The Apple of My Eye

"Ms. Xia, what's wrong?" Phoebe asked since Sheryl, who had locked herself up in the office, suddenly came out.

"It's late now. I think I should be heading back home," Sheryl casually said to Phoebe and then walked out of the company.

Hearing that Sheryl mentioned going back home, Phoebe thought her boss must be feeling okay now. With a sigh, she eliminated some worry from her mind. Lately, Sheryl worked way too hard and left late, so this seemed like an improvement.

After getting back home, Sheryl glanced into the mirror. She realized she looked awful. After all, she had spent the whole day thinking about Charles and that woman. Now she was left with a throbbing headache. Having no energy to change her clothes, she went to bed in her work attire.

When her kids came back from kindergarten, they knew that Sheryl was already home.

They missed Sheryl ardently because they hadn't seen her for a whole day. Not wanting to waste any time, they went upstairs to see her. "Tap-tap..." Clark knocked on the door politely.

Sheryl didn't come to open the door. After a while, Shirley turned to Clark and questioned, "Clark, did Mommy really come back home?" "Yes. I confirmed with Joan." Clark was also puzzled.

But both of them were sensible. Since Sheryl didn't open the door, they didn't try to open it. They thought it was best to wait outside.

Patiently, they stood there for what felt like ages. Knowing there was no point in waiting any longer, they went downstairs. Then they tried to ask Joan if there was anything wrong with their mother. "Joan, if Mommy is home, why isn't she coming out to play with us?" Shirley looked at Joan doubtfully.

In truth, Joan was also surprised. Normally, if Sheryl came back early from work, she would eagerly wait for her kids. She loved spending time with them. 'What went wrong today?' she wondered. However, Joan shook her head helplessly, not knowing what to say.

"Is Mommy tired?" Shirley looked up at Joan and asked seriously.

"Hmm, she could be. In that case, be a good girl and don't disturb Mommy. Go and play in the living room. I will cook something delicious for you, okay?" Joan just wanted to comfort the children. "Okay!"

Joan played with them for a while to lift their spirits. In spite of this, Clark asked, "Joan, what's wrong with Mommy?"

Looking at Clark, who stared at her stubbornly, Joan was at a loss of words. She touched his head and smiled. "I don't know, but I know that your mommy hasn't been in a good mood these days." Joan couldn't hide this from the kids. She knew that if she remained silent, they would push her for an answer. They weren't the type of kids who would let things go easily.

After hearing this reply, Clark remained silent. It looked like he was lost deep in thoughts. Joan expected a reply and wondered if she had said the wrong thing. The last thing she wanted was for the little guy to overthink it. To rectify her mistake, she continued, "Clark, stop thinking about it. Mommy will be okay. Maybe a good sleep will help her to feel better."

"Hmm." Clark nodded his head obediently.

Believing his mom's fatigue could be fixed, he stopped thinking about it.

In Cloud Advertising Company, Isla had just returned.

She noticed that Sheryl's office was empty. This led her to panic. She looked at Phoebe, who just got back from the tea room, and asked, "Where is Sher?" "Ms. Zhao, Ms. Xia has gone back home."

"She has gone back?" Isla couldn't believe it. Sheryl was a workaholic these days in order to forget everything; hence, the fact she left early was hard for Isla to digest.

"When Ms. Xia left, she looked normal. I mean she didn't seem sad or anything, just a bit pale." Phoebe knew that Isla was easily worried when it came to Sheryl, so she spoke these words to comfort her. "Okay, I see. Continue with your work."

After that, Isla kept herself busy. She pondered for a while and decided it was best to call Charles.

But Isla's call didn't reach Charles. It was not that he didn't answer her phone call, but instead, the line wouldn't connect. Isla guessed Charles had blocked her number.

"Damned Charles Lu, you did it on purpose, didn't you!" she cursed him. Isla was so mad that it became beyond impossible to focus on her work. She walked back and forth in Sheryl's office to relieve herself. After contemplating over the matter for a while, Isla was aware that if she continued to stay here, she would become furious. With a sigh, she left the company and went to Aron's office.

Aron was really busy at the moment and felt puzzled to see Isla suddenly barging in.

"What's up? Is there anything wrong?" Aron looked at Isla, unable to understand the situation.

Isla was in a bad mood and wanted to vent her feelings on someone. Aron seemed like the best person for this purpose. She pointed at him and asked, "Can I talk to you privately for a moment? I hope it won't be too much trouble."

"What's the matter with you?" Aron could tell someone was bothering her. However, he had no idea who had caused this fury. He was merely trying to understand what was happening. But Isla took the wrong meaning out of it. She assumed he didn't want to talk.

"Okay, then. It was a mistake coming here. I am sorry for bothering you. I will leave so that you can continue with your work." After saying this, Isla didn't give Aron a chance to react. Instead, she turned around and left.

Aron had his doubts about Isla's sudden arrival. But his intention hadn't been to refuse her.

However, he was indeed busy with work. So he let her go without chasing after her.

After leaving Aron's office, Isla walked around aimlessly. She wanted to meet Sheryl but was afraid that she would irritate her. Then she was overcome with an urge to go home, but even that felt like the wrong decision. She knew that if she went back home so early, she would only feel more depressed.

While she was being consumed by these thoughts, Isla happened to come face to face with Melissa.

It was indeed a small world.

"Yo, isn't this Mrs. Lu?" Isla approached Melissa quickly and spoke using an unfriendly tone. She scrutinized the old lady by looking her up and down with an intense gaze.

"Isla Zhao?" It took Melissa a few seconds, but she finally recognized Isla. Her whole face went red with shock.

They hadn't met each other for a long time. She didn't know what has happened today. But from Isla's expression, Melissa deduced something was truly wrong.

"Don't call by my name. I don't know you!" Isla retorted in an instant.

Melissa was in a position where she didn't know what to say. But she guessed Isla's anger had something to do with Sheryl.

In fact, even Melissa herself felt sorry for Sheryl, so she was embarrassed to see Isla now.

Since Melissa didn't utter a word, Isla decided she now had a platform to vent.

"Fine. You don't know what to say, right? Then let me put forward a question for you. This isn't about you; it's about your son. What's wrong with him?! And who the hell is that woman?" Isla was not easily swayed. Even if she knew that Melissa was not a good person, she didn't let her go. She took this opportunity to ask the question that she had been dying to ask.

"I have no idea. I think only Charles will be able to answer your question," Melissa replied in an indifferent voice. After speaking, Melissa prepared to leave. She wasn't up for any drama.

However, Isla had different plans. She wouldn't allow Melissa to shrug off this question. She quickly stood in front of Melissa, blocking her way.