The Apple of My Eye novel Chapter 1328

Charles had no other choice than to accept Melissa's request. He knew that Melissa wouldn't take no for an answer. In fact, she could even ruin this dinner, which Sheryl had so meticulously prepared.

"Mom, there is no need to tidy up the guest room. Let the servant do the job later. You should taste these wonderful dishes. Sher has cooked them all for you," Charles said with a faint smile. Sheryl's last hope was gone now. She sat silently next to Charles. The sting in her heart after knowing that she would have to share the same roof with Leila, was clearly visible on her face. On the top of that, Charles' smiling face at Melissa's suggestion worsened her state of mind. Charles' words fell like stones on her, hitting her heart. She could not believe her ears.

Humiliated and heartbroken at Charles' behavior, Sheryl thought to herself, 'What is he doing? Doesn't he know I dislike Leila? Has he forgotten the series of unpleasant events that we have been through because of Leila? How could he accept Melissa's unreasonable request so easily? Even without asking me for my opinion!'

The more she thought of it, the angrier she got. If it weren't for Melissa being discharged from the hospital today, she would certainly keep Leila out of the door. Now she tried not to anger Melissa, lest Melissa might get ill again. She swallowed the grievance but it made her lose her appetite completely.

Observing the upset look on Sheryl's face, Leila and Melissa couldn't be more delighted. That even boosted their appetite and both of them relished the meal with great interest.

The delicious meal prepared with so much love could not eradicate the malice from the hearts of the people who shared the table. They were all full of counterfeit smiles, contriving conversations and sarcastic words.

Sheryl finished her food, left her seat and walked back to her bedroom without uttering a single word. She was in no mind to spend even a second more at the table, facing the sham countenances. She thought it would be better to wait for Charles in her room and ask for an explanation from him when she was with him in private, no matter how much longer she might have to wait.

It was over half an hour that Sheryl had been waiting for Charles, yet he hadn't come back to her. With every passing moment, the wait became more and more difficult. Sitting alone on the bed, Sheryl started to become anxious.

Melissa was well aware that Sheryl would be waiting for Charles. Hence, she left no stone unturned to prevent Charles from leaving the table. The very thought of Sheryl alone and anxious made her heart jump with joy. She twisted her lips in a sarcastic smile as she thought of it.

"Ouch! I feel a sharp pain on my shoulder. Could it be the after-effects after Sheryl pushed me down the stairs? Oh, my god! It hurts so much!" Melissa turned towards Charles and whined in an aching voice. With a flinched face, she lifted her hands to massage her shoulders. She creased her brow and feigned a painful look.

"Are you okay? Aunt Melissa," Leila promptly asked with much care.

"Mom, are you okay?" Charles sprang up from his seat and walked toward Melissa with a concerned look on his face. However, he could not help being skeptical about Melissa's sudden occurrence of pain. He thought to himself, 'What's wrong with her? Just a while ago, she was enjoying her food. There was no sign of illness in her. How come she starts feeling the pain all of a sudden?' However, seeing Melissa was really in distress, Charles pushed back the conflicting thoughts and became concerned for his mother. After all, in his view, there was no need for Melissa to pretend to be in a state of illness, just to draw her son's attention.

Charles grew more and more anxious as he saw his mother writhe in pain. After a while, he advised with concern, "Mom, let's go to the hospital. You should get proper medical attention before it is too late. Let's not delay!"

"That's not that necessary. Besides, I am tired of lying in the hospital. I think it just needs some massage. Charles, would you mind massaging me for a while?"

Melissa said as she squinted her eyes in distress as if she urgently needed someone to massage her shoulders.

Charles' face became grim. He fidgeted for a while in hesitation at the request. His mind was occupied with the thoughts of Sheryl waiting for him in the bedroom. Helpless, Charles decided to stay with Melissa for a while to make her feel better. He gently kneaded her shoulders, from side to side, carefully applying his strength.

As Leila marked the expression on Charles' face, a faint smile appeared on her lips. She could not feel happier at the sight of Charles being bound by his duties as a son which eventually kept him away from Sheryl. She knew what Melissa was playing at, and felt delighted that Melissa was in the same camp as hers to oppose Sheryl. As long as there was anything that could make Sheryl suffer, even the slightest hint of it would make Leila obtain pleasure.

"Mom, do you feel any better?" Charles asked after massaging Melissa's shoulders for a long time. Both his arms turned sore and he even felt paralyzed.

"Ouch! Still too painful! But your kneading is making a difference. Keep it up!" Melissa replied, still with a twisted expression.

Charles saw that there was absolutely no way he could leave his mother in this state. He started moving his hands over her shoulders with renewed vigor to make sure that his mother felt relieved from her pain. However, though he was physically present there, his mind was somewhere else.

The gloomy look on Sheryl's face at the time of the dinner loomed in front of his eyes. Even as she walked towards her bedroom, Charles could feel that she went with a heavy heart. Since then, he could hardly wait to talk to her.

However, he felt being tied down at this place by Melissa and could not leave until Melissa felt better. His anxiety reached its peak as he thought that Sheryl might get tired waiting for him. After all, she had spent the whole day cooking for Melissa. At last, he decided to make a legitimate excuse.

"Mom, I just remember that there is some important work from my office that needs immediate attention. I will have to go back to my room and deal with it. Let Leila massage you.

Miss Zhang, can you help my mom? It's an urgent business that I need to look into."