The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1590 Leila's Meeting With Holley

"There's still something that we need to discuss in detail. You said you would be busy in the afternoon. Are you free to meet around noon then?"

Lewis wanted to have lunch with Sheryl, but he thought it would be better to ask indirectly as opposed to being straightforward.

Sheryl nodded her head in agreement.

They continued their discussion about business even as they left the office. Lewis' car was parked in front of the building. As they approached the car, the driver quickly started the engine and Lewis gestured for Sheryl to get in. However, what they didn't know was that just a few feet away sat Charles in his own car, watching everything.

The previous night, he had thought long and hard about his relationship with Sheryl. So he decided to go to her to talk about it in person.

Charles had been waiting outside the building for Sheryl. His plan was to greet her the minute she walked out of the gate and surprise her. But to his dismay, he found Sheryl leaving with another man.

Sheryl looked so happy talking to the man she was with. Despite not having seen the man before, it all looked pretty clear to Charles. They were looking at each other and talking so intimately-obviously they weren't just friends. Immediately, he grew angry. He gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Snorting, he thought to himself arrogantly, 'How dare you, Sheryl! You had just asked for a divorce yesterday, and here you are, already moving on with another man! How could you do this to me?'

Charles felt angry and helpless. He was the CEO of Shining Company. He was brilliant and capable, but at the moment, he felt like he was going insane. Jealousy never did look good on anyone. Sheryl and Lewis chose a restaurant nearby.

Lewis had everything prepared in advance. He took every opportunity to display his sincerity and attentiveness to Sheryl. He paid attention to every detail and made sure he never overstepped any boundaries. Sheryl seemed to be very pleased. The meal was lovely and the conversation went on smoothly. Lewis seemed to have left a good impression on her.

Just as they were about to leave their table, Charles suddenly showed up.

He stood in front of Sheryl and looked down at her. With a blank face, he asked, "Why didn't you answer my call?"

Taken aback by Charles' sudden appearance, Sheryl recalled that she had set her phone on mute.

She didn't want to explain this because Charles was being so accusatory. It irked Sheryl. She was reminded of when she had herself tried to call Charles and he hadn't answered his phone.

According to her, Charles had no right to come here and question her, and she didn't need to explain herself to him.

"Mr. Lu, don't you have something else to do? Please talk to my secretary whenever you can. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd better get going!"

Charles looked as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. When he finally came to his senses, he got angry.

Sheryl was treating him like he was just another stranger. However, that wasn't the case with him. He was still her husband! He wouldn't allow Sheryl to treat him that way. "Sheryl! Stop!" Charles yelled, grabbing Sheryl's arm.

As Lewis watched this scene unfold, he knew this was a chance he couldn't miss. It was time that he stood up for Sheryl. It would do wonders for her impression of him.

"Mr. Lu, please be gentle with the woman," Lewis said seriously. He shook Sheryl's hand away from Charles's grip.

Disturbed, Charles shot a sharp look at Lewis.

'Lewis? Who do you think you are?'

Charles had his assistant look into Lewis already. He was single and apparently an aristocrat with over one hundred million dollars to his name. However, that wasn't good enough for Charles. Lewis was no match to him in terms of wealth. More importantly, Lewis didn't stand a chance against Charles where his wife was concerned.

"Lewis, I think I should make something clear to you: Sheryl is my wife!"

"Yes, I know! I'm in a business deal with Ms. Xia. You're taking this the wrong way!" Lewis was a smart guy. He knew that he had to let this go. Now wasn't the time to act all brave and defend her, especially no in front of her husband. He had to be patient and think about the bigger picture. Besides, he shouldn't be too aggressive lest Charles' suspicion be raised. He knew he had to win Sheryl's heart first before he went up against Charles. He had to let time take its course and do this slowly.

"Mr. Xu, let's not waste our time with him. I have a meeting later," Sheryl said dismissively. She glanced at Charles with fire in her eyes.

In her mind, she felt disappointed that Charles didn't believe her.

Before Sheryl left, she approached Charles first, whispering in his ear rather coldly, "Charles, don't think I'm anything like you. I'm not the kind of person to cause a scene. Don't insult me by trying to make me stoop to your level."

Charles felt humiliated and kept his mouth shut. As he stared into her eyes, he knew she was right. He had been out of line.

He just couldn't control himself. He couldn't let Sheryl be anywhere near another man.

Soon, Sheryl and Lewis left the restaurant and headed back to Cloud Advertising Company.

Tension was high in the car. When they finally arrived at the office, Sheryl silently smoothed her clothes and prepared to leave. Lewis cleared his throat, about to break the silence. He stammered, "Sheryl, I think...I think..."

"Mr. Xu, I know. You helped me a lot, so thanks for that," Sheryl said, beaming as she turned to Lewis. She looked like she had already put everything that just happened to the back of her mind. Lewis nodded and smiled, not saying a word.

When Sheryl arrived at her office, she found that she had received a message from Charles.

"Sher, I'm sorry for how I acted today. I was rude. I shouldn't have assumed. I shouldn't have doubted you. I'm so sorry." Charles' apology didn't make a difference, however. Sheryl kept a straight face as she read the message.

She thought Charles was disgusting and selfish. He had always been irresponsible and kept her from being truly happy. She still remembered when she had caught Charles and Leila in bed. That image would haunt her for the rest of her life. It still hurt to think about it. No matter how hard she tried to forgive him, she knew she would eventually reach her limit. This was it. Sheryl tried her best to shove it aside as she continued to work.

In Dream Garden, Leila was feeling a little anxious. She kept checking her watch as she took a walk with Melissa in the garden.

Melissa noticed how unsettled she looked and how odd she was acting. She asked, "Leila, do you have anywhere you need to be at? You look like you're in a hurry!"

"What? No, Aunt Melissa, I don't!" Leila quickly denied this, shaking her head. She regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth, so she rubbed her head and said with an awkward smile, "Well, there's this one small thing. Something seems to be happening at the store and I think I'll have to deal with it!"

She cast a hesitant look toward Melissa.

Melissa looked at Leila, a bit concerned. She asked, "Is it serious?"

"Of course not! Don't worry, Aunt Melissa! I just need to go over there and check on things for a while. I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave you for a bit."

Recently, Leila had had a lot on her plate. She still had to take care of Melissa, even though she knew that the latter was faking it. They had planned this together. To ensure it would go well, Leila stayed by Melissa's side to help her keep up the ruse. In addition to that, she still had to run the store.

"Go on, deal with your stuff. I'll be fine, don't worry about me!" Melissa did a quick stretch to show how healthy she was.

"Okay, Aunt Melissa, I'm going! It won't take too much time. I'll be back soon," Leila said.

"Just go! Don't worry about me!" Melissa urged Leila.

With a smile, Leila quickly left without turning back.

Right away, she rushed to the nearest cafe in the neighborhood. This was the spot where she and Holley had planned to meet. Earlier, she had asked Leila to come.

Leila was eager to see Holley. She was running out of ideas and she needed her help to think of new plans against Sheryl.

Holley arrived there before Leila did. She was starting to get a little impatient. She made sure this was apparent as Leila grabbed a seat and sat down in front of her. Holley whined, pulling a long face. "You're so late! I thought we were going to meet at three! Look at your watch! What time is it? Do you not value time? Do you think my time is as unimportant as yours?"

"Why didn't you leave if you were tired of waiting? I didn't ask you to wait!" Leila didn't want to show her any sympathy. She was still catching her breath after rushing over here. She just wanted to sit down and relax! But here was Holley, whining like a three-year-old.

Holley decided to let it go. She could tell that Leila was in a bad mood. As a peace offering, she pushed her cup toward Leila. "How's it going so far?"