The Man Who Waited vs. The Man Who Wasted novel Chapter 480

Jocelyn stopped walking.

Her mind had been so far away that she was essentially being dragged forward by Adrian.

He still had a vice-like grip on her wrist.

She gave a firm tug.

Adrian voluntarily let go.

"What's wrong?"

Jocelyn turned her cold gaze onto Todd.

"You shouldn't have kicked him off the ledge."

Todd looked completely unrepentant.

"He was going to kill you, Boss... Miss Evans, I was saving your life."

And she was carrying a child.

If the kid turned out to be Adrian's, Todd had just secured himself a massive promotion.

Jocelyn wanted to tear into him.

But she couldn't find a valid argument.

From Todd's perspective, he hadn't done anything wrong.

Adrian stepped in to defend him.

"Todd was just desperate to get you out of danger."

Jocelyn scoffed internally.

Desperate to save her?

He just wanted to show off and score points with his boss.

His ruthless ambition was painfully obvious.

The floodlights from the police cars illuminated the area.

Officers were taping off the perimeter, waiting for the coroner to arrive.

She could clearly see the dark pool of blood seeping into the dirt, cradling the dead man's shattered skull.

"Jo!"

Sarah came sprinting through the dark.

Jocelyn paused to wait for her.

Panting heavily, Sarah stopped right in front of her.

"Come with us, please?"

Jocelyn managed a stiff, exhausted smile.

"I'm just going to talk with Mr. Lowell and get my cuts cleaned. I'll go home after. Why are you acting like I'm leaving the country?"

Sarah pulled her aside, dropping her voice to a desperate whisper.

"Julian is incredibly worried about you."

"I know." Jocelyn gently touched the stinging cuts on her neck.

"Jo." Sarah squeezed her hands, her voice breaking with raw emotion.

"Don't blame Mr. Vance for arriving late. He didn't even know you were kidnapped. The ransom call went straight to Adrian."

Jocelyn froze.

"Then how did you guys find me?"

"He had Gideon tap Adrian's phone and track his live location. That's the only reason we made it here."

So Gideon was involved too.

Jocelyn smiled bitterly.

It seemed she owed a massive debt to a lot of people tonight.

"Adrian knew you were kidnapped and intentionally hid it from Mr. Vance. He obviously wanted to play the hero so you'd feel indebted to him. Jo, whatever you do, do not trust him."

Trust?

How could she ever trust Adrian Lowell again?

Three years of sheer hell was more than enough of a lesson.

Jocelyn had absolutely no desire to talk about him.

"I'm leaving now."

Sarah let go of her hands, watching her walk away through a blur of tears, consumed by an agonizing wave of regret.

She was truly terrified that they could never go back to being best friends.