The Apple of My Eye

Nick took one look at Charles's determined expression and gave up, watching him walk off. As he retreated, he heaved a sigh. There was no point in trying to convince Charles otherwise.

It was weird for Nick to see everything fall apart like this. He never thought he would see the day Charles and Sheryl would grow apart for good. He shook his head.

However, no matter how much he wanted to change things, he knew that if the two of them wouldn't want it, they still wouldn't get together. Still...he clicked his tongue at the roof of his mouth. It was just a shame for them to end up like this. With one last look, he returned to the company, given that Isla was already taking care of Sheryl while Charles had already left.

In Sheryl's ward in the hospital

Every second, Sheryl would look at the clock as if it was a time bomb exploding. It had been a day since she left home. At least, that was what she had estimated. Clark and Shirley must be wondering where she was. At the thought, her chest tightened, and she took a deep breath. She didn't like being far from them. Her forehead creased as she thought of her kids. Pulling her phone out in haste, she dialed the number for her home before bringing it to her ears.

"Joan," Shirley said once Joan picked up the phone. "Are the kids home?" Today, their kindergarten had announced a school holiday, so the kids could get to choose whether they would want to attend school or stay at home.

"Ms. Xia! Are you okay? I've seen the news!" Joan asked, her voice trembling.

Joan had read the news on her phone. It was part of her morning routine. She just didn't expect her boss to be on the front page. It was a miracle that Clark and Shirley weren't that interested in using the Internet, or else she would be sure to receive a boatload of questions about their mother and her safety.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. Where are the kids?" Sheryl quickly changed the topic, knowing full-well what Joan was talking about.

On the other end of the line, Joan glanced at the children. They were sitting in the living room with their arms crossed, frustrated frowns evident in their expressions. She lowered her voice and inched away from them. "You didn't come back home last night, so when they asked me to go look for you, I told them we can't," she sighed. "They're not in the best of moods right now. When will you be coming home, Ms. Xia?"

Sheryl rubbed her bloodshot eyes, feeling her exhaustion kicking in. "Give the phone to the kids."

"Okay. Just one second."

Joan plastered a smile on her face as she walked towards the kids. She motioned to the telephone. "Kids, your mom's on the phone."

"Is it really mom? Mom!"

Sheryl could hear her daughter from the other end of the line, and she stifled a laugh. A few very loud footsteps later, Shirley finally got to the phone.

"Mom! Where did you go? Clark and I are so, so worried!" Shirley shouted into the phone, making sure to emphasize just how 'worried' they were.

Though there was a pang of guilt at the thought of not being able to see her children, just by hearing their voices, Sheryl felt peace. She wasn't sure if it was their energy rubbing off on her, or it was the thought of them being safe and sound. As long as they were there right beside her, she believed she could do anything with their support.

"I went on a very urgent business trip last night, Sweetie. I'm sorry for not letting the two of you know. Forgive me?" Sheryl lied through her teeth. It was hard, but she knew if her kids found out the truth, they would just double over with worry. They wouldn't be able to handle it.

"I forgive you, mom." Shirley pouted. Though she did miss her mom, she knew that her mother's work was of importance.

Standing beside his sister, Clark furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Something just wasn't adding up. At least, that was how he had perceived the phone call. He brought his hand out, motioning to Shirley. "Wait, Mom, Clark wants to talk to you," Shirley said, handing the phone to her brother.

"Mom, when will you come back from your business trip?" Clark knew about his parent's divorce, and he just couldn't help but feel wary about the whole situation. He was beginning to be more agitated whenever their mom would leave them, a part of him thinking that this was the last time he would ever see her.

Although Sheryl couldn't see his face, she could hear the frustration and anxiety dripping from his voice.

"Clark, are you mad at me?" Sheryl asked slowly, not wanting to upset her son.

"No, Mom! Of course not," Clark immediately denied. "I just miss you, that's all."

"I miss you too. I'll be back in two days, is that alright? Take care of Shirley for me."

It took Sheryl a while to calm him down.

"Okay, Mom. We'll be waiting. We love you," Clark said sincerely.

"Love you too. Now, can you pass the phone to Joan?" Sheryl said gently before waiting for Joan to go on the line.

Being handed the phone, Joan inched away from the kids again, lowering her voice to a whisper, "Ms. Xia, are you really okay?"

"I'll be fine. Just take care of them, and don't let them find out I'm in the hospital," she warned. "Try to limit their Internet access." Although they were still little, Sheryl was worried about them finding out through other sources. She was afraid that those articles would be cut to the extreme, making her kids worry more than they needed to.

"Sure, I know what to do." Joan hung up, turning to the kids with a sigh. Given the media's reputation to exasperate things, one should never trust them totally. She shook her head, understanding the situation Sheryl must be in.

Sheryl didn't realize that Isla had woken up. She turned to her only to see her friend staring back, as if in thought.

"Do I have something on my face?" Sheryl brought a hand up to her cheek.

"No, no." Isla shook her head. "You are just strong. If that were me, I would have already broken down. How could you just sit there and pretend nothing had happened?" Isla said in amazement, impressed at how maturely Sheryl had handled the situation.

The moment Isla had woken up, all Isla could think about was the news online-how it was reported that Sheryl had been drugged and almost raped. She couldn't help but shudder at the thought. 'How could she act so calm?' This she might never learn.

"What can I do? Jump? Cry? It's not like crying could change things," Sheryl said with a sigh. Though she was still keeping her tough persona, Isla could now hear her voice waver.

No matter how hard she had thought about it, no matter how much she cried for it, she knew it wouldn't change anything. Sheryl just chose to forget. Isla just couldn't bear to think about that, knowing fully well that this should be further investigated by the cops.

Though their thoughts on this were completely different, they chose not to speak about it for Sheryl's sake.

"I'm tired, Isla. Let's get some rest, please?" Sheryl quickly changed the topic.

Isla nodded, saving her argument for another time. She sat beside her, watching her friend doze off.

In a downtown café

Damian didn't really want to hide from Sheryl, but every time he tried to make a move towards the hospital, he had to stop himself. He just couldn't face her right now, and maybe, it was for the best. When Charles took Sheryl to the hotel, he had left the hotel too. It was his fault for leaving her unguarded. He should have never done that. Damian shook his head, frustrated by what had happened next. He had seen the news too, and that had made him reach out to a few more people around town. Damian had to get to the bottom of this. At the thought, he picked up his phone to call Duke, asking him to meet at the café.

"Got it." Duke blinked as he hung up the phone. Of all the people who would call him, he didn't expect Damian. 'It must be important.' At that assumption, he headed to the café without a second thought. When Duke arrived, Damian was already waiting for him, solemn-faced. It was time to talk about business.