The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1582 Being Considerate

"Aunt Melissa, look. Nancy and I cooked for you! It's vegetable soup. That's is your favorite one!" Leila exclaimed, a huge grin on her face. Leila walked slowly toward Melissa, a bowl of vegetable soup in her hands.

When she put the bowl on the table in front of Melissa, Melissa noticed that her hands were red from how hot the bowl was.

Melissa couldn't help but worry about Leila. She hadn't even looked at the soup yet, but she grabbed Leila's hands and said, frowning, "Leila! Your hands! Oh my god, do they hurt?"

"It's alright, Melissa. They don't hurt. I'm fine. I just wanted to cook something for you. I got careless," Leila said lightheartedly. She seemed really happy, but Melissa figured she was faking it in order not to worry her, which only made Melissa feel guiltier. Leila waved her hands like the burn didn't even hurt.

"Be careful!" Melissa said as she saw Leila waving her hands. "You don't need to lie to me. I know it hurts. Didn't you know that it would worry me? Don't you know that I can't stand to see you hurt like this?" Melissa seemed to be blaming Leila, but Leila knew it was only because she cared about her. Melissa grabbed Leila's arms so the latter would stop waving them.

At the moment, Nancy was watching them from a distance. She shook her head and sighed. There was something she knew that she wasn't speaking of.

'Leila didn't burn her hands making the vegetable soup for Melissa, 'Nancy thought to herself. 'She was passing by the kitchen when she carelessly knocked over the bowl of soup I had made. That was how she burned her hands. Now she's taking credit for the soup I made. She's pretending that she burned her hand making the soup. Why on earth would she do that?'

Melissa, however, was oblivious to this. She was busy talking to Leila. "Why are you so clumsy? We have Nancy to cook for us. Next time, just leave this to her, okay? You don't have to cook. It just makes me worry about you."

Leila nodded in agreement. She promised that she wouldn't cook again lest Melissa worry about her.

Melissa was just now realizing that Charles was also present, so she gestured for him to come closer. "Charles, what are you doing standing there? Come and help me wash Leila's burn. Burns can turn out to be so serious sometimes, you know. If it doesn't get dealt with, it can turn into an infection or inflammation. I don't want Leila's hand to be ruined. Hands say a lot about a woman."

Charles was not in the mood to help Leila. However, he decided to concede when he thought of Melissa's health condition.

Charles walked over and stood behind them. Melissa was still talking to him. She blabbered on about how lovely and considerate Leila was, unlike some other women, who were ungrateful and selfish. Charles didn't have to blink twice to know that Melissa was referring to Sheryl.

However, Charles didn't care about what Melissa said. He never listened to her. 'If she wasn't so sick, I'd tell her off right now and defend Sheryl, but I don't want to waste my time. No matter what I say, I'll look like the bad guy because she's the sick one. Besides, it's not like she ever lets anyone else win,' Charles thought to himself.

'And the more I defend Sheryl, the more she'll just hate her. I don't want to make things between them any worse than they already are.' Charles decided that he wouldn't say anything. The entire time that Melissa blabbered on about Leila, he kept his mouth shut.

When Nancy arrived with a medical kit in hand, Charles waved his hand to gesture for Leila to sit next to him.

Leila suddenly blushed. "It's okay, Charles. I can do it on my own," Leila said. She half-expected Charles to insist on helping her. However, upon hearing this, Charles threw the medical kit on the couch and said, "Okay."

Leila suddenly felt embarrassed. She blamed herself in her head. 'Oh my God. I'm so stupid. I've been waiting for so long to get close to Charles. Why did I have to do that? Why? I'm so stupid! So stupid!' Melissa noticed the regret on Leila's face. She stared at her before turning her attention to Charles. "Charles, Leila is hurt. You better help her with the medicine. She wouldn't be able to apply that on her own anyway."

Charles had no choice but to listen to his mother. He grabbed the medical kit and opened it. He then looked at Leila and gestured for her to sit next to him again.

Leila walked over and sat beside him. When she realized how close Charles was to her while he was treating her burn, she suddenly felt all the blood in her body rush to her face.

'This is the first time that he has been this close to me for an extended period of time, ' Leila thought to herself.

She looked at Melissa in gratitude. She knew that if she continued to keep Melissa happy, Melissa would eventually take her side and help her win Charles over. That was how Leila knew that one way or another, Charles would be hers in the future.

Charles was very gentle as he treated Leila's burn. Leila couldn't help but stare and get engrossed in him. She started to daydream about their future together.

Melissa watched this scene before her happily as she sat on the couch opposite of them.

She thought smugly of how she chose the right way to bring Charles and Leila closer. She coughed on purpose to catch Charles' and Leila's attention. When they looked at her, she spoke up. "Charles, you have no idea how good it feels to see such a lovely woman by your side. With yours and Leila's company, I already feel myself getting better."

Upon hearing this, Leila and Charles exchanged glances.

When Melissa mentioned her sickness, Leila was suddenly taken back to how worried she was and she nearly cried again.

Charles sensed this and seemed surprised. He tightened his grip on her arm and said to her in a low voice, "Don't show that to her. You have to be careful!"

Melissa thought that Charles and Leila were chatting privately so she just laughed merrily.

"What are you laughing about, Mom?" Charles asked.

"Charles, what private conversation are you having with Leila over there? I can't even hear you from here," Melissa teased.

Charles didn't want to explain anymore so he just simply nodded. Leila meanwhile secretly shot Melissa a smile.

The silence was thick with tension as if there really was something blooming between Charles and Leila.

Melissa was in good spirits during dinner. She finally saw Charles make a move on Leila. In addition to that, he was being so good to Melissa-like he'd completely let go of the past.

Charles even asked Nancy to buy and cook whatever Melissa wanted. He really went into the details with Nancy. He wanted everything to be perfect for Melissa, just to make sure that she was happy. Melissa couldn't help but feel touched, so she thanked him. "Charles, you're so good to me. Like you were before."

'How was I before?' Charles asked to himself. He couldn't help but feel guilty.

'Yes, she's right,' he thought. 'I wasn't good to her for a while. I stopped talking to her and ignored her. She was practically a stranger to me. I wouldn't be a good son if I keep on treating her like this. I just hope it's not too late yet. I still want to make it up to her.'

"Mother, just eat your dinner. We shouldn't be talking about that," Charles said suddenly. He knew that if she started speaking more, he would only feel guiltier.

"Yes, Aunt Melissa. Look, everything looks so good. There's nothing to worry about. How about we take you out for a walk after we have dinner?" Leila offered. She was already acting like she was Melissa's daughter-in-law.

"Really? We're going out for a walk?" Melissa asked, her eyes widening. She looked at both Leila and Charles expectantly.

Charles glanced at Leila, obviously unhappy. 'Who does she think she is? A little taste of the good life and now she thinks she's in charge of everything? She thinks she can dictate what I do?' Charles thought to himself.

This didn't go unnoticed by Leila. She could tell that Charles didn't want to go, so she quickly rescinded her offer by saying, "Charles, if you're too busy, it's fine. I can take Melissa out on my own."

Leila wanted to seem considerate just like a good wife would be. Melissa seemed to be satisfied with it.

Melissa wouldn't let Charles get out of this now.

"Charles, it's already so late. You should be done with work already. Come and take a walk with us," Melissa insisted. She knew that Charles wouldn't be able to say no to her.

"Yes, Charles," Leila agreed. "I've been thinking that Melissa hasn't been feeling very well lately. Taking a walk for a while might be good for her." Leila purposely mentioned Melissa's condition so that Charles would have no choice but to come.

'Even if you don't like me, would you not do your part in helping your mother get better?' Leila thought to herself.

'Melissa is the one in charge here, not Charles. He wouldn't be able to refuse now.'

"Okay," Charles said plainly.

After they finished dinner, they took a walk around the garden like a happy family. After a while, Charles suggested that they all go back to the house again.

Melissa, however, shook her head and begged to stay longer like a little child. Charles wouldn't hear of it.

"Mom, you're sick, so you can't be out for so long. If you want to go out tomorrow to shop, or maybe exercise, you can ask Leila to come with you," Charles said firmly. This left Melissa with no choice but to return to the house.