CHAPTER 193: CHAPTER 193: TROUBLED BY LOVE

Simon Rhodes drove with Rhea Fawcett, and it seemed he was no stranger to arranged dates. He knew how to make the other party feel at ease without creating intimacy, much like very ordinary friends—polite yet distant.

"Simon, I often saw you in this park when I was a child," Rhea said, pointing outside the car window.

Simon glanced casually and responded, "I don’t really remember."

He remembered the park, but in his memory, Rhea wasn’t there.

Rhea didn’t feel awkward and signaled Simon to stop by the roadside of the park.

They got out of the car. Walking backward, facing Simon, she said, "Even as a child, I felt you were different. While other kids played and fought, you were always quietly sitting on a bench. That’s when I noticed you."

"Is that so?" Simon chuckled but showed no intention of delving into the topic.

As a child, he didn’t avoid playing with others voluntarily; he was just different.

He had a heart condition—not severe, but doctors advised against vigorous activity. That was also why he didn’t go to Dragonspire.

"You don’t remember, do you?" Rhea showed a trace of disappointment. "I was schoolmates with your brother. I often saw you waiting for him at the school gate after classes, but after he transferred, I saw you less."

"You were schoolmates with Vincent?"

"Yes, he might remember me better. Back then, the class used to say I was his childhood betrothed." Rhea smiled wryly, then added, "But I heard he’s married now. How is he? Perhaps we can all have dinner sometime."

Simon thought Vincent wouldn’t want such a gathering. Regardless of how familiar he had been with Rhea in the past, Vincent’s thoughts were all on Shannon Quinn now. So, Simon politely declined, "He’s quite busy and might not have the time at the moment."

"I’ve heard some rumors about him... Is it true that he needs a wheelchair? Did something happen to him?"

Simon wouldn’t divulge Vincent’s condition, so he asked Rhea, "You seem more interested in his matters than mine."

Rhea hurriedly waved her hands and explained, "No, no, I’m just curious. It doesn’t match what I knew of him, so..."

Simon laughed and said, "No worries."

Rhea cautiously glanced at Simon, and as they walked side by side, she pondered whether Simon was naturally quiet or if it was just her absence of chatter that let him remain silent. Thinking hard, she found another topic and asked him, "Simon, how many relationships have you been in?"

Simon paused, suddenly realizing that besides the matches arranged by his grandfather, he hadn’t been in a serious relationship. Before meeting Susan Wilde, he paid no attention to any woman.

Even though June Yardley was considered his girlfriend within their circle, it was usually a solo show by her.

He neither clarified nor denied it, but he also didn’t play along, merely thinking if he accepted this relationship, his grandfather wouldn’t bother him as often.

However, when he answered Rhea, Simon said, "A few, I suppose."

Rhea wasn’t particularly satisfied with the answer, saying, "You seem quite experienced in love... Actually, when I returned last year, I mentioned you to my grandfather, but he said you were engaged to the Yardley family’s daughter, so we left it at that. But later... why did you break up?"

"She was too controlling; we weren’t compatible."

Rhea paused, the phrase "too controlling" sounded like a warning bell for her, as she had been asking many questions. Having received this information, she dared not inquire further about such matters.

Simon saw Rhea as an intelligent woman who understood much from just a hint.

Had he not met Susan Wilde, he might have considered being with Rhea. But now he felt she wasn’t the right person.

Even knowing Susan Wilde could never be with him, he wasn’t willing to marry someone he didn’t quite love just to live a life of compromise.

Unbeknownst to him, on the other side, Susan Wilde was struggling with her emotions.

"Shannon, do you think I should take some measures? If this continues, I really feel cold inside."

Shannon Quinn bit her straw, sipping her juice, and said, "If I were you, I’d clarify things with him and ask him what he thinks. If he’s truly tired, it might be hard to accept initially, but it’s better than living in constant fear."

Susan Wilde said meekly, "But every time I ask him, he says I’m overthinking, tells me not to imagine things, but I can clearly feel he’s not as passionate as before, though he refuses to admit he’s changed."

"Isn’t it normal for men to change after the honeymoon phase?"

"Is it normal? Am I just not adapting?"

Shannon Quinn had never been in a serious relationship, so she wasn’t sure if men truly changed. But she hadn’t observed that in Vincent Rhodes.

Perhaps it was because they hadn’t spent much time together that she hadn’t noticed such changes.

Susan Wilde took a deep breath and said, "Honestly, I’ve prepared for the worst. They say if a man repeatedly finds excuses not to marry you, he mostly doesn’t want to."

"Find time to talk to him. He mentioned being too busy lately."

Susan Wilde nodded, but felt increasingly uneasy, knowing Owen Bellamy better than anyone and directly perceiving his changes.

Meeting Shannon Quinn was supposed to offer her some comfort, yet she wondered if it was merely self-deception, as her inner hunch wasn’t good.

Three days later.

The Lowe Family hosted a New Year gathering, inviting influential figures from various circles.

Such gatherings in high society often involved interests and benefits.

Shannon Quinn accompanied Liam Sterling. Liam hadn’t mentioned anything about male or female companions beforehand. Only upon arrival did she realize almost everyone came as couples, making her feel awkward following Liam.

She only knew her purpose was to promote her company’s products and secure partners, unaware that the long-unseen man would appear that night...