The Apple of My Eye novel Chapter 526

An overwhelming feeling of anguish washed over him. His heart started racing a hundred miles an hour at the sight of Leila's naked back.

Dazzled by the bright sunlight, he couldn't even focus. He needed to recall what had happened the night before. How did he end up in bed with his employee?

In spite of all his efforts, his memory was completely blurry. Flashes of shots going down his throat and the moment when Leila mentioned Autumn's name were all he could remember.

Charles felt weak, ashamed and most of all, guilty. He had not touched another woman for all these past years up until last night. Not sure how to react to it all, he decided to run away.

He moved across the room quietly as to not wake Leila up, picked up his clothes from the ground and put them on with trembling hands. His shirt buttons kept slipping in between his fingers, so he decided to button just enough of them leaving the top three open. He then grabbed his crumpled suit jacket, tiptoed to the door and immediately fled the room without hesitation.

Leila had been awake throughout the entire time. As soon as he shut the door, she sat straight up pondering on the consequences of last night's events. She didn't feel ready for a conversation about it, so she pretended to sleep. Charles wasn't in the best condition to talk about it either. She knew they'd have to discuss it at some point but it would be best to wait for the right moment.

They both needed enough space and time for things to sink in first.

Looking at the empty room, she ran her hands over her face overpowered by doubt. 'Did I scare him away? But if I hadn't done this, I would have never stood a chance against Autumn's memory, ' she thought pathetically.

It hadn't been the first time she had gotten so close to Charles, but it was the first time she had to stage something like this on him. It was all new territory for her as well.

Leila was just about to call Chris and inform her that the plan had gone smoothly, when Chris' own call popped up on her screen. As soon as she answered, the voice on the other end felt as if it had pierced through her eardrum,"My brother didn't come home last night. Was he with you?"

"Yes, he was," Leila replied but without any excitement in her voice. "He just woke up, and as soon as he saw me lying down beside him, he ran away..."

With a slightly apologetic tone, Chris chuckled and reassured Leila,"Charles loved Autumn deeply. He hasn't dated anyone after her. If I were in his shoes, I'd feel panicked too. It's a lot to take in all at once. But don't worry. Now that you were intimate, I don't think there will be any problems in winning his heart. Besides, you also have his son, Charlie. My brother will not want to leave his side once he finds out."

"Really?" Leila responded half-heartedly. Though, there was one thing that neither Chris nor her brother knew. In reality, nothing had happened between Charles and Leila that night. He had been way too drunk to function in any capacity, so he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Leila simply took off his clothes and staged a scene that would lead him to believe they had had sex.

Chris continued with her instructions,"Now that you're already halfway to success, the next step is to have Charles meet Charlie. I'm telling you, my brother loves kids, and he will especially love his own son. If he realizes that marrying you would also mean living together with him, he'll be more likely to consider it."

In fact, that was part of Chris and Leila's plan all along. They intended to manipulate her way into his heart by using Charlie, in case Charles wasn't going to fall for her alone. If Charles knew that Charlie was his son, he would feel some responsibility towards the child and perhaps gratitude towards Leila for having raised him. Eventually, those reasons would be enough for him to marry her.

He was a good man, after all. Chris and Leila knew that.

"I hope you're right," stated Leila. She had to be right. Otherwise it would have all been in vain, and she would have to deal with the awkwardness of seeing him at work too.

Refusing to think about it, Leila immediately convinced herself that it was all going to go perfectly from now on! It had to! Plus, Charles' panicked expression from a few minutes earlier was starting to look really funny in her mind. Straightening herself up, she began getting dressed. She got out of bed, took a shower and left for her rented apartment.

While all of that had been going on, Charles was getting into one trouble after another. As soon as he left the hotel room, he rushed down the stairs and towards the exit door dizzy and confused. His goal was to leave as soon as possible before Leila woke up or anyone else saw him.