The Apple of My Eye

"I'm doing fine, thanks for asking, Mrs. Lu. May I ask what the purpose of your call is?" While Chuck really knew why Melissa was calling him, he pretended he didn't know anything.

"Chuck, we've been friends for so many years. I'm going to get straight to the point. I'm sure you must know what's happened to Charles." Melissa didn't want to show her cards right away. She needed to get him on their side first. To do that, she had to gauge what he thought of the whole situation. She needed this plan to work.

"I heard about that. Is it true, Mrs. Lu?" Chuck asked seriously.

"Yes, it is," Melissa answered honestly.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Mrs. Lu. So, what are you going to do?" Chuck cut straight to the point, not wanting to waste any more time.

Melissa took a deep breath before speaking. "Chuck, the Shining Company is what matters most to Charles. I don't want anyone taking charge while Charles is gone. I know he's coming back. In the meantime I want to take Charles' place, and I need your support."

She knew what kind of person Chuck was, and that was why she thought to ask him for help. All the other members of the board respected Chuck very much and always took his ideas into consideration whenever they voted. As long as Chuck agreed to help her, she believed things would go smoothly.

Charles was the major shareholder of the Shining Company. If something really happened to him, then Melissa would take over his shares.

If Sheryl wasn't divorcing Charles then she might have been the largest shareholder.

Given that, Chuck wasn't suspicious at all when Melissa told him her plan. He smiled and said, "Mrs. Lu, of course, we'll support you, but I'm sure you know I'm getting old. I do wish to retire soon..."

Chuck trailed off.

Melissa clenched her fists. She knew what this meant. Chuck wasn't going to be able to help her that much.

She managed to speak calmly. "Don't worry, Chuck. Once I take charge of the company, I promise you're going to benefit from it."

"Mrs. Lu, I'm very aware that this is just lip service. How am I supposed to trust you? What if you go back on your word? What if you kick me out of the board? Do you have any other suggestions?" Chuck said without holding back. His eyes were hopeful.

Melissa was a little angry, but she tried to suppress it. She clenched her fists again and forced a smile, saying, "Chuck, I know you're interested in the land in the West Mountain. If you help me, it's yours." "Wow, thank you, Mrs. Lu," Chuck said excitedly.

After she hung up on Chuck, Melissa complained to Leila who was sitting next to her, "Chuck only cares about money. We've been friends for years, and he wouldn't even help me unless I give him the land in the West Mountain. I would never have given him that otherwise. I just needed his help."

Leila had heard about the land in the West Mountain. It was the newest acquisition of the Shining Company. Chuck had been trying to take over this project, but Charles wouldn't let him. She couldn't help but wonder why Chuck was so obsessed with that land.

"Aunt Melissa, calm down. That's just all people care about these days-money. I guess that's the sacrifice we need to make if we want to save the company." Leila didn't care about the land. What she cared about the most was that Melissa would be allowed to take over in place of Charles. Once Melissa was in charge, it would be practically like Leila was in charge, since Melissa was unaware that Leila was already manipulating her half the time.

"I know. I'm just frustrated."

Melissa sighed. Then she called the other shareholders.

Things went pretty smoothly. After all, everyone had their own weaknesses, and they all wanted something. As long as Melissa would give them what they want, they would give her the presidency chair. It didn't matter to them who was the president.

"Aunt Melissa, you can relax for now," Leila said to Melissa. She was happy for Melissa.

And Melissa beamed upon hearing this.

Nancy had just finished dinner. She then told them they could have dinner in the dining room.

"Leila, you're going to be very busy in the following weeks. I need your help. I haven't been in the business for so many years,"

Melissa said to Leila while they were having dinner, looking at Leila sincerely. Even though Leila was already working for the company, she needed to do more once Melissa was in charge. Melissa really needed Leila's help.

What Melissa didn't know was that Leila had been looking forward to hearing these words for so long. Leila didn't want to be a secretary her whole life. She was more ambitious than that.

"Aunt Melissa, what are you talking about? We're family. Of course, I will help you." Leila grabbed Melissa's hands gently and looked into her eyes. She wanted Melissa to think she was sincere. Melissa felt relieved when she saw the determination in Leila's eyes.

She went to bed as soon as they finished dinner as it had been quite a tiring day.

Leila, however, couldn't fall asleep at all. Melissa had made a deal with most of the shareholders. She was confident that she could get the votes at the meeting tomorrow. If that was the case, Leila needed to execute her plans.

She knew that she would have a hard time if she acted alone, so she needed someone to help her.

As she tried to think of someone, the only name that she could come up with was Holley.

So she took out her phone and dialed Holley's number.

Holley was having a hard time lately. She was being watched by Rex's subordinates. Every day was torture because she couldn't even see Black. She was trying to figure out a way to get rid of Rex's men and sneak out.

Lost in thought, Holley jumped when her phone suddenly rang.

Seeing the caller ID, Holley furrowed her brows. She picked up the phone and said, frowning, "Why are you calling me now?"

"What? Are pregnant women not allowed to answer calls now?" Leila mocked Holley on the other end of the line.

Leila knew Holley was just emotional because of her pregnancy, so she didn't take her seriously. She continued without waiting for Holley to respond, "Does your boss still want to take down the Shining Company?"

"The Shining Company?" Holley was surprised to hear this. It had been so long since she last heard news about the Shining Company. She hadn't spoken to Ferry for quite a while, either. She figured this might be a good chance to finally get rid of those stupid men watching her. She asked, "All right, I'm listening. What good news do you have for me?"

"I'm sure you know Charles is missing, right?" Leila said rather condescendingly.

Holley was startled upon hearing this.

In the past few weeks, she had been forced by Rex to stay inside her little house. She had no access to the internet either, so she wasn't updated with anything else that was going on in the outside world. She could tell that Leila was laughing at her, so she just pretended that she knew this all along. "Of course, I know about that. What does that have to do with your plan?"