CHAPTER 196: CHAPTER 196: LANGLEY MEN HAVE GENETIC DEFECTS

Juliana Jacobs gave a start in Elias Langley’s arms.

The man held her, his expression darkening instantly.

"I’ll go kill him."

He said as he made a move to open the door.

Juliana quickly blocked the door handle.

"Go hide in the bathroom."

Elias frowned, "Every time you make me hide in the bathroom, am I a rat?"

"Be good," she gave him a push, "Hurry up."

Reluctantly, he clicked his tongue in annoyance but still went to the bathroom.

Juliana took a deep breath, deliberately messing up her clothes before opening the door.

Jared Langley stood at the door with a pot of stew in his hands.

Seeing her disheveled appearance, he was momentarily stunned, "Are you really going to rest?"

Juliana looked weary, "Do you think I’m just brushing you off?"

Embarrassment flickered in Jared’s eyes, "This is chicken soup with fish maw that I specially asked the kitchen to prepare for you."

Juliana had a psychological shadow about the Langley Family’s stews, and her brows furrowed instantly.

Jared saw through her thoughts and quickly said, "This is made by the family’s chef, nothing extra added."

"I’m not really hungry, can I just drink the soup?" Juliana asked.

"Of course." Jared was pleased with her compliance.

Juliana picked up the pot and drank the soup in a few gulps without using a spoon, then placed the pot back.

Jared smiled lightly, taking out a tissue to wipe her mouth.

"Next time remember to use a spoon, sip by sip."

In other words, he disdained her eating manner.

Juliana didn’t mind, smiled, and closed the door.

She took a deep breath and sank into the sofa.

Elias emerged from the bathroom, holding a warm wet towel, and sat beside her, gently lifting her hem to apply the warm towel.

The soothing warmth spread over her skin, instantly alleviating the faint pain.

Juliana’s tense shoulders gradually relaxed.

Elias chuckled softly by her ear, "Is this service satisfactory?"

Juliana closed her eyes and nodded, "Not bad. If you lose your job in the future, you could open a massage parlor, and I’d book you every day."

"Getting cheekier, huh!"

Elias pinched her ticklish spot, making Juliana dodge away quickly.

"Does Miss Jacobs need assistance with bathing?" he raised an eyebrow and asked.

"In your dreams!"

Juliana laughed, got up, and quickly dodged into the bathroom, fearing he might really follow her in.

She figured if she dawdled in the shower long enough, he should be gone.

Surprisingly, when she stepped out, Elias was still there in the room.

"Aren’t you tired?" Juliana subtly suggested he leave.

"Watching you, I’m full of energy, reluctant to leave."

Juliana understood his teasing, her face reddening uncontrollably.

Elias took the towel from her hand, positioned her in front of the vanity mirror, and picked up a hair dryer.

His fingers gently threaded through her hair, making her close her eyes in comfort.

As he looked at the woman before him, lazily resembling a cat, his fingertips softly grazed her scalp and over her hair, but came to a sudden stop upon encountering an old scar on the back of her head.

It was a small, raised, old scab.

Elias couldn’t help but rub his fingertip over it repeatedly.

"How did you get this injury?" he asked.

Juliana replied casually, "I don’t know, it was there when I woke up in the hospital, and no one told me what happened, just sent me to the orphanage."

Elias’s fingers slowly tightened.

"Then..." his throat felt tight, "It must have been painful at the time?"

Juliana giggled, took the hair dryer from his hand, and turned it off.

"It didn’t hurt, because when I woke up, it was already like this."

She put the hair dryer aside, then walked over to the bed.

She took out a pack of birth control pills from the bag on the nightstand, her smile gradually fading.

Elias approached her from behind.

Juliana whispered, "I bought them on the way to the company this morning, but I’m unlikely to get pregnant. I shouldn’t need to take them, but I’m afraid of accidents. What should I do, take them or not?"

"Don’t take them," Elias took the pills from her, "You won’t get pregnant."

"Why?" Juliana was curious.

Elias tucked her loose hair behind her ear.

"Langley Family men have genetic defects, making it extremely difficult to conceive. Unless by sheer luck meeting someone with a perfectly matched genetic profile, natural conception is nearly impossible. In ten generations, maybe only one had such luck, resulting in multiple descendants. The rest almost entirely rely on medical technology for single heirs, several lines have even died out."

This was the first time Juliana heard of the Langley family’s secret and was very surprised.

"Then your father..."

"Thanks to a successful experimental accident by Mother and Father, I became a backup. In case anything happened to my older brother, I would take over the Langley estate. Such arrangements naturally create rifts between brothers. That’s why I was raised in Kingsford, not close to him. Now that Jared is of age, I’m of no use to the Langley family."

Juliana never imagined that in the eyes of outsiders, the illustrious Elias Langley was always considered a disposable spare.

This also explained why he would rather stay at The Apex Hotel than return to the Langley Estate when in Kenton.

She suddenly understood why the Langley family respected the Sinclair Family, as their lineage was in a precarious position, they naturally had to bow.

She turned to embrace Elias’s neck, "But you’ve made a great life for yourself. You are the star of your own story, never a substitute for anyone."

Elias held her waist, smiling faintly, "Adrian was naturally conceived. His mother’s genes were a perfect match with my elder brother, but alas, their fate was short-lived. So you needn’t worry, don’t take the pills. If you ever wish to have a child in the future..."

"Who wants to have a child!" Juliana released him, turning and diving into the sheets, "It’s late, I want to sleep."

Footsteps indicated his departure.

Juliana secretly curved her lips in a smile; she was truly exhausted, finally able to sleep peacefully.

As she was about to drift into sleep, a rush of cool air suddenly crept under the covers.

The man embraced her with the refreshing scent of an after-bath fragrance.

"You forget how you ended up in the hospital this morning? Still not behaving..."

Elias interrupted her with a soft laugh, "Not doing anything, just holding you to sleep."

Juliana was at a loss for words with him.

In the middle of the night, Juliana was suddenly awakened by a stomachache, as she furrowed her brow trying to endure it, Elias’s hand warmly covered the area.

"Does this hurt?"

His voice seemed to have just woken up too.

Juliana nodded.

He gently massaged the area for a while, and a soft noise emerged under the covers.

Juliana’s body froze, instantly embarrassed and unable to move.

Elias chuckled softly, yet his hands didn’t stop moving.

"I’m rubbing and coaxing, and you’re just letting loose, hmm?"

Juliana’s face instantly turned beet red, grabbing the blanket to change the air inside, then burrowing into Elias’s arms, shaking with laughter.

At dawn, the alarm woke her, and the space beside her was already empty.

The room bore no traces of his presence.

Juliana rubbed her slightly warm face.

She began to think she should take the initiative to investigate the relationship between the hitman and the Langley family to leave this place and move back to her apartment sooner.

After washing up, she headed downstairs, encountering Jared by the stairs.

"Up so early today?" Jared asked.

"Yesterday was because of a cold, I slept a bit longer. The lab work is crucial right now, no slacking."

Jared’s pleasant demeanor dimmed a bit, "I planned to go golfing with you later."

"Let’s do it over the weekend," Juliana suggested.

Jared didn’t respond.

They had already reached the dining area.

Victor Langley hadn’t come down yet, but Leona Sheridan was up early, already eating.

The Langley Family breakfast was relatively flexible, not needing everyone’s presence to start.

Juliana just sat down and had a sip of congee, quickly spitting it out.

The congee was full of fine sand.

She coldly glanced at Leona.

The old woman arrogantly said, "Since you’re in the Langley Family now, you must follow the rules. From today on, you must be home by eight every night. Your daily attire and schedule must be reported a day in advance, and you’ll need to write a detailed report every night on who you interact with and their contact information..."

As she spoke, her gaze wandered meaningfully to Juliana’s abdomen.

"... All your sanitary supplies will be managed by Mama Dalton, who will distribute them as needed and keep daily records. That way, we can ascertain if you’re pregnant at the earliest opportunity."