Still You Still Me Still Falling novel Chapter 16

Simon immediately looked at Sheila, then shot Marcus a suspicious glare.

Not wanting Simon to worry, Sheila said, "We can talk while we walk."

She turned to Simon. "Go ahead and pull the car around."

Marcus, thrilled that she was even giving him the time of day, didn't care about the brush-off.

Once Simon was out of earshot, he said, "Sheila, I'm genuinely interested in you. Please consider it. I'm a pretty good catch, and I promise I'm approaching this with the intention of marriage."

The two of them stepped out of the dining room into the hallway.

"I'm sorry," Sheila said flatly, "but I already have a boyfriend."

"I still think we're a better match," Marcus pressed. "Simon can't give you the life you deserve."

Sheila's expression remained perfectly blank, her voice dropping a few degrees. "Mr. Wagner, my future is in the lab. We likely won't have many opportunities to interact moving forward. I have absolutely no feelings for you..."

"Sheila? Sheila Jensen?"

A voice suddenly called her name from the side.

Sheila turned, and her entire body went rigid.

The woman standing there looked like she was in her late thirties, dripping in jewels and exuding an air of arrogant superiority.

But Sheila knew the woman was well into her fifties. It was Edmond's mother, Vivienne Adler.

Three years ago, Jewel hadn't come to confront her alone. Vivienne had been standing right beside Jewel.

After Jewel had introduced herself and laid claim to Edmond, she had gestured to the older woman. "This is Edmond's mother."

Sheila wasn't an idiot. She and Edmond had been madly in love; she wasn't about to believe the wild claims of some random stranger. But this was his mother. She had stood by Jewel, validating her status as her future daughter-in-law.

That was the killing blow that had shattered Sheila completely.

Marcus finally snapped out of his daze, looking at Sheila in shock. "How do you know her?"

Sheila stayed silent, her mind spinning wildly. She knew exactly what Vivienne's parting words meant. It was a blatant reminder of the insurmountable gap between her and Edmond. A warning to stop entertaining any delusional fantasies.

"Sheila?" Marcus asked gently. "Are you okay?"

Sheila blinked, snapping back to the present. "I'm fine."

Seeing that she was still staring at the spot where Vivienne had disappeared, Marcus shook his head. "It's actually quite tragic when you think about it. She's a pretty pitiful woman."

Sheila blinked in surprise. "Her? Pitiful?"

Eager to keep her attention, Marcus quickly explained. "This was thirty years ago, but when she and her husband got married, it was the wedding of the century. Barely two years later, he was caught cheating."

"He... he cheated?"

"It was a massive scandal at the time. Both families were incredibly prominent. But eventually... it just got swept under the rug. Rumor has it she's got her own side pieces now too."