The Apple of My Eye novel Chapter 2009

"Sher, are you really doing okay?" Isla asked worriedly. She knew that Sheryl was talking about herself just now and that she missed Charles terribly.

"Yes, I am. I guess Charles and I are better off as friends. Some things are just not meant to be. I should move on; instead of wallowing in sorrow, shouldn't I? Besides, I have two fantastic kids. And I have you and Phoebe. I know you all care about and love me. I should be grateful for what I have. Don't worry, Isla. I can take care of myself," Sheryl swore.

She was trying her best to get her friend to stop worrying about her.

"Well, I'm glad that you've moved on, Sher. Listen, I need to get some rest, but if you need anything, ask Phoebe to come get me," Isla instructed. Moments later, she left Sheryl's office.

The minute Isla was gone, Sheryl became lost in thought once more.

She wasn't always as tough as she seemed to be. Deep down, she knew she hadn't moved on from Charles. On the contrary, she was still deeply in love with him.

Nonetheless, her love for Charles wouldn't change anything. Life still went on. She couldn't give up everything she had at the moment for the sake of one man.

Sheryl took a deep breath before deciding that she should go back to work.

She had a meeting to attend a little later, and she needed to get everything ready for it. There was no time to be over-sentimental. A few minutes before the meeting, Phoebe knocked, peeped into Sheryl's office, and reminded her that it was almost time.

The meeting lasted for an hour. When Sheryl finally walked out of the conference room, she was exhausted. She stretched her arms and then slumped her shoulders again, thinking about how much she would hate to attend such a meeting ever again.

"Ms. Xia, I've put the file on your desk. Please don't forget to sign it." Phoebe obediently followed Sheryl into her office.

Sheryl massaged her neck before managing to acknowledge the assistant.

Phoebe grew concerned. "Ms. Xia, are you okay? You look exhausted."

"It is nothing. It's just that I sat for a prolonged time, and now my neck feels sore. I'm sure I'll feel better after getting some rest. Thanks for asking, Phoebe. You can go back to work now," Sheryl assured Phoebe. She did not want to add to her worries.

After Phoebe left, Sheryl decided to squeeze in a few minutes of workout before getting back to work. She promptly faced the back wall of her office and started on some breathing exercises.

Suddenly, she heard a loud crash. Someone had kicked her door open and had broken into her office! Sheryl was petrified.

Trembling, she turned around to see who it was and what had happened.

It was Jackson.

As much as she hated to admit it, Sheryl knew that something must have gone wrong. Otherwise, Jackson wouldn't be here in her building, not to mention barging into her office the way that he had.

"Jackson, what brings you here?" Sheryl tried her best to sound casual.

Phoebe came running right behind Jackson. Immediately, she bowed in embarrassment and apologized, "Forgive me, Ms. Xia. I couldn't stop him."

"That's okay, Phoebe," Sheryl assured her. Then she gestured for Phoebe to leave.

It was quiet now. Sheryl could see the anger on Jackson's face. She wondered what she could have done to have made him this mad.

"Sheryl, I thought we were friends. I thought we had worked through our issues. Clearly, we haven't. Tell me, what do you want from me?"

Despite the volume of his voice, Jackson was trying his best to suppress his anger. He didn't know what he was capable of doing if he let his emotions take over.

"Jackson, what do you mean? Will you sit down and tell me what happened?" Judging from his tone, Sheryl realized that whatever had happened, it had to have been very serious. She wracked her brain to try to figure it out, but to no avail.

"Did you send Melissa to talk to Belinda?" Jackson's eyes shot daggers at Sheryl, who only grew even more confused.

She shook her head and asked, "Who's Belinda?"

"My fiancée!" Jackson bellowed impatiently.