The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 982 A Charity Dinner (Part Three)

When Susan and Sheryl were talking, the host walked to the stage and announced the opening of the charity dinner. "Dear distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, welcome! It's a great honor to have you all here tonight. Now please allow me to announce the start of this charity dinner initiated by Skyline Property."

His opening remarks were met with thunderous applause. The host continued, "Let's invite the President of Skyline Property, Mr. Cary Su to say a few words on this special occasion. Welcome, Mr. Su!" Cary swiftly walked onstage amidst a huge applause and some inspirational music. When Susan saw the radiant and graceful Cary on the stage, her expression changed a little.

"Dear distinguished guests," Cary started, "thank you so much for attending this charity auction tonight. It's such a great honor for me to see you all here! Tonight, we'll introduce you to some great artistic works, including calligraphy Chrysanthemum by the famous calligrapher, Mr. Manuel Xie, the painting Returning Home by national-level artist Mr. Quinton Shen, the final work of Miss Paulina Chen and many others by talented artists. Let's give a round of applause to the good-will providers of the auction items and all the guests present tonight! Thank you!"

Cary paused and waited for the applause to die down. Then he continued, "We will be presenting ten art collections and five other items. All the proceeds from the auction will be donated to Hope Primary Schools."

When he finished, the audience cheered him once again. Each item in the auction was invaluable, and Cary was able to bring in so many of them here tonight. The auction was meant to help people and every penny earned would go straight to the charity fund. This was not just a show to promote his real estate business.

Susan, who stood by Sheryl, was pretty surprised by Cary's behavior. She mumbled, "I didn't think Cary was such a philanthropist."

Sheryl was amused by her words. She said in a calm tone, "There is so much that you don't know about."

Susan didn't answer her, but stared at Cary quietly. She felt something changing within her. Cary had become much more charming in her heart.

"Since you have all contributed handsomely in this auction, I want to make a small contribution as well. I am donating a villa of the Skyline Property for the auction. And no matter the price, all of it will go to the charity fund."

The audience cheered and applauded loudly. The host walked onto the stage and stated, "Now, let's begin the auction. The first item is a couplet created by Mr. Vance Kong, a member of the Calligraphy Association. Upset price is ten thousand dollars. Do we have a higher bid?"

Many guests raised their cards to bid for it. Sheryl took Susan's hand and walked her to a nearby chair. "Sit down. Your feet are not entirely recovered. Get some rest."

However, Susan was distracted and ignored her words. She kept her eyes on Cary, who was entertaining the guests not far away from her. His movements were graceful. When she was about to look away, Cary turned towards her direction as if he had sensed her hot sight on him. A soft smile appeared on his lips as their eyes met. He said something to the guests around him and walked towards her.

Susan felt her heart skip a beat at that moment. And then it started pounding in her chest crazily.

"What's wrong, Susan?" Sheryl asked, noticing Susan's unusual behavior.

"I'm fine," Susan replied immediately as she came to her senses. She threw a quick glance at Sheryl and then swiftly looked at the floor as she tried to hide her emotion. She fidgeted a little and said without looking into her eyes, "I guess it's too stuffy in here for me."

Sheryl wasn't convinced by her words, but she played along. She grabbed a glass of orange juice from the table and said, "Drink this. You'll feel a bit refreshed." Susan took the glass from her and was about to take a sip when Cary appeared in front of her. She froze when her eyes met his gaze once again. Cary stood next to her and asked, "Miss Su, would you please accompany me to meet someone?"

"Meet someone?" Susan was stunned. She turned to look at Sheryl in a reflex as if asking for her advice.

Sheryl smiled to her. "You don't need my opinions on this. It's not a big deal. Just make your own decision."

Susan was nervous and flustered around Cary. She mustered up the courage and asked, "Who are we meeting?"

"You'll see." Without anymore explanation, Cary grabbed Susan's arm and pulled her up. He put her arm in his and turned to leave. The picture of the both of them together made Sheryl laugh. "Sher..." Susan called her in a panicked voice. "Don't worry. He won't do anything to hurt you," Sheryl reassured her.

"She is right," Cary echoed, disappointed about her lack of confidence in him. "I only want to take you to meet someone. Why do you think of me as a human trafficker?" he complained.

Sheryl burst into laughter. Cary turned around and grinned at her. "Thank you Sheryl, for all your help!"

Sheryl had helped him to organize this charity party and she also brought Susan here. He owed her a huge favor.

Sheryl nodded at him in reply. She watched them for a while as they walked away and blended into the crowd. Then she went in the opposite direction looking for Charles.

Susan and Cary walked arm in arm as they moved past the crowded bouquet hall. It might have looked like Susan had her arm wrapped around Cary's willingly; however, her arm was tightly held under Cary's, making it impossible for her to free herself.

She frowned and said in a whisper, "Let go of me!"

"No!" Cary refused her resolutely. They continued walking through the crowd together until they reached Donna.

"Aunt Donna, do you remember me?" Cary asked as Donna took a sip of her wine.

"Oh, Cary!" Donna exclaimed with a smile. "How could I ever forget you? You were George's roommate and his best friend."

"Thank you for attending the auction dinner tonight." Cary's lips broke into a full smile.

Donna looked appreciatively at Cary and said, "I knew that you would one day become a successful man the first day I met you. And how right I was! You are more successful than I had expected." "That's very kind of you, Aunt Donna. I'm flattered. But George is much more successful than I am. His business is growing even as we speak. And now, he has a branch in Y City as well," Cary said, with a genuine smile.

"Oh please! I don't even want to be reminded of him!" Donna felt her head ache when she thought about George. She couldn't help but throw a glance at Holley who was not too far away from them. She fretted and her disapproval was evident on her face. When she turned her glance away from Holley, she noticed Susan. "And this is...?"

Cary smiled and took Susan's hand in his. He said, "Aunt Donna, meet my fiance, Susan."

"Your fiance?" Donna was taken aback. She hadn't received any news about Cary's engagement. "Well, congratulations, Groom-to-be! This is such great news and she is gorgeous. She is the daughter of...?" Embarrassment flashed across Susan's face when she heard Donna's question. She opened her mouth to tell Donna that she was born in an ordinary family, but Cary beat her to it. With her hand tightly held in his, he said, "Susan was born in an ordinary family. Her father is a teacher."

"Oh...I see." Donna was lost for words. She was surprised, unsure how to react. Never had she expected that Cary would choose to marry a girl who didn't match his family background and status. She smiled awkwardly and tried her best to pay a decent compliment. "Well, that's good! A scholarly family!"