Sign the Papers Mr. Langford novel Chapter 186

Or at the very least, they used to.

She lifted her head, gazing out the tinted window.

The sleek glass exterior of the Langford Medical building slid past her vision in a blur of cold reflection.

She didn't love Lawrence.

When the thought breached her mind, Willow didn't even try to repress it.

She just needed him.

She needed the prestige of the Langford name, she needed Eleanor's obsessive favoritism, and she needed the way people instantly lowered their voices in reverence when they saw her standing next to Lawrence Langford.

But if Lawrence was starting to waver...

She needed a backup plan.

Jude Sinclair.

The Langford rehabilitation project.

The old Whitaker records.

She couldn't afford to lose a single one of them.

Halfway down the road, Willow suddenly commanded, "Turn around. Take me to the Langford project headquarters."

The driver muttered an acknowledgment and swung the car into a U-turn.

She lowered her head and touched up her lipstick.

The woman in the mirror still had faintly red eyes, but her lips were vibrant and perfect once more.

She had clearly been crying.

But she didn't look pathetic.

She looked just fragile enough.

Jude Sinclair was still at the Langford project headquarters.

When Willow walked in, he was hashing out patient authorization forms with the legal team, a massive stack of paperwork dominating his desk.

Seeing her, he put his pen down.

"What brings you here?"

Willow didn't sit.

She dropped the rectification notice squarely in front of him.

"Lawrence said from now on, all project decisions have to run through you first."

Jude scanned the document and instantly understood.

"That's standard procedure."

Willow stared at him.

The well-rehearsed act of absolute victimhood died in her throat.

"You agree with him?"

Jude closed the file in front of him.

"There was a massive PR leak. The project requires tighter oversight."

Willow let out a bitter chuckle.

"So you think it's my fault, too."

Jude studied her for a long moment.

"I never said it was you."

"But that's what both of you are implying."

She turned on her heel to leave.

A chill swept through her, but she masked it with practiced ease.

"I understand," she said softly. "I'll make sure everything is handled flawlessly."

Jude nodded. "I'll help you."

Willow looked up and finally offered him a fragile smile.

"Thank you."

She just stepped out of his office, her phone buzzed.

Lydia had replied.

[The old desk hasn't been in the house for years. Drop it.]

Willow halted in the middle of the corridor.

She stared at the message, her lips pressing into a razor-thin line.

Not in the house.

Which meant it still existed somewhere else.

She pocketed her phone.

At the end of the hall, the polished glass cast her reflection.

Slender, stunning, with faintly bloodshot eyes.

She looked like she had just been terribly victimized.

Willow stared at the fragile reflection and slowly squared her shoulders.

Suspicions didn't matter.

Being pushed away didn't matter.

As long as she was still in the game, she still had a shot at winning.