The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1388 I Saw Him

At a loss for words, Charles didn't know what to make of the fact that Sheryl had different nurses checking up on her every day. Although they didn't give him the slightest hint that they were gossiping about him, somehow he still felt uncomfortable.

Sheryl teased Charles, just to relieve her sheer boredom, "See, here comes another member of your fan club."

Amused, Charles chuckled and pinched Sheryl's nose. "You know, I love you the most."

Charles spent the last few days at the hospital taking care of Sheryl, putting aside his work. In the meantime, he had hired some people to keep looking for Shirley. Before long he came to learn from his subordinates that Leila had framed Jim and sent him to prison.

This knowledge only helped to fuel Charles' frustrations. He was annoyed at Leila for making a mess of his plans because if it weren't for her, Shirley would be back home by now.

Jim was the only person who knew where Shirley was. Now that he was in prison, Charles had to make different arrangements. He had to call in favors from his friends in high places to help him contact Jim. Sheryl wasn't the only one worried about Shirley. In fact, Charles was just as overwrought as she was.

At the Dream Garden

Leila was utterly exhausted and the consequences of her actions had caught up with her. It was as if she had jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. Not only did she fail to replace Shirley, she was also the reason why Sheryl was in the hospital.

Charles had put her under house-arrest, preventing her from going anywhere without his permission which made her want to pull her hair out.

After all, she couldn't just stay at home and do nothing. Shirley was still out there and she needed to replace her as soon as possible. There was no room for excuses.

After much deliberation, Leila finally concocted another plan. However, since she wasn't allowed to leave the house, she would have to ask for someone's help.

Quickly grabbing her cellphone from the bedside table, she called a number without hesitation.

"Hi, Benjamin. It's Leila. Do you have any updates about the missing girl?"

"Sorry, I've got nothing right now. The locations you texted me are very remote and scattered. Finding a missing girl in places like that is like replaceing a needle in a haystack. It will probably take me a few more days. But rest assured, I am working on it as we speak." Benjamin had been tirelessly working against the clock to replace Shirley and it drained him, both mentally and physically.

"I know you are doing your best to help me, Benjamin. I really appreciate it. But my relatives and I are very worried about the child. What if I double your reward? Could you please try harder?" Leila urged him politely.

"Fine, I will try harder. But remember to keep your word when I replace the child." Benjamin agreed to Leila's new and improved offer immediately.

"It's settled then. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Please replace her as soon as possible."

In truth, if Benjamin had actually put in the work to replace Shirley, the chances of him replaceing her by now would be a lot higher. However, since he and Leila weren't that close, Benjamin didn't really put in a lot of effort to replace Shirley.

But now, with the new offer, Benjamin became more serious.

He found the picture of the missing child Leila sent to him last time and printed it to pass it around the neighborhood. Day or night, he drove to the three locations without complaining.

Leila breathed a sigh of relief since Benjamin was finally getting serious about replaceing Shirley. The old proverb-"Money makes the mare go"-couldn't be truer. Benjamin would probably deceive her if she hadn't made him a new offer.

Suffice it to say, Leila was upset. After all, she could have used that money to buy a few handbags.

Ever since Cassie found out that Nick had updated his Moments, she became obsessed with the Internet and kept checking his posts. At work, Cassie would frequently check her phone from time to time. When she had come back home at night from work, she would do nothing but lurk his Moments.

However, Nick hadn't updated his status since that night.

Cassie felt upset and yet secure at the same time. She felt upset because she could no longer know how he was doing. She felt secure because she took comfort in assuming that Nick didn't have any female friends apart from her as he hadn't posted any pictures.

However, Cassie felt terribly frustrated for not being able to express her thoughts and feelings freely.

Cora could sense that Cassie was upset, so she invited Cassie to watch a movie with her after work. Since Cassie didn't have any plans other than going back to her lonely house, she agreed to Cora's proposal.

They bought tickets for The Island and got two bags of popcorn for free because their tickets were season tickets. They walked into the cinema, each holding a bag of popcorn hoping to replace good seats. Fortunately, they were just in time as the movie had started as soon as they sat down.

Cora was completely absorbed in the movie but Cassie felt distracted and restless.

Sitting next to Cassie was a lovely couple. From what she could gather, they were very sweet. They sat very close to each other, feeding each other popcorn and coke, which made Cassie jealous. "Cassie, what's wrong? This is a good movie. Aren't you having a good time?" Cora asked Cassie.

Cassie shook her head and lowered her voice saying, "I need to go to the bathroom. Be right back." Cora casually nodded her head and made space for Cassie to leave, replaceing nothing suspicious. Cassie badly needed a breath of fresh air outside the cinema.

The couple sitting next to her made her sick.

In truth, Cassie was just envious of their loving relationship. No matter how different their backgrounds were or whether they were good looking or not, as long as two people loved each other and cared for each other, it was the happiest relationship in the world.

Wallowing in self-pity, Cassie couldn't help but sigh in exasperation as she thought about her current situation. Feeling upset, she decided to go to the bathroom to fix up her make-up and that was when she saw him.

Was it Nick?

It was Nick!

The moment Cassie turned around and lifted her head, she saw him walk to a corner.

Cassie felt her heartbeat quicken, and without thinking too much, she ran to him.