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.

been a long time since they last

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

whined, her teeth

thought occurred to

shouted, "The eggs! I

from Ethan’s embrace and ran to the kitchen in

Ethan followed behind her.

stared at Janet, who was extremely flustered, and he

I told you to keep an eye on

gently pulled her to the side while he cleaned up the

the corner, restlessly watching Ethan

"I’m sorry.

were talking to Charis, so I rushed to you and

Ethan had guessed this.

he raised

"It’s my fault.

you enough

out his

leaned her face against

invitation from Patrick, she murmured,

hates you and I just got him

a huge

go there?"Chapter 461 In Order To Survive Shelia didn’t

in a casual manner, flipped the meat over,

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

being a

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

that Shelia didn’t

fruits and poured the juice

this definitely could

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

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

more for myself

that Victor wasn’t going to take the meat,

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

rest assured and

then, watching

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

that

injuries, she knew she was wrong and

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead

turned to look away and placed the

the rest

nodded and said,

a bite out of

furrowed her brows and stuck out her

hard

not cooked

I gave you just

didn’t you tell me? You even finished

say a word and only continued to

turned around and spotted Victor’s

you smiling? Van, you

Victor never

hand and gently touched the corner of

roast the meat for

gone a long

get

tired at

sit right

hands propped under her chin, Shelia proceeded to

you’re good at cooking

how to

spoke in a deep

"Survive in the wildness?"

time that Shelia had ever heard of such

out of

what Shelia did earlier, Victor also crushed some fruits and poured the

a knife to slice the

heard what Shelia asked, his

said, "I have

Victor knew the reason

that because he wanted to be prepared

that even under ner protection, Victor would

so that he would at least have a better chance to survive in case of an

"Alright."

Shelia continued to focus her gaze on

of Shelia’s

stretched out a hand to wipe off the

was startled and turned to look at

Victor looked straight into Shelia’s eyes, he started to feel a

looked away, and explained, "Your nose

"Is that so?"

to rub her nose

what about now? Is it

"No,"

said, glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

what else did you learn other than

Can you teach me?"

do you want to learn

"In order to survive."

very naturally.Chapter 462 Come With Me "In order

shelia said casually.

sad

the meat ready to be flipped? It’s

Shelia pointed out.

Victor saw a small burn on the meat’s exposed side when he looked

while he was still thinking about what

.

or not to ask her

was, after all,

hand, didn’t seem to take

you please

"Hmm,"

said after

"Is that a yes?"

and

dimples, meanwhile, became

Victor nodded, "Okay."

grinned broadly as she said,

ever encountered, except

"Orphanage?"

where

was taken over and the old woman was

eyes clouded as she spoke about

elderly woman was a

younger, she prepared great meals and gave me a lot

orphan…’ Victor

guardian was needed to look after you since

you leave with the other

up at Victor and answered, "I didn’t

only home Shelia had known for so

with you being outdoors on your

her head,

I was desperate to visit her tomb, so I

to them, and I

spite of the dingy ground, Shelia

that had been

placed her hands behind her head,

sighed with disappointment as she gazed up

want to visit

you

people

find me if

idea that

name when I meet her again in

said, blinking her

on Shelia and he

had the chance to see you, Van, it would

soft spot in her heart for adorable

that I was

It didn’t seem appropriate to use this

Victor concluded

of her features,

was responsible for your upbringing, how come

to communicate since

to us

a poker card was in

it from her pocket as if it were a treasure and

the orphanage, each kid was given a unique

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

at the

get the best

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

said, "I am the only one with

toasting as they were

gave her the meat after

all set

Eat, please."

growl came from her gut

her hand to her stomach and ate the meat with a

than the meat

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

after

feet, she

when Shelia abruptly extended her hand

"Come on, get up."

a little pause, he took Shelia’s hand in

way, Shelia used a dart to

track of time as they

had cooled down

assisted Victor in sitting down on a stone and drank some

not sure how far we’ll have to travel until

out before the sun

drank some water as

walking, and he was coughing up

incoherently, "I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

have the

"Like never before…"

nodded and continued to hold

forward motion, she murmured, "Van,

be sure to eat

his gaze to the side

in mud after a

you? What’s

"Plan?"

slow to

are your plans once we leave the forest? Where will

to continue my travels and

police station when I can no longer

answered with

"Shelia."

made up his mind

"What’s the problem?"

after we get out

sure my grandma will like you, I will defend you if she

can count

to come with

with you? If you

concerned that Shelia might

while before asking,

"No, I’m not.

you the best I

Victor convinced her.

smiled at Victor,

get out of

"Sure."

they emerged from the

Chapter 463 Let Her Go The sun started to disappear below the horizon, basking the

glimmered on the

high noon and now, the

they saw

we’re out

if we walk a

We can…"

finish her sentence, she

She was confused.

wanting to know why

"Van?"

expect you to come out

came, Shelia looked for the source of

that were parked not far

looking at them intently as he played with a

right away that they were Victor’s

to shield Victor, who in

didn’t take his eyes off Norton, watching his every

a voice that only Shelia could hear, Victor said, "Run into the forest when I tell you

won’t get lost even when

way out of the forest, I put marks all the

these marks and you can get

"And then?"

asked, her

straight into Shelia’s

"Walk along this road.

borrow a mobile

knew that Norton didn’t intend to let him

play a game with Victor by throwing

couldn’t escape this predicament, Shelia

bring her back to see his grandmother, and treat her as his own

fulfill the promise he

wrote a phone number

call the number once you get hold of a mobile

he whispered.

my grandmother’s

will pick you

looked down at her

Victor looked

"No."

her hand

were a little

don’t want to remember the number,

be a good

Victor frowned.

so anxious that he coughed violently

adamant and

palm and let Victor write

hear what Victor and Shelia were talking about,

"Tut, tut,

other! I’m so

when saw

pulled Sheila

himself standing

would be hard for him to

up to

Shelia stepped

with them, Norton pulled Shelia towards

was too fast for

"Let her go!"

kept a firm

hearing

know you

as he wiped the mud on Shelia’s face with

more incense Victor, Disregarding body pain, Victor rushed

tracks when something silver flashed through his

that Norton pressed

a mouthful of

"No."

"What are you saying?"

Victor a mocking smile,

felt that he had difficulty in

fist and tried to steady

want is my

to do

So, let her go!"

This is so

Norton curled his lips.

want to

don’t where she comes from but I find

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

red eyes,

against her neck,

body was

out blood and

all you can do? Threaten

mocking smile

in anger

you

you

Shelia swallowed.

feel a sense of accomplishment by threatening

you to do what you

So, cut the crap.

you want to kill me,

"Shelia…"

tried to

she was provoking

that Shelia would make Norton’s hackles rise and the

Norton was indeed angry.

looked fierce, but he kept his voice in check

like you really want to

Shelia rolled her eyes.

help you

Norton said, laughing derisively.

and instructed them, "Tie

squinted his eyes and asked anxiously, "What

Norton didn’t answer.

glared

as

hands and feet bound, Shelia was taken to one

to ride a

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

river was flowing

water rushed over, it inundated Shelia, making her choke easily Victor

clenched into fists, and the blue veins on

and yelled, "Let

eyes because of the gushing water, Shelia had

wanted Victor to run

her mouth, she was choked by

enough, her eyes

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

strong but he was useless in this

me laugh,

that I’m a good man? Why the hell

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

for the sake of you wanting to save her so much, I will give you

some good in me, huh?

could just

whatever it took to save

was in the middle of the

behind him appeared and stood between

and looked at

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

are the weakest among

only killed two people,

Norton continued, "You want to save

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

its tip with his thumb and warned,

before the

goodbye to your good

she’s washed away, I’m afraid that you won’t even

flickering flame, Victor didn’t

rushed up and fought against

mercenary and the most

course, even his weakest subordinates should be

was currently

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

tall and burly men that could easily

was at a

in his abdomen one

he was hit, Victor

left

bones being broken scattered all over

this time, Victor’s face looked black

still tried to stand,

he could even get back on

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

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

point, Victor’s vision became

eyes on the rope, which was only

matter how many injuries he

as the fire was put out and

so he was willing to do

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

the

some time, Victor was somewhat awakened when he felt droplets of rain falling on

struggled to open his eyes, but his vision was

lay there on the ground, watching the

couldn’t help but wonder if

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

of his body made

up, but he

hands a little bit, grabbing

at the river, only to find that there

no trace of

"Ahem!"

spurting

the soil and opened his eyes as

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

waited for

even know how much time

he never found the person he

would raise her head from the river

the excruciating pain he was experiencing,

he lost consciousness

up again, he was finally

him near the

to rescue him lasted for two days and two

diagnosis, it was found out that Victor

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

up was ask Carolyn to

an oxygen mask and struggled

danger yet, but

didn’t even know who Shelia was, but she could sense that she must be a

delay to send people

search lasted for seven days, but Shelia couldn’t

there was

was a crumpled playing card

one could easily recognize that it

later, Victor completely

did after

put the King of Hearts card in a box and buried it

was nothing on the marble tombstone aside from

Shelia’s name

while Karl was on a

tried to rush him to the hospital, but he

was also in that year

finished

companies under

of these companies from a very low level to

ability, Carolyn gradually handed

entered the ward where

bed, holding a

eat any

eating porridge

he couldn’t even stand the smell of porridge

sighed and had no choice

she said, "Eat it again

out, not

standing at the door,

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

kid gradually got

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

he could at least taste something

course, Joey could only

Roger, Rachel turned around and

that

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

she would say no every time, he would

he said that he had an important project meeting today,

still visit, it would probably

I couldn’t

Rachel, Roger hesitated for a moment before finally

furrowed her

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

operation done to Victor lasted for more than

opened and closed for several times

but

on the fourth day since the operation began, the indicator light outside the room

that the surgery was successfully

was saved, but he

was wheeled to

ago that

be transferred to the

still in

field to check Victor’s condition

wasn’t what he

Victor sustained serious injuries.

his old wounds had healed, they still

his new injuries just made

said that only

at least tell us when he will wake

in

afraid I can’t

help but frown as he

if I may be blunt,

up? Is he going

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

not a hundred percent, but there was a huge chance that this was it for

for Carson and Lukas, Rachel was the first one to

deemed that Rachel had the

outside Joey’s ward, holding a

disoriented, and there

down to tell Rachel about

when Rachel heard the tragic news, her face didn’t

already prepared

was a

know when she became this mentally

when Victor had been in a

have been even

also there outside the operating room for 70 hours

moment of silence, Rachel glanced at the cigarette in Carson’s hand and reminded him in

You can’t smoke here."

if he regained his senses, Carson

bother continue discussing

asked, "Anyway,

"Joey? He’s fine.

yesterday and said

fact, it’s expected that his plaster will be

and peeped through the

Joey sleeping soundly in the

stretched for a bit

I’m

Carson turned around and

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

he had nothing else

an eye, two

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

ward almost twenty-four hours

didn’t show his face

expert, she was also convinced that Victor would never wake

that Victor had miraculously woke

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

long time

as if she was still judging Roger’s expression

to go upstairs and

Rachel pressed her lips hard and

of nowhere, someone gently pulled her sleeve and

want to see

was Joey, pleading in a

failed to hide the fact that Victor was in

hospital,

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

when Joey finally found out the truth, Rachel didn’t have the heart to

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

just smiled and

say bad

have to

she felt a

few moments, she mustered her courage and

"Yes, of course."

had a good

mention Victor, as if

in the middle of the night from time to time and look

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

"Okay…"

softened,

ward was in the second inpatient

wound hadn’t fully healed yet, it was

simply let him sit in

wheelchair for him, and the three

they reached the

elevator finally stopped at the floor of the

out that the entire floor was a VIP ward, and there was only one patient

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

Carson knew that he would have been very

the first time I’ve

What brings you here?"

asked Joey as he quickly set the document he was holding aside and raised his

"Have you been beaten?"

blinking

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

those dark circles around your eyes come

"Dark circles?"

almost choked at Joey’s

up his phone, opened its front camera,

that Joey was

were so big

of course, this was only to

a good sleep for half a

originally a handsome young man, but even he was

"Ha-ha!"

after seeing the

Joey’s seemingly innocent laughter, Carson realized that he was fooled by this

Carson stepped forward and

"You, brat.

dare you tease your godfather? You have

"Huh? Who said that you are my godfather?

have no

and I grew up

We are best friends.

one

that’s how I became

and crossed his arms in

even if you don’t want it, that

said, "Humph! If I

he withdrew his hand from Joey’s

he muttered in a slightly low voice, "I also didn’t

I said, it’s a fact

you’d better change your attitude

anything more, but he stuck out his

of the corner of his

commented, "I see that you’re

heard that Mr.Sullivan has woken

I came here with Rachel and Joey to

Roger explained.

didn’t plan to lose his

"Oh, I see."

and said, "His ward is over

He is resting inside.

466 Tacit Cooperation Rachel looked at the ward Carson pointed

one knew what was going through

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

nodded and walked towards the

her, pushing

were placed over

was lost in thoughts for

about to sav something, Joey spoke before

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

and looked at

not standing very far

a result, Joey could see him from the corner

if he was giving Carson a

quick glance at him, Joey turned

to use the

what Joey

about I take

"No!"

in a

serious

I am a

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

they were no

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

Joey’s words, Rachel looked at both

Roger, then her gaze

Carson

him to take Joey to the

and refused to pay any attention to

and turned around as if

Joey a thumbs

pretended like he was answering

Mr.Ramos! I have read the

headed

wasn’t very good

up while he was still holding

what just happened clearly

"It’s okay.

take

He is actually right.

a boy like him to be taken to the

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

he heard those words,

have been closer to him

few days, they got along

were always in one another’s

reasons best known to her, she

of things, Rachel still didn’t love

it couldn’t be

thinking about the night Rachel was standing outside

he and Joey headed towards the

time, Carson

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

a quick glance at the phone in

with the phone

"What?"

Rachel’s sight and took a peek

appeared

am

My subordinates are too bad at making

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

was a fake smile on

very good

pretended to answer the call only moments ago,

the tip of his nose and coughed to ease the awkwardness

want

raised her head in order to look through the glass panel

was

only the living room could be seen, and it was

see Victor, Rachel pushed the door

doctor said Victor would lie

undergo half a

voice came

is in a stable condition

"Get out of here!"

interrupted

a man in a suit coming out

He looked dejected.

document

Carson as soon as he came

was stunned at first, then

"Mr.Scott!"

work card hung around the man’s

It was quite noticeable.

Group and the director of the

no need asking about what

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

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

was what really

She turned to Carson.

back at her, she raised her

"Well, this is Troy.

of the Sullivan Group’s

she meant by

was at a loss for

so many surnames

had

recognized who

and mentioned

"Miss Bennet."

head

was

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

Miss Bennet, I’m going

hand and

do

out of sight in a

at the door

that Victor was sitting against the

condition doesn’t seem as bad as you

and

walked to the door and pushed it

against

didn’t follow

some document when he heard the

he didn’t raise his head and say coldly, "Get

cast her gaze

was in a hospital

still tell that his face was pale

frowned and looked rather

wasn’t a hundred percent sure that she waited outside the operating room for more than seventy hours half a

she walked towards

to go out, didn’t

heard the

the person who was

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

after we finished the dance, Charles kept his hand on

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

"The dance is over.

to let

I reminded him.

flashed through his eyes, but he still loosened his grip on

few steps back to

feel the warmth of his

and

my heart

it felt like I had returned to the

days with him were the happiest time

days were long gone

looked down, feeling

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached me

myself to ignore the burning gaze from behind me and began chatting

glass and

I’d had a few to drink and

Elena came

a surprise waiting for you on the second

you like to go upstairs and take a look

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

know when you

appeared on

I followed her to the deck

there, I saw that there were bright red rose petals scattered across the floorboard, forming a big

were also numerous balloons around

widened

say, this whole scene was

this my birthday surprise?’ I had no idea

mind was Charles, but I quickly

on my lips, and somehow, I began

much effort on me, and yet I still

this

on the second floor, I stared at the night scene around me in

and yet my

of the cold sea breeze, I felt even

fireworks display lit

sky, a deafening sound resonated in the

sounded like a

the noise, I

squatted on the

uncontrollably, and i

horrible incident at the abandoned warehouse kept flashing

of breath I felt so dizzy that I almost

having a panic attack, a pair of strong arms held me tightly "There’s no

I’m here."

familiar voice came from above me, making me

It was Charles.

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

have to be scared