The Apple of My Eye novel Chapter 571

Since Sheryl was present, the two men pretended that they were meeting for the first time. But she felt the tense atmosphere as if the two were ready to beat each other up any time.

It irked Charles to see Anthony's hand on Sheryl's shoulder.

With a snort, he challenged,"Are you?"

His voice was full of contempt.

A sly smile had formed in his lips. Charles thought, 'She is Autumn, and she is still legally my wife. If I don't let her go, Sheryl will never get married to Anthony.'

Turning to Anthony, Sheryl suggested,"It's already late. How about we leave now?" With a frown, she went to get her daughter, but Shirley refused to leave and wanted to continue playing with Charlie and Amanda. It was the first time she had children to play with because, in America, Shirley had no friends.

"What's your name?" Charles suddenly asked the little girl. His mellow tone and loving look drew Shirley to him.

The little girl was not shy. Tilting her head, she surveyed the gentleman who had spoken from head to toe. Then she gave her name.

Charles stared at the cute girl with doting eyes. 'She is my child, I am sure of it. But where is the other?' he wondered.

"I learned that today is your birthday. Is that right?" He continued to speak gently.

"Yes," Shirley replied, her head bobbing up and down. There was no awakwardness between the man and little girl.

Turning to Sheryl, Charles proposed,"Now that your daughter is here, why don't you all stay so we can celebrate the children's birthdays together?"

He was doing everything possible to keep Sheryl with him and ensure she would never leave again.

"But…" Sheryl hesitated. She wanted to stay but looked at Anthony to check his reaction.

Charles looked at Anthony and extended the invitation. "Mr. Xiao, I hope you can stay. It is our first meeting. And please forgive me for not paying much attention to you," he said politely.

Anthony noted how Charles stressed the words "first meeting". 'What is he trying to do?' Anthony wondered. Laughing, he turned to Sheryl and said,"Sher, it's impolite to turn down Mr. Lu's kind invitation. Shirley is having fun now. So, how about we stay a little longer?" Sheryl looked at him in gratitude.

Giving his consent made Anthony feel that he was showing Charles how intimate his relationship with Sheryl was. 'Besides, she's my girlfriend now, ' he assured himself.

The tension between the two men was so palpable that everyone there felt it. And Sheryl, who sensed it quickly, couldn't understand why. She thought, 'It's only their first meeting. How could they detest each other like this?'

Among those present, Gary was the happiest. He was celebrating his great-grandson's birthday, and his granddaughter-in-law was back. Feeling content, he said to himself,"I will have no regrets even if I leave this world now."

But Anthony's arrival did turn the merry atmosphere into a slightly awkward one. The people in the party all knew Anthony and now realized he had hidden Autumn. So, it wasn't only Leila who felt like she was unwanted. They all scoffed at him, and some even got mad. Leila giggled at his predicament.

She decided to change her mood drastically.

"Miss Xia, you and Mr. Xiao look like a good match. When do you plan to get married?" Leila asked Sheryl unexpectedly. She was enjoying the slightly embarrassed look the other woman gave her.

"I…" Sheryl stammered with a bit of a frown. While she and Anthony had discussed marriage, she had not made a decision. Knowing her feelings for Anthony, Sheryl was not comfortable discussing personal matters with other people, especially a new acquaintance. She decided to let nature take its course.

'Maybe in time, I will learn to love him, ' she thought to herself. Sheryl didn't want to think about it for now.

But Anthony was the exact opposite. Laughing aloud, he joined the conversation. "Soon. Sher and I have been planning our wedding," he said with confidence.