The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1481 Forgiveness

Soon after adjusting her mood, Cassie got used to her colleagues' curiosity. Although it was an unspoken thing, she didn't realize that she had already forgotten about all the difficult times between her and Nick -she was actually enjoying his company, even though she refused to tell him so.

When they got to her office, Cassie walked inside without casting Nick a glance, as if she thought she was alone.

"Wait, Cassie!" Nick shouted from behind her.

Stopping to turn around, she looked him in the eye and waited for him to continue expectantly.

Meanwhile, Nick looked at her with eager.

Knowing that her indifference was something of his fault, he didn't care about her current attitude. He knew it would take time for him to bridge the gap between them.

"I asked Sheryl and Isla to dinner after work."

After some hesitation, he continued to ask, "Will you come with us?"

"I don't know. I'll tell you later." Although she had already decided to forgive him, she didn't agree to his invitation immediately.

With that, she gave him a nod of dismissal and continued her way to the office. The moment she saw Nick in Isla's ward, she felt like she was stuck in a dream. The change in Nick, whether it was what he said to her or what he did just then, still left her in a kind of shock.

To her, they were over, regardless of her inability to move on-she still shed tears before falling asleep, night after night. For a time, she believed that it was an already irreversible truth. But when Nick told her that he felt the same way, it was too much to process.

Emotions welled up inside her and she could feel herself choking up on tears. If she wasn't at work, she would burst into tears of happiness. It took her several deep breaths to calm down.

Meanwhile, Nick stood by the door and watched as she entered the office.

After a long moment of watching Cassie, he returned to Isla's ward. Seeing that the doctor was inside, he decided to wait.

After a thorough checkup, the doctor said to Isla with a smile, "Congratulations, Ms. Zhao. You're recovering well. You can be discharged this afternoon."

The news made her beam. "Thank you so much, Doctor. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have recovered so quickly!"

"Well, you still have to pay attention to your diet. Don't eat anything too cold or spicy, especially the extremely spicy food. It could give you another stomachache. Do keep that in mind!" the doctor advised sternly.

With a nod, she replied, "I know, I know. I'll do that. And thank you for all your help, Doctor."

Smiling at her receptiveness, the doctor left satisfied.

The moment he left, Sheryl poked her forehead and teased, "I don't believe a single word you promised. I bet you'll go for spicy food the minute you get out of here. Am I right?"

"You know me. I can't live without spicy food. I'd rather die than stop eating what I love. What's the point of having a stomach otherwise?" she explained playfully. The joke made Sheryl want to shake her into remembering what she had suffered the other night.

Still, Sheryl merely let out a sigh. "Seriously, you need to take care of your stomach. It's not a joking matter if your stomach acts up again. You might even have to get surgery."

Sticking her tongue out at Sheryl, Isla acted like a child disobeying her mother. Just then, Nick entered the ward, having heard what the doctor said. "You'd better listen to the doctor, Isla. Nothing is more important than your own health. Sheryl and I will keep an eye on you."

The warning made Isla pout her lips. "Fine, fine. You two are on the same team!"

"Alright, alright! My bad! How about having dinner with me tonight?" Nick apologized with a smile, looking up at both of them expectantly.

Her eyes lighting up, Isla blurted out, "Okay, we're going to eat hot pot!"

"Hot pot? Are you insane? The doctor won't discharge you if he hears you talking like that!" Sheryl shouted, staring at her as if it would diminish the idea in her head.

"Come on! Just wish me all the best so I'll never have to come back here again!" Isla complained, rolling her eyes at her best friend.

"Okay, here's my suggestion-we can have hot pot, two-flavored one. Isla won't be allowed to eat anything spicy, okay?" Nick hurriedly interrupted.

"Okay, that sounds good. I'll be watching you!" Even with the warning, Sheryl caved in and cracked a smile at Isla, trying to look threatening.

Although she looked at them pitifully, Isla knew she wouldn't be able to put in a word. If she did, Sheryl would cancel the dinner entirely.

As they reached an agreement, Nick bid them goodbye and went back to work.

After talking with Isla for a while and chastising her for disobeying the doctor's advice, Sheryl eventually left for work as well.

When she arrived at the office, a call came in for her.

It was Charles.

"Hey, what's up?" she asked the moment she answered. It was unusual for him to call at that time he didn't mention anything when they left the house in the morning.

"How about having lunch together?" Charles' voice was gently and clear over the phone. It seemed as though he was picking his words very carefully.

Biting her lips, Sheryl hesitated for a moment. She already knew what he was up to. He must've been planning to talk about the incident from last night and ask a favor for his mother. In her heart, Sheryl heaved a deep sigh. The couple needed time to calm down and think things over, Charles most especially. Sheryl had already made herself quite clear last night. Although she didn't care if his mother never accepted her, she couldn't let go of her doing anything to harm the kids. They were much too young to go through such things and that was where she crossed the line.

"I'm sorry, but I have a work lunch.

Maybe next time," she said, sounding as normal as she could

On the other end of the line, Charles went silent for a moment, trying to tell whether or not something was off.

If she truly had an appointment, it wouldn't be a problem. But if she was refusing to have lunch with him because of his mother, that was another issue entirely. It meant that she wasn't intending to forgive his mother. Since they knew each other well, Sheryl must've known what he was really thinking.

Suddenly, Sheryl broke the silence. "Do you need anything else? I have to go now. They're waiting for me in a meeting."

Although he knew that he couldn't change her mind, he didn't want to give up too easily. "Then, how about dinner? How about we take the kids out tonight? I know a fancy place that the kids would love." Still, Sheryl refused. "Dinner won't do, either. Nick asked Isla and me out to eat hot pot this evening. Sorry, but that's it. Please head home earlier and take care of the kids for me!"

Unable to voice his misgivings, Charles simply replied, "Okay, please take care. See you later."

"You too. I should go now," she replied briskly.

"I love you," Charles added.

But as he said it, he could hear the soft beeps on the other end of the line-he wasn't used to this Sheryl.

For as long as he could remember, she always let him hang up first. Now, it was clear that she was still upset about what happened the previous night.

Something had to be done. He needed to replace a way to get Sheryl to move on soon.

But on the other hand, he understood that it was a busy time for her company and that she had a lot to deal with at the moment.

After some pondering, Charles believed that Sheryl was burying herself in her work. With Isla off work for some time, she must have been overwhelmed by the business. Having spent most of the morning answering calls, she didn't even have time to take a sip of water.

At lunch, Sheryl's assistant came to ask where she would have lunch and if she would like to visit the dining hall with her.