The Man Who Waited vs. The Man Who Wasted novel Chapter 168

Eleanor sneered in disgust.

"That woman finally showed her true colors."

Adrian collapsed onto the sofa, running a hand through his hair in utter frustration.

"What was the point of doing this? Are you happy now?"

Eleanor looked at him sharply. "Adrian, tell me the truth. Have you actually fallen for her?"

"No!" Adrian snapped instantly. "But I don't want a divorce either!"

"If you don't love her, then get rid of her!" Eleanor demanded.

Adrian glared at the floor. "And what if I said I did?"

"Then she needs to be gone even faster! A useless, classless woman like that has absolutely no right being the wife of the head of the Lowell family!"

Adrian didn't even bother looking up. A bitter, self-deprecating smile touched his lips.

"Then why didn't you stop the wedding in the first place?"

"How was I supposed to know she was going to turn out like this?!" Eleanor shot back.

Adrian lowered his eyes, masking the deep, lingering grief he always carried.

"You knew exactly what you were doing. You knew I was in love with Audrey. You were terrified that if I stayed single, I'd keep trying to pursue her. So you couldn't wait to find some perfectly respectable girl to marry me off at the exact same time Arthur got married."

Eleanor froze.

That was precisely what had happened.

When Adrian found out Audrey was going to marry his twin brother, Arthur, he completely fell apart.

Eleanor had personally witnessed Adrian coming home dead drunk, constantly murmuring Audrey's name.

She had been absolutely terrified that the brothers would turn into sworn enemies over a woman.

At the time, the Evans family was socially equal to the Lowells, and Jocelyn was visibly head-over-heels for Adrian. So, Eleanor quietly and swiftly pushed the marriage through.

Only now did she realize her mistake.

"She had invited the enemy right through the front door."

Eleanor refused to dwell on the past. She pulled out her ultimate trump card.

"Honestly, five hundred million was a steal! You should've asked for more!"

Jocelyn laughed. "I was really just testing the waters to see what kind of number Eleanor would throw out."

"And she offered five million?" Sarah scoffed. "What a joke. Was she trying to tip a valet?"

Jocelyn expertly changed the subject.

"How are you settling in? Getting used to the new job?"

"Honestly, it's incredible here," Sarah said brightly. "The work culture in Austin is fantastic. It's so humane. No insane corporate rules, no toxic office politics. Everyone just does their job and goes home."

"That's great. Isn't that exactly the kind of environment you were looking for?"

"Yeah. I always knew Mr. Vance was a genius when it came to software, but I had no idea he was such a brilliant leader, too. That idiot Adrian has absolutely no clue who he's really up against."

Jocelyn couldn't help but sigh.

"Adrian's always believed he's the smartest guy in the room."

"Oh, by the way," Sarah added, "we're having a welcome dinner tonight for all the new hires. I really wanted you to come, but I know it's probably best if you don't be seen hanging out with the competition right now."