The Substitute Wife: My Poor Husband Is A Billionaire

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

Then she began to type out her reply to Brandon.

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

the staff member said through gritted teeth.

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

Ignoring her, Janet texted Brandon back.

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

The message from Brandon was a godsend.

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

Brandon replied with a long message.

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

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

The data was tampered with.

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

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

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

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

"How did you find that out?"

The platform was now owned by Lester Silk Fabric.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As she spoke, she tucked her phone away.

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

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

Janet ignored her.

She turned around and left without looking back.

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

"What’s up, Lind?"

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

Janet asked politely.

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

Tiffany looked at her warily and then nodded slowly.

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

"I want to call him and apologize,"

Janet answered simply.

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

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

There are enough discussions about you already,"

Tiffany scolded.

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

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

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

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

Janet reached for the card with a bright smile.

Of course she knew what she was doing.

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

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

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

Janet said, her voice as sweet as honey.

When Ritchie heard this, he was surprised.

Then, he sneered.

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

Janet had given up so soon.

"You’re scared, aren’t you?"

With a smug smile on his face, Ritchie smirked.

"Come to Lester Silk Fabric tomorrow.

You can apologize there in person."

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

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

he barked at his secretary.

"I want them here tomorrow.

Call some famous personalities in the fashion industry as well.

We need people in authority for the event."

The secretary nodded respectfully.

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

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

Get your ass back here."

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

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

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

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

"Get the biggest function hall for the press conference.

I want hundreds of people to be there.

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

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

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

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

1 Another evil grin spread on Ritchie’s face.

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

The secretary pursed his lips and jotted every detail down.

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

The sun shone bright and early the next day.

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

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

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

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

Tiffany remarked from beside her.

She turned to look Janet in the eye.

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

A faint smile appeared on Janet’s lips.

"You’ll find out soon enough.

Don’t worry.

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

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

The room finally settled down as Janet took her place.

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

"Sorry for taking up your time, everyone.

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

From a distance, Ritchie frowned and narrowed his eyes.

He could sense that something wasn’t right.

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

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

"She can’t have,"

the other man replied confidently.

"We’ve taken care to sweep everything.

All the evidence has been locked away.

I think she’s just bluffing."

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is your truth.

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

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

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

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

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

His secretary was also scared silly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Janet smiled and said in a calm voice.

Ritchie was exasperated to hear that.

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

"I thought you came here to apologize.

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

While smiling, Janet didn’t say a word.

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

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

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

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

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

The audience began to discuss this amongst themselves.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She said frantically, "I have no idea.

Don’t ask me…"

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

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

His secretary hurried to stop his curses.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now, she felt much better.

"It’s finally over!"

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

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

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

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

Related videos went viral on the Internet.

Suddenly, Janet’s phone started to ring.

It was Tiffany.

"Lind, I’m impressed.

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

You really knocked them dead!"

"Oh, my God! Seriously?"

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

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

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

There was a lot of positive feedback.

"Wow.

Heart.

Heart.

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

"She’s a lovely girl.

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

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

"Even though I’m a girl, I want her!"

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

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

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

Furious, Ritchie started trashing his office.

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

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

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

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

plummeted.

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

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

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

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

Ritchie glared at him, speechless.

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

"I’m not an idiot.

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

Things didn’t end there.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am responsible for all of this.

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

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

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

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

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

She’s just an ordinary employee.

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

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

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

Janet pulled her chair and sat down.

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

"I can’t say I’m surprised.

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

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

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

"It doesn’t matter.

Look on the bright side.

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

Now, all eyes are on my work."

In the end, Luna was put behind bars.

And Janet had become an online celebrity.

Many people now knew her name and saw her designs.

Some even paid for it.

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

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

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

How’d you get the evidence?"

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

Janet froze.

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

"A very capable friend helped me get them."

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

Janet’s eyes twinkled.

"It’s a secret.

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

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

Gerda scratched her head and hurried back to her desk.

Janet couldn’t help but chuckle.

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

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

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

Janet couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Someone texted you."

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

"It seems your wife’s missing you."

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

Instantly, his expression darkened when he read the text.

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

Garrett asked seriously, the smile wiped from his face.

"Janet’s asking Brandon out for dinner."

Ethan put his phone down and sighed.

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

Garrett leaned back with his hands clasped behind his head.

"Yeah.

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

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

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

It’s not good for my heart either,"

he sighed.

Ethan frowned and started typing out a brisk reply.

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

You’re an employee of the Larson Group.

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

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

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

That’s thanks enough, Miss Lind,"

Ethan replied politely, keeping things professional.

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

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

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

Transfer her to a subsidiary company.

Then, bring Charis here."

Garrett was just about to take a nap.

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

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

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

"Why did you want to dismiss Janet?"

Ethan asked in a low voice.

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

"I just wanted to protect the company name,"

Charis answered defensively.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at her coldly.

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

No one other than me.

Understood?"

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

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

"I see how it is.

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

Ethan had already noticed that something was wrong with Charis.

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

She and her family had always valued their image.

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

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

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

Charis was a dignified woman.

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

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

She hadn’t cried in years.

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

She had been reluctant to leave him.

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

She and Brandon had worked together for years.

They had shared the company’s ups and downs.

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

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

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

"I met Brandon first,"

Charis muttered through gritted teeth.

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

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

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

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

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

But she couldn’t act as overtly as before.

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

She had to be more careful now.

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

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

Janet’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

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

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

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

But he couldn’t tell her this.

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

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

The manager of the shop at work fired me.

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

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

In fact, there was some truth to his story.

Ritchie had indeed caused him a lot trouble after all.

Hearing this, Janet’s heart immediately softened.

She walked over to help him with the vegetables.

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

I was worried something bad happened to you."

"The problem’s been solved.

Don’t worry,"

Ethan said with a reassuring smile.

That much was true.

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

"Your brother is really hard to deal with."

Janet pouted like a child.

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

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

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

Janet looked up at Ethan curiously.

Almost immediately, she saw the lust in his eyes.

His face was so beautiful.

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

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

Janet’s face turned as red as a tomato.

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

Then she focused on chopping the vegetables.

Amused, Ethan patted her on the head affectionately.

He really liked it when she blushed.

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

He had to admit it really turned him on.

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

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

Ethan stroked Janet’s hair.

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

A long forgotten name appeared on the screen.

It was Patrick Lester.

Chapter 324 Nora’s Birthday Ethan pursed his lips.

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

It was winter and the cold wind was unforgiving.

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

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

Janet’s voice broke the silence.

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

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

He was answering the phone out on the balcony again.

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

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

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

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

"I was busy just now,"

Ethan simply replied.

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

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

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

She wants you and your wife here."

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

— – Janet had overheard Patrick’s loud voice.

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

Ethan held her tighter and sighed.

"We are.

Patrick seldom summons me.

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

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

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

Janet smiled at him sweetly.

"I can tell that you’re fond of her."

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

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

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

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

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

She was the only Lester who ever cared about Ethan.

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

"She’s a kind lady,"

he said calmly.

a long time since they

"Let’s not talk here.

It’s so cold!"

her

thought occurred to

shouted, "The eggs! I

Ethan’s embrace and ran to the kitchen

Ethan followed behind her.

was extremely flustered, and he couldn’t help but

told you to keep an eye

side while he cleaned up the mess himself

her thumbs, Janet stood in the corner, restlessly

"I’m sorry.

Charis, so I

Ethan had guessed this.

his freshly washed hands, he raised his eyes to look

"It’s my fault.

didn’t give you enough

saying that, he spread out his arms and said gently, "Come

her face against

invitation from Patrick, she murmured, "The

I just got him into

a huge grudge

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

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

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

just being

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

had a feeling that Shelia didn’t mean

poured the juice

this definitely

Here you go."

"And what about you?"

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

more

wasn’t going to take the meat, Shelia smiled

"Don’t worry about it.

This meat isn’t poisonous.

assured and

alert right then, watching

Shelia happened to be an easy-going person,

had thought that

his injuries, she knew she was wrong and

"I’m not very hungry.

ahead

to look away and placed

the

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

took a bite out of

she furrowed her brows

really hard to

not cooked

gave you just now must

you tell me?

that Shelia spit the meat out, Victor didn’t say a word and only continued

Shelia turned around and spotted

you smiling? Van, you did this deliberately, didn’t

Victor never even

his hand and gently

to roast the meat for

gone a

and get some

tired

just sit

Shelia proceeded

and said, "Van, you’re good at cooking meat, aren’t

to survive in

spoke in a

"Survive in the wildness?"

time that Shelia had ever heard of such

of

Shelia did earlier, Victor also crushed some fruits and

knife to slice the

he heard what Shelia asked,

a while, he said, "I

fact, Victor knew the reason

wanted to be prepared in

even under ner

him to learn more skills so that he would at least have a better chance to survive

"Alright."

Shelia continued to focus her gaze on the burning

eye, Victor caught a glimpse of Shelia’s profile

stretched out a hand to wipe off the

to look at Victor

straight into Shelia’s eyes, he started to feel

and explained,

"Is that so?"

ahead to rub her nose with the

what about now?

"No,"

said, glancing over at

"Good."

Shelia smiled.

did you learn other than roasting

Can you teach me?"

do you want to

"In order to survive."

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

shelia said casually.

sad

be flipped? It’s on

Shelia pointed out.

by Shelia, Victor saw a small burn on the meat’s exposed side when he

was still thinking about what

.

second thoughts about whether or not to

all, Shelia’s own

the other hand, didn’t seem

asked, "Will you please teach

"Hmm,"

after

"Is that a yes?"

and she

two dimples, meanwhile, became much

Victor nodded, "Okay."

she said, "Thanks

I’ve ever encountered, except for

"Orphanage?"

where I was

ago, the orphanage was taken over and the old

clouded as

elderly woman was a wonderful

was younger, she prepared great meals and gave me

an orphan…’ Victor pursed

was needed to look after you

you leave

up at Victor and answered,

home Shelia

with you being outdoors

head,

visit her tomb,

to them,

spite of the dingy

in shards of sunshine that had been scattered

behind her head,

disappointment as she gazed up at

to visit

you from doing

are people guarding the

if I go

had no idea that

tell her my name when I meet her

said, blinking

black eyes remained fixed on Shelia and

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

soft spot in her heart

I was

didn’t seem appropriate to use

concluded

an apt description of her features, particularly

thinking twice, Victor asked her, "Since she was responsible for your upbringing, how come you got your name so

was unable to communicate since she was deaf,

referred to us

a poker card was

her pocket as if it were a treasure and

orphanage, each kid was given

put them on the cards and let us take them as we pleased, but we were

stared at the card–the King of

Did I get the

Shelia inquired.

"It’s definitely the best."

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

was toasting

her the meat after he

set

Eat, please."

from her gut just after his words

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

meat i made myself!

Victor’s expression softened somewhat.

felt rejuvenated after a good

she rose to her feet, she said, "Let’s

rise when Shelia abruptly extended

"Come on, get up."

aback, and after a little pause, he took Shelia’s hand in his and replied,

used a dart to put marks on the

lost track of time

had

in sitting down on

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

can get out before the sun

some

and he was coughing up

incoherently, "I’m sure we

Let’s move forward."

have the

"Like never before…"

and continued to

motion, she murmured, "Van, you look

be sure

lowered his gaze to

in mud after a day and a night in

What’s

"Plan?"

slow

we leave the forest? Where will you be

want to continue my travels

station when I can no longer walk and beg them

answered with a

"Shelia."

mind after staring at

"What’s the problem?"

me after we get

grandma will like you, I will defend you if she doesn’t like

count

me to come

If you don’t want to, it

that Shelia

while before asking, "Are you

"No, I’m not.

treat you

Victor convinced her.

nodded and smiled at Victor, saying,

get

"Sure."

from the woods,

started to disappear below the horizon, basking the forest

the bodies of Victor

had been walking since high noon and

tiredness was assuaged when they saw a

we’re out

meet local villagers if we

We can…"

sentence, she saw Victor stop

She was confused.

at Victor, wanting to

"Van?"

didn’t expect you to come

for the source of the

that were parked not far

them intently as he played with a

could feel right away that they

to shield Victor, who in turn stood

eyes off Norton, watching his

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

lost even when it

we were finding our way out of the forest, I

and you

"And then?"

her

straight into

"Walk along this road.

you meet villagers, borrow a mobile phone

that Norton didn’t intend to let him

just wanted to play a game with Victor by throwing

felt that if he couldn’t escape this predicament,

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

could not fulfill the

wrote a phone number on her palm

the number once you get hold of a mobile

he whispered.

is my

her and she will pick you up

just looked down at

Shelia didn’t respond, Victor looked at

"No."

her

eyes were a little

remember the

a

Victor frowned.

was so anxious that he coughed violently as soon as

remained adamant and clenched her

to spread her palm

hear what Victor and Shelia were talking about, he could

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

feelings for each other! I’m

up when saw Norton approaching

pulled Sheila

injured and keeping himself standing steadily

would be hard for him

deliberately walked up to

and Shelia

patience with them, Norton pulled Shelia

fast for Victor to stop

"Let her go!"

a firm grip

found satisfaction in hearing

know you

as he wiped the mud

body pain, Victor rushed over and tried to take

his tracks when something silver flashed through

was a knife that Norton pressed against Shelia’s

a mouthful

"No."

"What are you saying?"

gave Victor a mocking smile, pretending not to hear

he had difficulty

and tried

want

nothing to do with

So, let her go!"

wow! This is so

Norton curled his lips.

I don’t want to let her

from but I find your reaction

boring for you to die alone?

red eyes,

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

body was

spat out blood

all you can

kept his mocking smile plastered

eyes narrowed in anger when

did you just

said you are a

Shelia swallowed.

of

you don’t have in you to do

So, cut the crap.

to kill me, then

"Shelia…"

desperately tried

she was

was afraid that Shelia would make Norton’s hackles rise and the man would do just what

Norton was indeed angry.

fierce, but he kept his voice in check as

you really

Shelia rolled her eyes.

can help

Norton said, laughing derisively.

turned to his men and instructed them, "Tie

squinted his eyes and asked anxiously, "What are you

Norton didn’t answer.

glared at

men did as they

and feet bound, Shelia was taken to one

to

was taking them.Chapter 464 Victor Woke

was

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

the blue veins on his neck became very

teeth and yelled, "Let

to open her eyes because of the gushing water,

actually wanted Victor

opened her mouth, she was

her eyes

the exasperated expression on Victor’s face, Norton scoffed

but he was useless in this kind of

making me

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

the rope, squatted down, and blew

of you wanting to save her so much,

some good in me, huh? What

could just

do whatever it took to save

who was in the middle of the river, Norton squinted his eyes and

appeared and stood between

up and looked

"Here’s what I’m thinking.

two are the weakest

only killed two people, and the one on

want

soon as Norton finished speaking, the two men who had been holding Victor’s arms let go of him and took

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

two before the

goodbye to your good

afraid that you won’t

flame, Victor didn’t

rushed up and fought against

most

his weakest subordinates should

was currently badly

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

them were tall and burly men

at a disadvantage from

in his abdomen

as he was hit, Victor staggered and

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

bones being broken scattered all over his body, making

time, Victor’s face looked

stand, not ready

get back on his

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

he was hit again, Victor spat out a mouthful of blood, and a tooth also fell

Victor’s

the rope, which was only a few steps away

didn’t matter how many

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

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

his mind wanted to go on, his

the ground and lost his

was somewhat awakened when

eyes, but his

lay there on the ground, watching the raindrops

couldn’t help but wonder if he was still

yet, so he thought that he

enough, the sharp pain that pierced every inch of his body made Victor realize that he was still

to stand up, but he couldn’t move even

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

he turned his head to look at the river,

no trace

"Ahem!"

spurting out

the soil and opened his eyes as wide as

river expectantly, as if he

for a

he didn’t even know

the person

someone would raise her head from the river or come out from somewhere and call

of blood and the excruciating pain he was

he lost

again, he was finally

him near the

to rescue him lasted

doctor’s diagnosis, it was found out that Victor

bones in his right knee were shattered, his chest and lungs were inflamed, and the

woke up was ask Carolyn to send

wearing an oxygen mask

danger yet, but all

even know who Shelia was, but she could sense that she must be a very

she didn’t dare delay to send people to search for

search lasted for seven days, but Shelia couldn’t

there was still

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

but one could easily recognize that it was

years later,

after fully recovering was buy

King of Hearts card in a box and buried

nothing on the marble tombstone aside from

Shelia’s name

Victor’s recovery, while Karl was

still tried to rush him to the hospital, but he

was also in that

he finished

companies under the control

these companies from a very low level to one

able to prove his outstanding ability, Carolyn gradually handed over the Sullivan

Roger entered the

on the edge of the bed, holding

can’t eat

porridge for about half

even stand

had no choice

she said, "Eat it

stuck his tongue out, not intending

Roger standing at the

month, Roger came to the hospital to visit Joey from

gradually got acquainted

him was that Roger would bring some

much, he could at

could only

Joey greeted Roger, Rachel turned around

you say that you wouldn’t come

message in advance to ask

no every time, he would still insist on getting her

said that he had an important

visit, it would probably be very

I couldn’t

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

response, Rachel furrowed her brows

"Rachel, Victor woke up."

Roger broke the news.

465 Dark Circles The operation done to Victor lasted for more than 70

closed

do anything but wait outside until

began, the

indicated that the surgery

life was saved, but he wasn’t completely out of

he was wheeled to the

until two days ago that

became eligible to be transferred to the

was still

an expert in the field to check Victor’s condition and give a

it wasn’t what

Victor sustained serious injuries.

his old wounds had healed, they still had

injuries just made

that only

tell us when

in a gloomy

afraid I can’t

couldn’t help but frown as he

be blunt, please consider preparing

a chance that he’ll never wake up? Is he

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

but there was a huge

for Carson and Lukas, Rachel was the first

Carson deemed that Rachel had the

outside Joey’s ward, holding a

and there were dark circles round

tell Rachel

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

if she had already prepared herself for

was a

didn’t know when she became

in a coma for about

have been

outside the operating room for

cigarette in Carson’s hand and reminded him in a low voice, "This

You can’t smoke here."

if he regained his senses, Carson put out

her indifferent expression, he didn’t bother continue discussing about

and asked, "Anyway,

"Joey? He’s fine.

doctor checked him up yesterday and said that he has

fact, it’s expected that his plaster will be removed ahead of

his head and peeped through the

sleeping

he stretched for a bit and said,

then, I’m

turned around and left without

to tell Rachel

he had nothing else

of an eye, two days eventually passed

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

stayed in Joey’s ward almost twenty-four hours

the same time, Carson didn’t show his face to

an expert, she was

Victor had miraculously

Obviously, Rachel was stunned.

long time without being able

judging Roger’s expression

want to go upstairs and see

asked slowly This time, Rachel pressed her lips hard and remained

of nowhere, someone gently pulled her sleeve and pulled

want to see

pleading in

fact that Victor was in a coma

up in the hospital, he actually had a vague

he found that Rachel had always been absent-minded

finally found out the truth, Rachel didn’t have

or say anything, nor did

just smiled and

Isn’t daddy bad? They say bad people

we don’t have to worry too

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

moments, she mustered

"Yes, of course."

had a good rest

Victor, as if

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

keeping it all inside him, but Rachel was aware that he

"Okay…"

heart softened, and

ward was in the

Joey’s wound hadn’t fully healed yet, it was

simply let him sit in a

the wheelchair for him, and the three of

enough, they reached

elevator finally stopped at the floor of the ward where

one patient at this time, Carson

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

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

first time I’ve seen you

What brings you here?"

asked Joey as he quickly set the document he was holding

"Have you been beaten?"

asked, blinking his

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

dark circles around your eyes

"Dark circles?"

choked at

phone, opened its front camera, and

realized that

totally haggard, and his eye bags were

this was

hadn’t have a good sleep for half a

was originally a handsome young man, but even he was susceptible to stress

"Ha-ha!"

help but laugh after seeing the upset

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

Carson stepped forward

"You, brat.

you tease your godfather? You

Who said that you are my

no opinion regarding

and I grew

We are best friends.

one who

how I became

his eyebrows and crossed his arms in front of his

if you don’t want it, that fact

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

his tongue as he

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

as I said, it’s a fact that you

change your attitude

he stuck out his

his eye, Carson recognized

then tried to regain his composure and commented, "I

I heard that Mr.Sullivan has woken

Rachel and Joey to

Roger explained.

plan to lose his composure just because of

"Oh, I see."

and said,

He is resting inside.

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

knew what was going

"Let’s go,"

Roger reminded Rachel gently.

"Alright."

walked towards

followed her, pushing Joey’s

were placed

in thoughts

when he was about to sav something, Joey spoke

"Mr.Jimenez."

"Is anything the matter?"

Roger asked.

looked

was not standing very

see him from the corner

raised his eyebrows as if he

at him,

I need to use the

overheard what

I take you

"No!"

a very decisive

was a serious look on

am

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

at that moment, they were

ladies’ room, just like it wouldn’t be right for her to take

words, Rachel looked

it was Roger, then her

want to bother the former, Carson soon observed that she was staring

to take

to pay any attention to

and turned

to give Joey a thumbs up without Rachel

Carson pretended like he was answering the

the plan you sent to

talking, he headed

very good

while he was

no call at all! Rachel saw what just happened clearly and understood that it was all

"It’s okay.

take

He is actually right.

very embarrassing for a boy like him to be taken to

Roger smiled gently.

"Thank you very much,"

Rachel said to Roger.

heard those words, they displeased

thought that Rachel ought to have been closer to him than

they got along

them were always in

for reasons best known to

things, Rachel still didn’t

knew that it couldn’t be achieved

about the night Rachel was standing outside the operating room where Victor was

Joey headed

some time, Carson

"Where is Joey?"

he asked Rachel knowingly.

took a quick glance at the phone in his

with the

"What?"

followed Rachel’s sight and took a

smile appeared on

I am through

left with no choice! My subordinates are too bad

"Of course they are!"

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

fake smile on

not very

Carson realized that Rachel knew that he had pretended to answer the call only moments

of his nose and coughed to ease the awkwardness of

you want to go

order to look through the glass panel on the

was a

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

see Victor, Rachel pushed the door

said Victor would lie in the bed for two

undergo half

came

in a stable condition now,

"Get out of here!"

voice interrupted Carson’s

in a suit coming

He looked dejected.

was a document in his

Rachel and Carson as

was stunned at first, then his face

"Mr.Scott!"

card hung around the man’s

It was quite noticeable.

Group and the director

about what just happened to

expression that the project plan

been driven out! Her attention was drawn to the

was what

She turned to Carson.

he looked back at her, she raised her eyebrows

"Well, this is Troy.

as a member of the Sullivan Group’s project

meant by

a loss for

so many

had to

recognized who Rachel

bowed and

"Miss Bennet."

her head

forehead was covered

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

I’m going back to the

hand and

should do that

what Carson said, Troy went out of sight in a

at the

for her to see that Victor was

doesn’t seem as bad

well and can

walked to the door

leaned against the door

follow Rachel

some document when he

he didn’t raise his head and

cast her gaze

in

that his face was pale despite

frowned and looked

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

was so entranced that she walked towards the

you to

heard the footsteps, his

person who

in his usual cold and stiff tone, he said softly, "Rachel, you

after we finished

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

"The dance is over.

time to let

I reminded him.

still loosened his grip on my waist

a few steps back

feel

blushed and i felt

heart

moment, it felt like I had returned to

him were the happiest time of

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

looked down, feeling conflicted and

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

approached me

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

my glass and

it, I’d had a few to drink and was starting

this time, Elena came

a surprise waiting for you

you like to go upstairs and take a look at

she asked.

"What’s the surprise?"

This "surprise"

piqued my curiosity.

when you get

mysterious smile appeared on Elena’s

confusion, I followed her to the deck

red rose petals

numerous balloons

eyes widened

this whole scene was

birthday surprise?’ I had no idea who had

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

A bitter smile appeared on my

on

joy of receiving this birthday surprise

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

sea was tranquil, and yet my mind

the cold sea breeze, I felt even

fireworks display lit up the sky,

the sky,

sounded like

the noise, I covered my ears

squatted on the

and i felt like my

incident at the abandoned warehouse

seconds, I was out of breath I felt

I was having a panic attack, a pair of strong arms

I’m here."

voice came from above me,

It was Charles.

i nestled in his arms as tears burst from my

don’t have to be scared