The Man Who Waited vs. The Man Who Wasted novel Chapter 464

Lana: "The location is great, so business has been booming."

Adrian: "Good. If you run into any trouble, just call Todd. He'll handle it for you."

"I will."

In reality, Lana had never asked for his help once. Not even for Lena's situation.

It wasn't that she didn't want to; she knew she shouldn't.

He told her to ask for help, but that depended entirely on the issue. Minor problems were fine. But if it conflicted with his interests, she was better off keeping her mouth shut. He would never side with her over his own bottom line, so asking would only invite humiliation and frustration.

Lana understood her boundaries perfectly. That was why she had chosen to endure the humiliation of begging Jocelyn for Lena's sake rather than turning to Adrian.

Being sensible and knowing her place—that was perhaps the primary reason she had managed to stay by his side for so long.

A flash of displeasure crossed Adrian's eyes.

"I plan on marrying Audrey."

Lana didn't look surprised. "I see."

"We're definitely not having a wedding. Just signing the papers."

"I understand."

He took her hand. "Do you look down on me?"

Lana maintained her steady smile. "To gain something, you have to make sacrifices. Besides, this world is a dog-eat-dog place. If you don't take what's yours, someone else will. Rather than letting someone else snatch it away, it's better to secure it for yourself."

Adrian looked relieved.

"You always understand me best. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"It's just that I don't really know how to act around Audrey anymore."

In the past, a single day apart felt like an eternity. Now, spending too much time with her just annoyed him.

...

Dr. Finch was well into his eighties, but he recognized Jocelyn the moment he laid eyes on her.

She was genuinely surprised. "I can't believe you still remember me."

"What did he say?"

Dr. Finch pushed up his reading glasses.

"He said you were a rare talent and shouldn't be buried by the harsh realities of life, so he wanted to give you a hand."

"So I asked him again. I pointed out that you were complete strangers, so why was he being so generous?"

"He told me that you two did know each other, and quite well at that."

"I followed up by asking, if you were that close, why not help you directly instead of using the university as a front?"

"He said he didn't want you to feel like you were being pitied or treated with charity."

"Ah, what a good kid," Dr. Finch sighed wistfully. "He wanted to help you, but he went out of his way to protect your pride and consider your feelings at every turn."

"Later on, I asked him if he had feelings for you."

Jocelyn fought to steady her wildly beating heart.

"What... did he say?"