The Apple of My Eye

When Melissa finally finished the call, she headed back to Sheryl's office with renewed vigor. Right before she knocked on the door, she paused, remembering something and turned on her heel, catching the eye of Phoebe, who was watching her. Melissa stared back and headed straight towards her.

Phoebe had watched Melissa exit Sheryl's office to answer a call, and so she was confident Melissa had left the company. But seeing Melissa stand in front of her after being caught watching made her freeze in her seat and forced to hold Melissa's gaze.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to stand and flash a polite smile. "Ma'am, is there anything I can help you with?"

"No...It's nothing. What are you working on?" Melissa glanced down at the different files and paperwork that covered Phoebe's desk.

After studying the papers for a moment, Melissa suddenly felt that Sheryl was a very capable woman. 'She not only handles her personal life well, but does a great job in running this company as well. She's a perfect match for my son!'

The longer she thought about it, the more determined she became to match Sheryl and Charles to each other.

"Phoebe...I have some questions that I hope you can answer. Are you busy?" Melissa had thrown away her earlier arrogance and was now suddenly more polite.

"I'm not very busy right now, so I have some time. Ma'am, what do you want to know?" Even though Phoebe still didn't like Melissa, it was Sheryl who had brought her here. As long as it was for Sheryl, Phoebe would be patient with her.

"I'm just wondering... Is there a man wooing Sheryl recently?" Melissa didn't see the point of beating around the bush and asked directly.

However, the question was rather hard to answer for Phoebe.

'Was there anyone wooing Ms. Xia?

Who was it?

Could she be talking about Jackson?

Oh, my goodness! If it's like that then...'

Phoebe's imagination quickly painted a rich drama in her mind.

When Phoebe suddenly became silent, and her eyes turned glassy seemingly in a daze, Melissa gently nudged her arm. "Phoebe? Did something happen?

"No...Nothing, Ma'am. I'm just not sure how to answer that. Sorry." Phoebe's shoulders drooped, and her eyes remained fixed on the ground; she looked entirely lost and helpless.

It wasn't for her to tell, and so Phoebe understood that she shouldn't reveal anything to anyone. Even if someone was indeed wooing Sheryl, she wouldn't tell Melissa. Who knows if Melissa would use it agains Sheryl or not?

"Okay...I see. Thank you." Her face a little red from embarrassment; Melissa turned to walk to Sheryl's office.

"What happened?" Sheryl made to rise from her seat, immediately noticing Melissa's red face and troubled look. She frowned, her brows furrowing as she worried that something might have happened to her guest.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm fine. How's the progress with your work?" Melissa shook her head and gave Sheryl a small smile as she changed the subject.

"I'm almost finished. Please take a seat." There wasn't actually that much work to be done, but Sheryl didn't want to talk with Melissa, and being busy was a good excuse.

That wasn't because she hated Melissa, but mostly because Sheryl didn't know what she should do to get along with her.

They were enemies because Melissa had looked down on Sheryl and had even encouraged Charles to divorce her. She might have changed, but that was far from erasing all the cruel things she had said and done and the sins she committed.

"It's okay. Just focus on your work, and you can act as if I'm not even here," Melissa said. Quietly, Melissa settled down on a chair-she didn't want to be a nuisance in Sheryl's office.

The atmosphere was peaceful for a moment until they heard a commotion outside the office, loud enough to be heard through the closed door.

A little annoyed at the noise, Sheryl paused in her work and raised her head to look at the door's direction.

Phoebe's smile was wide as she winked at the secretary, and her voice was teasing as she asked, "Is this for Ms. Xia?"

"Yes. Is there anything wrong with it?" The strange reaction made the secretary frown down at the flowers, trying to spot the issue

"No... Nothing at all! Just go in!" Phoebe beamed at the secretary and shooed her to Sheryl's door.

The secretary was sweating by the time she got to the door feeling confused and nervous because of Phoebe's words and actions. She paused for longer than necessary before knocking on the door. Sheryl didn't look up from her papers as she called for the visitor to come in. She regretted it the moment the secretary appeared, and her expression turned cold. Her sharp eyes fixed on the bouquet of flowers like she was trying to burn holes into it. "What're the flowers for?" Sheryl crossed her arms.

She wasn't the only one staring at the flowers because Melissa had perked up too when the secretary entered, and she was also staring at the flowers on high alert.

It was great luck for Melissa that Sheryl didn't seem to be pleased with the flowers. 'It seems that they don't have a good relationship yet. Charles still has a chance, ' Melissa calculated.

"Ms. Xia, the flowers are for you. It's from the same person as those that came yesterday." The secretary couldn't help but grin at Sheryl.

That made Sheryl turn red and avoid the secretary's teasing gaze in embarrassment. 'What's wrong with Jackson? Does he really have to embarrass me?' Sheryl wondered. The flowers would have gone straight to the trash if Melissa hadn't been here. Since there was a guest, Sheryl didn't want to show anything that would be considered rude, so she simply said, "Alright, I get it. Just leave it on the desk." After giving her instruction, Sheryl returned to her work. The flowers remained on the table while the recipient acted as though she wasn't interested in them at all.

The still grinning secretary quietly left Sheryl's office after placing the flowers on the table.

The commotion outside the office became louder as the door was opened for a moment when the secretary left but quieted down when she shut it behind her. A couple of beats passed before Melissa stood up and walked up to Sheryl in the most natural manner she could muster. She studied the flowers for a moment before coughing lightly to draw Sheryl's attention. Melissa smiled before speaking, "Sheryl, these are so beautiful!"

"Yeah, kind of." Sheryl smiled politely to Melissa before going back to work, making it very obvious that she didn't want to talk about it.

Unfortunately for Sheryl, that wasn't what Melissa wanted to hear. She was curious to know who the person really was or whether the person was a man or a woman. In fact, she was almost absolutely certain that it was from a man. 'Is this man trying to get Sheryl? Is Sheryl interested in this man as well?' she wondered.

She had so many questions that she wanted answered. 'I have to ask her on Charles' behalf, ' Melissa thought to herself. 'Even if that man is wooing Sheryl, I'll definitely think of ways to drive him away!' "Sheryl, who gave you the flowers? It seems rather expensive. This must be from one of your close friends." Melissa continued probing Sheryl after she thought everything through.

"It's a gift from a client. Why?" Sheryl's polite smile became a bit strained at the continued questions.

Of course, Melissa didn't buy her explanation. Even if the person was indeed a client, he must be a client with some special feelings. Since Sheryl wasn't willing to talk about it, Melissa gave up on pushing for more. She returned to the couch, deciding to wait until Sheryl finished working. As the minutes passed and she was left to her thoughts, she became all the more anxious.

Melissa was jarred out of her thoughts when Sheryl's phone suddenly rang and was swiftly answered.

"Understood. I'll be in the meeting room in five minutes." Melissa listened in and sighed. It seemed that Sheryl had a meeting soon.

There was a shuffling of papers as Sheryl arranged the documents she was working on. When the time was up, Sheryl stood to go to the meeting. "I have a meeting now," Sheryl said. "I'm sorry, but I have to leave you here."

Internally, Sheryl was hoping that Melissa would take the chance to leave.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be right here." Melissa failed to read Sheryl's hidden intentions, but even if she did, she still wouldn't leave because she didn't want to go.

Sheryl gave Melissa another polite smile and heaved a sigh in her heart before she opened the door and left.