Despite Charlie being Leila's son, Alice had a strong urge to protect him. After all, she knew he was still a child.
From the looks of him, the boy didn't think or care if his father might throw a tantrum because of what happened to the picture frame. His full attention was on the woman in the photo. "Does my father like her very much?" he asked Alice. "Does he still want to marry her?' he added.
"Of course, he does!" Alice blurted out. Alice felt deeply sorry for Charlie after what she said. 'He's only a child. Like other kids, he's probably hoping his parents will stay together. It must feel awful to find out there is a woman that stands between his father and mother, ' she thought.
Feeling guilty, she hurriedly moved to comfort the boy and said,"Your father used to like that girl very much. But now that he's found you, he will treat you and your mother well."
Little did she know that Charlie was aware that his father would never accept Leila.
Of that he was sure.
'Adults always lie to me. They think I'm too young to understand things. But I do get it, ' he thought to himself.
The boy knew Charles had no feelings for his mother, and marrying her was out of the question. It was his mom who kept pestering him.
Then he got to thinking, 'If Charles like Sheryl so much, should I help him win her back?' He then thought about his father and his friend.
Charlie wanted to see Charles smiling brightly just like in the picture. In his eyes, his father became very charming and dashing when he smiled sincerely.
Suddenly, the door swung open. Alice turned to look and saw her boss about to enter. As David held the door open, she quickly stood up and lowered her head. "I'm very sorry, Mr. Lu. I broke your cherished photo accidentally. It's all my fault, and I'm willing to accept whatever punishment," she apologized, her voice trembling with fear.
She was preparing for the scolding that was sure to follow. "You should have been more careful," David berated Alice in a low voice, standing behind Charles with his eyebrows knitted.
"I didn't do it on purpose," Alice defended herself. She looked miserable as she avoided Charlie's eyes.
Suddenly, a new voice filled the room. "Dad!"
The boy called out, walking up to Alice.
'It was me, not her. I will not let Alice take responsibility for my mistake, ' the boy resolved.
"She's lying," he spoke up. "I did it. She has nothing to do with what happened," the child confessed, his expression serious and his voice clear. Alice was taken aback by Charlie's admission.
Quickly, she said,"Charlie, stop talking nonsense!"
She turned to look at Charles and explained,"Mr. Lu, don't listen to him. It was my fault. I'm the one to blame."
But Charlie interrupted,"She is not telling the truth, Dad."
He took a deep breath before explaining,"I only wanted to look at the sister in the photo. I wasn't holding it tightly, and it fell. If you're angry, punish me, not her."
"Did you?" Charles looked at him straight in the eye with no angry expression. He checked if the photo was damaged. Seeing that it wasn't, he spoke to his son,"Tell me, why did you want to see this picture?"
"Because she is very pretty," Charlie replied frankly. David hurriedly dragged Alice out of the office to give father and son privacy. "Dad, do you honestly like that girl in the picture?" Charlie asked, looking at his father with soulful eyes.
The man replied bluntly,"Yes, I do."
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