"Juliana, I’ve never liked her."
Elias’s eyes were calm, revealing no emotion, but Juliana knew he was unhappy.
But she didn’t want to comfort him.
"That’s the ’affection’ of a brother for a sister, not the attraction between a man and a woman. I understand. Evan gave many lessons; I don’t need you to deepen my understanding."
Elias suddenly pressed his lips together and said nothing.
Zachary glanced at the rearview mirror, the hairs on his back standing up, and Raine Kane raised the partition for her.
A small scene, nothing serious.
Seeing Elias’s deep eyes, Juliana once again shifted her gaze out the window.
When she said those words just now, there wasn’t a trace of anger, as if she were rely stating what dishes would be prepared for lunch tomorrow, as if she had already accepted the fact that she had married another "Evan."
Elias suppressed all his turbulent emotions for a while.
After a mont, he held her hand, his fingertips brushing across her flushed palm.
"You’ve beco a little smarter this ti, knowing how to deal with the opposition, even making them not dare to utter a sound. That’s a superior technique, though not yet brilliant. If next ti you can hit her using soone else’s hand, my wife would be even more formidable."
Juliana didn’t expect him to say such words, but she remained calm.
"Elias," her voice involuntarily carried a hint of tenderness, "if you have a better choice, I really won’t mind..."
Before she finished speaking, Elias’s fingertip was already pressed against her lips,
"My divorce observation period isn’t over yet; you can’t just make a judgnt like that. It’s unfair to ."
A hint of fatigue swept through Juliana’s eyes as she moved his hand away from her lips.
She was tired, unable to love anymore, and didn’t want to.
Elias pulled her into his arms, "If you’re tired, lean on . For things you don’t want to do, I’ll do them, as long as you tell ."
The person in his embrace did not react, and a trace of worry floated between the man’s brows.
Returning to Number 17 Darroway Street.
Juliana pushed the door open and got out of the car, the evening breeze carrying the chill of late autumn rushing towards her.
She stood in the night, taking a deep breath of the cold air, trying to leave all the disturbances behind her.
But when she closed her eyes, the unsightly "naked ape photo" of Auden Hughes always flashed inappropriately in her mind...
Elias thought she might not be interested in sleeping in the sa bed with him tonight.
He always knew how to maintain distance at the right ti, so he said: "Rest early. I’ll have the kitchen make wild matsutake porridge for you in the morning, so you can have it when you wake up."
After saying that, he patted her face and walked alone towards the study.
Juliana watched his tall back, which carried a hint of loneliness, and suddenly felt that perhaps the best way to erase the nauseating image in her mind was...
"Elias!"
She suddenly called out to him, causing the man’s footsteps to falter.
He turned to look at her, his gaze calm, carrying inquiry.
Only to see Juliana ask shalessly, without a skip of her heartbeat, "Isn’t showering alone boring for you?"
Elias was stunned for a second, then imdiately turned around, picked her up horizontally, and strode towards the master bedroom.
On the other side, the dinner party concluded.
Auden Hughes left alone.
Florence Sinclair claid she wanted to spend ti with her parents and returned to the Sinclair Family.
Mrs. Sinclair felt there was sothing strange about Florence’s interaction with Auden Hughes today, so she asked, "Is everything okay with you and Auden lately?"
Upon hearing this, Florence’s eyes clearly flickered, "It’s fine, he’s... very outstanding, easily endearing won..."
Sebastian Sinclair, hearing this, knew she was trying to pin the bla on his daughter.
So before Mrs. Sinclair could react, he leisurely said, "In that case, you really should keep a close eye on him. If he’s fooling around outside, at most, it’s him not controlling himself; but if he’s deliberately ddling in soone else’s family..."
He intentionally paused.
"... the Hughes Family will only think that you can’t even keep a man."
His words carried no overt derogation, yet each sentence landed on Florence’s face like a slap.
She turned pale.
Mrs. Sinclair was about to say sothing when Sebastian turned his wheelchair, showing them his back.
"The things Isabelle did before her passing brought sha to our Sinclair Family. Please, madam, advice everyone in our family to be more restrained when going out. After all, I don’t have enough face for you to squander!"
After finishing, he rolled his wheelchair to the study.
Mrs. Sinclair thought for a mont, patted Florence’s hand, and said, "Your father is right. Recently, the Sinclair Family’s reputation hasn’t been great. You must get along well with Auden and don’t provoke Juliana, understood?"
Florence obediently nodded.
"Go back to your room to rest. The doctor will be here soon," Mrs. Sinclair said.
"No need, Mom. I can take care of it myself; it’s not serious."
After saying that, she turned and returned to her room.
It wasn’t that she appreciated Mrs. Sinclair’s concern for her; she had more important matters to attend to.
Not long after returning to her room, her phone rang.
Florence locked her room and went to the bathroom to answer.
It was a virtual number, and the voice on the other end was Sean Paxton’s.
As soon as the call connected, he started cursing.
"I told you, don’t use regular tools to contact . Why didn’t you listen? You’re increasing my risk of exposure. Are you afraid people won’t know we’re in contact?"
Florence quickly said, "There’s sothing wrong with Juliana."
Sean angrily said, "Of course I know she’s got sothing up her sleeve. If she didn’t, how could she make a ss of like this? So you sent ssages wanting to talk just for this?"
Florence quickly replied, "No, it’s because tonight my father was too abnormal. Although it didn’t show on the surface, I felt he was biased towards Juliana."
Sean was silent on the other end for a while before saying, "Is there any use to what you are feeling? Where’s the evidence?"
Florence tightened her grip on the phone, "Can’t you take her blood for a test? If she’s the Sinclair Family’s missing heiress, have your granduncle bring her back and tornt her."
Sean snorted, "If I had that ability, would I be in the situation I’m in now?"
Florence said nothing, and after thinking for a while, Sean said, "Regarding whether Juliana is your adoptive father’s biological daughter, you must confirm it yourself. If you want assistance, go find the new CEO of the Rhyvion Group, Samuel Paxton. He has an obsession with a certain type of woman. If you can make him your weapon, you can achieve twice the result with half the effort."
Florence caught the key term in his words, "What do you an by ’a certain type of woman’?"
Sean chuckled, "If you can get close to him, won’t you find out?"
Saying that, he hung up.
She had indirectly learned about the newly appointed CEO of the Rhyvion Group.
His background wasn’t clean, and his reputation wasn’t good either.
Dylan Paxton’s appointnt of him is also testing another route.
And Sean asking her to find him is clearly intending to use her.
She’s not foolish enough to beco soone else’s pawn.
Just as Florence was furrowing her brow, pondering her next steps, there was a knock at the door outside.
Thinking it was Mrs. Sinclair concerned about her, bringing her dicine, she quickly returned to the bedroom to open the door.
However, the person standing at the doorway was the butler.
"Miss Florence," the butler said with a smile, his tone respectful yet irrefutable, "The old man needs to be observed in the hospital tonight. Mr. Sinclair ordered that you go to the hospital to accompany him for the night to fulfill your filial duties."
Florence’s heart sank, knowing full well that Sebastian, aware she was injured tonight, still wanted her to go to the hospital for the night.
This wasn’t fulfilling any filial duty; it was clearly ant to unsettle her.
She didn’t reveal any hint of emotion, rely nodding obediently, "Okay, I’ll pack up and go."
The butler nodded, about to return to report back, when Florence stopped him.
"Uncle Rhodes, please wait."
The butler paused, turned back, and asked, "Is there anything Miss Florence needs?"
"My sister’s birthday is approaching, and my mother has been reminiscing a lot lately. I thought... if I could know what special habits or marks my sister had as a child, I could imitate them a bit to comfort Mother. You watched my sister grow up; you must know her well, right?"
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