The Man Who Waited vs. The Man Who Wasted novel Chapter 116

"Grandma," Adrian said, his tone sharp with irritation.

"The charity gala was broadcast live. With all those people watching, if I didn't give it to my wife, who was I supposed to give it to?"

Eleanor was taken aback.

"Adrian, what kind of attitude is that?"

"It's not an attitude," Adrian replied, unwilling to argue further. "I'm exhausted. I'm going to my room."

He turned on his heel and walked away.

Eleanor stared at his retreating back, seething with anger.

Michelle suddenly realized something.

"Mom, do you feel like Adrian's attitude toward that woman has... changed?"

Eleanor scoffed. "I'm not blind. I noticed it a while ago."

"Could he actually be falling for her?"

Eleanor's brow furrowed tightly.

She couldn't say for certain if Adrian was genuinely developing feelings for Jocelyn. But if he was, they had a massive problem on their hands.

"Mom, why don't I go ask him?" Michelle suggested.

"If you ask him, do you really think he's going to tell you the truth? Have you not realized that your precious son is no longer on the same page as us?"

Michelle gasped in shock.

"Mom, what are you saying? How could Adrian not be on our side? Even if he's pulling away from me, he would always side with you, his grandmother."

Eleanor's eyes glinted sharply.

"My fear is that someone is whispering in his ear, deliberately stoking tensions in the family to turn Adrian against us."

Michelle caught on immediately. "Mom, you mean Jocelyn!"

"That woman is far from simple," Eleanor said. "On the surface, she plays the role of the submissive, accommodating wife, but behind our backs, who knows what she's calculating."

"No, I mean we just find an excuse to kick her out of the house. Problem solved."

Eleanor gave her a look of utter exasperation.

"Did you forget? Audrey was only able to have this baby by using Adrian's sperm. But to the outside world, this child is Arthur's posthumous son."

"If we push that woman too far, she might blow the secret wide open. That would be an absolute catastrophe for the Lowell family. The entire city would point fingers and laugh behind our backs for generations."

Michelle thought about it for a long moment.

"Then what do we do?"

"Keep her steady for now. As long as she maintains her position as the eldest Mrs. Lowell, she won't be tempted to expose us. We play the long game. I refuse to believe she can endure living in this house forever."

Michelle offered a sycophantic smile.

"You're brilliant as always, Mom. How could that woman ever hope to outsmart you?"

Then, her tone turned vicious. "Let her rot in the basement tonight. Nobody's going to check on her now, and it gets freezing down there after midnight. Let's hope she freezes to death."