The Apple of My Eye

"Did that woman lose her mind? What the hell was she trying to do get Charles killed?" Melissa's voice rose to a furious thunder. She took out her cell phone and called Sheryl's number, but the result was the same, no answer.

Driven mad with rage, Melissa threw her phone to the floor and growled, the muscles clenching around her throat. "I will make that woman regret she ever knew me!"

"Aunt Melissa, please, try not to be so angry. It's not good for your health. Charles will be okay." Leila patted Melissa's back and comforted her for a while.

She understood that Melissa's hissy fit was only a consequence of her being Charles' mother. Now that Charles was gone, who would indulge Melissa's arrogance, and her already incredibly bloated ego? Leila was just as self-centered as Melissa. Without Charles in her life, it seemed as though she had lost everything.

The two returned to the hotel soon after. Melissa was stiff all over her body because even she didn't know whether she would be able to turn things around from such a major setback. All she could do was worry about her situation and pray that Charles would be fine.

Leila decided to stay with Melissa and look after her. Her supposed altruism, however, arose not out of concern for Melissa, but from her own selfish reasons. After all, Melissa was the key to securing her future with Charles.

Meanwhile, drowning in all sorts of negative conjectures, Melissa slowly started to lose hope as time went by. She dreaded the mere thought of what she would do if she had lost Charles.

"Aunt Melissa, stop crying. Charles wouldn't want to see you like this!" Leila grabbed Melissa's hand gently and looked at her with tears in her eyes. It was obvious to Melissa that Leila was only pretending to be strong.

"Leila, I know that you are also worried about him. Just cry if you want to. But I believe that Charles will be alright. I just feel sorry for my son for meeting a woman like Sheryl. She doesn't deserve him." Melissa was absolutely certain that Sheryl was the architect of this dreadful situation she was in. If it weren't for Sheryl, Charles wouldn't even have been in an accident.

"Aunt Melissa, I am very sad indeed. But let's face it, Charles doesn't like me. If he did, this would have never happened. In fact, I should take some responsibility for this accident. I am sorry, Aunt Melissa. I've let you down. I should have taken better care of Charles..."

While speaking, Leila suddenly broke down into tears and whimpered. All for added dramatic effect, which despite its underhandedness, worked in Leila's favor.

Melissa was heartbroken to see that Leila felt so guilty.

She patted the back of Leila's hand and looked at her affectionately. After a while, Melissa sighed. "Leila, my darling, how can this be your fault? Sheryl is the one behind this. I'm sure of it! Damn her! I wish she would just die already! Why couldn't she be the one to die?"

The mere thought of Sheryl tipped Melissa over the edge as she felt completely consumed by her hatred towards Sheryl.

"Aunt Melissa, I hope I am the one who is in trouble. Then at least Charles could remember me, and Sheryl would be unable to control him."

Leila didn't want to miss this opportunity. Since there was nothing she could do to change what was already done, she had to play her cards right with Melissa. Only by such methods could she secure her dream of becoming the real mistress of Dream Garden after Charles' return.

"Silly girl, how could you think like that? Have you ever thought about what will happen to me if something bad happens to you? Don't you know that Sheryl is going to take everything if something bad happens to you?" Melissa quickly pushed Leila's guilt aside and frowned disapprovingly.

Leila, on the other hand, was deeply moved to hear what Melissa had said. With an undeniable hint of joy in her eyes, Leila gave Melissa a response that would make her happy. "My life is nothing compared to Charles'. If my death can ensure Charles' safety, then I am willing to die for him!"

"You are such a lovely girl. If only Charles had met you earlier, he wouldn't have been in this situation. It's really all my fault. If I were more strict in the beginning, Sheryl wouldn't have gotten this far!" Melissa was overwhelmed by guilt. She never liked Sheryl, but because Charles was in love with her, Melissa had had no choice but to compromise.

Melissa had no idea then that she would come to regret her ignorance so badly. She found it difficult to forgive even herself.

"Aunt Melissa, please, stop blaming yourself. Sheryl played Charles like a fiddle, but now he might have seen through her. Let's just wait and see. I believe that Charles will come back to us, and when he does. he's going to find out the truth about everything."

Leila's words were meant, not only for Melissa but also for herself. She believed that one day, Charles would see Sheryl's true colors. When that day came, he would fall in love with her and give up on that damned woman.

"Leila, my darling, everything is going to be alright. Let's just pray for Charles' safety. He will be okay." Melissa forced a smile on her face as she spoke to Leila and then sighed, lost in thought. "I am happy to see that's how you feel, Aunt Melissa. Now, please, get some rest. I will go to check up on Charles' room and clean it just in case." Leila comforted Melissa and tucked her into bed.

After making sure that Melissa was asleep, Leila got the key card for Charles' room from the concierge and then went straight in to see if everything was in order. There were tears in her eyes as she looked around. She had wanted to be the woman of this man for so long, but now she didn't know if he was even still alive. At this rate, would it be sensible for her to keep her hopes up?

Leila had always been the realistic type. She knew that love could make people feel happy, but real happiness depended on money. Love without money wouldn't last forever.

Therefore, Leila had paid more attention to Charles' position and wealth. She didn't think she would feel so sad, but the moment she stepped into his room, she felt like she was going to suffocate. Humans were known to be emotional creatures. Leila had been with Charles for so long that she eventually ended up developing feelings for him. However, she wondered why Charles didn't have any feelings for her.

Whereas, even though Sheryl had been heartless to Charles, he always forgave her. Although Leila stuck by his side, he still chose Sheryl over her in the end.

"Sheryl, I won't let you get away with this. If Charles lives, perhaps I will spare your life. But if something bad has happened to him, I will make you suffer immense pain!"

Leila looked at the family photo on the night stand beside Charles' bed with hatred. Charles and Sheryl's smiling faces suddenly felt so intolerable that it hurt her eyes to even look at the photo. Meanwhile, at another hotel

Sheryl remained silent the whole time, even after Nick took her back to her hotel. Apart from breathing, she didn't make any other movement in his presence.

"Sher?" Nick called Sheryl cautiously and hoped that she would answer him.

Unfortunately, Sheryl didn't respond to Nick, as if her mind was elsewhere at the moment.

Since Sheryl had nothing to say, Nick could do nothing as well. He assumed that she must have had a bad night, so he poured a warm glass of water for her and put it in front of her.

The warmth of the hot water brought Sheryl back to her senses. She stared at Nick blankly with a pale face.

The entire night felt like a strange dream to Sheryl. She wondered if everything would go back to normal if she pinched herself to wake up from her dream.

However, Nick's presence was the undesirable proof that what happened last night was real. Charles really did fall in the sea, and nobody had been able to find his body since then. The man she loved was suddenly taken away from her life. The feeling of emptiness was too hard to bear.