The Substitute Wife: My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire

Pleasantly surprised, Janet looked up from her phone and sneered at the HR staff.

Then she began to type out her reply to Brandon.

"Miss Lind, please sign on the resignation notice,"

the staff member said through gritted teeth.

She grew angrier when she saw that Janet began to tinker with her phone.

Ignoring her, Janet texted Brandon back.

"Are you serious, Mr.Larson? What did you find?"

The message from Brandon was a godsend.

She was just about to accept the fact that the Larson Group had given up on her.

Brandon replied with a long message.

"Upon investigating the matter, we found out that Lester Silk Fabric took over the platform recently.

Luna didn’t upload the design drafts a year ago, but a few days ago.

The data was tampered with.

Lester Silk Fabric used their connections and managed to get to your works before the show officially began.

They asked Luna to make a collection based on your works and posted them on the platform.

They tampered with the date and time stamp of the post to frame you for plagiarism."

Janet had already guessed that it was Lester Silk Fabric behind this, but she had no idea how they did it.

"How did you find that out?"

The platform was now owned by Lester Silk Fabric.

How could they have let Brandon investigate them? "We have tech guys here.

They were the ones who found evidence of them tampering with the platform’s database.

Even if they had altered the original date of uploading, our tech guys were able to retrieve it.

We also have a video confession of the staff who tampered with the data."

Brandon’s words lifted a weight off of Janet’s heart.

He sent two videos to Janet and said, "We’ve done what we could.

You should be able to take it from here now, right?"

All of a sudden, Janet felt a surge of energy.

She stood up with a confident smile and said to the HR staff member, "I didn’t do anything wrong and I knew that the company won’t fire me because of some groundless accusation!"

As she spoke, she tucked her phone away.

The staff member gritted her teeth and glared at her angrily.

"Janet Lind, you plagiarized someone else’s work yet you feel no shame?"

Janet ignored her.

She turned around and left without looking back.

******* Tiffany looked up in surprise when Janet entered her office.

"What’s up, Lind?"

"Miss Fisher, can I have Ritchie Lester’s number?"

Janet asked politely.

In Tiffany’s eyes, she looked inexplicably relaxed, as though her career wasn’t in danger.

Tiffany looked at her warily and then nodded slowly.

"I have his number, but may I ask why you need it?"

"I want to call him and apologize,"

Janet answered simply.

"Lind, are you crazy? Go back to work.

You didn’t plagiarize anything, so keep a low profile for now.

There are enough discussions about you already,"

Tiffany scolded.

After saying that, she lowered her head and continued to work.

But Janet stayed glued to the spot, staring at her with fierce determination.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Tiffany relented and held up Ritchie’s business card.

She said in a resigned tone, "I don’t know what you’re up to, but I hope you know what you’re doing."

Janet reached for the card with a bright smile.

Of course she knew what she was doing.

That evening, Ritchie received a call from an unknown number.

"Mr.Lester, this is Janet Lind from the Larson Group.

After giving it some thought, I want to apologize in public,"

Janet said, her voice as sweet as honey.

When Ritchie heard this, he was surprised.

Then, he sneered.

He was under the impression that Ethan’s wife was a stubborn woman, but it turned out he was wrong about her.

Janet had given up so soon.

"You’re scared, aren’t you?"

With a smug smile on his face, Ritchie smirked.

"Come to Lester Silk Fabric tomorrow.

You can apologize there in person."

Chapter 318Press Conference Ritchie had a devious grin on his face when he hung up the phone.

"Call all the designers under Lester Silk Fabric and the people in charge of the fashion week,"

he barked at his secretary.

"I want them here tomorrow.

Call some famous personalities in the fashion industry as well.

We need people in authority for the event."

The secretary nodded respectfully.

He was about to leave when Ritchie stopped him in his tracks.

"Where the hell are you going? I’m not finished yet.

Get your ass back here."

The poor man scurred back, cursing his boss in his mind.

ver "Invite every media outlet in Seacisco, especially the ones that prioritize viewership over anything.

And make sure to tell them to hype up the event as much as they can!"

Ritchie sat back on his chair as his plan began to take shape.

"Get the biggest function hall for the press conference.

I want hundreds of people to be there.

Oh, and don’t forget to arrange for a live stream, too.

Contact our usual sponsors and tell them their products will be displayed throughout the feed.

We might as well make some money while we’re at it.

And remember-our main goal is to discredit Janet and end her fashion career for good."

1 Another evil grin spread on Ritchie’s face.

He wanted to screw that woman over so badly that she could never get back on her feet again.

The secretary pursed his lips and jotted every detail down.

This time, he made sure that his boss was finished before leaving the office.

The sun shone bright and early the next day.

Just as planned, the press conference was held at the largest meeting hall in Lester Silk Fabric.

Cameras littered all around the room, squeezed in among the throng of people who came to watch the spectacle.

Even as she swept a glance over the crowd, Janet didn’t feel panicked in the slightest.

"It looks like the Lester Silk Fabric really wants to do you in,"

Tiffany remarked from beside her.

She turned to look Janet in the eye.

"You’re not just going to stand there and let yourself be bullied in public, are you? What’s your plan?"

A faint smile appeared on Janet’s lips.

"You’ll find out soon enough.

Don’t worry.

I’m not particularly inclined to suffer any misplaced grievances, either."

With that, she walked onto the stage, all calm and grace.

The room finally settled down as Janet took her place.

Without wasting her time, she whipped out a flash drive and held it up for all to see.

"Sorry for taking up your time, everyone.

In order to convey my sincerity more properly, I have prepared a couple of videos for today’s press conference."

From a distance, Ritchie frowned and narrowed his eyes.

He could sense that something wasn’t right.

Why was Janet so composed in such a situation? If anything, she should be mortified and humiliated right now, especially in front of all these people.

What was she up to? He leaned over to his secretary and asked in a hushed voice, "Did she find something?"

"She can’t have,"

the other man replied confidently.

"We’ve taken care to sweep everything.

All the evidence has been locked away.

I think she’s just bluffing."

At this point, Janet had already plugged the drive to a computer, and one of the videos was playing on the widescreen Ritchie’s eyes widened like saucers as they watched an employee of Lester Silk Fabric tampering with the time stamp on the website.

The scene changed, and this time, the same man was sobbing hysterically as he divulged what he had done.

n The clips ended, and a deafening silence fell in the room.

Janet took the microphone and said, "As you can see, this is what really happened.

Lester Silk Fabric managed to get hold of my designs prior to the show.

After that, one of their designers, Luna Mccoy, posted my entire portfolio online and edited the details to make it look like she was the original designer.

There is your truth.

Once again, I thank each of you for coming to hear me out today.

If you have further questions, kindly direct them to Mr.Lester.

I’m sure he can give you better answers than I can."

She gave Ritchie a meaningful look, then, and gestured in his direction with a wave of her hand.

2 As soon as she did, the crowd burst into an uproar.Chapter 319 The Ensuing Drama Shocked, Ritchie cursed out loud, "Fuck that bitch!"

His secretary was also scared silly.

Glaring daggers at him, Ritchie was pissed off and kicked him in the ass.

Pointing his finger at the big screen, he cursed again, "What the fuck are you doing standing here for? Turn off the projector right now!"

The secretary stumbled to the stage and proceeded to turn it off.

Ritchie snorted, smoothed over his suit and made his way onto the stage.

This happened to be his territory, not Janet’s.

He lifted his chin and approached her, holding his head up high.

"Janet Lind, you better be careful with what you say.

As far as I can see, you were just making things up so that you can get yourself out of your predicament!"

As he said this, he turned his eyes from her and exclaimed, "Give yourself up.

Apologize right this moment! Don’t waste any more of our time here!"

W "Then why did you turn off the projector if I was, indeed, making things up? That’s a sign of guilt.

If you’re so sure of yourself, you should allow me to show everyone the proof.

I’m sure that everyone here is smart enough to tell if I actually made up the evidence or not,"

Janet smiled and said in a calm voice.

Ritchie was exasperated to hear that.

He clenched his teeth tightly and pointed his finger at the door.

"I thought you came here to apologize.

If you’re not going to do that, why don’t you leave this place immediately?!"

While smiling, Janet didn’t say a word.

Instead, she turned to the audience before her and said word by word, "Everyone should know the truth by now.

I’m going to sue Lester Silk Fabric for slandering my name."

After finishing her speech, she didn’t bother to argue with Ritchie anymore and went ahead to leave the stage.

This scene was live streamed and everyone saw for themselves what had happened.

Everyone in the room and the audience in the live stream room was shocked to say the least.

The audience began to discuss this amongst themselves.

Even though Janet had only played the videos once, the reporters had gone out of their way to record them.

"Mr.Lester, could you please offer an explanation for what happened just now?"

"Lester Silk Fabric and the Larson Group have been rivals for years now.

Was this why you decided to slander Miss Lind in this way? In order to taint the Larson Group’s name?"

"If your statement about Janet plagiarizing one of your designers’ pieces was true, is there any evidence to back up your statement?"

The reporters all turned to look at Ritchie and kept on asking him and Luna questions.

"Miss Mccoy, are you going to make a statement? After all, weren’t you the one who accused Miss Lind of plagiarism in the first place? What are your thoughts on the current situation?"

"Did Mr.Lester instruct you to do this?"

"Tell us, what’s the nature of the relationship between the two of you?"

Being ambushed by the reporters, Luna’s mind went blank and she felt very embarrassed.

She said frantically, "I have no idea.

Don’t ask me…"

Under the dazzling flashing lights of the cameras, Ritchie couldn’t even keep his eyes open.

He kept cursing out loud while pushing the reporters in front of him away and saying, "Get the hell out of my way! Turn off your damn lights! You’re blinding me!"

His secretary hurried to stop his curses.

If Ritchie’s father found out about this, he would be very angry.

Having been spoiled by the Lester family since he was a child, Ritchie happened to be very irritable at this moment.

Before he took over the company, his parents had to repeatedly remind him to control that temper of his His secretary cleared the way for him while speaking to the reporters.

"Please, sirs, madams, Mr.Lester can’t answer all of your questions right now.

We’ll announce on our official website if we have any comments."

Finally, Ritchie and the senior executives of Lester Silk Fabric were able to escape the madness of the room.

Chapter 320 Take The Blame When she got home, Janet kicked off her heels and collapsed into bed.

Now, she felt much better.

"It’s finally over!"

After resting for a while, she got up and turned on the computer.

She briskly posted the evidence on the forums Luna had posted to slander her before.

A few hours later, the forums came to life as users discussed this matter heatedly.

The dramatic turning-of-tables that had happened at the press briefing soon made headlines.

Related videos went viral on the Internet.

Suddenly, Janet’s phone started to ring.

It was Tiffany.

"Lind, I’m impressed.

Have you seen the comments on the post? Everyone’s calling you a warrior.

You really knocked them dead!"

"Oh, my God! Seriously?"

Janet moved her cursor to check the comments Tiffany was talking about.

She had been focused on the media’s reports until now and didn’t know what people were saying in the comments.

When Janet read the comments, she found that the video of her talking on the stage had been spread all over the Internet.

There was a lot of positive feedback.

"Wow.

Heart.

Heart.

She’s so elegant and generous! And a fierce warrior too!"

"She’s a lovely girl.

Such a polite and beautiful goddess plagiarized someone else’s work? I doubt it!"

"She’s so pretty, I’d kiss her all day!"

"Even though I’m a girl, I want her!"

Janet buried her face in her hands, her cheeks blushing furiously.

She had never been praised by so many strangers in her life.

The next day, in the Lester Silk Fabric building… "Nonsense! These reports are all bullshit! How dare they call me rude?"

Furious, Ritchie started trashing his office.

He was in trouble, but there was nothing he could do.

In recent years, Lester Silk Fabric and the Larson Group had become two very high profile companies.

What with Janet’s fiasco, the media was having a field day.

In the span of just twenty-four hours, the reputation of Lester Silk Fabric was destroyed and its stock price.

plummeted.

"There’s nothing we can do to refute the evidence that Janet posted online.

What we can do now is to try our best to keep the news from spreading.

Mr.Lester, it was your idea to bring in more reporters there…"

the secretary reminded Ritchie in a trembling voice, picking up the documents Ritchie had thrown on the ground.

Ritchie glared at him, speechless.

He picked up another stack of papers from the table and threw them at the secretary’s face.

"I’m not an idiot.

You don’t need to remind me what I said."

Things didn’t end there.

Brandon sent people from the Larson Group’s legal department to help Janet file a lawsuit against Lester Silk Fabric.

The second they got the notice of the lawsuit, Lester Silk Fabric responded quickly and held a press conference in the afternoon.

Luna expressionlessly read a script in front of countless reporters, her face pale as a ghost under the limelight.

"I admit that I peeked at Janet Lind’s work before the show started.

Then I bribed an employee to tamper with the upload date on the database.

I falsely accused her of plagiarizing my work, and I did all this to gain fame and attention.

I am responsible for all of this.

My actions have nothing to do with Lester Silk Fabric."

In the Larson Group, Janet stopped the video on her phone and sighed.

"No class! Lester Silk Fabric made an ordinary employee take the fall!"

Chapter 321 Ask Brandon Out For Dinner Gerda clicked her tongue unhappily.

"Everyone knows they’re using Luna as a scapegoat.

She’s just an ordinary employee.

How on earth could she manage to do all of this? Lester Silk Fabric is really heartless."

The other designers had also seen the video circulating the Internet.

They began to discuss in hushed voices, but the general consensus was that Lester Silk Fabric was a cold blooded company.

Janet pulled her chair and sat down.

There was no point in dwelling on it now that things had been settled.

"I can’t say I’m surprised.

Now that Luna has taken the blame, we can’t do anything to Lester Silk Fabric."

"And what about those designs? Are they really not gonna put them back on the show?"

Gerda puffed out her chest indignantly Janet smiled at her colleague gently.

"It doesn’t matter.

Look on the bright side.

I have gained considerable fame because of everything that’s happened.

Now, all eyes are on my work."

In the end, Luna was put behind bars.

And Janet had become an online celebrity.

Many people now knew her name and saw her designs.

Some even paid for it.

When the dust settled, Janet poured all her energy into her work.

She had been so busy with this matter the past few days, so now she could finally focus on other things.

"By the way, Lind, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.

How’d you get the evidence?"

Gerda was talking about the videos that Janet had posted on the Internet, which had amassed more than a million views.

Janet froze.

After a few seconds, she broke into a smile and waved her hand dismissively.

"A very capable friend helped me get them."

Gerda nudged her arm and asked curiously, "What friend? A boyfriend perhaps?"

Janet’s eyes twinkled.

"It’s a secret.

Gerda, is it just me or do you have a lot of time on your hands? Have you finished your design for this month? Don’t come running to me again when the deadline approaches."

"Ah! My God! I still have thirty-four drawings to finish!"

Gerda scratched her head and hurried back to her desk.

Janet couldn’t help but chuckle.

Suddenly, she thought of the tall and straight back of Brandon.

Now that she thought about it, she realized that Lester Silk Fabric had gone through all this trouble just to set her up.

It must have cost Brandon a lot to get his hands on the evidence.

Janet couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

Brandon had helped her countless times, but she hadn’t really ever met him in person.

She owed Brandon too much and she doubted she could ever repay him.

After thinking about it for a long time, Janet finally plucked up the courage to send a message to Brandon.

"Mr.Larson, would you be willing to let me treat you to dinner? You’ve helped me a lot and I’d like to express my gratitude somehow."

2 After hitting send, Janet put down her phone and wrung her hands nervously.

The chairman of the Larson Group had probably tasted all the splendid dishes this world had to offer.

But it was a token of her appreciation.Chapter 322 A Warning At the CEO’s office of the Larson Group.

The Larson Group’s stock price had fluctuated over the past few days.

Now that the situation was favorable for the Larson Group and its stock price had more than recovered, Ethan decided to seize the opportunity to put more pressure on the Lester Silk Fabric.

Garrett hadn’t slept properly in the past three days, dealing with the bad press: He was yawning sleepily when Ethan’s phone pinged.

"Someone texted you."

When he saw the name on Ethan’s phone’s screen, Garrett snickered.

"It seems your wife’s missing you."

Ethan smacked Garrett on the back of the head and grabbed the phone.

Instantly, his expression darkened when he read the text.

"What is it? Why’s your face like that?"

Garrett asked seriously, the smile wiped from his face.

"Janet’s asking Brandon out for dinner."

Ethan put his phone down and sighed.

"If I refuse, she’ll be very disappointed."

Garrett leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Yeah.

You can’t have dinner with Janet without her seeing your face.

Last time, when you and Janet went to the company’s masquerade ball, you almost exposed yourself.

It’d be unwise to take such a risk again.

It’s not good for my heart either,"

he sighed.

Ethan frowned and started typing out a brisk reply.

"Thank you, but there’s no need for you to treat me to dinner.

You’re an employee of the Larson Group.

I helped you to protect the reputation of the company."

Janet read his message and quickly replied, "But Mr.Larson, you could’ve just dismissed me."

"If I dismiss any employee when something like this comes up, how will we keep the talented ones? Keep up the good work.

That’s thanks enough, Miss Lind,"

Ethan replied politely, keeping things professional.

1 He had deliberately distanced Brandon from her ever since what happened last time.

He didn’t want her to suspect him of anything Reading his reply, Janet had no choice but to give up.

Ethan put down his phone, kicked the sofa Garrett was lying down on, and said, "I want you to relocate the one who had tried to force Janet to resign.

Transfer her to a subsidiary company.

Then, bring Charis here."

Garrett was just about to take a nap.

Hearing Ethan’s orders, he helplessly peeled his eyes open and stood up from the sofa.

He muttered under his breath, "This job will definitely be the death of me."

Charis had expected that Ethan would want to have a talk with her, but when she received the notice, her heart still skipped a beat.

"Why did you want to dismiss Janet?"

Ethan asked in a low voice.

He shoved his hands into the pocket of his slacks, and the light from the window elongated his shadow on the floor.

"I just wanted to protect the company name,"

Charis answered defensively.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at her coldly.

"From now on, I’ll take care of all matters related to Janet.

No one other than me.

Understood?"

Ethan’s cold voice sent a shiver down Charis’s spine.

She winced and smiled bitterly, as though she had been wronged.

"I see how it is.

You don’t trust me now? Brandon, I don’t have any ulterior motives, I swear.

Ethan had already noticed that something was wrong with Charis.

He never brought it up before because he didn’t want her to look bad.

She and her family had always valued their image.

"I’m just warning you not to act against Janet.

Otherwise, don’t blame me if I disregard our long term friendship."

Chapter 323 A Long Forgotten Name After a moment’s silence, Charis said in a low voice, "I see."

Charis was a dignified woman.

Before Ethan could say anything more, she turned around and walked out of his office, As soon as the door closed behind her, tears welled up in her eyes..

Ever since they first met, Brandon had never said such harsh words to her before, nor had he looked at her with such cold eyes.

She hadn’t cried in years.

The last time was when she said goodbye to Brandon before going abroad.

She had been reluctant to leave him.

But now, she felt bad about Brandon’s attitude towards her.

She and Brandon had worked together for years.

They had shared the company’s ups and downs.

But all of a sudden, with Janet now in the picture, Brandon suddenly was ruthless towards her.

Tears rolled down Charis’s cheeks as she realized just how important Janet was to Brandon.

The hot tears dripped from her chin to the carpeted floor.

"I met Brandon first,"

Charis muttered through gritted teeth.

Charis didn’t like to be candid with her shrewdness.

The reason why she had tried to fire Janet was to win Brandon’s heart.

In Charis’s eyes, Janet wasn’t good enough for him.

But now that Brandon had taken a liking to her, Charis figured he would deeply fall in love with her and she would eventually lose him for good.

Thinking of this, Charis was more determined than ever to separate Janet and Brandon..

But she couldn’t act as overtly as before.

Brandon had just warned her not to interfere with Janet’s work ever again.

She had to be more careful now.

On the other side… After Janet got off work, she went home, only to find that Ethan had come home early today.

"Oh, the workaholic is back! I’m surprised you still remember the way home!"

Janet’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

Looking at the man who was busy cooking in the kitchen, she was not happy.

After all, she hadn’t seen Ethan for two or three days.

That was because Ethan had been busy dealing with the plagiarism issue the past few days.

But he couldn’t tell her this.

While cracking the eggs into a bowl, he found an excuse.

"When I crossed Ritchie’s path, he made a lot of trouble.

The manager of the shop at work fired me.

I’ve been working part time the past few days while looking for a stable job."

Then, he paused and said sincerely, "I’m sorry that I haven’t been here for you these days."

In fact, there was some truth to his story.

Ritchie had indeed caused him a lot trouble after all.

Hearing this, Janet’s heart immediately softened.

She walked over to help him with the vegetables.

"So, what happened? You didn’t tell me the truth.

I was worried something bad happened to you."

"The problem’s been solved.

Don’t worry,"

Ethan said with a reassuring smile.

That much was true.

Ethan had really solved the problem that had been plaguing them the past few days.

"Your brother is really hard to deal with."

Janet pouted like a child.

After transferring the egg into the pan, Ethan turned and his eyes landed on Janet’s earlobe.

His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he gulped.

"How about having dinner and then a little bit of exercise to unwina: "What kind of exercise?"

Janet looked up at Ethan curiously.

Almost immediately, she saw the lust in his eyes.

His face was so beautiful.

It was as though God had chiseled his face to perfection.

His eyes stared deep into hers, filled with burning desire.

Janet’s face turned as red as a tomato.

She quickly lowered her head and said shyly, "You’re so naughty!"

Then she focused on chopping the vegetables.

Amused, Ethan patted her on the head affectionately.

He really liked it when she blushed.

He could feel that she liked him, but she always pretended to refuse him.

He had to admit it really turned him on.

But the romantic atmosphere was instantly soiled by the sound of the phone ringing.

"Keep an eye on the eggs, okay? Don’t let them burn."

Ethan stroked Janet’s hair.

Then, he took off his apron and walked to the living room to pick up his phone.

A long forgotten name appeared on the screen.

It was Patrick Lester.

Chapter 324 Nora’s Birthday Ethan pursed his lips.

He glanced back at the kitchen at Janet, then opened the glass door to step out onto the balcony He was a little surprised to see that Patrick was calling him.

It was winter and the cold wind was unforgiving.

Ethan stood on the balcony, letting the wind blow his hair.

"Why on earth are you answering the phone outside? Isn’t it cold out there?"

Janet’s voice broke the silence.

Ethan was lost in his thoughts and didn’t notice when Janet slid the door open and poked her head out.

Narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously, she looked at the phone in Ethan’s hand.

He was answering the phone out on the balcony again.

Was it Charis calling again? "It’s Patrick Lester."

Amused by the quirky expression on her face, he pulled her into his arms and finally answered the phone.

"Ethan, why the hell did you keep me waiting?"

Patrick’s irritated voice came from the other end of the line.

"I was busy just now,"

Ethan simply replied.

Patrick didn’t give a damn about whatever Ethan was up to.

There was something he needed to talk about with Ethan, so he went straight to the point.

"Your grandma’s birthday is coming up and we’re throwing her a party.

She wants you and your wife here."

Without waiting for Ethan’s response, he hung up abruptly.

— – Janet had overheard Patrick’s loud voice.

She looked up at Ethan and asked hesitantly, "So are we going?"

Ethan held her tighter and sighed.

"We are.

Patrick seldom summons me.

There’ll be nothing but trouble if we disobey him.

Besides, I haven’t seen my grandma in a very long time.

It’s only right that I be there on her birthday."

Janet smiled at him sweetly.

"I can tell that you’re fond of her."

It was true that Ethan’s expression softened when he spoke of his grandmother.

Nora Lester, Ethan’s grandma, was a distant relative of the Larson family.

She had known Ethan’s mother when she was a girl.

Although she didn’t approve of what Patrick had done, she couldn’t do anything about her son’s decisions.

She had always felt sorry for Ethan and used to secretly send him money.

She was the only Lester who ever cared about Ethan.

Thinking of this, Ethan rested his chin on the top of Janet’s head.

"She’s a kind lady,"

he said calmly.

time since they

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her teeth

a thought occurred to

shouted, "The eggs! I forgot all about

and ran to the kitchen in a

Ethan followed behind her.

was extremely flustered, and

you to keep an

gently pulled her to the side while

stood in the corner, restlessly

"I’m sorry.

thought you were talking to Charis, so I rushed to you and forgot

Ethan had guessed this.

hands, he raised

"It’s my fault.

give you enough sense

saying that, he spread out his arms and

obeyed and leaned her face against his chest,

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

I just got him into

probably has a huge grudge against

if we just go there?"Chapter 461 In Order To

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

want to tell me,

just being a little

said nothing, and silently retracted the

Shelia

some fruits and poured the juice

this definitely

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

look down at the meat Shelia was holding out in her hand and

more for

that Victor wasn’t going to take the meat,

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

and eat it with

was on high alert right then, watching Shelia with vigilant

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

that Victor

after she saw his injuries, she knew she was

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead and

look away and placed

roast the rest

Shelia nodded and said, "Okay, it’s perfectly fine if you

bite out of

for some time, she furrowed

really hard

was not

just

you tell me? You even

Victor didn’t say a word and only continued to roast

aside, Shelia turned around and spotted Victor’s smiling

are you smiling? Van, you did this

Am I smiling?’ Victor never even realized

lifted his hand and gently touched the corner of

roast the meat

gone a

and get some

not tired at

sit

hands propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded to sit down

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

how to survive

spoke in

"Survive in the wildness?"

that Shelia had ever heard of such

out of your way

what Shelia did earlier, Victor also crushed some fruits and

he used a knife to slice the

heard what Shelia asked, his

while, he said, "I have

fact, Victor knew

to be prepared in case

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

would at least have a better chance to survive

"Alright."

her gaze on the

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

out a hand to

was startled and turned to look at Victor with a blank

looked straight into Shelia’s eyes, he

retracted his hand, looked away, and explained,

"Is that so?"

went ahead to rub her nose with

what about now? Is

"No,"

said, glancing

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

learn other than roasting meat? I want

Can you teach me?"

you want to

"In order to survive."

mouth very naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me "In

shelia said casually.

sad upon hearing

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

Shelia pointed out.

recall by Shelia, Victor saw a small burn on the

he was still thinking about what she just

.

second thoughts about whether or not to ask her about

after all, Shelia’s own

didn’t seem to

asked, "Will you please teach

"Hmm,"

after

"Is that a yes?"

Shelia’s eyes glowed, and she broke into a

dimples, meanwhile, became much

Victor nodded, "Okay."

she said, "Thanks so much,

I’ve ever encountered, except

"Orphanage?"

where I

was taken over and the old woman was unwell and

eyes clouded as she spoke about

was

she prepared great meals

orphan…’ Victor pursed

needed to look after you since

leave with the

Victor and answered, "I didn’t want to

home Shelia had known for so

okay with you being outdoors on your

her head, Shelia said,

to visit her

whereabouts remain unknown to them, and I don’t intend

of the dingy ground, Shelia lay down

sunshine that had been scattered

hands behind her

with disappointment as she gazed

to visit

keeps you from

people

find me if I

had no idea that

tell her my name when I meet her again in

blinking her

eyes remained fixed on Shelia

the chance to see you, Van, it

a soft spot in

that I was a lovely

appropriate to use

concluded that the adjective

of her features, particularly

responsible for your upbringing, how come you got

communicate since she was deaf,

referred to us

poker card was

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

orphanage, each kid was

take them as we pleased,

the

Did I get

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

said, "I am the only one with the King

toasting as

gave her the meat after he re-applied the

set

Eat, please."

came from her gut just after his

embarrassed, so she put her hand to her stomach and ate

much better than the meat i made myself! Van,

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

after

feet, she said,

rise when Shelia abruptly extended her

"Come on, get up."

aback, and after a little pause, he took Shelia’s

the hard way, Shelia used a dart to

lost track of time

had cooled down

down on a stone

sure how far we’ll have to travel until we’re

out

drank some

perhaps exhausted after so much walking, and he

"I’m sure

Let’s move forward."

have

"Like never before…"

nodded and continued

she murmured, "Van, you look rather

be

gaze to the

covered in mud after a

you? What’s

"Plan?"

slow

are your plans once we leave

I want to continue my travels and explore the world’s

can no longer walk and

with

"Shelia."

his mind after staring at Shelia for a long

"What’s the problem?"

after we get

you, I will defend you if she doesn’t

count on

want me to come with

it all right with you? If you don’t want to, it

concerned that Shelia might

before asking, "Are you joking right

"No, I’m not.

you the

Victor convinced her.

smiled at

we get

"Sure."

from the woods, though, everything

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

the bodies of Victor

high noon and now,

was assuaged when they saw

we’re out of the

if

We can…"

Shelia could finish her sentence, she

She was confused.

looked at Victor, wanting to

"Van?"

didn’t expect you to come

Shelia looked for

three cars that were parked

looking at them intently as he played

right away that

moved to shield Victor, who in turn

didn’t take his eyes off Norton, watching his

said, "Run into the

get lost even when it

finding our way out of the forest, I

these marks and you can get back

"And then?"

asked, her

looked straight

"Walk along this road.

borrow a mobile phone from

knew that Norton didn’t intend

just wanted to play a game with Victor by throwing him into the

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

bring her back to see

could not fulfill the promise he

phone

number once you get hold of

he whispered.

is my

pick you up wherever you

down at

that Shelia didn’t respond, Victor looked at her and asked in

"No."

pulled her hand

eyes were

don’t want to remember the number, nor

a

Victor frowned.

coughed violently as

remained adamant and clenched her

palm and let Victor write the

and Shelia were talking about, he could tell that they were

he said, "Tut,

other! I’m

when saw Norton approaching

pulled Sheila behind

keeping himself

hard for

deliberately walked up

Shelia stepped

Norton pulled Shelia towards

for

"Let her go!"

a firm

satisfaction in hearing

you

the mud

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

stopped in his tracks when something silver

that Norton pressed

a mouthful of

"No."

"What are you saying?"

gave Victor a mocking smile, pretending not to hear what

that he had

and tried to

you want is my

has nothing to do with

So, let her go!"

This is so

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want to let her

but

you think it’s boring for you to die alone? I can do something about that and let her

red eyes,

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

was tensed

out blood and beg for

you

smile plastered

narrowed in anger when he

you just

said you are a

Shelia swallowed.

feel a sense of

more, you don’t have in you to do what you intend

So, cut the crap.

to kill me, then do

"Shelia…"

tried to

knew that she

make Norton’s hackles rise

Norton was indeed angry.

looked fierce, but he kept his voice in check as he

really? Looks like you really want to

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help you with

Norton said, laughing derisively.

turned to his men and

eyes and asked anxiously, "What are you going to

Norton didn’t answer.

glared at

did as they were

hands and feet bound, Shelia was taken to

to ride

his brain thinking about where Norton was taking

was flowing

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

fists, and the blue veins on his neck became

gritted his teeth and yelled, "Let her

open her eyes because of

Victor to

she opened her mouth,

her eyes

on Victor’s face, Norton scoffed

Victor might be strong but he was useless in this kind

making me laugh,

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

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

of you wanting to save her so

in me, huh? What do

could just

it took to

the river, Norton

behind him appeared and stood between the rope and

and looked at Victor with

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

the weakest among

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

want to save her, right? Knock them

speaking, the two men who had been holding Victor’s

hand, Norton touched its tip with his thumb and warned, "But

these two before

can say goodbye to your good

afraid that you won’t

the flickering flame, Victor didn’t

of essence, so he quickly rushed up and fought

was a mercenary and the most popular leader the

subordinates should be strong

was currently

in his peak state, he might not even be able to defeat one of the two

burly men

was at a disadvantage from

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

he was hit, Victor staggered

because he was hit repeatedly, his strength left

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

time, Victor’s face

still tried to stand, not

get back on

his arm to block it, but

Victor spat out a mouthful of blood,

Victor’s

eyes on the rope,

didn’t matter how

was put out and the rope was

her into this trouble, so he was

wanted to go on,

he fell back to the ground

somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of

struggled to open his eyes, but

there on the ground,

couldn’t help but wonder if he was still

yet, so

every inch of his body made Victor realize that he was

Victor wanted to stand up, but he

his hands a little bit, grabbing the mud under his

he turned his head to look at the river, only to find that

no trace

"Ahem!"

spurting

grabbed unto the soil and opened his eyes as wide as he

looked at the river expectantly, as if

waited for a long

even know how much time passed

never found the

her head from the

loss of blood and the excruciating pain he

lost

up again, he was finally

subordinates found him near

operation to rescue him lasted for two days and

was found out that Victor had fractures

his right knee were shattered, his chest and lungs were inflamed, and the critically ill notice was issued six

up was ask Carolyn to send people to

wearing an oxygen mask and

was not completely out of danger yet,

Shelia was, but she could sense that she must be

people

days, but Shelia

was

card that got wet

could easily recognize that it was the

years later, Victor completely

first thing he did after fully recovering was buy a

card in a box and buried it under

was nothing on the marble tombstone aside

wasn’t even Shelia’s name

Victor’s recovery, while Karl was on a business trip, he suffered a sudden

to rush him to the hospital,

also in that year

more years, he finished his studies and finally

small companies under the control of

the sales of these companies from a very low level

outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed over the Sullivan Group to

time, Roger entered the ward where

sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a bowl of porridge, and coaxing

can’t eat

had been eating porridge for

couldn’t even stand the smell of porridge

choice but to

"Eat it again when you get

tongue out, not intending to eat

the door,

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

gradually

about him was that Roger would bring some snacks when

too much, he could at least taste

Joey could only eat

Roger, Rachel turned around and was surprised to see

that you wouldn’t

a message in advance to ask her if she wanted to

every time, he would still insist on getting

an important project meeting

still visit, it

initially, I couldn’t

Rachel, Roger hesitated for a moment before

Rachel furrowed her

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

to Victor lasted for more than 70

the operating room opened and closed for several times

but wait outside

day since the operation began, the

the surgery was

saved, but he wasn’t completely out of

wheeled to

until two days ago that his

became eligible to be transferred

was still

the field to

wasn’t what he was

Victor sustained serious injuries.

had healed, they

injuries just

only a miracle could

us

asked in a gloomy

afraid I can’t

expert couldn’t help but frown as he made

may be blunt, please consider preparing for the

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

this, it was obvious that this was what

was a huge

Carson and Lukas, Rachel was the first one to know about

that Rachel had the right to

the wall outside Joey’s

disoriented, and there were dark circles

to tell Rachel about this

heard the tragic news, her face

already prepared

fact, Carson was

know when she became this

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

it might have been even

room for 70 hours before

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

You can’t smoke here."

if he regained his senses,

bother continue

then changed the subject and asked, "Anyway, how

"Joey? He’s fine.

yesterday and said that

his plaster will be removed

turned his head and peeped through the glass panel on the

Joey sleeping soundly

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

then, I’m

around

to tell Rachel about the doctor’s

from that, he had nothing else

an eye, two days

Victor’s condition, Rachel

Joey’s ward almost twenty-four

the same time, Carson didn’t

came from an expert, she was

that Victor had miraculously woke up

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

time without being able to speak

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

to go upstairs and see

pressed her lips hard

sleeve and pulled her back from her deep

I want to see

Joey, pleading

Victor was in a coma after

hospital,

found that Rachel had always been absent-minded and Victor hadn’t come up in any of

truth, Rachel didn’t have the heart to hide

did

he just smiled and made a

bad? They say

have to worry too much about

she felt

few moments, she

"Yes, of course."

following two weeks, Joey had a good rest in

didn’t mention Victor, as if there was

of the night from time to

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

"Okay…"

heart softened, and

ward was in

yet, it was inconvenient for him to walk

Rachel simply let him sit in

and the three of them went to

they

finally stopped at the floor of the ward where

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

there were steps approaching, he furrowed his brows

Victor had seen this scene, Carson knew that he would have been

guy, it’s the first time I’ve seen

What brings you here?"

set the document he

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking

Beaten? Why would you ask that? Do I look like someone who will be beaten easily? Ha! I’m

did those dark circles

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at

up his phone, opened its

that Joey

eye bags were so big that it seemed like

course, this was only to be

have a good sleep for half

handsome young man, but

"Ha-ha!"

seeing the upset

that

head, Carson stepped forward

"You, brat.

tease your

"Huh? Who said that you are my

have no opinion regarding

and I

We are best friends.

one who picked

I became

his arms in front

you don’t want

pull Carson’s hand away using his uninjured hand and said, "Humph! If I

tongue as he

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

it’s a fact

you’d better change

say anything more, but he stuck out his

his

commented, "I see that you’re not busy

I heard that

here with Rachel and Joey to see

Roger explained.

lose his composure just because of Carson’s

"Oh, I see."

pointed at the room and said, "His ward

He is resting inside.

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

one knew what was going through her

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

and walked towards

followed her, pushing

placed over his

in

to

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

stopped and looked at

was not standing

see him from the corner

as if he

a quick glance at him, Joey turned his gaze

to use the

overheard what

about I take

"No!"

in a very decisive

serious look on his

I am a

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

they were no

take a boy to the ladies’ room, just like it

Joey’s words, Rachel looked at

then her gaze

to bother the former, Carson soon observed that she

to

to pay any attention to Rachel’s

and turned

Joey a

pretended like he was

I have read the plan

talking, he headed

very good at

up while he was still holding it to his

all! Rachel saw what just happened clearly

"It’s okay.

will take

He is actually right.

is very embarrassing for a boy like him to be taken to

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

he heard those words, they displeased

Rachel ought to have been closer to him than

past few days, they

them were always

to her, she still alienated

of things, Rachel still

it couldn’t

about the night Rachel was standing outside the operating

he and Joey headed towards the

time,

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

glance at the phone

through with the

"What?"

and took a peek

smile appeared on

I am through

was left with no choice! My subordinates are too

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

a fake smile on

very

pretended to answer the call

of his nose and coughed to ease the awkwardness

want to

raised her head in order to look through the glass panel

ward was a

of view, only the living room could be seen, and it

door open in no

Victor would lie in the bed for

undergo half a

voice came from

is in a

"Get out of here!"

interrupted Carson’s

stopped and saw a man in

He looked dejected.

was a document in

into Rachel and Carson as soon as he came

was stunned at first, then

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung around the man’s

It was quite noticeable.

the Sullivan Group and the director of

about what just

expression that the project plan had

was drawn

what really interested

She turned to Carson.

looked back at her,

"Well, this is Troy.

a member of the Sullivan Group’s project

exactly what she meant by just looking at

a loss for

were so many surnames

had

recognized who Rachel

and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

her head

was covered with

life! Nonetheless, he was still holding

I’m going back

hand and said,

should do that

Troy went out of sight in a blink of an

looked at the

see that Victor was sitting against the head of the bed

as bad as you

well and can

door and pushed

leaned against the

follow Rachel

some document when

didn’t raise his head and

her

was in a

that his face was pale despite

frowned and

the operating room for more than seventy hours half a

that she walked towards the bed

to go

the footsteps, his

the person who was walking towards

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

we finished the dance, Charles kept his hand on my

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

"The dance is over.

time to

I reminded him.

but he still loosened his grip on my

steps back to distance

still feel the warmth

and

my heart

a moment, it felt like

him were the happiest time of my

I knew that those days were long gone

down, feeling

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

suddenly approached me and

began chatting with the guests with a smile on my face

raising my glass and taking a

I’d had a few to drink and

Elena came to

a surprise waiting for you

like to go upstairs and take a look

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when you

appeared on

my confusion, I followed her to the deck on the second

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

numerous

eyes widened

must say, this whole scene was

I had no idea who

to mind was Charles,

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

this much effort on me, and yet I

joy of receiving this

floor, I stared at the night

tranquil, and yet

cold sea breeze, I felt

lit up the

the sky,

like a

I covered

squatted on the ground and curled

trembling uncontrollably, and i felt like

the abandoned

breath I felt so

pair of strong arms held

I’m here."

from above me, making me feel

It was Charles.

from my eyes, Gently, he brushed my hair

don’t have to be scared ever