You Had Me, You Lost Me, You'll Never Find Me novel Chapter 82

Even though Julian had practically pieced together the entire internet scandal, he spoke to Sylvia as if nothing was wrong.

Sylvia slowly recalled the breakdown she had the night before. She lowered her head, quietly went to wash up, and picked at her food.

She couldn't really eat. A suffocating wave of nausea, brought on by pure fear, churned in her stomach.

Julian's eyes crinkled with amusement. "Is my cooking that bad?"

Sylvia looked up at him blankly before shaking her head. "No." She hesitated. "Last night, you mentioned taking me to the hospital. Can we skip it?"

Julian met her gaze, his tone incredibly steady. "May I ask why? Is it because of the comments online?"

Her eyes widened. "You know?"

Julian nodded, pouring her a glass of warm milk. "I found out last night. It must have been absolute hell for you lately."

Hearing those words, Sylvia's throat tightened. She quickly looked down, struggling to hide her tears.

It had been hell.

Since the scandal broke, aside from her initial shock at the brutal comments, she had only dared to glance at her phone. She couldn't stomach reading the details.

She knew exactly what they were calling her.

She had always played by the rules, living a quiet, cautious life. The only time she had ever been reckless was when she fell in love with Ashton Wyatt.

And this was her reward.

Hunted down, branded a homewrecker, and nearly attacked with acid.

Seeing her devastated silence, Julian's expression turned somber. "You're still terrified, aren't you?"

Sylvia took a shaky breath. "It's not that I'm scared. I just... I don't know how to face that kind of hatred."

Julian nodded slowly. "Listen to me, Sylvia. This might feel like the end of the world right now, but in the grand scheme of your life, it's just a tiny bump in the road."

"I'm not forcing you to rush back to work. But you were in serious pain last night. We need to get you checked out, no matter what."

"As for the media circus, there's always a way to fix it. The public's attention span is incredibly short. The nightmare you're imagining won't happen, because I'll be right here with you."

Left with no choice, Julian called Ashton directly and laid out his request.

On the other end of the line, Ashton exhaled a cloud of smoke, his face an unreadable mask of cold indifference. "You want my help? Sure. What are you bringing to the table?"

Connections were built on the exchange of equal value, woven with mutual favors.

By ignoring the long-standing ties between the Wyatt and Sterling families, Ashton was deliberately making things difficult.

Julian remained perfectly calm. "What do you want me to do?"

"I hear you're quite the renowned orthopedic specialist," Ashton drawled lazily. "Do you do bone deformity corrections? Here's the deal. Fix Reina's legs, and I'll give you access to my team."

"I can agree to that," Julian replied evenly. "But you have to deliver your end first."

Ashton scoffed, entirely unbothered. "Looks like you aren't really that desperate."

Just as Ashton was about to hang up, a faint woman's voice drifted through the receiver. "Forget it, Julian. Don't beg him."