The Man Who Waited vs. The Man Who Wasted novel Chapter 267

"But I lost her. Ian, you must hate me so much..."

Jocelyn turned to stone.

Julian was momentarily stunned as well.

When it clicked, they both immediately understood who this "Ian" was.

A bitter ache swelled in Jocelyn's chest, and tears welled up in her eyes.

So, her biological father's name was Ian Reed.

Ian Reed...

Maria wiped away a tear.

"Mrs. Reed, he's not the man you're looking for. This is Mr. Vance. He's a good friend of Miss Jocelyn's."

Sylvia just stared blankly at Julian.

Julian gently took her hands. "Mrs. Reed, I'm Julian."

The rare glimmer of light in Sylvia's eyes slowly faded away.

She mumbled a long string of words, but no one could understand what she was trying to say.

Maria gently guided Sylvia back into her room.

Jocelyn stood there in a daze for a long time.

Julian didn't say a word. He quietly started clearing the bowls and chopsticks from the table.

By the time Jocelyn snapped back to reality, Julian was already standing at the kitchen sink, washing the dishes.

She hurried over.

"Give those to me. I can't let you do the dishes."

Julian smiled.

"I've got it. My hands are already wet anyway."

Jocelyn took a step back and leaned against the doorframe.

"Julian."

"Yeah?"

"So, my real last name is Reed."

"Yeah."

"What do you think my biological father did for a living?"

Julian thought for a moment.

"He probably wasn't just an ordinary guy."

"How do you know?"

"How could an ordinary man have a daughter with a photographic memory and your level of talent?"

Jocelyn couldn't help but laugh.

"I didn't know you were so good at giving compliments."

"Just pointing out the facts."

Julian smirked. "Ethan's always telling me I'm terrible with words."

"You two seem really close."

They looked like boss and subordinate, but acted more like brothers.

"A while back, Ethan almost died trying to save me. You could say he gave me a second chance at life."

Jocelyn looked surprised.

"I had no idea."

"Yeah. He has a massive scar across his back. He got it keeping me alive."

"No wonder you treat him like a younger brother."

His eyes were warm, carrying a depth that felt like he had lived a thousand lifetimes.

"Have I ever told you about The Vance Clan?"

Jocelyn didn't understand why he was suddenly bringing this up.

"Why the sudden—"

She cut herself off with a playful smile.

"If I know too much, am I going to be in danger? Don't they say the less you know, the better?"

Julian looked at her with pure indulgence.

"I'll keep you safe."