The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1015 George's Work

After they got home, Donna reminded George to take Sula to her bedroom to which he happily agreed. He gave Sula his arm for her to lean on and he carefully supported her as they climbed up on the stairs together. But before they could enter Sula's bedroom, her steps faltered and she suddenly pulled George's arm away, which surprised him. She lowered her gaze and stared at the floor for a while. She then slightly turned to shift her gaze at George, who was standing patiently at her side. With a faint smile on her face, she softly said, "George, I am too tired today. I need to have a good sleep. Can we just call it a night?"

Sula did not want him to keep her company. But George could understand her request for him to leave and decided not to force her to let him get in.

He nodded and smiled heartily at her. "Well then, have a good rest. I will be downstairs. If you need anything, just call me."

"I will," Sula responded, flashing him with a sweet smile. She watched him as he headed downstairs and decided to wait until he was out of her sight before entering her room.

Soon after taking a shower, she laid down on her bed. She couldn't help savoring the feeling of finally having that quiet and calm moment for herself. She was lost in thoughts as her mind drifted to all the events had happened earlier that day-George had asked her hand for marriage and she had found out her pregnancy after she had undergone a medical check-up. All of these had happened suddenly and way too fast that she could barely handle them. She found it really daunting and somewhat unacceptable.

She unconsciously laid her hands on her belly. Though it didn't feel like swollen at all as she touched it gently, it surely seemed that there was a life forming inside.

Her mind was in a mess as her thoughts lingered on this. She could tell that George was delighted though surprised and even Donna mimicked his happiness too. Both of them were so excited about this baby coming into this world. However, she had no idea whether she should give birth to this baby or not.

She was indeed confused. "My child...can you tell me? What should I do next?" Looking mirthless, she talked to herself.

"Why did you come down so soon?" Donna asked. George descended the stairs at a slow pace, taking his time as he had too much to reflect in his mind. As soon as he reached the ground floor, he noticed Donna standing in the living room, staring at his direction. She continued to ask him with a frown, "Why are you here already? You are supposed to stay with her for a while."

"I intended to stay with her, but she said she wanted to sleep early tonight. So, I didn't force her to let me stay with her." George didn't draw himself back from his deep thinking. When he snapped out of his musing, he looked pleased. "Mother, would you please take care of Sula in the following months. She needs someone to look after her closely in terms of her diet."

"Rest assured. You don't need to worry about such small stuff. It's all on me." Then Donna gave him a stern glance and warned him, "Well, you'd better take good care of your own stuff too."

Donna paused for a while, then she raised her eyes and let out a deep sigh. She asked George with much concern in her eyes, "Now that Sula is pregnant, it is time for you to consider when to hold the wedding for you two. And you still have something else to worry about. What about Holley? How are you going to deal with her? I hope that will not slip out of your mind, or have you come up with an idea yet?" "Be at ease. I know how to deal with my issue with Holley," he reassured her.

They continued their conversation which mainly centered on Holley when George's phone rang inside his pocket. Taking it out, he subtly wrinkled his brow as he stared on the screen showing Holley's name. "Is it her calling?" Donna instinctively queried. She was able to catch George's sudden change of countenance as he looked at his phone.

"Yes," George responded. Then he immediately went outside to put himself through the line. After collecting himself, he assumed a calm and gentle voice. "Holley, what's going on?"

"Dear George, where are you now?" George heard her say on the other end in a voice cloying in sweetness. "My stomach aches very much. Can you...come up and stay with me?"

Holley was, in reality, feeling tensed up. George had never been so indifferent to her like this before, so she felt obliged to make a phone call to him at this time, to sound him out. The mere idea of George having a change of heart towards her could totally freak her out.

"Stomachache?" George found it a little odd to believe, but he still pretended to be worried and prompted in an anxious tone, "Is it because of the baby inside your belly? Can you bear it as patiently as possible? Where are you now? I am coming for you right away."

"I am at home." Holley managed to force a reply, pretending to be so weak that she could barely speak even one more word.

"Okay, stay there. I'll be there soon." George hang up shortly.

Relief washed over her the moment she sensed anxiety in George's voice. And she was now assured that George was not suspicious about her at all. She heaved a sigh of relief; it made her feel so good. With a smug smile tugging in her lips, she positioned herself on a chair crossing her legs; she was waiting for George.

"Mom, I have to leave right now. If Sula wakes up, please take care of her for me," George casually declared as he made his way back to where his mother was seated. Then as if he remembered something, he begged, "If she asks you where I am, you just tell her...that I have something important to deal with personally. I will be right back soon."

"Fine. You should better pick up the pace to settle down the issue over Holley once and for all." Donna sighed with a helpless look. "Sula now is pregnant. We can't keep hiding this from her parents anymore. So I am planning to give them a call and tell them the truth. But if they know about the affair between you and Holley, you will be doomed!"

"I assure you that I will try my best to settle this as soon as possible," George replied firmly.

Holley was contentedly lying on the sofa while eating snacks and watching TV when she heard someone was outside knocking on her door. Realizing that it could be George, she instantly projected herself into someone looking feeble and fragile.

As soon as she opened the door, George rushed to her. He studied her carefully from head to toe and probed her anxiously, "My Holley, are you feeling OK now? Which part do you feel painful on your body?" "Stomach..." Holley pointed at her belly and confided weakly, "It has been like that since I got up earlier this morning. I..."

"How could you just bear it? You are pregnant! You can't ignore any kind of ailments. Understood?" George chided her gently, "Come up. Let me take you to the hospital right away. Let's take a check of your body."

"No, no need." Panic gripped her when she heard him say those words. She couldn't let him take her to the hospital, so she had to make an excuse to make George drop the idea. She decided to change the topic. She mumbled, "It's not necessary. I just miss you so much. George, why...why did you spend a whole night outside instead of sleeping at home? Where were you? You even neglected to give me a call to tell me your whereabouts. Don't you care about me anymore?"

"I..." George was speechless. He gave her a wry smile and calmly explained, "I have found a job. I was working outside last night. I have to make enough money for you and the baby in your belly. As I said before, I will try my best to give you two a happy and healthy life."

"Work?" Holley couldn't believe her ears. "Are you kidding?"

"Why should I?" George beamed at her. "I earned 200 last night!"

"You are crazy." Holley didn't drag her eyes off George. Hearing that, she still found it impossible to believe. But from George's steady look, she thought George wasn't joking at all. "What are you doing? Why do you choose to work outside to earn such a low income instead of staying in your own company?"

"Don't be so worried. I am fine." George grabbed her hand and kissed it on the palm. Then he raised his head and expressed in a soothing tone, "You are always concerned that I will not be able to take care of you and the baby, aren't you? Now you know, that I do have the ability to make money and raise both of you even if I leave the company."

George tenderly caressed her face and gazed at her lovingly. "Have faith on me. Though I will suffer long hours of hard work every day, I am not afraid of that. I will even try my best to look after both of you. I promise!"

"No, George. Listen to me. You should quit the job tomorrow." Holley softly held George's face and made him look toward her in the eye and then suggested, "You don't need to suffer that. You only need to be obedient to your mother. Be her son, listen to her and please her. It can be as simple as that. Why will you have to opt for working outside alone and make yourself suffer like that?"

"They are exactly two different things." George frowned. "The money I earned last night...I worked for that. I made it on my own. And that makes it different."

Holley couldn't help letting out a wry smile. She had been struggling so hard for such a long time, but definitely not to this extent of George disaffiliating himself from his family. "George..." She provocatively leaned herself into George's arms. Lifting her finger, she gently moved it around his chest in circles.

Then she held his eyes, trying to seduce him in this way. She knew so well where his sensitive parts on his body were, so she believed George would not resist her temptation and would resort to having sex with her if she kept on touching him like this. It was hard for her to persuade George by reasons, but it might be easier for her to talk to him after they had made love. Probably it would work.

Much to her surprise, George stopped her by holding her arm firmly. He immediately stood to his feet and looked at her sternly. He growled, "You are pregnant. We cannot do such a thing in the first three months. We should think about our baby inside your belly."