Goodbye, Mr. Regret

"Dad, go ahead and take care of your business."

She really just called him Dad?

Vince Zimmerman let out a cold snort in his mind. Sheila Howard had been adopted by Abell and Sandra practically from the moment she was born. What a sweet deal for that so-called father-never raised a daughter, but the moment she found him, she recognized him anyway.

Sheila's biological father handed Timothy Lawson a business card. "Here's my card. If you need anything, don't hesitate to contact me."

Timothy barely glanced at the card and made no move to take it.

An awkward silence hung between them. Sheila nudged her father, urging him, "You should go."

With no other choice, he left for now.

Earlier, Vince had helped Jessica Greene run a check on that car, which was how he learned Sheila's father went by Mayfield.

She remembered, back when she was a kid, her grandma used to call him Dr. Field. Clearly, he'd been using a fake name for his cons.

Now he drove a Bentley, everything he wore screamed expensive, from the watch on his wrist to the signet ring on his thumb-a fortune on display. Apparently, he'd climbed the social ladder by now.

"Timothy," Sheila called, wanting to explain.

But Timothy had already turned away, heading back to his table.

Sheila followed after him.

Jessica leaned toward Vince. "Let's get out of here."

He nodded, ushering her outside. "I'll have the driver take you home, Jessica. I'm going to stick around and see what else I can find out."

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Don't worry. I'll dig up more on this Mayfield guy. Your grandma was a benefactor to my grandfather and to the whole Zimmerman family. I promise I'll do everything I can to get justice for her."

He held open the car door, helping Jessica in, then turned and strode back into Gin Lane Epilogues. He walked straight to Timothy's table, dropped into the seat beside Yates Bryant, and announced, "Timothy, I overheard everything. Now that Sheila's found her real father, she's not technically your aunt anymore. That means your marriage is pretty much over. If you two want to pick up where you left off, well, no one's going to stand in your way. Congratulations in advance."

Yates quickly grabbed his arm. "Vince, don't be ridiculous."

Lately, Vince had been going out of his way to help Jessica and challenge Timothy, even though he knew Timothy didn't want the divorce. But Vince just couldn't resist these little jabs.

Sheila stayed silent. If she jumped in now, she'd only make things worse- especially if she ever wanted to tell Timothy how she really felt.

Vince's jaw was tight with anger.

He'd known Sheila for years. The Zimmermans and the Howards had always been close; to him, Sheila was just the daughter of a family friend. He never had any special feelings for her, nor any ill will, either.

His friendship with Jessica was going well, and Sheila-well, she was just someone from Timothy's past. He didn't have much to say about her.

But the fact that Sheila's real father was a conman left him feeling uneasy.

"I'm making things up, am I? Then why doesn't he deny it?" Vince muttered, irritation simmering beneath his words.

Timothy finally looked up. "You two should go."

Vince let out a sharp breath. Timothy was always so protective of Sheila, as if he was terrified Vince would say something to upset her.

"Come on, Yates. We're just third wheels here, anyway," Vince said, getting to his feet.

Timothy had already asked them to leave; Yates knew better than to overstay. He got up and left with Vince.

Once outside, Yates apologized, "Sorry, Vince. I was hoping to get some info about your sister from Timothy, but he wouldn't say a word. Not even when I tried to pressure him."

Vince arched an eyebrow. "Pressure him how?"noveldrama

"I told him that if he didn't talk, our parents would go straight to the Lawsons and start asking questions, put the squeeze on him from above. He didn't even blink."

Vince shook his head. "You really think he's that easy to scare? Forget it. He's so determined to shield Sheila and won't let go of the marriage—I don't know where he gets the nerve."

At one time, Vince had actually wanted to set them up, but now he'd lost all hope in Timothy.

After the two of them left, Sheila stood there, her mood sinking. "Timothy, I'm sorry. All this time, I've just been a burden to you."

"Why didn't you say anything to Vince just now?"

Sheila blinked, caught off guard. She had no idea why Timothy was asking.

But maybe this was her moment-her chance to finally step up.

Her voice trembled as she said, "Because it's true. That's what I want too. How could I argue?"

"Timothy, seven years ago, we

couldn't get married because of our

family ties. I just couldn't take it

parents so heartbroken. Now my

anymore I couldn't stand to see my

biological father has shown up, so why would I want to acknowledge him? Can't you understand?"

Her eyes brimmed with tears. "You and Jessica have already filed for divorce. From the start, she's never once fought for custody of

child she's dead set on net

you.

She doesn't want you, but I do. I was your aunt before, and after you got married, I always respected that boundary-I never crossed the line, not even in my thoughts. But things are different now. I don't have to be your aunt anymore, and I don't want to hide how I feel about you."