After the Affair: Falling into a Billionaire's Arms Chapter 67

Louisa waved her hand dismissively.

In that instant, Flora felt the air around them turn dangerous. She'd been entrusted with an important task, and hadn't accomplished it. When she caught Julian's pointed look, she nearly burst into tears.

"It's not that I'm unreliable! She just refuses to go to the hospital."

Since childhood, Flora had feared nothing except Julian.

Julian ignored her comment and asked, "Can you still walk?"

"I can walk. I'll be at work tomorrow."

Teddy, Flora, and Sadie exchanged silent glances. Things had gotten this bad, and Louisa was still thinking about work? Was she really that desperate for money?

Only Julian knew what she really meant: starting tomorrow, she would be free.

---

Later, the entire group entered the same building and shared an elevator. Julian's presence filled the cramped space with an invisible tension. 

Flora and Sadie didn't dare speak, standing ramrod straight, while Teddy maintained a respectful distance, knowing his boss disliked people getting too close.

Throughout the ride, only Louisa seemed unsteady, her body swaying slightly. She had been trying to hold herself together, but gradually lost her balance, her mind growing foggy. 

When she attempted to lean against the wall for support, she ended up bumping into Julian instead.

A crisp, pleasant scent enveloped her—the familiar fragrance that always appeared when she was at her lowest, protecting her, making her feel safe. 

Instinctively, she leaned closer, and her head came to rest on his shoulder.

Three pairs of eyes in the elevator widened at the scene.

Teddy's eye widened. 'My CEO is being contaminated by a woman?' 

Flora and Sadie were equally shocked, thinking, 'Damn, Louisa's got game.'

Julian stiffened at Louisa's unexpected closeness. 

He looked down at Louisa beside him, ignoring the other three in the elevator, and wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Louisa didn't respond. She allowed herself to be held as her head tilted and fell against his neck. The moment her forehead touched his skin, Julian felt the alarming heat radiating from her.

His brows immediately furrowed as he pressed a hand to her forehead. "You're burning up," he said, his voice dropping to a concerned low.

Louisa nestled dazedly in his arms, making no attempt to move away.

Flora and Sadie exchanged alarmed glances before quickly reaching over to feel Louisa's arms and forehead for themselves. Sure enough, she was running at least 104°F.

"No wonder," Flora whispered. "After yesterday's nightmare with wounds that haven't healed, today's battle, then getting soaked in the rain for hours..."

Just then, the elevator stopped at the 17th floor and the doors slid open. Julian scooped Louisa up in one fluid motion and instructed Teddy, "Call Leroy and tell him to come over."

Teddy immediately complied, making the call while punching in the door code.

The smooth, practiced sequence left Sadie and Flora stunned. They glanced between the two doors on the floor—the smaller unit Louisa had purchased and the larger apartment Julian had just entered.

So Louisa's new neighbor was Julian? That explained his presence in this building. But why would someone with access to countless mansions choose to live in an apartment?

They exchanged bewildered looks, feeling like they'd stepped into an alternate reality. 

However, they couldn't dwell on that now—Louisa was still burning with fever.

---

Julian laid her gently on the sofa. Shortly after, Leroy Carter arrived carrying his medical kit. He was Julian's friend, a doctor.

Leroy was about to greet Julian when he spotted the two women standing in the room and another lying on the couch. He froze. Had Julian finally started accepting women into his life?

"What are you waiting for? Check her condition!" Julian snapped.

Leroy immediately approached, kneeling beside Louisa. As a surgeon who had seen all manner of bizarre injuries, even he couldn't help wincing when he saw Louisa's wounds.

Julian noticed. "Is it serious?"

"Not serious—I've just never seen someone cut their wrists this deeply before. How desperate was she to die?"

Julian's gaze settled on Louisa's pale face, his typically cold eyes softening with concern. "She wasn't trying to die. She was trying to live."

Leroy didn't understand but knew better than to pursue it—he'd never fully comprehended what went on in Julian's mind anyway.

He pulled out his supplies and took hold of Louisa's arm to position it properly for treatment. The moment he touched her hand, however, she swung it violently, knocking his hand away.

He tried again with the same result.

"Don't... touch me," she mumbled deliriously, flailing her arms and adamantly refusing any stranger's touch.

Leroy looked helplessly at Julian: 'So why am I even here?'

Julian's attention remained fixed on Louisa. He grasped her slender arm with one hand while gently stroking her forehead with the other, his voice soft and reassuring, "It's okay. I'm here. Don't be afraid."

Everyone watched in amazement as Louisa immediately calmed at his words, lying peacefully on the sofa, no longer struggling.

Julian extended his hand toward Leroy. "Give me the supplies."