The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1534 Being Touched

"Well, Leila. Thank you, but..." Melissa was touched. She hadn't expected Leila to buy her so many things. Although she said she didn't want them, she felt overjoyed deep down. It was becoming increasingly difficult to conceal her excitement.

"Don't mention it, Aunt Melissa. We're good friends, and these are simply gifts. I hope you like them," Leila replied.

Melissa happily accepted. The items weren't cheap, but Leila didn't show a shred of hesitation when she paid for them. It seemed as though she didn't care how much they cost at all.

Leila's generosity filled Melissa with joy. Since Charles cut her off, she hadn't been able to go shopping and spending lavishly.

"How about this purse? Do you like it? I think it suits you," Leila remarked, examining an ordinary-looking purse.

Melissa took it and looked at it carefully. She liked everything about it, from style to color. It seemed Leila truly knew what she liked.

She flipped the tag, casually checking the price. She was stunned. The purse was not especially eye-catching, but its price was outrageous.

Melissa thought for a while. She liked the purse, but she knew that if she said so, Leila would definitely buy it for her. It was too expensive, and to be honest, she didn't want Leila to spend any more than she had already done. She already bought her too many things.

Leila seemed to guess what was on Melissa's mind. Before Melissa could even respond, Leila had already waved a saleswoman over to them.

"Hello. We'll take this purse," she said.

"Leila, it's too expensive. Please don't..." Melissa waved a hand, politely refusing Leila's generosity.

"Well..." The saleswoman stood still. She didn't know what to do next.

"Pack it up," Leila simply said. She then turned her head to look at Melissa. "Aunt Melissa, it's just a purse. It's just a small token of appreciation for taking care of me while I was staying with the Lu family. Please accept it."

When Melissa heard Leila's determined tone, she gave up and accepted the purse.

They continued shopping. Leila bought some outfits for Melissa, all of them from luxury brands.

Melissa already had plenty of clothes, but just like many women, she also liked dressing herself up. She didn't reject any more of Leila's gifts. More importantly, Leila praised her whenever she tried on a dress. This greatly delighted her.

"Leila, how about getting that one for yourself? The color is great, and I think it suits you," Melissa said to Leila earnestly as she pointed to a dress.

At that moment, Melissa already felt like Leila was her own daughter. Everything she said to Leila was with utmost sincerity.

Leila looked at the dress. Immediately, she felt like laughing at Melissa. The woman was born to a rich family, but she had been in prison for years. In addition, she had aged, and she had been hanging around with other rich women who had worse taste than hers. Her own fashion sense seemed to be getting worse day by day.

Of course, Leila didn't tell Melissa any of this. She just smiled and said, "Today, I'm not buying myself anything. I'm only shopping for you."

"Why not? I will feel even worse than I already do if you don't buy yourself anything," Melissa immediately said.

"Aunt Melissa." Leila gently pulled Melissa closer and they began to make their way out. She said affectionately, "Please don't say that. You're going to make me feel really sad. All this time, I've treated you like family. If, one day, Sheryl fails to give you the filial respect that you deserve, you know I won't do the same. I'll take care of you."

What Leila said truly hit the nail on the head. Melissa and Sheryl hated each other and Sheryl was getting tougher and tougher to deal with. Melissa was afraid to lose her position in the Lu family even though she knew Charles, the president of Shining Company, was her son.

More than that, Charles only did what Sheryl said. He no longer believed his own mother. Melissa didn't have anyone to rely on except herself. The problem was, she would grow old one day. She knew that when that time came and she had no one else to depend on, she would still have Leila.

When she thought of this, Melissa became a little bit emotional. "Leila, I feel so touched that you're being so kind to me. Don't worry. I will help you back into the Dream Garden. We will help each other. I will kick Sheryl out."

Leila secretly sneered at Melissa's ambitious remark. She didn't believe Melissa could kick Sheryl out all by herself. She was deeply aware of Melissa's capabilities, her limits.

"Aunt Melissa, thank you for believing in me. I will take good care of you in the future. From now on, you never have to worry about that," Leila promised.

Melissa said gladly, "Good. I'm so happy to hear that. I believe we can kick Sheryl out as long as we work together."

"Yes, you're right."

Under the beautiful sunshine, Melissa and Leila stood still. Their long shadows mingled with those of the leaves and the trees. With their arms linked, they looked like two creatures combined into one. The two women looked quite close. Who would have believed that just days prior, one of these women kicked the other out of the Lu family's house?

The next morning, Melissa awoke feeling refreshed. She called Leila and asked to meet.

Half an hour later, they were together, talking over breakfast.

"What's the matter, Aunt Melissa? Anything wrong?" Leila was displeased when she received Melissa's phone call. But she had to suppress her irritation.

It was still quite early in the morning. She was sleeping when Melissa called. Naturally, she awoke grumpy.

"Leila, I have a perfect plan to get you back into the Dream Garden. But we have to work together," Melissa said tentatively.

'Already?' Leila's eyes lit up.

"Aunt Melissa..." Leila was visibly more refreshed and attentive than she was earlier. She glanced at Melissa and continued, "To be honest, I just want to stay with you because it was you who made me become who I am today!"

"Good. We are sure to succeed then." Melissa then leaned closer and whispered her plan. The talk took half an hour.

Later, the expressions on their faces proclaimed that they had a good conversation.

After breakfast and lunch, they went their separate ways.