The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1406 Shirley Was Sent Back

"But I don't know, Sheryl." Cassie hesitated. She was still worrying about what she would do if Nick decided to ignore her when they met.

"Listen to me, Cassie. You need to let it go. Doubt is the last thing a couple needs between them," Sheryl persuaded her while patting on the back of her hands with an understanding smile. "As the old saying goes, the quarrels between a husband and a wife are not supposed to last overnight. And, couples must be honest with each other. You and Nick are at a sensitive stage in your relationship, and if you don't take the initiative to step forward, I'm afraid that it will be harder later. Please take some time to think about what I just said!"

Cassie felt better, and it was obvious that she had taken in Sheryl's words.

"I know, Sher, and I'll try my best. Please don't worry about me. You need to start worrying about yourself now,"

she said, nodding her head repeatedly.

"Okay, okay! Think about what you're going to say to Nick tomorrow. I believe you two will be able to set aside your differences if you just have a reasonable conversation. Nick is a simple man, and he has never had a formal relationship before. Just be nice to him!" Sheryl added in a teasing way as if Cassie had picked up a great bargain.

"Please don't make fun of me!"

Cassie gasped and her face turned red.

Sheryl then thoughtfully changed the topic of discussion. After all, she didn't want to stick her nose into their personal affairs, at least not long enough so that things would become awkward. Cassie's smile aroused Sheryl's appetite and before long she polished off all the food Cassie had brought.

After dinner, Cassie collected the tableware and went home while Sheryl decided to take a walk in the garden after seeing her off. She felt like she needed to walk off the copious amounts of food she had consumed over dinner.

Just after she took a few steps in the garden, Sheryl's phone started ringing.

It was Charles calling!

As soon as she answered it, she heard his hasty voice even before she placed it over her ear, "I'm so sorry for missing out on dinner, Sher. I should have called you earlier. Mom said she had a stomachache late in the afternoon, so I had to take her to visit the doctor. I would have informed you earlier had I not been rushing. Again, I'm very sorry!"

"It's okay. I've already had dinner," Sheryl replied, trying to sound as though it wasn't a big deal, "How's Mom doing now?"

"She's feeling better after taking the pills the doctor prescribed. Where did you have dinner? I know that you're not a big fan of hospital food. Perhaps I can bring you something delicious now." Charles sounded concerned.

"No, actually I'm just out on a walk in the garden now. Cassie brought me dinner this evening and it was so delicious I couldn't help myself. I am stuffed. Just stay home and look after your mother tonight. Don't worry about me," she added.

"Okay, I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed dinner. I'll see you later then. Please take care, okay? Goodnight," said Charlie.

"Good night!" Sheryl said before hanging up.

A hint of concern overshadowed her face.

Her instincts told her that there was something wrong about Melissa. The timing of her stomachache did not sound like a mere coincidence. However, she didn't linger on the negative thoughts too long. She laughed her worries away, hoping that she was wrong about Melissa.

Suffice it to say, Sheryl had mixed feelings about Melissa. Although Melissa had always had a problem with her, Sheryl made countless efforts to get along with her since she was her mother-in-law. Since Melissa was Charles' mother, taking his feelings into consideration, Sheryl always made sure to be respectful to her.

However, this time was going to be different as Sheryl no longer could replace it in herself to forgive Melissa after what had happened. She was quite certain that Melissa and Leila had played a big role in her daughter's disappearance.

However, she couldn't prove any of it. She got no concrete evidence to support her claims, so she decided to wait until the opportunity had presented itself to her. A mother's instinct would kick in under dire circumstances and hers was telling her that Melissa was involved.

In truth, Melissa's lack of patience had given her away. Melissa picked holes in everything Sheryl did and she had no intention of giving up even though she was bed-ridden in the hospital. She made a scene the other day, and today, it was most likely that she came up with a fake story to keep Charles from visiting Sheryl.

However, Melissa was completely mistaken to think that her desperate ploy to keep Charles from seeing Sheryl would anger her. It only helped to expose herself to more ridicule. As a mother, she should have also figured out that Sheryl would not give the time of day worrying about other matters when her daughter was still missing, even her own husband.

If it meant that Shirley could be back in her arms safe and sound, Sheryl would rather not see Charles for a couple of days. Not to mention, the fact that Charles was on the same page with her concerning their child.

A contemptuous sneer escape Sheryl's mouth at the thought of her naive mother-in-law. The fact that Melissa believed she could create a distance between Charles and Sheryl so easily was laughable to Sheryl.

Now that Sheryl had the advantage on Leila, who had promised to reunite Shirley with her as soon as possible, she could afford to patiently wait and see how Melissa's plan would pan out for her. Sheryl could give Leila a break by not pursuing her reasoning behind taking Shirley away in the first place, but that didn't mean that she would willingly overlook another attack from Leila. Especially, not when it came to her children.

Now, it was all just a waiting game for Sheryl. Every time she thought of her dear daughter, her heart would cry in pain. She kept thinking of what her daughter must be going through now and the desperation swallowed her from within.

Tears welled up in her eyes again, and she couldn't remember how many times she had cried in the past few days.

'Honey, Mommy is coming to get you soon. Mommy has found a way. You'll be back home in no time. And I promise you that you will never be taken away from Mommy again. Please be strong, my love!' she prayed.

The next day, the sun rose like a flower opening, gifting its petals unto the world. Sunlight filled the sky, pure scattered light; its hue ambitiously illuminated each crevice of Dream Garden bringing a fresh new start to everyone's day.

It did so for all the people of the Lu family as well.

Lying on a bench, just a few meters away from the Lu family's house, was a little girl, sleeping soundly. Her long eyelashes and dark black hair covering her face, glowed under the morning sun. Viewed from a distance, she looked more like an angel who had secretly slipped into earth just for fun and couldn't replace her way back to heaven.

This little girl was none other than Shirley. Benjamin had brought her back before the dawn, and left her here on this bench not too far from the Lu family's house. He had also arranged for someone to spy on her from a distance until someone from the family found her.

Some of the servants in the Lu family had been carrying out their usual morning chores and duties respectively, while the others in charge of going to the markets had set out to different destinations. They had been working with extra vigilance since it had been a very difficult year, as calamity befell the Lu family, one after another. First, the mysterious disappearance of the family daughter, and then, the unsuspecting attack on the hostess which confined her to the hospital under the doctor's care. They paid double attention while working, muffled their footsteps and lowered their voice, so as not to get into trouble. One of the female servants stepped out of the house as she did every day. She casually strolled along on her way to the vegetable market, and this was the most relaxing time for her day. But today, what she saw left her frozen on the spot, eyes opened as wide as two saucers and mouth gaped open so wide that she would have to pick her jaw up from the floor.

She curiously walked towards the bench with an expression of disbelief hanging from her face. As she stopped and bent down in front of the girl lying on the bench, she pushed the hair away from the little girl's face to take a good look.

The shock she received rendered her motionless for a while. Finding it difficult to contain herself, she put her hand inside her pocket and took out her phone, hands trembling with excitement. She was absolutely certain that the little girl sleeping in front of her was Shirley as she had seen her playing in the courtyard on more than one occasion.

She was over the moon to see that the daughter of the Lu family had come back safe and sound, while feeling proud that it was her who spotted her before anyone else. She knew that the Lu family would be ecstatic to hear this news.

Quickly putting her bag aside, she called Charles' number.

"Hello? Is this Mr. Lu speaking? You might not know me. I'm just a servant from the kitchen. I have found Shirley! She's sleeping on the bench just left of our gate!" Charles was barely able to process her half- excited, half-shocked rambling over the phone.

"What are you talking about? Shirley's back? Okay, just stay where you are and keep your eyes on her. I'll be right over!" Charles' voice couldn't hide his excitement. He was at the office dealing with some urgent business when this news came in and shocked him. He didn't know what to make of it as it seemed too good to be true, so he couldn't afford to deal with another disappointment.

"Okay, sir! I am absolutely certain it is her!" The servant assured him, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.

Charles put his finger in his mouth, and bit it hard. The pain was an indication that it was not another sweet dream, which he had been seeing every night since Shirley was kidnapped. He rushed out of his office to the parking lot, found his car and drove home at top speed.

"Wake up, Shirley! You're home!" the servant whispered into Shirley's ear after she hung up. She wanted to wake the little girl up and bring her inside.

All kids needed their sleep, especially in the mornings.

It took a while before Shirley opened her eyes. She looked around and found herself in a familiar place. Her blank expression mirrored her thoughts, as she wondered how she had managed to close her eyes somewhere else and end up at her home when she opened them.