Still You Still Me Still Falling novel Chapter 140

The following evening, despite her immense reluctance, Sheila showed up at the hotel.

She arrived exactly on time, intentionally avoiding any chance of getting there early and having to sit alone with Edmond longer than necessary.

To her surprise, the legendary, impossibly busy CEO was already lounging comfortably in the private dining room.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she walked in and took the seat directly across from him.

Edmond shot her a look of mild irritation at the distance she put between them, but kept his mouth shut.

The fact that she had shown up at all was a massive victory.

If she had bailed... there was absolutely nothing he could have done about it.

"Alright, out with it," Sheila said, cutting straight to the chase. "What are your terms?"

"Eat first."

Edmond signaled the waiter to bring out the food.

Knowing she was the one in his debt, Sheila adopted a strategy of strict silence. She kept her eyes glued to the expensive silverware in front of her, determined not to start a fight.

Edmond smoothly shifted the conversation to Tilly.

Since they had returned, Tilly had officially started preschool.

She had just turned three, and Edmond had initially been hesitant to send her off so soon.

But her personality was... complicated.

Around her inner circle, she was affectionate, wild, and incredibly sweet—a completely normal, happy toddler.

But the second she was exposed to outsiders, especially strangers, she completely withdrew into her shell, refusing to engage at all.

Edmond had consulted top child psychologists, and they all agreed that early socialization with other kids her age would do wonders for her.

So, forcing himself to be the bad guy, he had enrolled her.

Sheila FaceTimed with Tilly constantly, but she was still just a toddler; there were a lot of nuances the little girl couldn't exactly articulate.

Hearing the full update directly from Edmond, Sheila leaned in, completely captivated.

"Is she adjusting okay? Is she eating? How's nap time? Is she getting along with the other kids... and what about the teachers?"

"Food isn't an issue, but nap time has been rough," Edmond admitted. "The first few days, the little menace absolutely refused to sleep."

She had lost way too much weight.

Was that idiot Simon Sinclair completely incapable of taking care of her?

Whether he was her fake boyfriend or her pseudo-brother, he was doing a pathetically terrible job!

"Eat more," Edmond urged, spinning the lazy Susan so her favorite dish stopped right in front of her. "Do you want more soup?"

"I'm stuffed." She set her fork down. "Are you finally going to tell me what your terms are?"

Edmond internally cursed the passage of time.

He wished she would eat at a snail's pace, stretching this dinner out until midnight.

It had barely been half an hour, and she was already finished.

Time to get down to business.

He grabbed a steaming hot towel from the silver tray and methodically wiped his hands.

Watching him, Sheila spoke up. "I don't know the first thing about corporate mergers, but even I know Mr. Ladd's company brings absolutely zero value to Vantage Group. It's completely understandable that you don't want to bail him out..."