I Stopped Loving Him When He Let Me Bleed Out novel Chapter 252

The following day, Finn went to get a replacement SIM card for his phone.

He had driven to Riverdale, and then all the way to Sutton to investigate Ford's branch company. Somewhere along the way, he had managed to lose his phone entirely.

The moment he slipped the new SIM card in, Isaac's call came through.

Isaac, who was usually exceptionally even-tempered, sounded absolutely explosive.

"Finn, you're still breathing?"

Finn paused, the memory of what Noah had blurted out to Sienna the night before suddenly making a lot more sense.

"Did you all think I was dead?"

Isaac, practically shaking with exasperation, snapped back without thinking.

"Do you have any idea how worried Sienna was about you yesterday?"

Finn gripped his phone, his heart skipping a wild beat.

"Isaac... are you saying she thought I was dead? That she was worried about me?"

He felt like his heart was going to hammer its way out of his chest.

It had been a very long time since he'd felt this purely, intensely happy.

His tone betrayed a thrill he couldn't even try to suppress.

"Isaac, talk to me. Is it true? Was she really that worried?"

Isaac's voice instantly dropped an octave, sobering up.

"Sienna is a kind person. She'd probably cry if a stranger died. It's completely normal."

But Finn was too elated to be dragged down.

"Isaac, can we meet up? Let me buy you a drink. Can you tell me exactly what happened, face-to-face?"

Isaac fell silent for a second, then decided to brutally crush Finn's ego.

"Sorry, I'm busy. And honestly, you're annoying."

He hung up immediately.

Finn wasn't mad in the slightest.

The sheer joy had already gone straight to his head.

There were two hypocritical-looking middle-aged men and one incredibly delicate, weeping girl.

"What are you crying for, Angeline? I'm the one who should be crying! I'm the one who got my promotion stolen!" Lily shoved her sleeves up aggressively.

Standing in front of the frail, seemingly helpless Angeline, Lily looked undeniably intimidating.

Angeline's eyes were rimmed with red, playing the part of a deeply wronged victim.

But Sienna could see it clear as day—there was a faint, triumphant smirk tugging at the corners of Angeline's mouth.

Victor Vance stood a few paces away, clutching a travel mug. He wore an expression of utmost, solemn impartiality.

The other man was Lily's direct department head. His brow was furrowed in deep displeasure.

"Ms. James, the academic title evaluations are strictly procedural. If you have a grievance, you can submit a written complaint. Do not cause a scene here."

"A scene?" Lily's voice trembled with raw fury. "Are you joking? I've prepared for this promotion for a year. I've bent over backward for this department, taking on extra lectures, traveling to rough locations that nobody else wanted to touch. And what about Angeline? She's barely been here a few days! Do you administrators have any sense of justice at all?"

Angeline lowered her head, her voice breathy and soft.

"Ms. James, I know how badly you wanted this spot. Honestly, I don't really care about it. I only accepted because the department leaders recognized my hard work... If it makes you this upset, I'll just give it up. I don't want to make things difficult for the leadership."