of

out that the entire floor was a VIP ward, and there was only one patient at this time, Carson was sitting on the sofa in the

he heard that there were steps approaching, he furrowed his brows and eventually saw three people approaching like a

Carson knew

guy, it’s the first time I’ve

What brings you here?"

he quickly set the document he was holding aside and raised

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking his

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

where did those dark circles around your eyes

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at

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

that Joey

eye bags were so big that it seemed like

course, this was only to be

a good sleep for half

a handsome young man, but even he was

"Ha-ha!"

laugh after seeing the upset look

innocent laughter, Carson realized that he was fooled

his head, Carson stepped forward

"You, brat.

you tease your godfather? You

Who said that you are my godfather?

have no opinion regarding

father and I grew

We are best friends.

one

that’s how I

crossed his arms in front of his

even if you don’t want it, that fact

and said, "Humph! If I don’t want to

his tongue as he

"I also didn’t expect that I would have

it’s a fact that you

better change

more, but he stuck out his tongue at

of his

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

that Mr.Sullivan has

came here with Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

didn’t plan to lose his composure just because of

"Oh, I see."

pointed at the room and said,

He is resting inside.

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

one knew what was going through

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

nodded and walked

her,

placed over his

lost in thoughts

when he was about to sav

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked at the

not standing very far

see him

eyebrows as if he was giving Carson

at him, Joey turned

to use the

what Joey

I take

"No!"

replied in a very decisive

serious look

I am

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

were no

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

to Joey’s words, Rachel

it was Roger, then her gaze

former, Carson soon observed that she was staring

she wanted him to take Joey

and refused to pay any attention

took out his phone and

to give Joey a thumbs up without

pretended like he was

I have read the plan you sent

he headed towards the

very good

screen lit up while he was

all! Rachel saw what just happened clearly

"It’s okay.

take Joey

He is actually right.

a boy like him to

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

those words, they

to have been closer

days, they got

always

known to her,

of things, Rachel

knew that it couldn’t be

himself from thinking about the night Rachel was

he and Joey headed towards the

time, Carson

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

quick glance at the

through with

"What?"

sight and took a peek at his

appeared on

I am

left with no choice! My subordinates are too bad at

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

fake smile on

very

had pretended to answer the call only moments ago, the

nose and coughed to ease the awkwardness of the

you want

look through the glass panel on

was

only the living room

see Victor, Rachel pushed the door open in

doctor said Victor would lie in the bed for two

to undergo half

came from behind

a stable condition

"Get out of here!"

interrupted Carson’s

a man in a suit coming out of

He looked dejected.

document in his

and Carson as soon

stunned at first,

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung

It was quite noticeable.

of the Sullivan Group and the

about what just happened to

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

have been driven out! Her attention was drawn to the name

surname was what really interested

She turned to Carson.

at her, she raised

"Well, this is Troy.

works as a member of the Sullivan

what she meant by

at a

were so many surnames in

he had

recognized who

and mentioned her

"Miss Bennet."

nodded her head

forehead was

him the scare of his life! Nonetheless, he

Bennet, I’m going back to

hand and said, "Very

do that

Carson said, Troy went out of sight

at

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

condition doesn’t seem as

well and can

door

leaned against the

didn’t follow Rachel

was reading some document when

raise his head and say coldly,

her

in a

still tell that his face was pale despite the fact

and looked

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

she walked towards the bed

asked you to go out, didn’t

Victor heard the

the person who

cold and stiff tone, he

after we finished the dance, Charles kept his hand on

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

"The dance is over.

time to

I reminded him.

he still loosened his

took a few steps back to distance

I could still feel

face blushed and

heart

it felt like

were the happiest time

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

feeling conflicted and dispirited

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached me and

gaze from behind me and began

raising my glass and taking

had a few to drink and was

Elena

surprise waiting for

like to go upstairs and take a

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when

mysterious smile appeared

to the deck

I saw that there were bright red rose petals

also numerous balloons around

widened in

this whole scene

surprise?’ I had no idea who

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

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

never spent this much effort on me, and yet I still couldn’t

this

stood on the second floor, I stared

and yet my

the cold sea breeze, I felt

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

the sky, a deafening sound

like a

the noise, I covered my ears

the ground and curled

body began trembling uncontrollably, and i felt like my blood

abandoned

seconds, I was out of breath I felt so

a pair of strong arms held me tightly "There’s

I’m here."

voice came from above me,

It was Charles.

in his arms as tears burst from my eyes, Gently, he brushed my

to be scared