The Apple of My Eye

Chapter 1795 I'll Pick You Up

"I have forgotten," Isla said with a chuckle. She narrowed her eyes, raised her head, and flashed Sheryl

a childish smile.

Sometimes, Sheryl admired her friend's ability to smile at any time. The smallest piece of good news

could make Isla beam with joy. Although there were moments when she was easily angered, she often

calmed down just as quickly. Sheryl attributed this to Isla's thoughtful and sensitive nature.

'If I were as open-minded as Isla, maybe things wouldn't have ended this way, ' Sheryl thought.

"Sher, what's wrong?" Isla noticed that Sheryl had become distracted and unnaturally quiet while she

was talking. She raised a hand and waved it in front of Sheryl's face.

Her attempt worked like a charm. "Ah, nothing. I have to go through security now. You can go back to

the office. I'll be fine. I'll be back in one or two days." Sheryl, now brought back to reality, noticed the

worry on Isla's face. She patted her on the shoulder in a feeble attempt to comfort her.

"Well... If anything happens, don't forget to call me," Isla said as she shot Sheryl a meaningful gaze.

"What's going to happen to me? Stop worrying for no reason!" Sheryl assured her with a smile. She

had no idea what Isla meant, and she thought no more of it.

Suddenly reminded of the plane's schedule, she smiled, waved Isla goodbye, and walked toward

security.

When Isla finally thought of the proper response, Sheryl had already turned away and had gone

through the metal detector. Isla had no other choice but to remain standing where she was and sigh.

She silently wished Sheryl a safe and happy trip.

As soon as Sheryl found her seat, she settled into it. Once she was comfortably seated, she reached

into her handbag and fished out her earbuds. She placed one earbud snugly in each ear, played her

choice of music, and closed her eyes. At that moment, the music seemed to be her only escape from

the sad realities of her life.

Outside the airport, Aron was leaning against his car, patiently awaiting Isla's return. When he saw her

walking out of the sliding doors, he felt inclined to call her attention. However, something was off. His

wife looked upset and distracted. Aron was worried that there must have been some disagreement

between her and Sheryl.

Isla approached without a word and, still dazed, got into the car. Aron sat in the driver's seat and

looked at her. It seemed as though she had no intention of talking or even acknowledging him. He

cleared his throat to try to get her attention—nothing.

It was as if Isla was lost in her own little world.

"Isla, are you okay?" Aron didn't hesitate to ask. This behavior was extremely unusual for his wife.

"Yes. I am. I'm just thinking—maybe I was wrong to do that." Isla frowned. She anxiously grabbed

Aron's hand and finally looked him in the eyes.

Aron had never seen her this nervous. Seeing her like this made him even more worried than he had

been earlier. Nevertheless, his face didn't betray his emotions. Instead, he held her hand and said

warmly, "Isla, it's alright. Someday, Sheryl will understand that she has to face her own battles, too.

When I disagreed with you yesterday, it wasn't because I thought you were wrong. I just thought she

wasn't ready to face all this by herself yet..."

He knew what he had to do as a husband. Aron knew that his job was to comfort his wife in times of

distress. Fortunately, it worked. Isla, now visibly, albeit only slightly, relieved, was nodding her head

over and over. Although she was still feeling sad, she managed to flash him a sweet smile.

"Yes, you may be right. Let's get back to the office. I will contact Sheryl later." Isla forced a bigger smile

and jokingly urged Aron to hurry up and drive.

In the five-star Malaysian hotel, Melissa had just finished her lunch.

She was planning to take an afternoon nap and was on her way to her hotel room when she ran into

Charles. He was all dressed up and was about to go out.

"Didn't you go out with Leila? I thought you were out helping her purchase a formal dress?" Melissa

had a confused look on her face. She glanced at Leila's room and looked back at Charles.

When Charles heard Leila's name, his nose wrinkled in irritation. He approached his mother and

replied softly, "Mom, Leila is an adult. Does she really need my help with something as simple as

buying clothes?"

Melissa completely understood what her son meant. "Are you blaming me? Are you saying I'm a bad

person just because I tell you what I think is right?"

"Mom, why would I blame you? Why would I think that way about you?" Charles noticed that the

conversation had made Melissa deeply unhappy. Immediately, he thought of her health. Guilt prevailed.

He didn't want to be the son who disobeyed his ailing mother, so he stopped and tried to soother her

instead. "Let's get you back to your room, Mom. I'll help you. Get some rest."

Avoiding the important and dwelling on the trivial worked on Melissa. Now that her son was assisting

her up to her suite and showing concern, she couldn't bring up Leila's name again. If she did, it would

look like she was deliberately and repeatedly putting Charles in a difficult position.

When they returned to Melissa's hotel room, Charles made a point of it to call Leila right in front of his

mother.

"Have you found a dress yet?" Charles asked as soon as Leila answered the call.

Leila, who was browsing through a rack of dresses, had not been expecting Charles' call. Not wanting

to make him wait, she instantly answered the call. However, she was carrying her bag and a couple of

dresses for fitting. It took her some time to get the phone up to her ear.

Since Charles had spoken the moment she picked it up, she didn't hear what he had asked. All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

"Charles, pardon?" Leila asked gently.

Charles glanced at Melissa. Although he was irritated, he continued to talk to Leila with the same

expression on his face and a mild tone of voice. "I asked if you've bought what you wanted to buy."

"Not yet. I'm still shopping. Did something happen? Is there something wrong with Aunt Melissa? I'll be

back right away." When Charles had asked about the dress, Leila had picked up the hint that he was

planning something, but she kept quiet about it. She asked about his mother instead.

"My mother is fine. Where are you? I'll pick you up, and I'll help you find a dress."

"I'm in the neighborhood, at a mall close to the hotel. I'll send you the address..."

As soon as Leila finished her sentence, Charles hung up the phone.

"Hello?" Leila said into the phone, stunned by the harshness of the busy signal.

She knew that calling Charles back was not an option. There was nothing she could do now but send

him the address and wait.

Melissa breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Charles had listened to her. Still, on some level,

she knew he didn't really want to spend time with Leila. "Charles," she said apologetically. "I didn't

mean to push you. I only feel sorry for Leila..."

"Mom, haven't I done what you wanted me to do? I'm going to help her find a dress," Charles

interrupted Melissa, not bothering to mask his impatience. He was clear on how badly he didn't want to

be with Leila, but what could he do now?

Melissa understood. She knew that Charles felt forced to do things and that he despised her for it. The

grudge he held against her was evident in his eyes. She was afraid that if she continued to speak, she

would push him even further.

"Okay. Fine. I'll stop. Just go. Don't keep Leila waiting for too long," Melissa responded with a hesitant

smile. She decided that it was the last thing she was going to say on the subject.

Keeping mum was not an easy thing to do. She cared deeply about Leila. Whenever she spoke to

Charles about her, she felt as though she was telling her son to take care of his wife.

"Take care of yourself. I'm going," Charles reminded Melissa. Then he made his way to the door and

eventually out of the hotel.

He was about to do what his mother wanted him to do, but spending time with Leila didn't mean he

accepted her in his life the way Melissa wanted him to. There were too many factors to consider,

Melissa's health being an important one. For now, no matter how much he hated the idea, he had to go

to Leila.

He didn't have to walk far. He was able to locate the address that Leila had sent quite quickly. When he

arrived, he immediately spotted Leila sitting by the mall's entrance. After sighing deeply, he walked on

over to her.

Leila was passing the time with a game on her phone and had her head lowered. Suddenly, everything

appeared dim as a shadow showed up in front of her. Irritated, she raised her head, only to see that it

was Charles. The displeasure that had been on her face was gone in an instant. She smiled at him.

"Charles," she said. "You came."