The Apple of My Eye

Chapter 1987 Killing Time

Sheryl was driving the car with Melissa and the kids on the backseat.

Melissa had been trying her best to get the kids to like her. Especially Clark, since he seemed a bit

distant from her.

That wasn't surprising, though. Clark had always been more mature for his age. Even though he and

Shirley were twins, they couldn't be more different. For his age, Clark could be very observant and was

already more considerate of others compared to Shirley.

"Clark, how's school recently? How are you getting along with your classmates?" Melissa tried to sound

nonchalant about her question.

"It's fine. I'm friends with all of my classmates," Clark answered seriously.

"Grandma, many of our classmates like Clark!" Shirley chimed in.

"Shirley!" Clark admonished, rolling his eyes at his sister's reply.

Not stopped by Clark's surly objection, Shirley covered her mouth and whispered into Melissa's ear,

"Grandma, Clark is blushing."

"Shirley, stop teasing me. Or else, I'll tell them your secrets." Clark pretended to be annoyed.

From the driver's seat, Sheryl was watching everything unfold. Melissa had been trying to get along

with the kids. And to see her attempts made something fragile and delicate bloom inside Sheryl's chest.

One wouldn't have thought of it before, but the kids and the older woman had a natural affection for

each other. Their relationship now was a far cry from before. Perhaps it was Leila's influence on

Melissa that had made the older woman treat the kids badly.

Melissa had made mistakes. Sheryl didn't absolve her of it. But the important thing now was the older

woman was trying her best to correct those mistakes. Luckily, Sheryl and the kids had big hearts. They

all chose to forgive Melissa for the things she had done in the past.

Sheryl didn't blame Melissa. If possible, she wanted to help Melissa get even closer to the kids.

"Clark, you're older. You should take care of your sister and not tease her. Shirley, stop teasing your

older brother. Okay?" In her little ways, Sheryl wanted to teach the kids good manners. She wanted to

instill the value of respect while they were young. She knew some things might be difficult for them to

understand, but she had to start somewhere.

Teaching the kids was slowly becoming a habit for her. She wanted to teach them what was right and

wrong, and why the wrong things were bad.

"Your mom is right. You two have to take care of each other. Okay?" Melissa choked up with feelings.

She tried to push down the lump of emotion down her throat, but seeing how much Sheryl had been

trying her best to accept her made her feel overwhelmed. Tears started to well up her eyes.

"Okay. But only because Mom and Grandma asked nicely," Clark answered, sounding every bit like a

40-year old in a young boy's body.

The two older women couldn't help but laugh.

Taking the kids' hands in hers, Melissa thought of the past. Every time the memories flashed back, she

couldn't help but release a sigh filled with regret.

Soon, they arrived at the kids' school. There was a bus already waiting at the gates.

"Alright, kids. Say goodbye to Grandma," Sheryl said.

"Goodbye, Grandma!"

"Goodbye!" ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

The kids hurried out of the car and went to the school bus with their mom. Melissa stayed in the car

and watched as Sheryl led the kids to the bus.

Melissa shifted into the passenger seat after the young family went out. From her seat, she could see

Sheryl share a brief conversation with who she supposed was the teacher in charge before the young

mother made her way back to the car.

"Sheryl, where are the kids going?" Melissa asked, curious about where the kids were going and what

they were going to do.

Sheryl looked across at Melissa. "They're going camping today."

"That's interesting."

After Melissa's reply, an awkward silence filled the car. Without the kids around, they didn't know what

to say to each other.

Soon, Melissa felt the silence too unbearable. She had to say something, anything. Starting, she

stuttered, "Sheryl, are you going to the company?"

"Yes, I need to go to work. Are you going anywhere? Do you want me to drop you somewhere?" the

younger woman asked.

Melissa fidgeted with her hands. After thinking for a while, the older woman shook her head and

answered, "I have no idea where to go."

"Then, let me drive you home. Alright?" Sheryl suggested.

"Charles isn't at home. Only Nancy is there. It's rather boring there. If you don't mind, can I come with

you instead?" Melissa asked.

"I'm not planning to do anything bad at your company. I just want to have a look at where you are

working. And maybe kill time as well."

Melissa added, afraid that Sheryl would say 'no' and hoping that she would understand her.

As the traffic light turned red, Sheryl turned to look at Melissa. Seeing the anticipation in Melissa's

eyes, she didn't have the heart to say no. So she nodded and agreed.

Melissa heaved a silent sigh of relief. 'I'm glad Sheryl agreed. Otherwise, I would have been so

embarrassed, ' she thought.

The older woman couldn't keep her excitement in check. She started asking Sheryl about the company

and what the younger woman did there.

A few years back, Melissa had also been a part of the workforce. She had even held an important

position at a company. When she had settled down, she had left her high-powered role to become a

housewife. The term 'housewife' was a bit of a misnomer, though. Melissa didn't have to lift a finger to

do any household chores. After all, the Lu Family was quite a wealthy family. All Melissa had to do was

enjoy life and play Mahjong with other 'housewives' from equally wealthy families.

Sheryl explained what her company did to Melissa and before they knew it, they soon arrive at the

Cloud Advertising Company.

The girl at the reception startled in surprise as she took in the sight of Melissa and Sheryl. As the two

went their way, the young girl carefully hid her surprise from her boss.

"Hi, Ms. Xia, Mrs. Lu," she greeted them. Sheryl noticed the young girl was acting differently now.

Though the receptionist hadn't been rude before, she certainly hadn't been acting as politely as she did

now.

Sheryl nodded in acknowledgement and proceeded to the lift.

As the two passed, the girl murmured to herself, "I thought Ms. Xia has already divorced Mr. Lu? So

what is she doing here with her ex-mother-in-law now?"

The girl was baffled at the sight of Sheryl and Melissa together.

Meanwhile, at the hospital

Vicky had been anxiously waiting for Charles. With each second ticking by, she felt more anxious about

Charles showing up. If she knew anything about Charles, it was that he would use anything and

everything to make an excuse not to show up.

Soon, she couldn't take the anxiety anymore. She started to ring the bell incessantly. Cassie, who was

on duty for the night, heard the alarm and went to Vicky's ward.

"Is there anything wrong?" Cassie asked before getting the shock of her life.

'Isn't she the one who was always hanging around Charles?' she thought to herself. A light bulb flicked

on inside her head. This was the woman who had caused Sheryl so much distress. Anger started to

flood Cassie's veins.

"Aren't you the nurse here? Shouldn't you be more polite?" Vicky snidely asked.

"I'm a nurse, not your servant. Let me know if you actually need something. I still have other patients to

check," Cassie replied coolly.

Vicky understood that, but the nurse's aloof attitude still bothered her.

"I'm not feeling well. Call Charles right now. I want to see him." Vicky raised her chin and put on a

defiant look.

She had no idea that Cassie knew Charles, which was why she didn't know what she just said

triggered the young nurse.

Cassie clenched her fist, looking disgruntled. After a while, she managed to suppress her anger and

replied as calmly as she could, "Miss, I'm not your secretary. If you want to call Charles, you can do it

yourself."

After that, Cassie walked out of the ward and slammed the door, not giving Vicky any chance to

respond.