CHAPTER 180: CHAPTER 180: CAN YOU STILL TRUST ELIAS LANGLEY?

Juliana nodded.

Elias Langley, aware of prior investigative errors, steadied his breathing and softened his voice, "Did you go to Arlan Children’s Home?"

Juliana nodded again, "I have psychological shadows, didn’t go inside. Summer Shaw went to ask on my behalf, but nothing came out of it."

Elias closed his eyes and unconsciously held her tighter.

"Due to a fire, the records of the children taken in back then are all unclear at Arlan Children’s Home. What...what are you trying to find out?"

Juliana, feeling breathless in his arms, pulled away slightly.

"Actually, even without the fire, they probably wouldn’t have my records. I stayed there for less than a month, and even my name was randomly pointed out in a dictionary. No one would remember me."

"How old were you when you went there?" Elias asked.

"Thirteen."

But the incident with the Sinclair Family member occurred when they were twelve.

The timeline doesn’t match, and Elias frowned: Could it be not her?

"DNA not matching doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t want to find you. Perhaps there’s an unknown change that happened in between, or the information simply wasn’t recorded in the system. It’s the world’s many speculations that lead to misunderstandings. Let’s first get to the truth, and not let speculation hurt us."

Juliana nodded at his words.

Elias calmly said, "The person who attacked Summer Shaw is very skilled, even Raine Kane didn’t get a clear look at them, but I’ll continue to investigate for you."

Juliana wiped her face, "Thank you for talking me through this, I wasn’t in a good mood today."

She turned to go downstairs, and Elias grabbed her wrist to pull her back.

He lowered his head, his eyes landing on her lips, "Sincerity can be shown with words, but language often comes off as pale."

Juliana understood his meaning, blushing momentarily.

He had always been the one to take the initiative. This time, he wanted her to take the lead.

"Then... close your eyes."

With a smile, Elias closed his eyes.

Juliana took a deep breath, stood on her tiptoes, and slowly moved closer to him.

Elias’s lips were well-shaped, and perhaps only she knew how soft they were.

Unable to resist the bashful feeling of approaching a man proactively, Juliana intended only a fleeting touch on his lips, like a dragonfly skimming the water, to leave as swiftly.

However, Elias seized the back of her head, extending and deepening the brief kiss.

They parted only when their breaths were slightly irregular.

Juliana’s cheeks turned rosy, she whispered, "You’re not being honest."

Elias chuckled lightly, his thumb gently brushing the corner of her lips, small flames flickering repeatedly in his eyes, yet suppressed by him.

"My ’dishonesty’ is for you alone to see, supported with a lifetime warranty, and you can even make more unreasonable demands."

Juliana’s heavy heart was playfully uplifted by him, erasing all shadows.

No matter what, the criminal had to be identified, and "Aetherflame" had to continue its operations.

When Summer Shaw wakes, she would be given an explanation.

The following morning, Juliana arrived at the company to hold a meeting, announcing that due to unforeseen circumstances, Summer Shaw would need an extended leave, and henceforth, all business matters, both internal and external, should be reported directly to her.

A project leader raised a question.

"Director Jacobs, our collaboration project with Cryovault Titanium has utilized nearly half of our core R&D team’s manpower. If we continue this investment, our in-house solid-state battery pre-research project must be postponed. In the current stage, should we focus resources on ensuring the delivery of the collaboration project, or withstand the pressure to safeguard our own technology development progress?"

Juliana was momentarily at a loss for words.

She excelled at resolving technical issues, but this kind of balancing act was unfamiliar to her.

"Our partnership with Cryovault is a crucial cash flow source presently, requiring us to ensure delivery quality and maintain our partner relationships."

Somehow, Caleb Shaw was already standing at the office door.

His composed gaze swept over everyone present and continued, "However, proprietary technology is ’Aetherflame’s’ future core competitiveness and must not stall. Short-term reliance on collaboration for nourishment; long-term reliance on technology for sustainability. I’ll coordinate this balance."

After speaking, his gaze fixed on Juliana’s surprised face.

"Is there an issue with this arrangement?" he asked.

"Shouldn’t you be at the hospital?" Juliana asked.

"Last night you were right; at the company’s toughest time, my sister never gave up. Now she just wants to rest temporarily, so as her brother, my sole role is to allow her to recuperate peacefully, while also holding onto the dream she tirelessly fought for."

His gaze swept across everyone as he continued, "Until Summer Shaw returns, I will temporarily assume the role of General Manager, responsible for the company’s operations and strategic decisions. Director Jacobs will continue to lead the technical team, focusing on enhancing the competitiveness of our core products. Although managing a company differs from managing a hospital, the underlying logic is similar. Are you all willing to work with me to drive Aetherflame’s continuous growth?"

Thus, for Summer Shaw, he resigned from his hospital job to protect her enterprise.

A few seconds later, Juliana was the first to applaud...

Despite being surprised by Caleb Shaw’s decision to join the company, she respected his choice.

Next, Caleb needed to familiarize himself with various company affairs, but with the assistant secretary, these were not difficult tasks.

"While we are seeking a matching heart for him, my father has also gone to Kingsford today to negotiate with the lab director, hoping for good news."

Juliana nodded.

About to speak, her phone rang; it was a call from Evan Grant.

Juliana didn’t answer; she directly hung up.

Less than a minute later, a text message came through.

"Don’t you want to know who hurt your friend?"

Juliana’s fingers paused.

Then a second message arrived.

It was an address for an outdoor café.

Not far from where Elias Langley was working.

Juliana pondered for a moment and then went.

Evan Grant arrived first and ordered her an iced Americano.

He scrutinized her for a while, noticing she looked well, and chuckled, "I thought you’d be so upset about what happened to your friend, unable to eat or sleep. Turns out I worried too much."

Juliana merely smiled faintly.

There was no need for him to know what Elias Langley had done for her from last night till now, to prevent her from carrying a heavy psychological burden.

"Who’s the culprit?" she asked.

Evan Grant wasn’t in a hurry. He glanced outside the fence, a red flag car driving slowly by.

He suddenly reached out towards her hair.

Juliana pushed his hand away and stood up angrily, "Don’t make me spill coffee on you."

Evan Grant still smiled gently, "I was checking how much he trusts you. Not thanking me is one thing, but wanting to spill coffee on me?"

Juliana kept a cold face, "Why did you call me here, anyway?"

Evan Grant leisurely produced a transparent evidence bag, handed it to her.

"Back then, when I was in a hurry, you would always counsel me to stay calm. So why are you acting like this now? Is it that Elias Langley doesn’t know how to comfort people, or doesn’t know how to care for you?"

Juliana didn’t respond, her gaze focused on the item inside the evidence bag.

She furrowed her brow and asked, "What does this dead leaf signify?"

Evan Grant leaned back in his chair, speaking calmly, "This was found at the scene where Summer Shaw was injured. In an abandoned factory, dried leaves aren’t noticeable and are easily overlooked, but this plant exists only in the Langley Family’s garden."

Juliana was startled by his words.

Evan Grant continued watching her, "If you don’t believe it, you can take the soil from the leaf and compare it with the soil from the Langley garden to see if the components match. This dead leaf from the Langley Family suggests that the perpetrator infiltrated the garden. Since there haven’t been any reports of injuries in the Langley Family lately, it’s most likely that he was there to meet the person giving him instructions."

Juliana remained silent in response to his words.

Evan Grant leaned slightly forward, tapping his fingers on the table: "So now... do you still want to trust Elias Langley?"