The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1551 Leila’s Trick

Leila went downstairs to join Melissa after all the others had left. She wrapped her arms around Melissa's shoulders to calm her down. "Please don't be mad at Charles, Aunt Melissa. It's just taking him a while to accept things."

Leila talked as if she was going to marry Charles tomorrow, and as if Charles was emotionally closer to her than he was to his own mother, all because she and Charles shared the same bed once. "Leila, did you hear what Charles had said just now? He said that if Sheryl didn't return, he'd never come back to this house. Oh, what am I supposed to do?" Melissa asked, confused and panicking. It was true that she didn't want to stay in the same house as Sheryl, but if the condition was that her son would be going away with that woman, Melissa had to reconsider.

Leila walked Melissa to the sofa. Together, they sat down. Leila put her hands together and wondered, 'What is so enchanting about Sheryl? Why is Charles so obsessed with that woman?'

She sighed internally and put these thoughts aside before looking at Melissa. Leila was well aware that Melissa was her last hope. "Aunt Melissa, Charles only said that because he was mad and he refused to accept things. Give him some time. I know he'll calm down soon. Please know that at the very least, he's going to visit you even if Sheryl never sees him again. You're his mother. Please relax and take care." She sounded a little down but she made sense.

Leila's words worked on Melissa, who leaned back on the sofa, feeling better.

"Charles is more deeply devoted to that woman than I had thought, Leila. We need to come up with a plan to force him to get over her as soon as possible," Melissa murmured. She had been waiting for this day for so long, and now that Sheryl herself had left, Melissa would fan the flames to drive her further away.

Birds of a feather flock together. Leila thought exactly the same thing as Melissa did. She comforted her for a while and then stood up to fetch the divorce papers lying on the dining table. She quickly went through them and sort of admired Sheryl's courage and determination. No wonder Charles treated her with special attention. Leila racked her brain trying to come up with an idea. It took her a long time before she was finally able to be in Sheryl's position. She would make good use of this chance.

"Look, she even left their divorce agreement papers here. It seems she's determined to break it off with Charles this time. I believe she won't go running back to him even if Charles chases her. As I said, it's jus a matter of time. They'll never get back together," Leila concluded. This was directed more to her than Melissa.

Melissa nodded, although she was still annoyed. Her face was twisted as she thought of Sheryl. "You're right. Out of sight, out of mind. But we can't stop until we're sure that Charles is completely over her." "Don't worry, Aunt Melissa. Relax. Thinking too much might harm you physically. We'll just have to wait and see what happens." But these words didn't mean anything, even to Leila. They might sound comforting, but they did not help.

The more uncertain she was about the future, the more she felt that she shouldn't be sitting there, waiting. 'People should take their destiny into their own hands,' she thought.

"Maybe we can do something. A long night brings many dreams. If we only had that woman to worry about, we might not need to do much, but she has her two kids with her. Charles may come to visit Clark and Shirley occasionally, which means that Charles and Sheryl will inevitably meet." Leila evaluated the situation. Then, her eyes lit up and she looked at Melissa.

Melissa frowned for a moment. Then, her face grew bright when she suddenly understood that something must have come into Leila's mind. "Leila? Have you come up with an idea? Tell me everything!" she exclaimed, her gloom swept away immediately.

Leila narrowed her eyes a bit and nodded.

"I want to hear every detail! Hurry up! What are you waiting for?" Melissa had always seen Sheryl as a thorn in her side. She couldn't wait to get rid of her forever.

Leila sat back down beside her and, with a confident smile, whispered into her ear. On the other side of the room, Nancy was standing behind a tall vase. She turned an ear toward them to catch what they were talking about. The words were hard for her to hear clearly, but she was certain that they were plotting against Sheryl. Nancy had never liked Leila, and now, she felt even more disgusted toward this scheming woman. But, as a servant, she had no right to interfere. She was not in a position to speak up.

"That's a wonderful idea, Leila! And we're going to make this happen in one swift move! You're far smarter than I thought. I believe that after this, Sheryl will dismiss any thought of getting back together with Charles for good!" Melissa exclaimed excitedly in a low voice, almost jumping up from the sofa to clap her hands.

As she stood on the other side of the room, Nancy heard almost everything. She knitted her brows upon hearing how shameless Leila and Melissa were. She hoped that Charles and Sheryl could make up before it was too late.

"Aunt Melissa, I'm doing this for Charles, not for myself. Because we spent that one night together, I hope that our relationship can go further..." Leila smiled shyly and lowered her head. Melissa patted her hands, laughing from ear to ear.

"Look, if you can get married to my son, it'll fulfill a lifelong dream of mine. I'll be more than happy for both Charles and you. Besides, not being annoyed by that woman may add years to my life!" Melissa encouraged. Leila's smile grew wider at Melissa's words.

Nancy could no longer stand them. She walked away quietly and went to the courtyard. What she had just seen and heard was far beyond her imagination. Meanwhile, Sheryl had taken Clark and Shirley to Cloud Advertising Company with her.

She was not in the mood to take them out to play. Since more and more clients had been coming to them, the entire company was working hard to meet deadlines. Sheryl also dedicated herself fully to her work. At the moment, only work could spare her from her messed-up personal life. Charles called her several times earlier, and annoyed, she turned off her phone. She wouldn't answer his calls until she had sorted herself out.

"You brought Clark and Shirley here, Ms. Xia. This is not like you!" Phoebe noted. She was both surprised and confused. Her boss had always turned her back even on her own family when she worked. Phoebe thought Sheryl was acting strangely that day.

Sheryl managed a faint smile and replied, "Yes, they're off school and I decided to take them with me. This way, I can see them any time I want to."

In truth, Sheryl was upset that morning. She hadn't asked the kids for their opinion before she took them with her. She was sort of relieved when she noticed they weren't in the least affected by her decision. "Mommy, please focus on work, and I'll take Shirley with me to play on the rooftop," Clark said. He loved the company building's rooftop. It was huge and it had everything he liked. It was surrounded by railings which kept kids like him and Shirley safe.

"Wow!" Shirley exclaimed. "Let's go, Clark! I just remembered there are lilies up there. Mommy's favorite flower!" Shirley clapped her hands excitedly. There was a little garden over there full of flowers. Sheryl walked over to the kids and held her son tightly, appreciating his thoughtfulness. Clark was very smart for his age. He was already lightening his mother's burden by taking his sister away to give his mother some time alone. Sheryl was overwhelmed.

"Okay. Please take care of your sister for me," Sheryl said as she sniffed. She then held both kids in her arms for a long time. After a while, she let them go.

She watched as they disappeared. Then she said to Phoebe, "Please go and keep an eye on them for me."

"Yes, Ms. Xia. The kids will be safe with me. Please don't worry." Phoebe had seen Sheryl's swollen eyes and had guessed that something big must have taken place.

"Thank you. You're the best," Sheryl said. Phoebe really helped a lot, both with company matters and with Sheryl's personal affairs. There might have been lots of unpleasant things in her life, but Sheryl felt grateful that she was surrounded by so many nice people.

"I'm flattered! But my job is to help you." Without delay, Phoebe ran to catch up with the kids.

Sheryl then went to her office and sat in front of her desk. With her elbows on the table, she rubbed her forehead and thought about how and where to start. She watched the pile of documents on her table, and her mind grew blank. Letting out a heavy sigh, she picked up the phone and called another assistant.

"If Mr. Lu comes here, please tell him that I'm out today," she instructed. Her head was a mess at the moment and she didn't want to see Charles. They would fight but come to no agreement. Besides, she was afraid that, if she somehow found herself holding a knife, she would not hesitate to stab him right in the chest.

"Copy that, Ms. Xia!"

Sheryl was just hanging up when Isla pushed the door open and walked in. She was surprised to see Sheryl already in her seat.

"Phoebe told me that you left the office late last night. Why did you get so little rest and then come back here so early? You need to take better care of yourself, dear friend!" Isla threw her bag on the sofa and stopped right before Sheryl's desk. She fixed her gaze on her and grabbed her breakfast. Soon, Isla realized that there was something wrong with Sheryl, because she sat very still like a statue. It was as if she didn't see or hear Isla at all.