CHAPTER 177: CHAPTER 177: OR... I COULD JUST EAT YOU INSTEAD

Juliana said nothing.

He turned off the stove, turned around, and playfully tapped her nose with his finger, "Not even if you want it."

Juliana tilted her head and asked, "Why not?"

The man leaned down, placed a kiss on her forehead, and pressed his fingertip where her heart was.

"Because... you’re not ready here yet."

Juliana looked at his handsome face, so close to hers, with mixed emotions in her heart.

Can a man really be so good to the one he loves?

So good it feels unreal.

"But what about your high blood pressure?"

Elias Langley laughed.

His laughter was bright and cheerful.

"That was just an excuse to sleep with you. After all these years, what could go wrong? Silly, so easy to fool."

Juliana lowered her head, didn’t speak, and took the fried rice to the dining table outside.

The fried rice was so delicious she wanted to praise him.

"If you ever lose your job, you could open a fast-food place, just selling fried rice."

Elias Langley laughed, "Is that the highest compliment I can get?"

Juliana nodded.

"Then I’ll sell fried rice, and you sell your steamed custard?"

Juliana was taken aback for a moment.

Elias Langley’s smile gradually faded, "I came back to the hotel yesterday and found the steamed custard you made had gone bad."

Juliana was a bit surprised, "Why didn’t you just throw it away if it had been sitting so long?"

Elias Langley said tenderly, "I couldn’t bear to."

Those three words struck heavily on Juliana’s heart.

She thought of how she used to cook for Evan Grant, but he would throw it away without a second glance due to last-minute engagements.

But Elias Langley...

Juliana suppressed the emotions surging within her and said softly, "You’re so childish."

Elias Langley moved his bowl next to hers and sat down beside her.

"I didn’t get to taste it. Make me another batch, will you?"

Juliana didn’t say anything, just buried her head in her meal.

The man quietly leaned closer, whispering in her ear, "Or... maybe I could just have a taste of you."

Juliana paused, realizing what he meant, and her face instantly flushed red.

This meal was impossible to eat now.

Juliana immediately set a rule for Elias Langley: No flirting during meals.

As he was leaving, the man shamelessly leaned against the doorframe, saying, "Get some rest early tonight. Bring me the custard by noon tomorrow."

Juliana straightened his collar, "Why don’t you stay with the Langley Family?"

Elias Langley raised an eyebrow, "Where do you want me to stay?"

"It’s not that... but is staying in a hotel convenient?"

Elias Langley seemed to understand.

"It’s not convenient, so I’m waiting for your invitation to move in together."

Juliana’s face turned red again, and she promptly "chased" him out of her house.

The next morning, when Juliana woke up, she found there was still an untouched portion of fried rice in the fridge.

He must have purposely made extra, leaving some for her breakfast.

The portion was quite large, and Juliana didn’t eat it all by herself. Instead, she warmed it up, packed it in two lunch boxes, and took it to the office.

Summer opened the steaming lunch box, both surprised and touched.

"See, I told you, you would thank me for leaving you alone last night. How did it go? Did you make any progress?"

It would have been better if she hadn’t mentioned it. When she did, Juliana took her milk, drank it in one go, and still looked at her angrily.

"Alright, I won’t mention it."

The look on Juliana’s face was enough to show that nothing happened last night.

Summer took big bites of the fried rice.

"Juliana, your cooking has improved again."

Juliana casually said, "It was made by Elias Langley."

Summer was momentarily shocked and picked up the dropped grains of rice from beside the lunch box, putting them in her mouth.

Juliana held back her upward-curving lips and started eating too.

They hadn’t finished eating when an arrogant voice broke the quiet outside the office hall.

"It’s good enough I’m not making her kneel to welcome me in, and you still make me wait here. Do you know who I am? Such a small company dare to mess with Blackstar, are you looking to go bankrupt?"

Upon hearing Leona Sheridan’s voice, Summer immediately stood up.

Juliana grabbed her, "She’s here for me. You continue eating, I’ll go."

With that said, she wiped her mouth and stood up to leave the office.

In the hall, things from the front desk were scattered all over the floor.

The young lady who had just started working for less than three months was so intimidated by Leona Sheridan’s presence that she didn’t dare speak loudly.

Instead of greeting Leona Sheridan right away, Juliana nonchalantly surveyed the messy office and told the young receptionist, "Go get a cloth and a bottle of disinfectant spray. Clean up everything she touched."

Leona Sheridan felt insulted and angrily said, "What kind of attitude is that? Don’t forget, you’re currently my son’s fiancée, which makes me your future mother-in-law."

Juliana sneered, "Are you getting old, or do you have amnesia? Shouldn’t that ’fiancée’ be in quotation marks? As for a future mother-in-law, my last mother-in-law died under mysterious circumstances. Are you hoping for the same fate?"

Leona Sheridan was so choked by her words that her face turned pale.

"I don’t care what you think. Jared was disappointed not to see you this morning. From now on, you must meet him every day. Once he leaves the hospital in a few days, you’ll move in with the Langley Family."

Juliana was about to say something when Leona Sheridan added, "I’m informing you, not consulting with you. You’re lucky my son even likes a divorcee like you! Don’t push your luck!"

Such words would anger anyone, yet Juliana just laughed.

Leona Sheridan couldn’t understand, "What are you laughing at?"

"Isn’t Mrs. Langley and Chairman Langley’s relationship more like roommates?"

"How dare you! What right do you have to comment on my marriage?"

Juliana gave a faint smile, "To me, Mrs. Langley seems more like an antique Qing Dynasty relic brought home to ward off evil, with a mind full of male dominance and social hierarchy. It’s no wonder Chairman Langley prefers fresh and lively scenery outside; after all, facing an unearthed artifact every day must be quite dispiriting."

Leona Sheridan’s face turned beet red in anger, "You, you’re utterly disrespectful and talking nonsense!"

Juliana’s smile faded, "If Mrs. Langley feels that my pretending with her son is not enough to repay his kindness, then I won’t act anymore. Name a compensation price. If I can repay it, I will; if not, I’ll pay in installments. From now on, we won’t interfere with each other."

If Jared heard this, he’d probably have to use a defibrillator again.

Leona Sheridan certainly didn’t dare agree to such terms.

"I say one thing, you retort ten. You’ve got some nerve!"

With that, she raised her hand to slap Juliana’s face.

But her noble, pampered hand ended up landing squarely on a dirty mop.

Leona Sheridan looked at Summer, who was holding the broom, in shock, disgust, and anger, but she couldn’t say a word.

"You old witch, are you bullying us because we don’t have a demon-slaying mirror at the entrance? Your stench of manure can be smelled from the office. Hurry up and wash up with the mop."

Leona Sheridan was repulsed by the smell on her hand.

She gave Summer a fierce glare and suppressed her anger, saying, "If you want to stand up for her, think of the consequences. This world is full of unexpected events; don’t bring trouble upon yourself."

With that, she turned to leave, her pointed heels stomping heavily on the tiles as if trying to pierce through them.

"Summer, you shouldn’t have..."

Juliana’s words were cut off by Summer, "I’m not doing it for you. Aetherflame is my place; I can’t let an old hag run wild here."

Every time she says it’s not for her, yet every time it really is.

Juliana’s eyes reddened a little, and she immediately lowered her head to hide it from Summer.

At noon, she didn’t forget to bring Elias Langley the custard.

When she asked where he was, Elias Langley sent her a location.

Upon seeing it, she knew that place required a pass to enter.

Unexpectedly, when she arrived at the entrance, Quinn Shepherd was already waiting for her.

Quinn Shepherd led her through layers of security checks.

The corridor was so quiet only the sound of footsteps could be heard, and the cool, solemn black walnut doors on either side exuded an untouchable authority.

It wasn’t until he opened the last unmarked walnut door that Elias Langley looked up from behind a spacious desk, his gaze, initially cold, instantly softened upon seeing Juliana.

Quinn Shepherd sensibly retreated, and Elias Langley stood up to greet her.

He naturally took the food box from her hand, wrapped an arm around her waist, pulled her into his embrace, and lowered his head to kiss her...