CHAPTER 120: CHAPTER 120: LET’S GO TO THE CIVIL AFFAIRS BUREAU (PART 2)

Juliana lost her balance and fell onto his chest. Elias caught her by the waist.

Although she had "leaned" on him just last night, Juliana couldn’t help but feel her emotions sway.

She steadied herself and then said, "Mr. Langley, what does this mean?"

Elias looked down at her, the corners of his lips curving into a faint smile, "Let’s make a deal."

"A deal?" Juliana raised an eyebrow.

Elias said, "I’ll help you get a divorce."

Juliana’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, "And the price? What do you want from me?"

Elias looked at her face, his gaze calm as water, yet he said nothing.

Juliana remembered his mocking words, and a trace of sarcasm slowly surfaced in her eyes.

"Does your wife know about your ’kindness,’ Mr. Langley? Although you all have tainted my reputation, it doesn’t mean I’ll stoop to touching someone else’s husband to get a divorce."

Elias didn’t get angry at her words; instead, he chuckled, "You’ve misunderstood. I only want your... honesty."

Juliana looked at him steadily for two seconds, then suddenly laughed.

"Honesty? Do you think pulling me into your arms will make us ’bare it all’?"

With that, the smile on her face disappeared, and her voice turned cold.

"Between you and me, there’s no past to recount, no honesty to share, and there’s no need for you to ’support’ me like this!"

At that moment, the elevator door opened with a "ding."

Juliana forcefully pried his hand away and turned to leave.

Perhaps due to her unstable emotions or the insecurity of her heels, she staggered as soon as she stepped out of the elevator.

As she was about to fall, Elias swiftly moved forward and caught her by the waist again.

His eyes were filled with amusement, as if to say, "See, if I don’t support you, you’d fall."

Juliana’s composure wavered slightly at his gesture, and she bit her lip as she slapped his hand away, "I don’t need your meddling!"

Though her tone was sharp, the tips of her ears blushed unknowingly.

She avoided looking at him and quickly walked away as if fleeing in defeat.

Elias watched her back, clearly embarrassed and angry yet stubbornly defiant, with a hint of interest passing through his eyes, even unbeknownst to himself.

Just as he was about to continue walking out, Adrian Langley emerged from another elevator in pursuit.

"Uncle."

Adrian hurried forward.

Elias halted, looking at him with a deep gaze, "What is it?"

"I... I didn’t mean to forget the past, it’s just that the Langley Family is so complicated, and I..."

"When did you adopt her?" he interrupted Adrian’s words.

Adrian paused, realizing he was asking about Juliana.

"Thirteen years ago, I think. I saw her rummaging for food in a trash can, so I brought her home."

Off by another year again.

He remembered another girl named Summer Shaw, who was also off by a year, and the DNA test result wasn’t a match.

Elias frowned imperceptibly.

"Uncle..." Adrian was still concerned about his own matters.

Elias spoke with unwavering calm, "Victor Langley’s family affairs have nothing to do with me."

With that, he lifted his foot to leave.

Adrian breathed a sigh of relief. He needed to quickly take his grandfather’s body from the mortuary to the funeral home.

In the parking lot, Elias was about to get into his car when he accidentally ran into Jared Langley.

"Uncle, are you feeling unwell?" Jared asked.

Elias maintained a mild expression, "Accompanying a friend."

"Oh, I’m here to pick up some blood pressure medication for Dad."

Jared nodded his head at him before continuing on toward the clinic building.

Elias hesitated for a moment, then called after him, "Is it true that you’ve been wanting to collaborate with Aetherflame?"

Jared was caught off guard for a second but nodded.

Elias said, "Juliana’s family has been facing some issues recently."

"What issues?" Jared’s eyes widened.

"I’ve also told Adrian Langley. Investigate it yourself."

With that, he got into the car and left, leaving Jared bewildered.

Since when has my uncle taken an interest in watching us brothers fight?

The Red Flag L5 drove away from the hospital.

Quinn Shepherd glanced several times through the rear-view mirror before he couldn’t help but speak, "Boss, you’re covering for the Third Young Master this time because of Miss Jacobs?"

Elias remained silent, creating a deathly quiet within the car.

Quinn pondered for a while, realizing his boss wasn’t one to be led astray by emotions.

"Do you suspect that Miss Jacobs and the Third Young Master have conspired to make you question her identity? That once you believe she’s who you’re searching for, she could use her true identity to pave the way for the Third Young Master to gain an advantage in his power struggle? So now you’re letting the First Young Master intervene to help you assess the situation from the sidelines?"

Quinn waited a long time but received no response, finally rolling up his sleeves, "Why make it so complicated? I’ll just pull a few of her hairs for a DNA test."

"Sure, go ahead."

This time, Elias responded promptly, almost within a second.

Quinn, "..."

Messing with a woman capable of killing her husband—could he really dare cross that line?

He then sheepishly chuckled, "I was just talking nonsense, but you took it seriously."

...

Hospital, ward.

Evan Grant awoke to find the elderly lady watching over him.

Despite the soreness in his muscles, he struggled to sit up.

"Where’s Juliana?" he asked.

The elderly lady’s face was expressionless, "She wants to kill you, and yet you’re still concerned about her?"

Evan looked distraught, "It’s my fault for pushing her."

The elderly lady coldly snorted, tossing him a document.

"Take a look at what’s happened at the company while you’ve been unconscious these past few days."

The board resolution read:

Due to significant uncertainties about Mr. Evan Grant’s health, the board has resolved to temporarily delegate company operations to a professional management team. Mr. Grant will serve as Vice President from this point forward.

"Because of Juliana, you had Mrs. Young terminate the pregnancy. All this time, your father has been aiding Isaac Grant, rigorously lobbying the board, frequently rallying the company’s seasoned veterans. These individuals accompanied your grandfather in building the company and hold significant sway. Though we still hold enough shares to influence company decisions, we cannot afford their collective defection."

The elderly lady’s eyes, typically piercingly sharp, seemed drained of all dignity, leaving only a shadow of pain.

"You were just admitted to the hospital, yet Juliana spread news of your critical condition throughout the city. Now Isaac is being positioned as the Vice Chairman, and you’ve lost your authority over company decisions. If you continue to blindly cling to that woman, our family will be driven out of the Grant Family."

Yet Evan silently stared at the board resolution, his brows knitted tightly, remaining speechless.

"Evan," the elderly lady’s voice trembled, "divorce Juliana. Only by saving the company can you have everything."

"But Grandma," Evan voiced his distress, "if I divorce her, she may never be mine again."

The elderly lady had never seen her grandson so utterly lost and muddled, a fire igniting within her heart. In the end, she couldn’t hold back and slapped him across the face.

"Old Man Linton was killed by our family. This blood feud divides you—do you truly think she harbors any affection for you?"

The elderly lady pointed out the harsh truth Evan couldn’t avoid.

His uninjured hand gripped the board resolution tightly, his knuckles turning white, veins bulging, as if combating some crushing internal agony.

Seeing this, the elderly lady breathed a slight sigh of relief, closing her eyes wearily, "If you could simply follow her wishes, perhaps there might be a sliver of chance between you."

"Is today Old Man Linton’s funeral?" Evan asked, fighting through the pain.

...

At the cemetery.

Old Man Linton’s funeral ceremony was kept simple.

Only Juliana and Rosalind Linton wore mourning attire, while the Langley brothers had black armbands.

Jared Langley was particularly attentive, gently helping Juliana up after she finished bowing.

Evan Grant watched from his car, finding Jared’s behavior particularly annoying.

Ethan Carter pushed over a wheelchair, and Evan sat in it after getting out of the vehicle.

From the roadside to the cemetery was a distance of 100 meters, and he was so weak that he couldn’t walk it.

However, upon seeing him, Juliana’s eyes held not the slightest sympathy.

"We’re in the middle of a funeral, President Grant. If you wish to ’torment’ me over a divorce, perhaps another day would be more appropriate."

"Juliana," Evan’s Adam’s apple bobbed twice, his voice hoarse, "Let’s go to the civil affairs bureau and sort out the paperwork."