The Apple of My Eye novel Chapter 523

Leila didn't mind that Charles had made an appointment with Aron and his wife; she knew she still had enough time to achieve her plan.

Charles allowed his employees to get off early from work that night. That was good news for David and Alice, as they could really use some quality time together. Their plans were already set: have dinner early and watch a good comedy movie.

Leila, on the other hand, didn't care much for the time off. She gave Charles an appreciating smile and continued on with her work. As David went to start off his car, Alice had cleared up her desk and was getting ready to leave, when she saw Leila still in her chair. Surprised, Alice sat her coat down, and approached Leila inquiring,"How come you're still here?"

"I have a few more tasks left to finish, but I won't be much longer either," answered Leila politely. "You go ahead; don't worry about me." She then forced a quick smile and went back to handling her files.

"Do you need help?" asked Alice slightly concerned. She remembered there was a kid waiting for Leila at home. Perhaps if she could help her finish her work faster, Leila could go home sooner to be with her son.

Leila, however, wasn't too keen on getting any help. She smiled at Alice once more and then replied,"That's ok. I can handle them. This is a good opportunity for you and David to spend a relaxing evening together; don't waste your time here with me. I've got this."

"But don't you have your kid at home waiting?" wondered Alice, now even more surprised by her refusal. She was genuine in her offer to help and couldn't understand why Leila wouldn't take her up on it. So she insisted,"Your son is very young, right? You should go home early and take care of him. I can help you; it's no problem for me."

As if awaken from a trance, Leila immediately raised her eyes towards the wall clock and exclaimed,"Oh, no! I have to go pick him up from school. I'll just take these files home."

"Okay, then," replied Alice relieved. She was quite glad that Leila wasn't going to spend more time at the office. "Bring your son here some day; I'd like to meet him," she added encouragingly.

"Okay, I will," replied Leila with half a smile. As soon as Alice left, she started packing up the folders that she needed to bring home with her.

If it weren't for the kid, she wouldn't leave work until after Charles did. But she didn't want to be too late to pick up Charlie.

A sudden feeling of guilt started to overcome her since she had only been doing the strictly necessary at work. Leila wasn't giving it her all those days and Charles deserved more. Interrupting her thoughts, Charles opened up his office door all ready to leave.

He was impressed to see Leila there. "Are you still working?" he asked on a pleasantly surprised tone.

"I just had a few tasks left. I would have stayed and finished them, but I'm going to be late to pick up my son. I will sort out all the files you need for tomorrow's meeting, though. No worries." Her answer was confident. She was going to do as promised no matter what it took.

Charles nodded lightly and then asked her,"How about I give you a lift?"

"No need... thank you," she replied gratefully. As much as she would have liked to get a ride with Charles, she didn't think it was appropriate to do so at that hour. "I can take the subway; it's really convenient," she continued explaining herself.

"Ok. Be careful on your way there though. I'm going to go now. See you tomorrow!" It was almost time for his dinner with Aron and Isla; he didn't want to be late, so he left right away.

Isla had made the dinner reservation much in advance. This was something they did every year. She and Aron were really close to Charles. Not only did his firm often collaborate with Lighten House Company, but also Isla had been managing Cloud Advertising Company for Charles as well.

It was an extremely hot July day; even after dawn, the heat was permeating the air. As soon as he got inside the car, Charles loosened his collar and turned on the air conditioner to the max. Fortunately, his car was powerful enough and the temperature cooled off quickly.

The ventilation system at the restaurant, however, was having a hard time cooling the locale off to a comfortable temperature; so everyone there was a bit irritated. The cold drink orders were pouring in, but even those didn't feel cold enough.

Isla and Aron had arrived there early and were wiping off their sweat from their foreheads when Charles got inside. As soon as he stepped foot through the door, his leg was captured and hugged tightly by a tiny little being.