CHAPTER 163: CHAPTER 163: MY HUSBAND’S NAME IS ELIAS LANGLEY

"She’s dead," Elias Langley said.

Admitting Dorian Lowell’s identity, this conclusion was also relayed back to the Sinclair Family.

Now he said the same to everyone.

Victor Langley was slightly surprised, "But you’ve taken her position as your wife; we have demands from the Sinclair Family, and we must not offend them. The three-year agreement still needs to be honored."

Elias Langley pressed his lips, "I know."

Victor Langley softened his tone, "I understand you’re just a normal man. If you really find it necessary, discreetly arranging for someone on the side is not out of the question."

Elias Langley gave a faint, emotionless twitch of his lips, saying, "I’m in a hurry; I’ll be off now."

...

Juliana Jacobs walked out of Blackstar Tower, and Leona Sheridan’s words stabbed at her heart like thorns. It would be false to say she wasn’t upset.

At some point, it began to rain. Her car was parked at the far end of the open parking lot; running there would get her soaked through.

While hesitating, a large black umbrella silently appeared over her head.

She turned back and saw Quinn Shepherd.

"Miss Jacobs, the rain is quite heavy; please use this umbrella first."

Juliana accepted the umbrella but didn’t express thanks and instead directly asked, "Where is Elias Langley? Doesn’t he have time now?"

Quinn Shepherd looked troubled, "Mr. Langley is here today for important business talks. We must head to the base immediately; the car is already waiting over there."

Juliana finally couldn’t suppress her anger, "He took the initiative to provoke me; now he’s suddenly distant and indifferent. What is this? Even if you want to draw a line, at least say it clearly before we become strangers again?"

"Uh..." Quinn Shepherd gave an awkward smile, "Miss Jacobs, please don’t be upset. We’ll only be gone for three days. Once we return, I’ll contact you immediately."

This finally sounded reasonable.

Juliana pressed her lips, saying no more, and walked alone into the rain.

...

Chairman office of Blackstar Dynamics.

Leona Sheridan had left, leaving Victor Langley sitting alone at the desk.

The assistant served him a pot of freshly brewed Biluochun tea, but he didn’t drink, just stared at the heavy rain outside the window.

"Have I been too indifferent to matters in Kenton these past few years?" he suddenly asked.

The assistant didn’t understand why he was asking and didn’t reply immediately.

"I didn’t expect Evan Grant’s wife to look so much like her. Do you think the second son checked into it?"

The assistant, having been with him for twenty years, understood the context straight away.

"The second son operates methodically; he probably checked. Since they’ve officially admitted to ’deceased,’ that person most likely is no longer alive."

Victor Langley nodded, "What he admits to is definitely certain. I heard Evan Grant and his wife don’t get along."

"Yes, they’re going through a divorce," the assistant replied in a low voice.

Victor Langley lowered his head, touching his face, "Do you think she would like more mature men?"

The assistant was stunned for quite a while before giving a strained caution, "Chairman Langley, if you indeed have such intentions, you must keep it well hidden from your wife. Otherwise, like the previous ones, they might vanish without a trace."

Victor Langley took a sip of tea, his gaze deep and unreadable, yet his tone was calm and unruffled.

"The tea today is brewed well; you’ll get extra performance bonuses this month."

...

The police were too late.

By the time they reached Dreamfall Manor, Stella Windsor had already fled.

However, the fingerprints obtained at the scene matched the half-print left on the sneakers, which also corresponded to the ones retrieved from Platinum Bay.

As a result, her suspicion level in Chase Miller’s murder had significantly increased, officially making her a wanted person by the police.

In just three days, Cortexa Group also experienced sudden upheaval.

Ryan Warner strived to secure investment for the lab with a "self-developed" project, seemingly steering the main business out of trouble. However, at the board meeting, Isaac Grant strongly opposed the funding, and soon the group shockingly revealed a broken financial chain.

Investigation revealed that apart from the lab having already consumed a significant portion of the company’s investments, Isaac Grant had secretly diverted massive funds for bribery support, plunging Cortexa into a financial crisis.

The Grant father and son, who once had almost full control, suddenly became the target for everyone’s blame. Meanwhile, Evan Grant, who was already marginalized, was unable to turn the tides, and Cortexa Group officially faced a bankruptcy crisis.

Abyssal Reach.

In rage, Isaac Grant smashed everything in the room.

George Grant couldn’t stand it, advising, "He says he doesn’t care about you anymore, thinking Cortexa is about to go bankrupt and we have no money for him. But haven’t we hit rock bottom yet? There’s still hope!"

Isaac Grant grabbed him by the collar, eyes bloodshot, questioning, "Weren’t you always saying Cortexa had plenty of money? How long has it been before the funds broke? The Grant Family is the richest in Kenton, so where’s the money?"

"Of course there’s money!" George Grant struggled to pull back his collar, "I’m afraid most of it is still in the old lady’s hands, not even put into the company!"

He took a breath, then said sinisterly, "This matter is not simple, there must be a mole in the company!"

"A mole?" Isaac Grant snorted coldly, pressing a button on the remote, "I’ve already found him."

The door to the secret room opened, revealing Ryan Warner suspended in mid-air below a beam, covered in injuries, barely alive.

George Grant was startled, "How could it be him?"

"Since we took over Cortexa, he’s kept asking the company to invest in his lab. He used up half of the company’s cash flow. If he’s not the mole, who else could it be?"

After speaking, he looked at Ryan Warner, "Tell me, who made you do this?"

"It was... it was Juliana Jacobs," Ryan Warner said weakly.

"What does she want?"

"To bankrupt Dawn."

Isaac Grant angrily shouted at George Grant, "Did you hear that? We’ve been played by her from start to finish!"

George Grant’s face turned ashen, "This woman cannot be kept, we should have never gone soft on her in the beginning."

Isaac Grant sneered, "Do you really think she could do it alone? She and Evan Grant are merely acting in discord; they’ve been playing us like fools!"

George Grant was surprised, "Weren’t they always in a deadlock?"

"That was all for us to see!" Isaac Grant said through gritted teeth, "They don’t even need to discuss it; just a glance and they know the next step. Their tacit understanding is terrifying!"

He clenched his fist, eyes filled with a fierce determination.

"I’m going to get the Grant family’s money. And that woman, I won’t let her go either. Since they want to play dirty, don’t blame me for playing all the way with my methods."

...

Meanwhile, Juliana Jacobs was just coming out of the lab.

She shivered, rubbing her neck, thinking she was catching a cold.

At this moment, her phone rang.

It was Quinn Shepherd calling as agreed.

"Mr. Langley has a dinner meeting soon, are you available now?" Quinn Shepherd asked.

Juliana Jacobs looked at the time, it was almost half-past five. Just as she was about to say "yes," Adrian Langley’s figure appeared at the company entrance.

"Can it be later?" Juliana said into the phone.

Quinn Shepherd hesitated for a moment, glanced at his boss, whose face flashed with disappointment, and said into the phone, "Then... let’s get in touch again."

After hanging up, Juliana looked at Adrian Langley, "You better have something important."

"There’s progress on what you asked me to investigate about Isaac Grant. Four years ago, he was suddenly sent abroad by Old Mr. Grant, and his citizenship was canceled, so he could never return. A few months after he left, Old Mr. Grant mysteriously passed away."

This matched what Stella Windsor mentioned in her call.

"For him to come back smoothly this time, he borrowed the identity of Largo Miller, an overseas Chinese from a small country in Aethel. No one is chasing him domestically, all thanks to the support he’s receiving behind the scenes. Isaac Grant also controls many gray and black industries in Valtara, he’s quite influential."

After hearing this, a cold light flashed in Juliana’s eyes, "Since we can’t shake him abroad, then we’ll make him rot on this land."

Adrian Langley nodded, "I heard a rumor that Cortexa’s cash flow was completely used up by him."

Juliana was slightly stunned, "Then we have to hurry and make preparations."

Adrian patted her hand, "Take care of yourself."

With that, he was about to leave but was called back by Juliana.

"Does your uncle usually live at the Langley Residence?"

Adrian Langley didn’t understand why she suddenly asked about Elias Langley but still replied, "He doesn’t like living at home, most of the time he stays at The Apex Hotel."

So that’s how it is.

After parting with Adrian, Juliana returned to her apartment to personally make a serving of sugar-steamed crisp cheese, calculating the time Elias Langley would return from socializing, and headed to the hotel.

She had been to his room before and remembered it.

She pressed the doorbell.

After a moment, the door opened.

A woman, wearing a silky strap nightgown, with a charming figure, appeared at the door.

"Who are you looking for?" The woman had a Kingsford accent, her voice a bit coy.

Juliana was immediately taken aback, unwilling to believe the suspicion in her mind, she subconsciously took a half-step back.

"Sorry, I might have the wrong room..."

The woman leaned against the door, giving a lazy smile, "Or maybe you don’t. This is my husband’s room, and my husband’s name is Elias Langley."