The Apple of My Eye

'Something is different with him lately, ' Don mused as he watched Damian from the corner of his eye. He had been acting strange-brooding for a long time alone and being absent. If Don didn't know any better, he would almost say he was moping around, but that was wrong. Damian never moped.

'Could it be... He's in love?' Don wondered to himself. Whatever was the matter, only one thing was for sure: Damian was not himself these days.

On the other hand, Damian was well aware of what his subordinate was thinking. Don had tried to be subtle, but it wasn't exactly easy to ignore him when he kept watching with a curious look written all over his face. After some time, Damian could no longer bear the scrutiny. Standing up, he swept across the room and announced, "I'm going out for a couple of days. Take care of this place while I'm away." Don gaped at him. "You're going out? Are you serious?" he asked.

He almost couldn't believe his ears. Damian had never, NEVER, left the studio, unless he absolutely needed to. It was like an added organ or a limb to him- his life was attached to the place. Even when he was ill with a high fever, he had refused to go out. But here he was now, saying that he was going out so nonchalantly.

Seeing the surprise on Don's face, Damian didn't bother explaining. He valued his privacy, and he didn't feel the need to share it with anyone. Instead, he gave Don instructions, "I'm going back to China. I might be staying for a while. Please continue to work here as before while I'm away. Your wages will also be the same. Don't slack off. I would know if this place was being neglected."

Knowing that his questions would be left unanswered, Don simply nodded in response. Damian was all business as usual, which was also why he had no worries about his own salary. Damian was a billionaire after all, and even a year's worth of his payroll would probably be like some loose change to him.

On second thought, managing the studio himself would be a difficult task. Damian did not like to keep a lot of people around, and it was usually just the two of them, and now that he was leaving, he was going to be left alone. However, Don knew that his boss trusted him, and he didn't want to let him down. Damian had been absent-minded for the past days. Maybe a break was what he needed. Hopefully, whatever was bothering him would be resolved by the time he came back.

"Don't worry, Damian. I'll come here every day and take care of everything. You can trust me. I'll see to it that nothing will change," Don assured him.

"Thank you, Don. I'm counting on you." Damian nodded. He took a padded Kraft bag from the drawer and handed it to Don with an encouraging smile.

"This is a whole year's salary, plus an extra two months. Take it," he said.

Don gaped at him for the second time that day. He brought his hands forward and waved them in refusal. "Oh, no! I couldn't possibly...you don't have to, Damian!" he protested.

Damian only smiled patiently. "Just take it already. I know that your family is having trouble with money. I've actually already thought of paying you in advance, but I was afraid it would hurt your feelings, so I was just waiting for you to ask me. Now that I'm leaving, this would be the perfect time for both of us," he explained, and his eyes were sincere.

Tears welled up in Don's eyes as Damian gently pushed the bag into his hands. He was overwhelmed by Damian's consideration. Meeting such a boss was truly a fortunate chance. Don silently thanked his lucky stars and thought that he must have done a lot of good things in his past life.

"Thank you very much. Please enjoy your trip. I'll work hard and do my best!" Don said with a resolute expression on his face as he still fought back his tears of gratitude.

Damian let out a loud laugh and gave him a pat on the shoulders. "I know you will. You can go back to your work now."

Don bowed respectfully before leaving the office. Left alone, Damian took a deep breath and glanced around the room. He had already taken care of all the urgent business here, so there was nothing to worry about. Looking into his desk, he went over some documents to give them a final once-over.

On the other side of the globe, a pub was ablaze with lights.

It was like a different realm, suspended from the humdrum existence of the world outside.

And it was exactly that-a momentary suspension. Some people came here to drink, forget, and get away from the dreariness of reality. While others stumbled their way inside; lost and unable to find their way as their pain and uncertainty found homes in amber bottles.

The music was deafening as if giving the patrons the perfect excuse to let loose. Bodies ground and brushed against each other, losing the rhythm of their steps until they found it again. For a moment, there was nothing but sounds, lights, and liquor.

A dozen meters away, Isla was sitting in her office buried in work, a stark contrast from all the patrons dancing wildly in the pub. The blaring music had penetrated the walls and reached her ears at a muted volume, but she barely heard it over the noise of her own thoughts.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" She was yanked away from her musings by loud knocks on the door.

"Come in!" Isla said loudly, thinking that the music from outside might overpower her voice.

"Ms. Zhao, I'm sorry. We've got nothing. It feels as if it's gone nowhere," Ronald reported apologetically as he came in and approached Isla with an anxious expression.

Isla's eyebrows furrowed at his words. Ronald was one of her best hands, and he was well-known for his quick wit. If even he was unable to figure it out, how much more difficult would it be for others? "You mean you can't find anything about that woman? Nothing?" she asked, baffled. She had deliberately slowed down her speech and looked into Ronald's eyes as if she was hoping to find some answers. Ronald only shook his head. "I'm terribly sorry. We've tried everything, but we didn't find anything useful. She acts just like everybody else. We found nothing strange or different," he answered. "What about the man? Any progress?" Isla asked again. If they can't find anything about Vicky, then maybe it would be better to switch targets. There was still the man with the sunglasses. Maybe they could find out more from him.

But once again, Ronald's answer left her hopes crushed. "I'm sorry, Ms. Zhao. We also lost him," he replied, not daring to meet her eyes. He kept his head down, awaiting reprimand for the lack of progress on the investigations.

Isla heaved a deep sigh and all but collapsed into her chair. It would have been a great chance for her to find out Vicky's weakness and then destroy her once and for all. Or even if she couldn't take her out from the picture, she could have at least managed to drive a wedge between her and Charles. However, it was as if even God was interfering with her plans. She found no openings.

Letting out another breath, she said, "Alright, that's it. You can go back to work." She straightened up in her chair and gathered her thoughts once more, thinking of another approach to things. Vicky and that man had proven to be more formidable opponents than she had originally thought. They must have been well-prepared. None of that was the fault of Ronald or any of her employees.

Ronald slipped out of Isla's office quietly, relieved that he was getting away safely. 'I hope she won't give me more impossible tasks in the future, ' he sighed to himself. Meanwhile, Isla stayed inside the office, racking her brains in trying to come up with a new strategy. There must be something else they could use.

As the clock ticked along with no useful ideas coming to her, she decided to let her brain take a break. She picked up her phone and called the bartenders, reminding them to keep their eyes wide open. If they showed up in the pub, she wanted to know who they talked to and what they talked about down to the last detail. She needed names and conversations. A handsome reward was waiting for anyone who would be able to give her the information she wanted.

After that, she left the pub, exhaustion plaguing her entire body.

She glanced at her watch. It was too late for her to pay a visit to Sheryl now as she had planned. Sheryl had probably gone to bed even before Isla went out. Sighing at another thing not going according to plan, Isla started the car and headed home. Today was simply not her day.

It was a relief that Aron was out of town. If he knew that she came home at such an hour, she would definitely get an earful. A bitter smile crossed her lips at the thought. She was in no mood for arguments tonight.

At this time, Sheryl was lying on her bed, her eyes heavy with drowsiness.

It had been a wonderful night. She had played with her kids and spent time with them before tucking them into bed later on. She was about to fall asleep when her phone rang with a WeChat message lighting up on the screen.

Sheryl scrunched her eyes, having no intention to read it.

She turned to her other side and tried to sleep. However, she wondered. Who would be sending her a message at this hour? 'Maybe it was from Charles?' she thought.

Curiosity getting the best of her, she took the phone in her hands and tapped the screen. Her eyes widened a bit as she saw who the message was from. He was someone she had not heard from for quite a long time.

"Long time no see, dear Sher. Are you missing me?" it read.

Sheryl couldn't help the smile that crept on her lips as she read.

She gazed at the message as her mind went elsewhere, thinking back to when they first met each other. His message came as a surprise. She and Damian hadn't been in touch since she had returned from abroad.

Her smile grew wider. It seemed as if some things didn't change. Damian's humor was still the same.

"Of course, I miss you. How are you doing these days? Still busy with your work?" Sheryl asked, more of courtesy than interest.

"Not really, but time has passed by before people started noticing it. How about you? You lost contact the moment you left. I was wondering if you ever took me as your friend!" Another message came immediately.

She knew he was feigning anger. "Oh, stop it. I know you're not angry. It's late now, so I'm gaping to sleep. Maybe we can catch up with each other another time? Good night."

On the other side, Damian was a little disappointed at her reply, but he didn't give up and sent another message to Sheryl.

"I'm so hurt. I thought you would be thinking of me. Ah, I won't be able to sleep tonight."

Seeing his persistence, Sheryl humored him one last time and sent a smile emoji and a good night emoji as a reply. After that, she muted her phone and stuck it under her pillow, drifting off to sleep the next moment.