The Apple of My Eye novel Chapter 401

Nancy masked her guilt by quickly assuring Charles. "Don't worry about me, Mr. Lu." She paused, inhaled quietly and then said, "I am fine. And I appreciate your concern."

As this went on, Autumn kept silent and focused on eating.

As planned, Autumn left with Chris to shop after dinner. They first went to the supermarket to get nuts and snacks for the Spring Festival. Then they headed to the shopping mall to buy clothes for Gary as a New Year's gift. Autumn regretted not having enough time to get her grandparents in the Zhao family any presents because it was already late. She made up her mind to go out and shop again another day.

Chris could not contain her excitement about the coming celebration. "I am so looking forward to the family reunion on New Year's Eve. We must celebrate with a party! My brother used to buy a lot of fireworks to light up the New Year and it was spectacular watching them rise and bloom in the sky!" she remarked. Autumn shared in Chris' enthusiasm.

"Yes, we absolutely must have a party for the Spring Festival this year. We need to cherish this time together with the family because next year, you're going to spend New Year with Sam's family, " she told Chris. Autumn was teasing Chris as they loaded the stuff in the car trunk.

Chris blushed in shyness but smiled a bit.

On their way home, they drove by the supermarket and saw Isla who was being harassed by a man they were unfamiliar with. Autumn quickly stopped the car and went over to Isla, in an attempt to protect her friend.

Up close, Autumn saw a man dressed in an expensive suit, who was actually good-looking. But he had ill manners. True to form, the man's eyes glimmered when Autumn came into his sight. "Wow, what a beauty! Tonight must be my lucky night, " he said brashly.

"Autumn! What are you doing here?" Isla cried out. Startled at seeing Autumn, Isla uttered, "This has nothing to do with you, Autumn. Just go, please."

From annoyance, Autumn's mood turned suspicious. "No! I can't leave you here alone, " she declared. Autumn now stood in front of Isla and warned the man, "You stay where you are." She faced him boldly and added, "Stay away or you will regret it."

With a smirk, the man hissed, "Little beauty, you better not meddle in business that is none of your concern." He assumed a cockier stance before adding, "I just want to talk to Miss Zhao. There's no need for you to be worried."

Autumn raised her voice, "I said stay away from her!" She continued to glare at the man who kept advancing towards them. Then loudly she said, "How dare you speak to her that way!"

Isla was now pulling Autumn's arm. "Go, Autumn. I can handle this, " she pleaded. She was now worried about Autumn being involved in an unpleasant situation. "You can go now. I can take care of myself, " she urged.

Chris soon appeared and also stood beside Autumn to shield Isla. She declared, "Don't be afraid, Isla. We'll protect you and will not leave you alone. No one is going to bully you."

To the man she threatened, "Get away from here. I've already called the police. If you insist on causing trouble here, you won't like where you're going to end up in."

He suddenly looked worried and turned to Isla. "Are they serious? Tell them I'm a cousin, your elder brother. Are you going to let them do that to me?" Colin was actually Aron's cousin. He now seemed a bit anxious after hearing Chris say she had called the police. He was heading to a bar when he ran into Isla, who was leaving the supermarket. Colin hated Aron and saw an opportunity to get back at him by playing a prank on Isla. Unfortunately, he didn't expect Autumn and Chris to suddenly appear.

"Cousin?" Autumn said. Confused, she looked at Isla waiting for a confirmation.

Isla nodded helplessly and explained, "He is Aron's cousin."