The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1222 Come Over To See Me

"Aunt Melissa, I'm on my way to Dream Garden. I will be there in five minutes." Leila's polite voice came from the other end of the line. Instantly a smile broke on Melissa's face.

'Leila is such a polite and obedient girl. She is way better than Sheryl. Why did Charles fall in love with a bad woman like Sheryl? If it weren't for her, Charles and I would be much closer with each other, ' Melissa mused angrily.

Leila arrived at Dream Garden soon after Melissa hung up the phone. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, Aunt Melissa. I was stuck in traffic," Leila apologized with guilt written all over her face. However, the truth was far from what she said. The reason behind Leila being late was not because of bad traffic. Rather it was because she wanted to avoid meeting Charles. She was aware of how much he hated her, so she waited for him to leave for work before she came to the Dream Garden. Clearly, she had no intention of infuriating him.

Leila knew it very well that being in the good books of Melissa would act as a foundation if she ever wanted to win over Charles' trust once again. Besides, she was waiting for a good chance to change her image in Charles' eyes. And before that day came, she had to avoid him.

For the time being, the only way Leila thought she could please Charles was by keeping Melissa happy. The more Melissa enjoyed her company, the more would she sing her praises in front of Charles, thereby paving the way for her to clear her image in Charles' mind.

Having known Charles for several years, she knew something about him. He was a sentimental man; it was not difficult for her to assume that he cared for his mother and respected her.

Had it not been for Charles' deep love and respect for his mother, he would not have helped Leila get out of prison.

Now that Charles was respectful to his mother, Leila believed that Melissa was an important person in his life. That was why she had decided to suck up to Melissa.

"It's okay. I just got up," Melissa responded with a cordial smile. Now Melissa thought highly of Leila. In her eyes, Leila was a good girl. Besides, she had bought her many clothes, so Melissa didn't mind her being slightly late for their appointment.

"I see. I bet you haven't had breakfast yet. What do you want to eat? I will make it for you," Leila proposed gallantly. Leila was an extremely contriving and shrewd woman. She knew exactly how to make her way back into Dream Garden. Evidently, her friendship with Melissa was the most important thing for her at the moment. She would do anything to keep Melissa happy. And offering to make breakfast for her was just one of her tactics to please her.

"No, thanks. I already had my breakfast. What about you?" Melissa sighed inside, 'She is such a good woman. Besides, she took care of Clark for several years and treated him like her own son.'

"Me too. I came here to keep you company. I just want to see you happy. Nothing more than that." Leila continued bombarding Melissa with sweet words, feigning a selfless smile

"I'm fine. What upsets me the most is that I have to see Sheryl's face every day. But I have absolutely no idea about how to kick her out of Dream Garden. I get a headache when I think of that woman," Melissa said in low spirits, rubbing her temples. She was telling the truth. Sheryl's presence in Dream Garden was becoming intolerable for her with every passing day. She could not bear the sight of her. Her mind was always at work to come up with some idea to make Sheryl leave her son. So much so that she could neither sleep nor eat well. Melissa thought very high of Leila. She was impressed by her polite and respectful behavior. Little did she know how contriving Leila could be! She had no idea that Leila's sugar-coated words and politeness had some vested interest behind it all. Had Melissa known that Leila was fooling her, she wouldn't rack her brain to throw Sheryl out of the Lu family.

In fact, Melissa was not exactly a bad person. All she did was for her son's own good. She wanted to find Charles a better wife. And somehow she felt that Sheryl was not that person. Melissa had completely misunderstood Sheryl for a crafty, evil woman who married her son for his money.

As the saying goes, a man with a hammer will try to find a nail wherever he goes. The same thing had happened to Melissa. Just because of her wrong impression on Sheryl, she ended up resorting to extreme means to handle Sheryl. So much so that she did not even realize that she had slowly turned into a mean person who ill-treated her own daughter-in-law.

And even if she was aware of the fact that she was harsh towards Sheryl, she would not change her ways because she believed that whatever she was doing was just for her own son's sake. She did not mind being labeled as a mean and bad woman as long as she could get a kind-hearted, sensible wife for her son.

In Melissa's eyes, Leila was that perfect woman who could make a suitable life partner for Charles and an obedient daughter-in-law for her as well. Leila was so considerate and kind. But somehow, it was so difficult for her to accept Sheryl despite the cruel fact that she was Charles' wife.

"Aunt Melissa, we need to give it further thought. At the moment, Sheryl has complete control over your son. No matter what our plan is, we must keep him from getting hurt," Leila said with an earnest look on her face. Once again she managed to make herself a sensible woman. This had the desired impact on Melissa's mind and made her more convinced that Leila was the ideal soul mate for her son. Leila had a very slow and steady rhythm to cast her trap over her prey. And she was playing her game very skillfully. Melissa was completely unaware of it. As she marveled at Leila's true and selfless love towards her son Leila was planning way ahead of what Melissa could even think of in her wildest dream.

What Leila said melted Melissa's heart. Her face broke into a beaming smile as she touched Leila's chin tenderly and said, "Leila, you're right. We need to think over about how to handle Sheryl. You have no idea how much I hope that you can get married to Charles as soon as it can happen. To tell you the truth, I couldn't be happier if you and Charles get married tomorrow."

"I'm flattered, Aunt Melissa. Be honest with you, I will not think twice to say yes as long as Mr. Lu is willing to marry me," Leila replied looking shy. "Since I took care of Clark, I have always thought of Charles to be my husband..." Leila's voice trailed off as unpleasant memories flashed back her mind. Ever since she had fallen in love with Charles, she had only experienced the heartbreak of being rejected by him at every point. Besides that, she had only met with sufferings. Even if she shared those bad experiences with Melissa, she wouldn't feel better. So she swallowed what she had almost blurted out. For each and every moment of misery and despair that Leila had to undergo, she put the blame entirely on Sheryl. She swore to herself that she would make Sheryl pay for what she had done to her. "Leila, whenever you are free, you come over to see me. I feel so bored staying alone at home. If Sheryl sees you here, she will get angry. I'm really unhappy with that bitch!" Melissa said through gritted teeth. Leila smiled inwardly as she consented to her request. It was true that she tried to evade Charles, but if Melissa invited her here, she wouldn't be afraid as she knew that he wouldn't hurt her for his mother's sake.

"Okay, Aunt Melissa. I will come by to see you whenever I am free. I don't have a job since I just got released. I stay at home all day. And the boredom is killing me. Even I can get rid of my loneliness if I keep you company," Leila agreed gladly. She just shot another dart by mentioning about her joblessness deliberately in front of Melissa.

'Melissa might not ask Charles to offer a job to me. But what if she does? Then I can work in Charles' company,' she brooded. "Oh, I almost forgot that you don't have a job. It is Charles' fault. How about..." And there Melissa stopped and drew a sigh.