Sign the Papers Mr. Langford novel Chapter 158

That single sentence had vividly reminded him of his mother.

And so, he had willingly stepped up to help her.

He had desperately wanted to believe she wasn't like the executives who ruthlessly paraded patients around on stage.

But today, that twelve-year-old boy's file had mercilessly struck a nerve he thought he had buried forever.

Charlie slid another folder across the table. "Mr. Sinclair, this one has all the correct authorizations. Can we keep it?"

Jude looked down at the document.

The photo showed a middle-aged woman, four years post-op, who had formally agreed to share her story publicly. The paperwork was flawless.

However, a tiny medical note at the bottom read: Patient experiencing recent emotional volatility, repeatedly expressing hesitation about public exposure.

He struck a line through the name with his pen.

"Pull it."

Charlie was completely bewildered. "Pull it? But the authorizations are perfect."

"If there's hesitation, we pull it," Jude stated flatly. "A corporate gala is not a valid reason for a patient to force themselves to accommodate us."

Charlie didn't dare argue further.

By midnight, the grueling review process finally concluded.

Jude snapped the master folder shut and rubbed his aching temples.

His phone screen displayed several unread messages.

They were from Willow.

[Jude, I'm so sorry I disappointed you today.]

[I just wanted the project to succeed so badly.]

[Do you think I'm completely useless?]

Staring at the texts, Jude's thumb hovered over the screen.

In the past, he would have typed out an immediate reply.

He would have reassured her that it wasn't her fault, blamed it on her lack of experience, and urged her not to shoulder all the blame herself.

Tonight, however, he couldn't bring himself to move.

His mind flashed back to the file of the twelve-year-old boy.

He remembered the day his mother finally closed her shop. She had painstakingly peeled the promotional posters off the windows one by one, whispering, "Jude, you can't just do whatever you want simply because your intentions are good. You still have to care about who gets hurt in the process."

After a long, agonizing pause, Jude finally fired off a single reply.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify