The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1407 Shirley, Don't Be Afraid!

Shirley squinted and then rubbed her bleary eyes. She looked up and blinked innocently at the woman who was calling her name. Anyone's heart would have at the sight of this cute and adorable little girl. 'Her voice sounds so familiar to me. I remember seeing her several times when I was in my home,' Shirley thought hard. Her head seemed to stop functioning as well as it used to and she wasn't sure of anything. No matter how hard she tried to recollect, her brain just couldn't react in a normal state.

After staring at the woman that looked kind and wore a welcoming, happy face when she looked at her, Shirley remembered that she was one of the family's servants. Then without any hesitation, she leaned her head forward and buried herself into the servant's arms. Shirley began to cry happy tears mixed with laughter, and her little arms held onto the servant tightly. Soon her happy tears became sad erratic ones, and she cried louder and louder, which began to draw the attention of many people.

The people passing by became startled by the child's sudden outburst of tears which touched them and made them feel sad for her. They could tell by the way she howled that she had suffered great trauma in her heart. Soon more and more people gathered curious to see what had happened to that little girl.

Feeling a little self-conscious by the gawking crowd, the servant patted Shirley's back and comforted her in a soft and gentle tone, "Shirley, it's okay. There is nothing to worry about anymore. You're home now. Don't cry. You are going to see your parents and brother. Do you want them to see your teary face?"

The servant's tender words had soothed Shirley's mind. Gradually, Shirley ceased to cry as she slowly loosened her grip on her arms. She kept sobbing, but the tears stopped welling up in her eyes. When she raised her head and stared into the servant's eyes, Shirley became a little bashful and quickly dropped her head again. The servant beamed and kissed the cute little girl on the forehead and said cheerfully, "Shirley, let's go inside. Let me hug you up and take you in." Even though Shirley wasn't her daughter, she had grown to love and care for the little girl. The servant also felt great despair and concern when she went missing. Now that Shirley had finally returned home, she couldn't feel happier for Charles and Sheryl.

As she smiled down at Shirley, she thought in her heart, 'The poor child must have suffered so much during these past several days. Thank God that this innocent little girl has returned home safely.' Shirley nodded her head with a shy little smile and unfolded her arms, ready to be picked up by the kind servant. When the servant bent down to pick her up, she was shocked to replace how light she was. She secretly sighed. 'My poor little girl. These days have taken a terrible toll on you. I have to make plenty of nutritious meals for you every day so you can get your health and strength back as soon as possible.' With an unhappy frown on her face, the older woman entered the house holding Shirley protectively in her arms.

The servant carried Shirley into her familiar bedroom and gently put her down. Meanwhile, Charles had already arrived. On his way driving home, he had called the family doctor to head to Dream Garden quickly. His tone made the doctor feel anxious, and he promptly gathered all of his medical equipment before he headed out.

Charles was overwhelmed with joy when he heard that Shirley was coming back. However, he was also afraid that his daughter might have suffered at the hands of the kidnappers. To make sure that Shirley was physically unharmed, he insisted on an immediate and thorough medical examination by the doctor.

The moment Charles rushed into Dream Garden, many of the servants approached to tell him the good news. One of the women beamed and said, "Mr. Lu, Shirley is resting in her bedroom. She has been through a lot."

Charles nodded his head. Though the servant's face seemed positive, he could read the concern in her eyes. Charles anxiously raced toward his daughter's room.

As he neared Shirley's bedroom, he still couldn't believe that his daughter was finally home. Ever since her disappearance, Charles had been left with a large part of his heart missing. It affected not only his work efficiency but also the relationship with his wife. However, now, his confidence had been restored, and his spirit was reborn. All he wanted to do was see his daughter as soon as possible.

After trying to replace his daughter for such a long time, he had become disheartened, and now that Shirley was back, he was nearly afraid to believe it in case it wasn't true. Before he entered her room, he stopped and wondered, 'Shirley's back! It's not a dream. She really is back!' The feelings of blessings and misfortune had mixed together. The sudden happy ending of the kidnapping caused him to think that there might be some bad news waiting for him.

A sting of remorse and guilt rose inside his heart, as it had done so many times lately. Charles failed to protect his daughter from danger, and he felt unworthy of being a father.

The guilt that he felt in his heart had nearly paralyzed him. 'I'm so grateful to God for her return. As long as Shirley has come back safely, there is nothing more that I shall ever pray for.' After slipping his shoes off, he gently pushed the door open and entered the room. He gazed upon his sweet daughter, sleeping like an angel, and almost held his breath not to wake her. Before Charles went inside, Shirley had instinctively sprung up in her bed. When she saw her father, both their eyes became red and teary.

Shirley was still getting used to accepting the familiar surroundings and was overwhelmed with emotions when she saw her father. She couldn't help but burst into tears. Charles' heart broke into a thousand pieces when he saw his sweet little girl in so much pain and distress. He could see the fear in her eyes. Without waiting for her father to approach, she kicked off the quilt and threw herself into her father's arms and buried her little head in his broad chest.

She leaned against her father and hugged him with all of her strength. Her whimpering penetrated through his skin and touched his heart spreading throughout his whole body. Charles was so overcome with mixed emotions that he felt himself tremble. He held his little girl tightly to him and closed his eyes. He was filled with joy and excitement.

"Daddy, I've missed you so much, as well as Mommy and Clark," Shirley said through sobs.

"We have missed you too. Your mother and I worried about you every day and night. We never stopped looking for you..."

Charles said in a choked-up voice. He heaved a deep breath to calm himself down, and he was too emotional to speak normally. He felt so much love for his daughter at this moment. The thought of everything that Shirley had to suffer and endure formed a painful lump in his throat.

Charles held his daughter at arm's length to look her over from head to toe. When he saw her thin shoulder blades, his eyebrows creased into a deep frown. Rage filled his soul as he thought, 'How ruthless and callous the kidnapper is! Leila, I want you to stand before me and explain how you could have done something so low. How could you lay your hands on an innocent little girl?'

Shirley seemed exhausted and out of breath after she had cried and cried on her father's chest. The tears flowed down her pale cheeks, and she kept sobbing. Her eyes looked bleary with lack of spirit. She was weak and not her bubbly self at all.

She used to have plump rosy pink cheeks just like any other young, healthy child. However, when Charles looked at her little face now, his heart ached so much.

"Dad, I was so scared. I was scared that I might never have the chance to see you and Mommy again." Her feeble body started to shake, as she spilled out the horror that lay in her heart. In the back of her mind, the messy, dirty cabin where she was forced to stay and wait for her parents to rescue her, flashed back again. Although she was out of danger now, she still huddled in the safety of her father's warm chest, her trauma and ordeal still haunted her and made her panic.

Charles didn't know how to respond to his daughter's miserable account of what happened. To comfort her, he tightened his grip on her to dispel the panic in her mind. Shirley's words sent a chill up his spine, and Charles' grip around his daughter also comforted him to know that she was safely in his arms now.

"Shirley, don't be afraid! No one will dare hurt you! Because your mommy and I won't allow the same thing to happen again! We won't let you out of our sight again!" Charles promised as he stressed each word.

The kidnapping had almost broken Shirley, but it almost destroyed Charles as well. However, as a husband and father, he had to endure whatever happened or would happen to his family. With a determined look he swore inwardly, 'My dearest Shirley, I swear to you that from now on I won't allow anyone to harm a single hair on your head!'

Before the kidnapping, Shirley used to be a happy child full of life who had a smile for everyone. However, the trauma in her heart had left her fearful and trembling.

Charles only had contempt and resentment in his heart for the one who caused his daughter to suffer so much. He cursed, 'Leila, you are the one who did this to my daughter! You have left irreparable damage in my daughter's heart! You will pay dearly for what you have done soon!'

His eyes were ablaze with anger, and his sad face turned into a gloomy one.

The doctor had arrived shortly afterward with his medical bag to Dream Garden, and a servant quickly showed him the way to Shirley's room.

"Oh, Doctor, please! My daughter has been through a terrible ordeal, and I'm worried about her physical condition. Please check her health." Once Charles saw the doctor, he was eager to let Shirley have a full medical examination. He was afraid that Shirley might have been physically hurt when he was not around to protect her.