The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 993 Meet With Me

"What's wrong? Did you encounter any issues?" Holley asked inquisitively, as she spotted the hesitation on George's face.

She simply could not shake the feeling that he was hiding something from her. She tried to ignore it but she knew that due to the simple fact that a woman's intuition was rarely wrong.

Accurate or not, she hated the feeling that her boyfriend wasn't being honest with her. It gnawed at her very core.

With a look of sheer skepticism, she told him solemnly, "Baby, I want you to know that you can be honest with me no matter what. We're going to be married soon and we will be spending the rest of our lives together. I don't want there to be any secrets between us. You do understand that, don't you?"

"Don't be silly, honey," George responded with a forced smile. "Holley, I assure you that I will love you sincerely and cherish you for the rest of my life. I will never lie to you. I need you to believe me."

"That's good," Holley said. Satisfied with his response, she snuggled up close to him as she inhaled very deeply so that she could indulge in his very essence. "Let's arrange it for tomorrow night. I will book the hotel, and you call up Donna and invite her to join us for dinner. Oh, and make sure you don't forget to also invite Sula."

George's eyes widened with surprise when he heard Holley mention Sula. With knitted brows, he lowered his head to look at his girlfriend and quickly responded, "I don't think it's a good idea to invite Sula. She is an outsider. It would be inappropriate for her to be present on such a special occassion."

"Why would you say that?" Holley frowned at him. "You know your mother is very fond of her. She already thinks of her as a part of the family. Besides, she has no friends or relatives here. Do you really have the heart to let her stay at home alone?"

With a suspicious grimace on her face, Holley said, "What's wrong with you? You are acting kind of strange today. Are you sure that there isn't something on your mind that you're keeping to yourself? Maybe something that you'd like to share?"

With an uncomfortable laugh, George said, "Now why would I be keeping anything to myself? I will make sure to call them."

Holley nodded approvingly at him and replied, "I am going to go and get started on dinner."

"Ummm, okay." While Watching Holley put on an apron and enter the kitchen to begin preparing their meal, George furrowed his eyebrows.

He was in a bit of a rush to ask Holley to marry him because he wanted to make amends for his misdeeds. Not to mention that he wanted to make himself feel better. But now he still needed to face Sula. After hesitating for just a moment, he decided to call Sula and have her meet with him so he could speak to her face to face.

Sula was with Donna when her phone rang. She answered the phone and placed it on speaker so that Donna could hear their conversation. When George invited her out to meet with him tonight, she looked up at Donna, who was older than her, seeking some advice on what she thought she should do. She nodded her head in agreement, so Sula reluctantly accepted the invitation.

As she hung up the phone, she looked up to see that Donna was still looking at her. Feeling a little uneasy, she asked, "Aunt Donna, why do you think he wants to see me?"

"I'm sure that he is reaching out to talk to you about what happened between you last night," Donna sneered. She knew her son better than anyone else. Holding Sula's hand, she urged, "When you meet George, just say okay and agree with him, no matter what he says. Make sure to keep your wits about you. I will handle the rest."

Sula drew in a deep breath before allowing an unsure smile to adorn her face and responded dejectedly, "Do you really think it will work, Aunt Donna? George is devoted to Holley Ye. What sense does it make for me to continue to pursue him? Apparently, he's already made up his mind."

"Believe me, sweetie," Donna reassured the girl, gazing into her eyes with love, care, and compassion. "As long as I am alive, I will not allow Holley to marry my son. Please give me a little time and just trust me one more time, okay?"

Sula had already given up on George. But when she heard Donna's words, a glimmer of hope welled up in her heart. So she nodded her head in reply.

Holley made a bountiful meal. George kept adding food onto her plate and encouraged her to eat more. After dinner, he even volunteered to do the dishes. With a platter of fruit, she emerged into the living room and settled herself on the couch. There, she got comfortable so she could enjoy her favourite TV show with her fruits.

As George finished up the dishes, he got out of the kitchen and headed straight towards the front door. Before opening the door, he turned to Holley and said, "Honey, don't wait for me. I have an appointment with a client, so I might be back late."

"You are going out at this hour? Isn't it kind of late?" Holley asked with knitted brows.

"Yes," George replied with a wry smile. "You know we have a lot of work business to take care of. Go to sleep whenever you feel the need. There's no need for you to wait up for me."

"I see," Holley said with a nod. "Drive carefully."

"Bye!" George gazed at Holley for a while and left the apartment.

Holley didn't even suspect her boyfriend of being dishonest. After all, he usually worked overtime and reached home late at night. Most importantly, she had faith in George's love for her. So it never dawned to her that he would cheat on her.

She headed upstairs and went to sleep after enjoying some of her fruits.

George had suggested to Sula that she meet with him in a park near his apartment. He arrived first, and waited for a while before he caught sight of Sula in her long pink coat.

Watching her as she approached him, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

"Thank you for coming. I'm glad you're here," George greeted. With an apologetic smile he said, "I am sorry to ask you out at this hour, Sula."

Sula narrowed her gaze on George and said indifferently, "Let's get right to it, Mr. Han. No need to waste time with small talk. You must find it quite tiresome to beat around the bush. I also don't want to hear any foolishness."

A tinge of embarrassment flashed across his face. Especially when he heard her call him Mr. Han, he detected that Sula was distancing herself from him.

He thought to himself, 'She used to call me George intimately. But now she suddenly addresses me so formally. There's no doubt that I hurt her very deeply.'

He sensed that there was a disconnect because of what had happened between them the other night. He was painfully aware that he had offended her and that he needed to make things right between them.

"Sula, I..." he stammered.

"Call me Miss Piao, please!" Sula demanded. Forcing a smile on her face, she continued, "I don't believe that we are close enough that you can address me in such a manner."

"Sula, you..." George reached out to hold her hand but she moved aside and avoided his grasp. Staring at a silent Sula, who bit her lips, George knew that it was not going to be as easy to settle this matter as he had anticipated.

'She is just a girl and now she has lost her virginity, which was not something that she took lightly. Yet here I am and I'm trying to compesate her with money. I'm a wicked, no good, despicable man. But I am out of options. That's the only thing that I can do for her right now,' he thought to himself as he gazed at this visibly broken girl before him.

At the thought that Holley was waiting for him at home, he mustered up some courage. He took a deep breath and began, "Miss Piao, I wanted to talk with you about what happened between us that night. I..." Cutting him off, Sula said impatiently, "I've already forgotten about it. It was just a stupid mistake. Please don't bring it up again."

A long drawn out silence followed as they just glared at on another unmoving. With his eyes fixated on the immovable Sula, he was immersed in his own thoughts. 'If she really didn't care about it, would she really be acting this way?'