CHAPTER 77: CHAPTER 77: ELIAS LANGLEY

Southwood Estate Villa Basement.

Because Juliana Jacobs smashed the computer and equipment, Wayne Paxton had new equipment brought in, causing a delay. It wasn’t until after seven that they were ready to give her the final electric shock.

Moreover, Wayne Paxton didn’t make it easy for Juliana.

He gave her a few hard slaps, causing her ears to temporarily lose hearing.

Wayne Paxton grabbed her chin and said, "You’re just the trash Evan Grant discarded. No one cares if you live or die. Do you think you can walk out alive?"

Juliana smiled, showing her blood-red teeth, "Why do you keep mentioning him? Are you that afraid of him?"

Wayne Paxton threw her to the ground, "You’re not cute at all, which is why no man likes you."

At this moment, a burly maid rushed into the basement and whispered a few words to him.

Wayne Paxton’s expression changed slightly after hearing this, and he instructed the female doctor, "Quickly do it to her; the garden is out of fertilizer."

Then he left the basement.

Living room on the first floor.

Wayne Paxton smiled at the secretary standing in front of the coffee table, "You can’t search even if you want to. If Miss Shaw has evidence, just bring the police and let them search."

Summer Shaw was so anxious her face turned white, "Don’t think I don’t know; you’ve already informed the police station, and they won’t come back. The IP Juliana sent in the early morning was from here. Hand her over."

Wayne Paxton raised his eyebrows, "Without evidence, get out, or I’ll call the police and accuse you of trespassing."

The secretary smiled and adjusted his glasses, "Let us search, and naturally, there will be evidence."

Wayne Paxton heard the Kingsford accent and asked cautiously, "Who are you? My surname is Paxton, so be ready for the consequences of meddling."

The secretary glanced at the man sitting on the sofa, still smiling, "I’m just a country person; my name is not worth mentioning."

With that, he made a gesture.

Several trained individuals spread out.

However, after searching around, they found nothing.

Just as Wayne Paxton was about to lose his temper, the man sitting on the sofa stood up, leisurely stomped his foot.

The rich voice made Wayne Paxton gasp.

"Mr. Paxton, this floor is indeed solid."

A few people understood, and finally found the entrance to the basement hidden in the storage room under the stairs.

This time, the man led the way.

As soon as he stepped down, there was a loud "clang."

The iron door inside was violently slammed open.

Juliana Jacobs staggered and rolled out, followed by several strong-built women.

She instinctively grabbed onto the shiny leather shoes in front of her, using all her strength to look up at him, her eyes full of a desperate will to survive.

"Please... save me..."

The man frowned as the women who chased after her were captured by the people he brought.

Juliana was very dirty, her gray dress stained with dried, reddish-brown blood, mixing with the sour smell of sweat.

Ordinarily, such matters required no action from him.

Yet after a moment of focus, he inexplicably bent down and picked her up.

"Juliana..." Summer Shaw nearly cried seeing her condition.

Juliana weakly leaned on the man’s shoulder, her nose filled with his clear woody scent.

Three times in a row, this wisp of fragrance drove the gears of fate at the critical moment, lifting her back from despair to the world.

Wayne Paxton lay on the ground, his head pinned under someone’s foot, still talking tough.

"Who are you people, from Kingsford? Do you not know how to write the ’Paxton’ of the Paxton Family?"

The secretary walked next to the man, lowered his voice, "This Wayne Paxton was expelled from Lyria for illegal detention. The company not only didn’t fire him but transferred him to Kenton to oversee regional business. Seems he’s related to that ’Paxton.’

"You know my background and still treat me like this, put that woman down, and I won’t pursue this further."

Wayne Paxton tried several times but couldn’t get up from under the man’s foot.

The man chuckled lightly, carried Juliana, and walked away.

The car headed to the hospital.

The man sat in the front passenger seat, leaving the back seat for the two ladies.

Summer held Juliana’s hand, wiping away tears.

"Drunk driving only ends with a fine, calling the police won’t help; can no one stop him? Even Evan Grant just sat there watching while a pervert took you away from the dinner; does he really want to be a widower?"

These words suddenly reminded Juliana.

Juliana perked up and sat straight, "Isn’t the Core Energy Summit today?"

Summer Shaw nodded.

Juliana said, "I’m not going to the hospital; I have to go home to change and then to the summit."

"Juliana," Summer said with a slight sob, "look at your injuries; we need to go to the hospital now."

Juliana shook her head, "They used a lot of drugs on me to keep me awake during the electric shocks. I won’t collapse anytime soon. I owe Evan a second grand gesture, and it’s today!"

Summer Shaw didn’t know how to persuade her.

The man turned around and saw the bruised and purplish traces of electricity still faintly visible on her skin, with black-red scabs even embedded in her nails. Her face was bloodless, yet inexplicably stubborn.

Despite having seen a lot and often being unruffled, he couldn’t help frowning again.

The secretary understood, and after getting the address, drove the car to the apartment.

Juliana was helped out by Summer, but after a few steps, she suddenly turned back.

She opened her battered palm towards the front seat.

"You’ve saved me four times... Can I know your name?"

The man’s gaze swept over the crisscrossing scars on her palm, his finger landed gently.

"Elias Langley."

His cool fingertip danced over her palm, skillfully avoiding the wounds.

As soon as he finished writing the three characters, he withdrew his hand, as if afraid of hurting her by staying a second longer.

"Thank you."

Juliana bowed to him.

She knew she was in a sorry state at that moment and didn’t have the energy to properly thank him.

If there’s fate, she would repay him next time they met.

"Boss, still leaving?" the secretary asked with a smile.

"You don’t know my schedule today?"

Elias Langley withdrew his gaze and closed the car window.

The secretary said, "Miss Jacobs’ eyebrows and eyes slightly resemble the AI-simulated adult portrait of madam, perhaps it’s fate."

Over the years, they’ve tested dozens of girls who resembled the AI simulation, none turned out to be her.

Eventually, they deemed the AI simulation unreliable and abandoned that searching method.

The secretary said this, teasing the boss’s different treatment towards this woman compared to others.

Elias Langley looked at him lightly, "Have you finished all your work, so now you have time to tease me?"

The secretary straightened up immediately, "What about Wayne Paxton? His acts of detention and electric shock are outrageous, yet he’s tied to the Paxton name."

"Give the bank supervisory authority a heads-up. Garbage expelled from abroad shouldn’t be employed again. As for the rest..." Elias Langley smiled faintly, "let the Paxton Family hold Evan Grant accountable for this."

....

Apartment.

Juliana walked out of the bathroom, toweling her wet hair, the steam finally bringing some color to her pale face.

"How do you know someone like Elias Langley?" she asked.

Summer Shaw handed her a glass of milk.

"Ah, at the hospital entrance, I bumped into his car. His secretary left a business card for me. Do you know his status? He’s the president of the Helios Energy Council, a goldmine many new energy companies want to cozy up to."

"I’ve thought it over; neither my brother nor the police could fully guarantee your rescue. Only he could. So I gave it a shot and called. Who knew Elias Langley, what a nice man."

Summer chuckled as she spoke.

"Juliana," she sat beside Juliana, calculating meticulously, "if you’re going to find a man again, find someone like President Langley. Having him is like having armor."

Juliana took a sip of milk, smiled at her words.

"Don’t dream; there’s no chance. I saw the ring on his left ring finger."

After what happened with Evan Grant, Juliana doesn’t want to marry; she wants to be alone.

"Is that so..."

Summer was a bit disappointed.

During the more than a day Juliana was imprisoned, Wayne Paxton gave her no food, but because they used a lot of drugs, she didn’t feel hungry.

The drug effects have a limit; she changed clothes, put on gloves and a mask to cover the injuries on her face, and hurriedly set off to the convention center with Summer.

But at the entrance, they were stopped.

The staff looked at the invitation card in Summer’s hand, and regrettably said, "Sorry, the Aetherflame Dynamics invitation card has been invalidated."