The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1194 Worry

"Oh, really? Are you serious about that? Aren't you afraid that I'll tell Aron?"

Isla's reaction amused Sheryl; the former looked like a teenage girl who just hit puberty. 'She looks funnier than that bashful nurse, ' Sheryl thought.

"He won't get jealous. Go ahead and tell him if you want," Isla responded.

"How about Nick? What if you embarrass him?" Sheryl asked her, as she caught a glimpse of the patient lying in the bed.

Realizing that Nick heard their conversation, Isla grinned. "Don't take it too seriously, Nick. It was just a joke," she explained.

Without realizing it, she called the young lad "Nick" instead of "Mr. Ge." Clearly, she already saw him as a friend.

As introverted as Nick was, he didn't feel awkward after hearing Isla's joking remark. With a friendly expression, he responded, "Thank you for being so good to me, Isla."

A bright smile grew across his face, making him look more enchanting.

His acknowledgment pleased her. Eyes full of adoration, she gazed at the patient and beamed, "Don't worry about anything, Nick. Stay here and rest. Sher and I will help you out."

Merry laughter and conversation filled the ward until the night fell quietly. Considering that Nick wasn't able to take care of himself, Isla proposed that she or Sheryl should stay to watch him in the evening, but the man firmly turned down the offer.

While they argued over it, the nurse entered the ward to check on Nick's condition. As she happened upon their argument, she volunteered to keep close watch over him since she was on duty that night; she even handed him her phone number and asked him to call her if there was anything he needed.

Since the nurse treated him so well, Nick didn't refuse her help. It was eight in the evening when Isla and Sheryl left the ward without any more worries.

"You need to treat me to a meal," Sheryl demanded as she abruptly grabbed Isla's arm. To look after Nick, she had skipped lunch and supper, but she didn't feel the hunger until after she stepped out of the hospital.

However, she didn't want to go home for dinner. She even started to dread of going home. It was bad enough that she might not see Charles when she got home. What made it worse, Melissa would be there to talk her down.

It was no wonder that Sheryl was miserable in that house.

If it weren't for Clark and Shirley, she might have failed to make it through these days.

"Are you kidding me, Sheryl? Why do I have to treat you? You insisted on dropping by Lansh Technology. It's your fault we got caught up in so much," Isla snapped back, with arms folded across her chest. "Seriously? This is all my fault? I didn't make us stay there for so long after he finished the operation. You stared at that guy like you were obsessed-you're the one who didn't want to leave. If it weren't for you we would have already had dinner," Sheryl argued.

"I'm not obsessed with him," she denied. "I just couldn't leave him alone..."

"Oh, please. Don't kid yourself. We both know what you were doing, so stop arguing with me. You owe me. Whether you like it or not, you're treating me to dinner," Sheryl persisted eloquently. 'I've waited long enough. Finally, I got a chance to have her treat me to a meal.

I'll make sure to have a fancy one,' she planned in her head.

"Fine, fine. You win." Isla gave in. Anyway, she was starving too. 'Well, it's not a big deal. I can treat her if she insists,' she thought.

Although the two bickered, none of them really cared who would pay for the meal.

They were best friends, after all.

"So what do you wish to eat, Ms. Xia?" inquired Isla teasingly. Grinning at Sheryl, she gushed, "Last night, Aron gave me an allowance so you can eat whatever you want."

"Oh wow, is that so? He's so nice to you," exclaimed Sheryl, pretending to look surprised. Isla couldn't help but snap, "Of course, it is. Otherwise, how would I have money to treat you to a meal? I'm penniless because my salary's too low!"

Isla feigned her whining while Sheryl feigned feeling distraught.

"I can't believe what I just heard! Are you complaining that you have a low salary? Don't you know your pay is second only to mine? You reminded me. Perhaps Cloud Advertising Company doesn't make much profit. Suddenly, I feel like I'm a poor boss. What should I do now? Shouldn't you take responsibility and treat me to meals for the next month to comfort your supervisor?"

Sheryl rested her head on Isla's shoulder.

"What are you doing, Sheryl? We're out on the street. People are watching us. You're embarrassing me. They might think that I bullied you," Isla returned as she pushed Sheryl away.

"So what? I feel terrible. Give me a hug," retorted Sheryl coquettishly, acting like a wayward child. Pedestrians walking by the two women cast them confused glances, but Sheryl remained unmindful of their

stares.

With a sigh and a resigned look at her confidant, Isla yielded. "You got me."

Eventually, she reached out her hands and gave Sheryl a big but momentary hug. To avoid causing another scene, she let her go after a second. Still, Sheryl seemed content with her little victory. "You're the best, Isla."

Sheryl spoke softly, overcome with bitterness, Since she was a rather good actress, Isla couldn't tell that she was really upset. "Let's go. You're way too sentimental today. I can't take it," Isla urged. Sheryl's behavior was a mystery to Isla and the former had no intention of telling her friend what was going on with her. Shaking off her negative feelings, Sheryl finally said, "Let's go to a western restaurant. I want to eat steak."

"Okay, okay. Let's get going," agreed Isla instantly.

After the two enjoyed full meals, Sheryl bade Isla farewell and drove to Dream Garden. It was nearly midnight when she arrived. Charles had called her several times before she reached the house, but she couldn't take the calls because her phone was dead the whole evening.

The kids were asleep in their room and Melissa wasn't in the living room. It was the first time since Melissa's return that Sheryl found it so quiet in the house.

Soon after, Charles arrived as well, relieved to see Sheryl back at home. With a frown, he said, "You're finally back, Sher. Where have you been?"

'He's in his casual business suit. Did he just arrive home? Or is he going somewhere this late?' wondered Sheryl. Without sparing him another glance, she headed upstairs; the house was so quiet that only her heavy footsteps could be heard. When she was halfway up the stairs, she paused and coldly answered Charles, "I had dinner with Isla."

"Why didn't you tell me? I was so worried about you that I went out to look for you. I even went to your office but you weren't there," he continued. Instead of the reproach Sheryl was expecting from his tone, it was laced with evident concern.

'He went out to look for me?' she thought to herself.