The Man Who Waited vs. The Man Who Wasted novel Chapter 164

In the study of the Lowell family estate.

Caleb Preston's face was livid. He slammed his fist down hard onto the heavy mahogany desk.

Eleanor Lowell jumped at the sound. She opened her mouth to reprimand him but ultimately decided to keep quiet.

Anyone who lost billions of dollars overnight had the right to be a little unhinged.

A vicious, ruthless glint flashed in Caleb's eyes.

"Mrs. Lowell, I don't think you can afford to keep that granddaughter-in-law of yours around much longer. If you can't get rid of her, I'll find someone to teach her a lesson myself."

Eleanor knew Caleb's reputation for being deeply entrenched in shady, cutthroat business dealings. Her heart skipped a beat.

"We need to be smart about this. She knows way too much about the Lowell family's internal affairs."

Caleb's eyes darkened.

"Then maybe we should just—"

Eleanor felt a jolt of genuine panic.

"Absolutely not! If this blows up into a criminal investigation, neither of our families will walk away clean."

Caleb paced the room, seething with frustration.

"It's better than letting her run her mouth and drag the Lowell name through the mud! Not to mention ruining Audrey's reputation!"

Eleanor sighed in deep frustration.

"I really thought Marcus Evans was going to die. I figured once he was gone, that woman would have absolutely no one left to rely on. I didn't expect her to suddenly summon a group of powerful friends who are apparently willing to fall on their swords for her."

"That is exactly why we cannot act impulsively. We have no idea who we might end up crossing."

Caleb's resentment only grew hotter.

"I just lost a massive fortune for absolutely nothing. You expect me to just let it go?"

"What else can we do?" Eleanor shot back. "Besides, we don't have a single shred of hard evidence proving she was actually behind this."

Caleb scoffed loudly.

"Who else could it possibly be? Listen to you—are you actually defending the bitch now?"

Eleanor hadn't gone completely senile just yet.

"Taking a hit like that... Caleb isn't going to just swallow it. I'm terrified he's going to do something highly illegal."

Michelle looked unbothered.

"If he does something illegal, what does that have to do with us? If it hits the fan, we just cut ties with him."

Eleanor shot her a withering glare.

"Given how deeply intertwined our families are right now, do you honestly think it would be that easy to 'cut ties'?"

"Well, if Caleb really wants to take her out, do you think we could stop him even if we tried?" Michelle argued. "Honestly, I think someone needs to put her in her place. It's time she learned some respect. Have you seen how incredibly arrogant she's become?"

"I ran into her in the hospital lobby today. And guess what? She didn't even acknowledge me. She treated me like thin air and just walked right past me!"

Eleanor was looking at the bigger picture.

"If she doesn't learn her place, we're the ones who will end up backed into a corner."

Michelle was practically vibrating with rage.

"We can't just let that woman keep walking all over us and rubbing our noses in it! I am not going to let her get away with this."