The Apple of My Eye

It only clicked in Isla's head that she didn't come here to goof off when she saw the flowers on the table.

The bouquet Sheryl received yesterday was much bigger and prettier than the one in front of her, and Isla heard from Phoebe that someone picked Sheryl up last night.

There was no proof, but Isla felt that the bouquet in front of her eyes was sent by the same person from last night.

Sheryl shook her head before she answered Isla. She could never hide anything from her friend, so she said, "We're just friends, Isla."

"A friend? You're telling me that you and Damian are just friends?" Isla asked Sheryl in disbelief, her eyes widening with each word. "How do you know Damian?" Sheryl blinked perplexedly at Isla because she didn't remember ever mentioning Damian to Isla. "Tell me the truth. Who's this guy? What did he promise you to make you forget about Charles?" Isla grinned teasingly at Sheryl.

There was a light flush on Sheryl's cheeks because she was a little embarrassed by Isla's question, but she also knew that she had no choice but tell Isla the truth. There was no way Isla would stop bothering her until she got the answer she wanted.

In short order, Sheryl told Isla what happened between her and Damian the previous night.

Once Sheryl finished explaining, Isla nodded in satisfaction and said, "So... what do you think about him? How about dating him?"

"What are you talking about, Isla?! We're just friends! You're thinking too much."

"I'm thinking too much?" Isla squinted at Sheryl and asked flatly.

Sheryl rolled her eyes at Isla and raised her hands in surrender and said, "Fine, whatever you say is true. I'll do whatever you say. Are you happy now?"

"Promise?"

Isla pressed Sheryl before saying, "I think Damian is a good man. It won't hurt if you try hanging out with him..."

They had never even met, but Isla was already telling Sheryl how good Damian was. Sheryl wondered whether Damian had "bribed" Isla.

"Alright, Isla, that's enough. Go back to work." Sheryl prompted Isla to leave her office.

If it wasn't because she might be interrupting Sheryl's work, Isla wouldn't have left.

Once she was alone, Sheryl looked at the presents sent by Damian and got lost in her thoughts.

Each present was catered to suit Clark and Shirley's tastes, and Sheryl was sure that the kids would love them. The more she looked at the presents, the more upset she became, and she didn't know what she should do.

The moment Sheryl and Isla got off work and headed outside, Damian was already waiting for Sheryl.

Isla was the first to notice because he was so handsome that Isla couldn't help but lock her gaze on him.

The first thing Sheryl did was to try and hide as much as possible so that Damian wouldn't find her. She didn't want to make a big scene, especially with Isla besides her.

She ducked her head and stooped down behind Isla.

Isla waited until an awkward Sheryl managed to sneak out a side door before she approached Damian.

Damian had been waiting at the entrance for Sheryl since she got off work because he was afraid that he would interrupt Sheryl's work if he went up to her office.

None of his efforts paid off because the woman he was waiting for didn't show up.

When he saw a woman walk up to him, he gave her a polite but confused smile and asked, "I'm sorry? I don't think I know you."

"Are you waiting for Sher?" After she dragged her eyes from his head down to his toes, Isla had to concede that the man looked like perfection.

"Oh, hi. I'm Damian. It's nice to meet you. Are you Sheryl's friend?" Judging from the way she called Sheryl, she must be a rather close friend, so he smiled brighter at Isla and introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you too. I'm Sheryl's friend, Isla. Why didn't you come up to the office?" Isla asked, her brows knitted in confusion.

Damian was startled, but he smiled once more before he answered, "It was still working hours. I didn't want to interrupt her with something that isn't urgent."

"Oh, I see. Not something very urgent," Isla mockingly repeated Damian's words, her voice pitched high.

"Well... I just wanted to invite her to have dinner with me." Damian flushed a little at the teasing.

"Oh, may I ask where you're from? And what's your job?" Isla blasted Damian with a barrage of questions, and she didn't give him room to even ask where Sheryl went.

To her great surprise, Damian was very patient and answered her questions one by one, "Actually, I just came back from abroad. I'm a painter..."

It was a pity that Sheryl didn't like hanging out with Damian because Isla got the impression that they would be a perfect match after her chat with him.

"Ms. Zhao, may I ask where Sheryl is? Did she get off work?" They had chatted for a long time, and Damian couldn't stop himself from anxiously asking Isla, who had obviously already gotten off work.

That gave Isla pause because she just remembered that Sheryl ran away using the side door. "Um, well, she... She went to see a client," she stammered.

"Really? That's a pity. I guess I'll just visit her another day. I should be leaving now. Nice chatting with you, Isla." It was hard to hide the disappointment he felt when all his energy suddenly felt drained from him now that he knew he wouldn't see Sheryl.

Isla suddenly felt guilty and regretful when Damian got into his car. She felt like she should have asked Damian to stay and somehow set him up with Sheryl.

But it was already too late, and, besides, she couldn't make that decision for Sheryl. She needed to respect Sheryl's opinion.

She waved as Damian drove away, and once he was out of sight, Isla took her phone out and called Sheryl.

Sheryl took a quick glance around her to make sure no one was watching her before she picked up the call, her heart had tightened when she saw that it was Isla's number.

"Hello?"

"Sheryl, Damian is amazing!"

The amount of excitement on the other end of the call was too much, and Sheryl couldn't help but wonder what Damian had done to Isla to make her sound like that.

"Your attitude changed too fast, Isla!" Not long ago, Isla had made fun of Sheryl and Damian, but now she was getting ready to set them up. Sheryl was just speechless at her friend and could only shake her head.

"But he's so perfect, Sheryl! Men like him don't exist in the world anymore," Isla said to Sheryl.

"So? We're still just friends, Isla."

There were no other words Sheryl could say. Isla made it sound like Sheryl would throw away the entire universe if she didn't take Damian.

"Sheryl, you know what I'm saying. I mean, he sent you flowers and presents, and he even waited for you to get off work. Now you're telling me you're just friends? No one's buying that, okay?!" Isla said point- blank.