CHAPTER 189: CHAPTER 189: AREN’T YOU GOING TO ARGUE WITH ME?

The man’s face showed no expression, but even through the glass, one could feel the heavy pressure he exuded.

"Open the door, let me out," Juliana said.

The driver glanced in the rearview mirror, received Evan’s nod of approval, and unlocked the central lock.

Juliana quickly got out of the car and ran towards Elias.

The turmoil of anger and coldness in Elias’s heart quietly dissipated the moment she eagerly rushed to him, and his tense face unconsciously relaxed.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I’m fine," Juliana said softly.

"Did you finish talking with him?"

Juliana glanced at him in surprise, then lowered her eyes, "Finished talking."

"Go wait for me in the car," Elias instructed.

Juliana didn’t spare Evan another glance and sat in the back seat of the Hongqi.

A sting of pain flashed through Evan’s heart, but he quickly suppressed it.

With a provocative smile on his lips, he spoke first, "Isn’t forcing me to stop like this a bit too rude, Mr. Langley? It seems you don’t care about her safety at all."

Elias looked at him with a faint gaze, "Rest assured, I won’t do anything I’m not confident in; her safety is a higher priority than mine."

Evan chuckled lightly, his voice sharp, "So, does the Sinclair family know you’re together?"

Elias’s lips tensed slightly.

Evan’s smile widened, "Old Mr. Sinclair is not a kind-hearted man, and you’re still under Sinclair’s control. Since you married his granddaughter’s memorial tablet, you must be faithful to that ’ghost.’ If he finds out about Juliana’s existence, how confident are you in protecting her?"

A hint of cold mockery flashed in Elias’s eyes, his voice low but each word like a knife.

"I’m not you; at least I won’t let someone I love to be bullied to the extent of needing a divorce for survival. Whether I can protect her or not, just keep your eyes open, and even if I’m not at my best, I’m still better than some people who can’t even hold onto their wives, left with nothing but sour grapes."

With that, Elias didn’t spare Evan a glance at his pained expression and turned to get into the car.

"I want to go to the company," Juliana said.

Elias placed his hand on her shoulder, met Quinn Shepherd’s gaze briefly through the rearview mirror.

Quinn understood and adjusted the route.

"Did you have breakfast?" he asked.

"Was it Raine Kane who told you my whereabouts?" Juliana looked at him, her gaze displeased, "Did you always send her to secretly follow me?"

"It’s protection," Elias corrected her.

She was indeed in the eye of the storm and needed protection, but Raine’s pervasive ’care’ suffocated her.

"But you weren’t like this before. Before, you respected my boundaries and privacy. How is this ’protection’ any different from those I need to guard against?"

The words were harsh, but Elias didn’t get angry; instead, he said calmly, "I’ll talk to Raine about this."

Juliana’s gaze turned to surprise.

Elias, holding her shoulder, his eyes still gentle, "It’s Raine’s first time as a personal bodyguard; she might not know the boundaries yet. You can communicate directly with her; she’ll adjust."

Juliana looked at him, unable to speak for a moment.

His excessively calm and rational response made her previous hostility seem abrupt.

"What’s wrong?" he pinched her chin.

"Aren’t you going to argue with me?" she couldn’t help but ask.

Elias chuckled at her words, "When you’re being childish, I can’t be."

Juliana suddenly realized that her reaction, triggered by Evan’s words, was somewhat impolite and unjust.

After a moment of silence, she confessed, "The person who harmed Summer Shaw has been to your Langley residence."

Elias immediately understood her insinuation and denied it flatly, "The Langley family doesn’t have the guts."

"Not even your sister-in-law, Leona Sheridan?" Juliana challenged him.

"To do it without leaving a trace, Nathan Chapman doesn’t have that ability. Leona managed to get rid of the women around my brother because... no one bothered to investigate seriously," he replied.

Juliana sneered, "So, in the end, you are still covering for them. Including Isabelle Sinclair, who is currently staying at Langley Residence."

"It’s even less likely to be Isabelle Sinclair," Elias said with unwavering certainty.

Juliana, angered by his unwavering protection, flared up, "Would you bet your life on it?"

Elias finally frowned, his tone lowered.

"I understand your urgency to find the culprit, but you can’t lose your judgment and suspect everything because of what Evan said. If he were that trustworthy, why did you divorce him in the first place?"

Upon hearing this, a flash of clear pain and self-mockery crossed Juliana’s eyes.

"Yes, I have no judgment, I’m suspicious. How can I compare to the Sinclair daughter in your heart for over a decade? You’re even willing to marry her memorial tablet, naturally favoring and protecting her family at all costs. And what about me? We’ve known each other for only a few days, indeed incomparable."

Her words pierced precisely at Elias’s raw nerve.

The man’s face darkened abruptly, and his tone was colder and harsher than ever, "Juliana, you shouldn’t say that! And you shouldn’t think that way!"

Juliana sneered, "Because I’ve hit a sore spot and you can’t explain it. Is that it?"

The air in the car instantly froze.

Elias’s face was taut, silent, as Juliana looked out the window.

A stifling silence quickly spread.

Quinn, driving, felt cold sweat on his palms.

Just then, the car arrived at the entrance of Aetherflame Dynamics.

Juliana pushed open the car door, leaving without looking back.

Elias furrowed his brows tightly and still said nothing as her figure disappeared into the company’s entrance.

Quinn glanced in the rearview mirror several times, tentatively speaking out, "Should I go and carefully investigate Miss Isabelle?"

"No need," Elias replied almost without hesitation.

"But if Miss Isabelle’s suspicion isn’t cleared, then Miss Jacobs might still target Miss Isabelle."

Elias raised his hand to rub his tired brow, his voice carrying a hint of helplessness.

"Let her investigate the Langley Residence herself. Unless she sees the wall firsthand, she won’t give up."

"But Mrs. Langley probably won’t let her have it easy," Quinn reminded.

"No worries, I’m here; no one can bully her."

Upon hearing this, Quinn started the car and half-jokingly, half-seriously said, "President Langley, do you think Miss Jacobs’s big reaction just now could be because you’re favoring Miss Isabelle... maybe she’s jealous?"

Elias glanced at him lightly through the rearview mirror, "Just focus on driving."

Meanwhile, at Langley Residence.

Raine Kane dumped three dogs, tightly bound, at the back door, striding away.

All three had their ribs broken, with Nathan Chapman in the worst condition, his jaw dislocated.

Leona Sheridan ordered them to be taken to the hospital, shaking with rage in the courtyard.

"Good for you, Juliana, daring to threaten me! Don’t think that just because you’ve succeeded this time, that you’ve beaten me! Do you think you can promote that illegitimate child to deal with me? Pah, I’ll take your life sooner or later!"

"Ma’am, keep your voice down."

The old housekeeper saw Isabelle Sinclair approaching and quickly reminded her.

Leona took a deep breath, swiftly adjusting her facial muscles, preparing to squeeze out the usual, insincere smile.

But as Isabelle Sinclair walked closer, her gaze was fixed on the anger still lingering on Leona’s face.

She spoke first, "It seems Mrs. Langley doesn’t like Miss Jacobs much either. But... just making fierce remarks behind her back won’t remove a thorn from the heart."