The Apple of My Eye

Chapter 1769 What Was Wrong

'What is wrong with people nowadays?' Phoebe thought with irritation. Charles was still married to

Sheryl, yet he had the audacity to be in the mall, shopping with another woman. Phoebe couldn't help

but wonder whether those rumors online were true.

A look of sadness crept onto her face. She thought how disheartened Sheryl would be if she came to

know about this.

"President Lu, I paid for this. Shouldn't it belong to me then?" Phoebe gathered some courage and

asked Charles.

In Phoebe's eyes, Charles was a serious man. Normally, while speaking to him, she always sounded

submissive.

But now, thinking about what Charles had done to Sheryl, Phoebe felt no respect for him. Hence, she

mustered up the courage to confront him.

Charles hadn't expected to see Phoebe here either. He hadn't felt like coming in the first place. And

now bumping into Phoebe, he cursed himself for making this decision. He tried his best to look

composed. There was no way he would show his disappointment to them. Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

"President Lu, it has been a long time since I saw you," Josef said and greeted Charles with a smile.

He had noticed the manner in which Phoebe was glaring at Charles. Not wanting to make any trouble,

he decided to step in.

"President Zhang?"

Charles looked at Josef and then at Phoebe. 'Wait, what is happening? Are these two dating?' Charles

thought to himself.

No one had told Charles that Josef and Phoebe were together, so he was confused to see them

shopping like a couple.

"Charles, this is for Aunt Melissa!" Leila was annoyed that Charles was talking to the man who seemed

to be Phoebe's boyfriend, so she grabbed Charles' arm and complained.

"It's just clothing! Since Phoebe has already paid for it, I think she deserves it more. Plus, I am certain

we can find something else for Melissa," Charles snapped at Leila, knowing that she was trying to seek

attention.

Leila was embarrassed as she felt Charles push her away. But she didn't want to lose face, so she

asked the manager, "I pre-ordered this, right?"

The manager turned his head around, embarrassed. Leila had pre-ordered the item. She also

mentioned that she would stop by and take it yesterday. But she hadn't shown up yesterday, so he

thought Leila didn't want it anymore, and he sold it to Phoebe. Never had he anticipated that such a

thing would happen.

"Leila, let's go to another store."

Charles didn't want to fight with Phoebe over a piece of clothing. In truth, he wasn't doing this for

Phoebe; instead, it was for Sheryl's sake. The second Phoebe went back to the office she would inform

Sheryl about what happened. This was something he knew with certainty. He didn't want Sheryl to hate

him more than she already did.

But to Leila, this whole thing was absurd. 'After all, Phoebe is just a secretary. Why should I be a bigger

person and give it to Phoebe?' her mind reasoned.

Leila had thought that since Charles hadn't seen Sheryl for such a long time, he wouldn't care about

her anymore. However, Leila's suspicion turned out to be wrong. Just by seeing Sheryl's secretary,

Charles had once again gone back to thinking of Sheryl. 'It seems like Charles' heart is still with that

wretched woman, ' Leila realized with annoyance.

With no other choice, she suppressed her anger. What else could she do? In this dire situation, all she

could do was follow Charles and leave the store.

After Charles left, Phoebe's anger still remained. Phoebe had never really liked Leila, who had caused

Sheryl endless trouble. If it wasn't for Josef's presence, Phoebe would have slapped Leila right across

her face. 'That woman is in need of a slap, ' she thought angrily.

Josef patted Phoebe's back and attempted to calm her down. In his soothing voice, he said, "It's okay,

Phoebe. We should let President Xia and President Lu deal with their problems. I'm sure they will sort it

out one day. As outsiders, it is not our place to interfere."

Phoebe nodded her head understandingly. She knew that Josef was right, but the sight of Charles and

Leila together repulsed her. She prayed that Sheryl wouldn't find out about it. 'I can only imagine what

she will go through if she comes to know about it, ' she thought with a sigh.

"Uh-huh, let's go."

Phoebe took her purchase and left with Josef. But obviously, Leila had ruined her day.

Josef could tell Phoebe had lost her interest in shopping, so he took her home.

Things weren't going very smoothly for Leila, either. A lot was going on in her mind right now. She had

a tough time hiding her annoyance.

Although she had found another coat for Melissa, she wasn't satisfied. Her mind was still fixated on the

one that was bought by Phoebe. Leila hadn't uttered a word ever since they left the store.

Even though Charles noticed her frustration, he was glad about it. Finally, she had stopped bothering

him with her chattering. He didn't utter a word. Instead, he relished this precious silence. Soon, Charles

and Leila got to the place where they would meet Melissa.

But Melissa wasn't waiting for them there, which perplexed Charles. He looked at Leila, hoping she

could shed some light on this matter. But he received no reply.

She merely shook her head and feigned confusion. But in truth, she knew exactly what was happening.

"Mom, didn't you tell me that you were feeling better today? What about our plan to go out and

celebrate?"

Since Leila didn't say anything, Charles took out his phone and called Melissa.

Melissa was very excited to receive Charles' call. With a smile, she answered, "Charles, I just got a call

from Mrs. Liu. She is having some family issues. It seems her husband is constantly arguing with her. I

have no choice but to visit her. After all, she is a good friend of mine. You and Leila should have dinner

together. And please, don't cancel it because of me. I am sure you both will have a great time!"

Hearing Melissa's explanation, Charles was vexed. He knew full well about his mother's intention. 'This

is her trap! She only wants me to spend some alone time with Leila!' he thought with conviction. Not

wanting to fight, he hung up on Melissa without saying a word.

"Charles, where is Aunt Melissa?" Leila asked trying to look innocent.

"Let's go back home. She's at Mrs. Liu's home."

Charles put his phone away, ready to leave.

"Charles…"

Leila didn't want to give up this golden opportunity to be alone with Charles. A feeling of desperation

overtook her when she realized Charles was ready to leave.

Charles stopped when he heard Leila. She walked closer to Charles and grabbed his arms. She looked

into his eyes and said lovingly, "Charles, since we are here, why don't we simply have dinner together?

I had a great present planned for Aunt Melissa, but it was taken away by a silly secretary from the

Cloud Advertising Company. Don't you think I deserve…"

"Fine, we'll stay and have dinner together," Charles interrupted Leila since he didn't want to hear her

anymore.

"Great!"

Although Leila was interrupted by Charles, she was quite happy. At least, she could have dinner with

him tonight. 'Just the two of us! There won't be anyone to interrupt!' She envisioned dreamily. She

didn't care if Charles was happy or not. All she wanted was his company. As long as he was with her,

she was satisfied.

Throughout the meal, Leila kept on chattering. She would constantly help him choose his dishes.

Charles didn't reject Leila at first. But her clinginess intensified with time, and he was in a helpless

state. When he couldn't take it any longer, he furrowed his brows and said, "I can get my own dishes,

Leila. Stop putting food on my plate."

Leila was embarrassed and stopped instantly. She sat silently, not knowing what to say or do.

Charles and Leila finished their dinner very quickly, and now neither of them enjoyed their meal.

When they returned to the Dream Garden, Charles headed straight to his study.

Leila could tell that he wanted to be far away from her as soon as possible. She stood in the middle of

the living room, frustrated. Today was an awful day for her since nothing went according to her plan.

For Leila, it was such a shame that she couldn't even fight against Sheryl's secretary. And to make it all

worse, she had been told about Holley's pregnancy. 'Oh, God! How can I make it all right?' she

screamed internally.

In this defeated state, she waited for Melissa to come back to the living room.

When Melissa entered the hall, she noticed that Leila was sitting slouched on the sofa. With a smile,

she walked to Leila. In an excited tone, she asked, "Leila, how was your date with Charles tonight?"

Leila, who had her head lowered in frustration, lifted her eyes and looked at Melissa.

Now Melissa discovered she was as pale as a white paper.

Immediately, she was overcome with anxiety. On closer inspection, she noticed tears streaming down

Leila's cheeks. With her concern filled voice, Melissa asked, "What's wrong, Leila? Why are you so

upset? Tell me who is the reason behind this!"