The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1545 Why They Took Her Home

Right at this moment, Nancy informed them that dinner was ready. And Charles began to walk Sheryl to the dining table, with his hand carefully wrapped around her waist. Sheryl sighed internally and permitted him to help her. She had to pretend that she was suffering an awful stomachache and had no energy to talk. In short, she told herself she was reaping what she had sown.

"Clark and Shirley had their supper before you arrived. They said they were starving so I let them eat. Now they must be studying in their room. It's just the two of us. So let's sit down and have our supper alone!" Sheryl hurriedly explained and patted the chair beside her when she noticed that Charles was expectantly waiting for the kids.

"Okay. I love having supper with you alone. We rarely get a chance these days," Charles said with a smile before sitting down.

Deep down, he couldn't wait to see Clark and Shirley. He hadn't seen them the whole day and missed their sweet faces. It was natural for a working father to crave seeing his kids. But he knew it wasn't right to voice his desire to see them. Instead, he wolfed his food down as quickly as possible and stood up immediately, nodding to Sheryl that he was going to the kids' room upstairs.

Sheryl, on the other hand, got anxious when she noticed he was heading towards their room. The last thing she wanted was for them to tell their father what happened at the hospital earlier today. Without thinking much, she went ahead to stop him.

"Please stop, Charles! They spent the whole day playing. And now finally they got some time to do their homework. Our girl is really falling behind in her school work. Please don't interrupt them. You can play with them later," she pleaded.

She then went forward and grabbed Charles' arm to stop him from leaving.

Even though Charles felt there was something weird about her behavior, he still obliged to his wife's request. He sat down again and took a cup of tea in his hands as his wife ate patiently. As if to break the silence, his phone began to buzz. He wasn't even done with the tea. He glanced at his phone and saw his assistant's name. The assistant reminded his boss of the upcoming teleconference. Charles then nodded at his wife, stood up and walked into his study.

As soon as Charles was out of sight, Nancy appeared from the kitchen. She complained in a concerned tone, "Sher, why didn't you tell Mr. Lu what happened at the hospital just now? Tolerance may bring you more trouble in the future."

When Sheryl took the kids back home this morning, Nancy had sensed that something was not right. Sheryl seemed absentminded, while Clark was upset. She noticed that Shirley's eyes were swollen, which meant she had cried. Finally, Nancy guessed that Melissa must have said something terrible. After speaking to Shirley, it turned out her suspicions were true.

Sheryl refused to utter a word about their experience at the hospital, but the kids would easily spill the beans. Even Nancy began to explode after Shirley told her what their grandma had said. It seemed that the lady only got wrinkles on her forehead as she grew older, but her heart was as hard as a stone. Such words were not supposed to come from an elderly woman, especially a grandma. This was when Nancy deciphered why the knots between Sheryl and her mother-in-law were hard to untie. But either way, Melissa shouldn't have said that in a public place. Every time Nancy thought about it, she had an urge to growl at that old woman.

Not knowing what to do, she just heaved a sigh and sat beside Sheryl.

Sheryl, on the other hand, had calmed down. She smiled at Nancy, overwhelmed by her sweetness. As she recalled now, Melissa must have hurled these hurting words deliberately at her then. She must have intended to provoke Sheryl. If Sheryl took the bait and got angry, then she would have quarreled with Charles when they met, which was what Melissa wished for.

"Nancy, it's not a secret that Melissa doesn't like me. I am not a bit surprised that she shouted at me in that manner. The only reason I felt awful was because the kids were there with me. I don't think they deserve to get mixed in this mess. If I told Charles, nothing good would come of it. It's his mother after all. This is why I have taken the decision to remain silent. I am doing this for the sake of our family," Sheryl explained clearly and logistically.

Nancy patted on her back. Now, what Sheryl was saying started to make sense. Yet it hurt Nancy to watch her suffer. Internally, she prayed that Sheryl would be rewarded for her kindness.

At the hospital, Melissa went to see Leila as soon as she got up and had her breakfast.

"Morning, Aunt Melissa. You shouldn't have come to visit me this early. You need to get as much rest as possible," Leila admonished her but with a smile. She rose from her bed, got off and came to welcome Melissa. Her injured arm was bandaged, but it didn't affect her daily living.

Melissa hurriedly stopped her and urged, "Take care! Don't act like a little girl!"

"It's alright. I'm fine. Look, I'm alive and kicking again!" Leila stretched her legs and the intact arm to prove she was telling the truth.

Melissa smiled at her childishness and let her be.

"Okay, I know. But it takes 100 days to completely recover from an injury to your muscles and bones. So you better take it easy," Melissa warned in a voice that was filled with concern.

Leila then stopped immediately and stuck out her tongue with a naughty smile.

The doctor entered the room as he was on his everyday round. After checking Leila and her medical record, he said, "Miss Zhang, congratulations! You can go home today."

Leila looked at Melissa with excitement and then her gaze shifted to the doctor.

"Are you serious? Thank you so much! It's all thanks to your efforts," she exclaimed.

The doctor nodded at her and then left the room. But soon gloom took over Leila, who was excited only a few seconds ago. She cast several glances stealthily at Melissa, who was helping her with her packing But Melissa's expression didn't change. It seemed like nothing had happened.

Once she was done, she looked at Leila and said, "I've called the driver to pick us up. We're going to Dream Garden."

'What? Am I in some sort of dream?' Leila thought to herself at first. But after giving it some thought, her face contorted into worry.

"But have you talked with Mr. Lu? What did he say? And did Sheryl have any opinion about that?" Leila asked, overwhelmed with worry and panic. She then tightly clutched Melissa's hand in anticipation of her

answer.

Melissa was silent for a few seconds. It seemed like these questions had caught her off-guard. She then made up her mind and gazed at Leila confidently.

"I haven't mentioned it to Charles yet. I believe that he wouldn't agree even if I asked. Let's go back first and see what happens. I am pretty sure he can't kick you out in front of his wife, kids and servants. Besides, I am his mother and he has to respect my decision!" Melissa said feigning confidence. But there was a quiver in her voice which made it evident she was worried as well.

But Leila didn't notice it. Her earlier expression of gloom was wiped away and replaced by excitement. Melissa continued to assure her, "Trust me. I'll keep my words. And please don't worry about Sheryl. This has nothing to do with her."

"Okay, I have full faith in you, Aunt Melissa," Leila murmured to show she believed her.

Melissa caressed her hair intimately as if she were her own daughter.

Soon the driver came in and carried the luggage for them.

Melisa and Leila left the hospital laughing and chatting. They sat in the car happily and the driver took care of all the discharge procedures. After he dropped them off at Dream Garden, he went directly to the kindergarten to pick up Clark and Shirley. Both Charles and Sheryl were too occupied to pick up the kids themselves. They had requested the driver early in the morning, urging him to be there on time in case the kids were upset.

"Welcome home, Mrs. Lu!" Nancy greeted as she spotted the women coming in, but she deliberately ignored Leila.

"Please clean up the guest room. Leila is staying here for a while," Melissa ordered. She then walked past Nancy and took Leila to sit on the couch in their living room.

With a sigh, Nancy took Leila's luggage and kept it in the guest room. She made up her mind to call Sheryl as soon as she had dropped the luggage. With the door shut, she rang Sheryl's number to inform that Leila was here in Dream Garden. Unfortunately, she couldn't get through with her plan. Sheryl's phone was turned off. Nancy felt frustrated and stamped her foot before she got back to her work.

Two hours later, Clark and Shirley were home. They saw Melissa the moment they entered the house. Clark greeted their grandma and urged his sister to do the same.

"Didn't you see Aunt Leila? Please say hello to her!" Melissa said with a hint of sarcasm and rolled her eyes.

"What is this woman doing in our home? I don't like her," Shirley exclaimed without any hesitation. She pouted and looked at their grandma for an explanation.

This attitude pissed Melissa off. She fixated her eyes sternly and said, "Behave yourself. It is improper to behave in such a manner with a guest. I believe your mother didn't teach you how to be polite!" Her voice was loud and harsh.

Frightened, Shirley hid behind Clark, peeping at Melissa.

Clark stretched his arms to protect his sister and said to their grandma, "Grandma, you haven't told us why this aunt is here in our house." His face was solemn.

"This is not a question you should be asking!" Melissa spat back. Melissa had no desire to give an explanation to these kids. Clark realized that he'd better not waste his time here with the people that he disliked. He held his sister's hand and walked to the staircase.

"Stop where you are, right away. Show some respect. This is my son's house, and I'm free to bring whoever I like!" Melissa shouted desperately from behind. She didn't realize that the louder she spoke, the guiltier she looked. It seemed like she was convincing herself, more than anyone else.

Clark didn't stop. Instead, he turned a deaf ear to his grandmother's calls.

Shirley began crying before they got to their room. Her tears were streaming down her chin but she dared not to make any noise, afraid that their grandma would shout even louder at them.

"Stop crying, Shirley. Mom will be upset if she sees your red eyes when she gets home," Clark pleaded in a soothing voice. After shutting the door, he took a piece of tissue and wiped the tears off Shirley's cheeks.

He then took Shirley to the balcony of their room, realizing fresh breath of air would do her some good. He wanted her as far away from these people as possible. Their mother once told him that he could look outside when he was down. It was the best way to lift someone's spirits.

They lingered on the balcony for a very long time. It was getting dark and the breeze was chilly, but the two little figures were still there on the balcony of the second floor. They found solace there.