The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1266 Insulated Lunchbox And Eavesdropping

Despite everything that had happened, Sheryl still did not want to give up. She was determined to visit Charles' mother in the hope of moving her heart even just the tiniest bit. Even though she was aware that the chances of Melissa putting aside her hatred towards her was slim, she was still convinced to give it a shot. Otherwise, if she chose to give up, then it would already be impossible for her to live a happy life with her husband and their children. That was one reason. The other was because she wanted Charles to know that she was sincerely and truly cared and worried about Melissa's well-being.

With an insulated lunch box in hand, Sheryl walked past the people and nurses in the corridor of the hospital.

As she was about to turn the corner of the corridor, familiar voices had reached her ears.

She stopped in her tracks as soon as she recognized the speakers and listened.

Sheryl glanced and sure enough, she was right about the two people standing in the hallway.

Leila gave Charles a coy look, and in a sweet voice, she said, "Mr. Lu, it is my deepest gratitude that you paid for my medical expenses and even hired a nursing assistant to take care of me. I really appreciate your help, but I don't know how to repay your kindness."

Without any expression on his face, Charles replied flatly, "I just did what I had to do. After all, you fainted in my premises. I should be responsible for your accident. Anyway, how are you feeling?"

Charles looked at her, devoid of any facial expression. As a matter of fact, he just inquired about her condition out of courtesy. However, for Leila, she interpreted this gesture differently. She thought that what Charles had said was the sweetest words she had ever heard.

"I'm okay now, thanks to you. The nursing assistant you hired also does her job very well, and oh, she often speaks well of you as well." After saying these words, Leila pretended to be shy and lowered her head.

Any man who saw a beautiful girl like Leila acting this way would surely be attracted and drawn to her.

Then again, Charles wasn't just any man. He was an exception. In a casual tone, he asked, "What did she say?"

"Well, she said you were filial and responsible, and she also said..." And there she paused in purpose to give way for the dramatic effect. She cast him a quick glance and looked down at her feet before she continued, "She said you were really nice to me, and that I was lucky to meet you."

It was clear that those words were not from the nursing assistant but from Leila. That way, she could confess her feelings for Charles.

Even then, Charles was keen. He saw through her mind immediately, but he let it go and decided not to dwell on it too much. After all, he wasn't interested in Leila. He glanced at the door of the ward from behind and said, "I will figure this case out. If it was Sheryl's and Nancy's doing, I will not cover up for them, but I have a request. I hope you will not involve the police in this."

"Of course, of course. I will not call the police if you think it is best not to involve them," Leila promised. "Besides, I figured that Sheryl probably didn't mean for this to happen. I have thought about it a lot after I got poisoned. Now I am already out of danger and recovering fast, so I really just want to let it go."

After Charles heard that, his expression still didn't change. He gave her a momentary look before he said without any emotion at all, "You should go back to your ward and have some rest. I need to go check on my mother."

Leila's eyes lit up as she responded, "Oh, well, a while ago, I came over to see Auntie but found her sleeping. Perhaps, she has woken up now. If you don't mind, I'd like to join you and see how she is doing." Charles just gave her another glance and turned towards the direction of his mother's ward.

Since Charles didn't stop her, Leila smiled and was delighted deep inside. In a hurry, she followed him into the room.

As soon as the two got inside the ward, Sheryl finally walked out of her hiding place. Her eyes fell on the door of Melissa's room and she wondered if she should still enter.

After pondering it for a moment, she stepped forward and stopped just outside the ward. Since the room wasn't soundproof, she could hear the conversation inside. Inside the ward, Melissa carefully sat up on the bed as soon as she saw Charles coming in.

Charles greeted her, followed by Leila who walked forward from behind. With a beaming smile, she greeted, "Hello, Auntie. I came by to see you earlier today, but you were still asleep. How are you feeling?" Melissa felt slightly glum before her visitors came, but the moment she caught sight of Leila, her eyes immediately lit up in joy, and her face broke into a bright smile. She reached out her hands and replied, "Oh, I'm fine. How about you, Leila? Are you all right?"

Leila perched on the edge of the bed and hurriedly took hold of Melissa's hand as well. The two looked like they could pass for mother and daughter.

"Auntie, I'm good now, and I'm recovering fast. I just had a little stomachache, so don't worry too much about me. Besides, if Mr. Lu hadn't gotten me a nursing assistant, I might not have been able to recover in such a short time. He is my benefactor. You raised him well, Auntie," Leila replied. She wanted not only to briefly share her current health condition, but she also wanted to praise Charles and make Melissa feel good as well.

Melissa smiled at Charles and back at Leila. "Well, I have to admit that my son is a responsible and sensible man. Besides, you are friends with me, and you often talk to me and take care of me. Since you had the accident at my house, he should take care of you, or I will definitely not spare him. No exceptions even if he is my son."

Charles just stood aside and watched the two chat silently, still not showing any expression on his face.

As for Sheryl, as soon as she heard this, she had a hunch that Melissa was going to start to speak ill of her. When she was about to push the door open, Melissa's voice reached her ears and froze her from doing so.

"Oh, Leila, if it wasn't for this accident, I wouldn't have found out about Sheryl's true colors," Melissa said with a deep sigh. "Although she is my daughter-in-law, I have never seen her do her duty. I invited you over for a visit, and yet, look what she had done. She did such a horrible thing to you. She gave you the cold shoulder and even poisoned you, making you suffer so much. What a horrible woman!" Hearing these words made Charles' eyebrows furrow into a frown. Before Melissa could say anything more, Charles interjected, "Mom, there is no evidence that Sheryl did this. Please, stop jumping into conclusions."

'Why does he always defend that woman?' Leila thought to herself and whined. She was upset deep inside. However, the look on her face did not betray her. She turned to Melissa and followed, "Mr. Lu is right Auntie. Please don't blame Sheryl. Perhaps, it was just a coincidence, and Sheryl didn't mean to hurt me..."

"What are you talking about? She clearly did it on purpose! She wanted you gone! She even wanted me dead! I was just talking to her in the staircase, and when I said something that upset her, she gave me a push and sent me falling down the stairs. She is such an evil woman. And it's so unfair! Why do I have to live such a tough life? I was separated with my son for fifteen years, and while I was gone, he married such an evil woman. Oh, Charles, if you don't divorce her and kick her out of our family, I'm telling you, I don't want to live any longer." Melissa then buried her face in her hands and started to break out crying. She wiped off her tears as she whined.

Hearing the hostility of Melissa towards Sheryl made Leila happy inside, but she knew she had to put on a fake worried look on her face. She immediately grabbed the tissue on the bedside table and helped wiped the tears off Melissa's face. She comforted her and persuaded her to calm down.

Without attempting to move beside her mother to console her, Charles just stood frozen still, his face dimming with anger and frustration. His fists started to clench, making his veins pop under his skin. Ever since Melissa woke up, she wouldn't stop urging Charles to leave Sheryl and send her away from their house almost every day since.

Charles had made great efforts to defend and stand up for Sheryl at first, but each time he started to speak in his wife's favor, Melissa would get emotional and break into tears. It even came to the point where she hit her head against the wall, freaking him out entirely. At this point, he was stuck in a fork road, and for the first time, he didn't know what to do.