The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1490 Quarrels

"Sher, did you send Isla home?" Charles asked gently.

Sheryl nodded her head. But before she could speak to Charles, she suddenly felt his grip on her hand. Charles held Sheryl and walked straight into their bedroom.

Sheryl followed Charles. Unable to see his face, she only heard the scurry of their footsteps through the silence. When she noticed the rush in Charles' footsteps, her heartbeat quickened and her face turned pink.

What was Charles's up to? She looked at his broad shoulders and his gait from behind. A shy idea crept in her mind. She couldn't help but start to wonder about what was waiting for her in the bedroom. Charles, as she knew him, was a very calm and composed man who seldom lost control over himself. It was rare that Charles held her hand in the way he did at the moment.

But it warmed Sheryl's heart when he did. She felt rather satisfied. Her lips curved into a sweet smile.

Women's mind is inexplicable. Even the greatest of the philosophers have failed to explain it. Sometimes, just a single touch from the man she loves can fill her heart.

However, as they entered the bedroom, Charles loosened his grip. He pushed the door closed and turned towards Sheryl in a grim face.

One look at his face and Sheryl was out of her daydream. She felt a changed atmosphere. All the contented feeling in her heart vanished in an instant and she stared at Charles with confusion. Without any hesitation, she blurted out, "Charles, what's the matter?"

"Our daughter misbehaved and disrespected her grandma. Then she got scolded for that and then burst into tears." Charles tried to restate the whole thing in an understated tone.

Hearing this, Sheryl was completely taken aback. She stared at Charles with a surprised look. She found it difficult to understand Charles' statement. She denied at once, "Shirley is always well-behaved. You know that! How could she be rude to her grandma? There must be some mistake!"

"Mistake? Do you doubt my judgment?" Charles cast a grim look to Sheryl, as he continued, "Sher, was it you who asked Shirley not to take food from Melissa?" Sheryl dilated her eyes with utter shock as even such thoughts were alien to her. Why would she tell her daughter to do that?

Charles sounded absolutely unreasonable and ridiculous to Sheryl. She had that much commonsense to appreciate the fact that staying under the same roof, they couldn't avoid having meals together every day. She also knew that if she worried that Melissa might lay her hands on the kids again, she had to be cautious about every meal every day. Besides, she didn't think Melissa could be stupid and audacious like that.

Sheryl raised her eyes and met Charles' gaze. She felt a sting in her heart and it showed clearly in her eyes.

The stern look in Charles' eyes proved his stance. Obviously, he refused to trust Sheryl this time.

Sheryl felt utterly disappointed at that. Even after she had put so much effort to love this family and endured all the humiliation cast upon her by Melissa, Charles still couldn't completely put his faith on her. This broke her heart into a million pieces. Slowly, tears rolled down her cheeks. Sheryl tried to control her feeling and stay calm. Putting on a faint smile, she asked Charles, pronouncing every word as clear as possible, "Don't you trust me? If I insist that I didn't tell Shirley to do that, are you willing to trust me?"

Watching Sheryl's distressful look, Charles immediately realized that he might have been too blatant without taking into account how Sheryl would feel.

But he still didn't want to give in. Now that he had brought up his doubt, he wanted to figure it out.

"Sher, of course, I want to trust you. But Mom said she heard that Shirley claimed that to her face. Right now, I am not blaming you, nor am I doubting you. But if Shirley did say those words, could it be because she heard them from somewhere else?" Charles explained, making his tone a little softer.

"Then you are still indirectly pointing your finger at me. Yes, I have brought up Shirley all by myself in her early years. It was me who taught her how to speak and read. Even if I denied that I directed Shirley to say those words, you must think I have something to do with her manner in one way or another," Sheryl tried to say in a mild tone, but her heart had sunk into distress, tears running down her cheeks. "No, that's not what I meant. Sher, you are not in the right frame of mind right now. Please don't be so irrational..."

"I'm done talking. I feel tired. I'm going to sleep in the living hall tonight." Sheryl lifted her hand and gestured to stop Charles from talking. Then she silently pulled the door open and left. Charles watched Sheryl as she walked out of the bedroom. He was in astonishment and didn't know how to react.

He had never expected Sheryl would react in this way-she turned her back against him on this issue. As he reflected on the entire issue, he let out a deep sigh but could not erase the heaviness in his heart. A cool breeze was blowing and a slight nip in the air could be felt on the skin.

Nick was steering the wheel, in silence. Cassie was sitting next to Nick, her mind in a mess. Ever since she got into the car with Nick, she had been struggling to tame her emotion but in vain.

The cool breeze brushed over her face as she turned her face towards the car window. She closed her eyes and looked absolutely peaceful without a single trace of the turmoil that was going on in her mind. She kept silent and waited for Nick to talk to her first. She was scared to open her mouth lest she would lose her composure. Earlier, she used to be very cheerful and chirpy in Nick's presence. She would ofter act like a spoiled girl, nestling her head on Nick's shoulder and hugging him closely. And Nick would do the same in response. They cuddled up together and whispered intimately to each other.

A sweet expression emerged on Cassie's face at the thought of this. Her lips curved into a charming smile, which shocked Nick when he accidentally glanced at her.

Nick got captivated with Cassie's pristine beauty. Cassie had a very simple and innocent appeal. Particularly, if compared with the fake faces that he was used to seeing in his business circle, Cassie seemed to have a natural grace that exuded a feeling of purity and freshness much like the fresh and brisk wind flowing right at the moment. The soothing smile on Cassie's face warmed Nick's heart in a way that words could never explain.

No matter how much stressed out Nick became, he could still feel relaxed and calm when Cassie was around. Nick had never known love until he met Cassie. But when Cassie walked into his life, he understood how it felt to love and be loved. Cassie made him realize the power of love. There was a glimmer of joy in Nick's eyes as he silently watched Cassie.

Cassie immediately noticed him gazing at her, and became shy. Her heart started to beat against her chest. She could feel the excitement passing through her entire body.

Cassie could read Nick's eyes. Most of all, she felt pure and strong affection through his eyes.

"Nick, why are you staring at me?" Cassie shared a quick glance at Nick and spoke in a low voice.

Caught unprepared, Nick anxiously turned his eyes away as if he was caught stealing something. With a fake cough, he fixed his gaze on the road and pretended to be absorbed in driving.

"Do you have something to tell me?" Cassie asked with a hint of disappointment in her mind. She thought in her heart, 'I know Nick still loves me like before. But now that we are together with no one around, why doesn't he offer to talk to me? He could use some flattering words to make me happy, couldn't he?'

Nick felt a churn inside his heart. Of course, he had so much to tell her. He desperately wanted to tell her how much he loved her. But even if there were thousands of sweet words waiting to be poured out, Nick didn't know how to begin. He was not a man of sweet words. As a boss, he was successful, but he was easily nervous in front of women. He always had trouble putting his feeling into words. He knew it and hesitated. He feared he would say something wrong to make Cassie angry. That would ruin such a wonderful moment.

So, he thought it would be better to remain silent until he was clear about what to say.

Cassie got pissed off at this. Nick didn't know his indifference had embarrassed her. Cassie felt bad and rather disappointed. Anger started to rise in her heart.

"Stop the car!" Cassie snapped out.

Nick was shocked. Instinctively, he turned the steering wheel and pulled over as Cassie asked.