The Return of Special Forces Queen novel Chapter 10

The State Science Scholar...

Anyone with half a brain knew how insanely difficult it was to achieve that title! It was a tier reserved strictly for absolute geniuses!

And the National Defense University was notoriously harder to get into than the Ivy League. You didn't just need flawless academics; you needed elite physical combat metrics!

Yolande's face rapidly cycled between sickly pale and violently red. Just minutes ago, she had confidently called Jocelyn a pathetic clown. But now, the only clown in the room was her!

Carter was equally stunned. He had no idea. In three years of marriage, Jocelyn had never once mentioned her monumental achievements.

For the first time, he realized that the woman he had slept beside for years was a complete stranger.

"Professor Gable, is this your student?" a smooth, chillingly calm voice cut through the heavy silence, pulling everyone out of their stupor.

"Ah, yes," Professor Gable said, quickly facilitating introductions. "This is my former student, Jocelyn Quinn. Jocelyn, this is Edgar Barrett, of the Barrett Group."

The instant the name 'Edgar Barrett' dropped, the atmosphere in the restaurant underwent a seismic shift.

The Barrett patriarch had just passed, and the man standing before them was his ruthless successor!

Greedy anticipation flared in the eyes of Carter's friends. Even the tiniest connection with Edgar Barrett could secure them a lifetime of unimaginable wealth.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Quinn," Edgar said, politely extending his hand.

Jocelyn finally realized that the man standing in front of her was the very same imposing figure she had seen outside the columbarium.

Without the black umbrella obscuring his features, his striking face was on full display. His hair was swept back, highlighting a sharp, intelligent brow, a perfectly straight nose, and pale lips. Beneath his long lashes, those bottomless eyes looked like the depths of a frozen ocean—calm, deadly, and unfathomable.

Though his tone was perfectly polite, it was entirely impossible to read what he was truly thinking.

"A pleasure, Mr. Barrett," Jocelyn replied, reaching out to shake his hand.

His hand was clean, perfectly sculpted, and exuded a subtle, terrifying power. The brief contact triggered an instinctive warning bell in Jocelyn's mind. It felt like the hand of a man who could snap a neck without a second thought.

The handshake lasted barely a second before they parted.

The others at the table eagerly stepped forward, desperate to introduce themselves to the billionaire.

But Edgar ignored them completely, his gaze devoid of interest. "Professor Gable, let's head to the private room."

When it was literally life and death, Carter's only instinct was to save Yolande—and sacrifice his wife!

How many times was this man going to break her heart?

An icy, unbreakable resolve settled over Jocelyn. She stared blankly at Carter's trembling form.

Did it even cross his mind that pushing her into the open could have gotten her killed by a stray bullet?

As if sensing her gaze, Carter looked up from the floor. A wave of sickening guilt washed over his face.

When the gunshot went off, his body moved on autopilot to protect Yolande. He hadn't realized he had forcefully shoved Jocelyn away until it was too late.

*I'll find a way to make it up to her later,* he desperately rationalized to himself. *She's forgiving. She always forgives me when I screw up. I just need to apologize.*

As he desperately tried to comfort himself, his eyes widened in horror. Through the chaos, he saw Jocelyn staring down at him, mouthing the final nail in his coffin.

"Carter, we're over."