Stop Panicking! Miss Jacobs will Not Look Back!-Chapter 316: Then Remove It

After the roar, her eyes were filled with unfamiliar fear and resistance, as if the man before her was not her lover, but another presence intending to harm her.

"Please...don’t touch me..."

She buried her face between her knees and sobbed softly.

Elias Langley’s heart ached like a knife twist.

In the days they were together, she appeared normal on the surface, but whenever she was unexpectedly touched in dimly lit places, she would panic.

He never understood where these symptoms came from, until this moment, the puzzle finally had an answer.

Juliana soon calmed herself down and stood up slowly, controlling her emotions.

"I’m sorry, tonight...we have to...sleep in separate rooms, I need to be alone...to clear my mind."

After speaking, she almost ran into the bathroom as if fleeing.

Soon, the sound of rushing water came from inside,

while Elias Langley stood watching the closed bathroom door, not leaving.

At this moment, his phone rang; it was Zachary York calling.

"Sir, Samuel Paxton has returned to the city with Florence Sinclair and has taken her to one of his private houses. I’m afraid tonight doesn’t bode well for Second Miss Sinclair."

Elias Langley’s gaze sank momentarily, "You never called me, we don’t know Florence Sinclair’s situation tonight."

Zachary York on the other end of the line responded clearly, "Yes!"

A while later, Juliana emerged from the bathroom.

Her hair was wet, still dripping with water.

Her snug nightwear was worn like armor.

Seeing Elias Langley standing silently in the center of the bedroom, she didn’t feel comforted at all; instead, it intensified her sense of shame and unease.

Juliana avoided his gaze, with her shoulders hunched, like a mouse panicked in bright light, slinking away to the wardrobe and slipping inside as she opened the wardrobe door.

"Juliana..."

"Don’t worry about me, let me be alone, I beg you."

In the darkness, she hugged herself tight, her voice trembling.

Elias Langley feared she might suffocate herself, but didn’t dare forcibly open the door, so he quietly placed a towel in the door gap to ensure she could breathe.

Juliana heard his departing footsteps and finally relaxed.

She curled up in the wardrobe, her wet hair covering her eyes.

Traumatic memories surged like a tide, bringing on uncontrollable tremors.

She was deeply trapped in a flashback of post-traumatic stress disorder, and this enclosed wardrobe became her only safe cocoon at the moment.

In the dark, Juliana took a deep breath, telling herself: she must break free, become invincible, and sever all ties that could become weaknesses...

Elias Langley, still worried about her, didn’t stay long in the study before returning to the bedroom.

There was no more sound from inside the wardrobe.

He gently opened the wardrobe door and found she had fallen asleep.

So he carefully carried her out, her haggard appearance pricked his heart.

Elias Langley settled her on the bed and brought out a hairdryer to dry her hair.

Juliana was deeply asleep and wasn’t woken by the faint noise of the hairdryer, but even in dreams, her brow furrowed slightly, her body occasionally twitching as if startled.

Elias Langley checked her injuries, finding two bruises.

She must have been in great pain when tossed to the ground.

Elias Langley’s heart felt gripped by a cold hand, even breathing felt oppressive.

In the study, Caleb Donovan was already waiting there.

He couldn’t be found in Elias Langley’s contacts, yet he was truly the "outside brain."

"Here’s everything on Samuel Paxton." He handed over the files, "This man is Declan Prescott’s illegitimate son, unacknowledged by the Paxton family before, so he roamed The Zenthian Sea, dealing in shady business. He believes in the superstition that young girls’ bodies bring him luck, and for over twenty years, he’s harmed many young girls..."

Perhaps Samuel Paxton’s methods were too vile; Caleb Donovan paused, refraining from further description.

"Before he was recognized by the Paxton family, he was known as Damien Nash. For years, he entered orphanages as a ’charitable businessman,’ selecting and adopting girls. These girls later vanished, as if evaporated from earth. Mrs. Sinclair might be the only survivor who escaped from him..."

Listening to this, Elias Langley’s eyes grew so dark water could be wrung from them.

"Damien Nash acts extremely cautiously, never leaving direct evidence. Nowadays, when he exploits women with savage methods, he silences victims with bribes and threats after causing lethal injuries, so he’s never capsized. But what I don’t understand is why Old Mr. Paxton, knowing all of Samuel’s misdeeds, would bring him back to run the family’s company."

Elias Langley let out a cold laugh, "Sean Paxton is shrewd, but his scholarly tactics are uninspiring, so the old man, in desperation, sought alternatives."

Elias Langley quickly skimmed through Samuel Paxton’s files, setting them aside.

"If we are to take action against Samuel Paxton, a lot of work must be done with Old Mr. Paxton. We can’t strain relations prematurely since our plans aren’t yet ripe."

Elias Langley chuckled softly, not replying.

The next day, Juliana awoke, feeling much better.

Especially as the warm morning sunlight warmed her body, dispelling much of the gloom in her heart.

Elias Langley stood by the window, back to her, on the phone.

"Last night Juliana was unwell, so I brought her home."

"Is she alright?"

The voice on the phone belonged to Sebastian Sinclair.

Upon hearing movement behind him, Elias Langley turned back towards the bed and asked, "Are you feeling better today?"

Juliana gestured for him to hand her the phone.

In a lazy voice from just waking up, she said into the phone, "Dad, I’m fine."

Hearing this, Sebastian Sinclair finally felt reassured.

"Florence was found at dawn on the northern mountains of Kingsford, her body was covered in injuries, she was violated, and she’s undergoing emergency surgery for a uterine hemorrhage. The police are still investigating how she got there from the mansion. When I found out you and Elias had checked out this morning, I got worried and called."

Hearing of Florence’s ordeal, Juliana gritted her teeth, "She had it coming."

Sebastian Sinclair suddenly understood, "I see. You rest well; don’t worry about coming to the hospital. Pass the phone to Elias."

Elias Langley took the phone.

"This cannot be let go," Sebastian Sinclair said.

"I won’t," Elias Langley replied.

Hanging up, he saw Juliana sitting on the bed, head down, lost in thought. He raised her chin with two fingers, leaning in.

A warm, dry kiss brushed her lips.

It was brief.

Juliana instinctively covered her mouth, her ears flushing red, and mumbled through her fingers, "You’re not clean...I haven’t brushed my teeth..."

Elias Langley chuckled lowly, tenderly rubbing the spot he’d kissed, eyes full of warmth.

"I have to see if our little hedgehog here can be approached today."

Juliana remembered how she’d yelled fiercely at him yesterday, her face now turning even redder.

Taking a deep breath, she suppressed the swirling embarrassment and lifted the quilt to get out of bed.

"But, I still need to visit the hospital."

Elias Langley frowned slightly, reaching to stop her.

"Going now, aren’t you afraid of hitting a wall?"

Florence’s current state would turn Mrs. Sinclair into a protective lioness, unleashing her wrath on anyone close to Juliana. Especially if Juliana herself went.

But Juliana grabbed his arm, insisting, "I understand, but I suspect that the mastermind behind Florence might be Stella Windsor."

Elias Langley’s gaze suddenly darkened.

That woman, missing for months since the river incident, remained uncaught despite a police warrant, resurfaced in Kingsford?

Recalling Florence’s recent actions against Juliana, it was indeed quite possible.

"Alright," Elias Langley lifted her from the bed, "we’ll have breakfast first, then go."

At the hospital, outside the emergency room.

A doctor, with traces of blood still on his gown, rushed out of the operating room.

"The patient’s uterine damage is much worse than last time, hemorrhage is uncontrollable. We have two choices: attempt conservative surgery to retain the uterus, but even if successful, its reproductive function is virtually lost; or proceed with a full hysterectomy immediately, which is currently the most effective and safest option to stop the bleeding. The family must decide quickly." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Removing the uterus would be a huge blow to Florence.

Mrs. Sinclair was pale, hesitating.

Expressionless, Sebastian Sinclair told the doctor, "Then remove it."

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