The Heiress Nobody Saw Coming (Natalie and Marcus) novel Chapter 646

"Sheldon, give Cassie to me. I'll turn her in to law enforcement. She won't be able to escape justice for everything she's done,"

He downed another glass of wine, then looked directly at Sheldon again.

"Please. Let me take her."

"That's impossible, Mr. Wesley. I agreed to sit here and speak with you, but that doesn't mean you can push your luck," Sheldon replied flatly, without hesitation. "If I don't want her found, no one will ever find her."

He continued, "Mr. Wesley, your only task right now is to work with the Walker family to make sure the wedding goes perfectly for Mr. Marcus and Mrs. Natalie. As for the rest, it's none of your concern.

"I don't care whether this is worth it or not. I only want to follow my heart. And my heart tells me this is what I need to do."

He downed another glass.

"I'm an old man now. I've spent my life following your father. I've had my share of comfort. There's nothing I regret. In these final years, I just want to live as I choose, to do what I believe is right. No one can stop me when it comes to Cassie."

Sheldon set down his glass.

"Mr. Wesley, just grant me this one thing.

"I told Noah to forget what he saw, to act like it never happened. But he still let me down. Then again, I expected that. He's loyal to a fault. There was no way he could keep something like this from you and Marcus."

"I came to speak with you first. Once we're done, I'll be leaving Holden Residence. The wedding should be handled by you and Ms. Laura. As his parents, you've already missed so much of Mr. Marcus' life. You shouldn't miss this moment too."

"But if you leave, how will you be there to take the photo of me and Laura together to provoke Cassie?" Wesley asked, frowning.

He put his glass down and let out a long sigh. "I won't stop you from doing what you feel you need to do to Cassie. But I hope you'll think about the future. I hope you'll live out your days in peace.

"Life can be both long and short. Right now, you say you're following your heart. But after it's all over, have you thought about what comes next? Have you thought about what the rest of us will do if something happens to you?

"We all care for you, respect you. If you disappear or get hurt, what are we supposed to do with that?"

"You're not a child. Don't pretend you don't know the answer." Sheldon rolled his eyes.

"Enough with the sentiment. I'm done listening. No one can stop me now. Go get some sleep."

With that, he stood up and turned toward the door.

"Sheldon," Wesley called, but the moment the words left his mouth, his vision blurred. Everything went dark. His legs gave out, and he collapsed.

Just as Sheldon reached the door, someone entered from outside. They helped Wesley to his feet and carried him away.

Meanwhile, Sheldon got into the car and left Holden Residence.

…

The next morning, Wesley woke in his own bed. His head was pounding.

"Damn…"

He inhaled sharply and collapsed back onto the mattress. It took him a while to steady his breath.

Fragments of last night's memories began returning to him one by one. He reached for his phone and checked the time, then quickly dialed Sheldon's number.

Behind him, Cassie lay on the deck, her body shackled by chains.

"String her up. Cut her a few times and toss her into the ocean."

"Sheldon, just give me a quick death. You want me to be eaten by sharks, is that it?" she said, lifting her head weakly.

"No." Sheldon turned to her with a calm smile. "They won't eat you. Not with the things I've fed you and the drugs I've used. You'll survive. You'll just suffer a bit."

"You're worse than I am. You're more twisted than anyone I've ever met," Cassie whispered.

She was reaching her limit. The days of torment had pushed her past the point of wanting to live.

"A clean death is better than this. You're the real monster!" she shouted, her voice hoarse.

"You didn't think that when you poisoned Laura, did you?" Sheldon sat nearby, looking at her with a flat, quiet gaze. You wanted her to suffer day and night, wanted Mr. Wesley to see what she turned into and abandon her.

"You just didn't expect him to stay by her side for all those years. And you definitely didn't expect someone to cure her.

"Everything you thought you had control over fell apart. That's why you had a breakdown."

"Shut up. Stop talking." Cassie closed her eyes, her face twisted in pain. "So what if I was wrong? I went after Laura, not you. Why are you taking her side? What, do you have feelings for her?"

Sheldon chuckled. "You can't provoke me. Your words mean nothing to me. When Mr. Marcus' wedding is over, I'll end your life. You have my word. Until then, you'll suffer just a little longer. You separated that family for years. This is only payback.

Suddenly, he asked, "Cassie, wouldn't you say I've arranged this all… perfectly?"