The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1501 Don't Be Nervous

"Wait!" Charles suddenly exclaimed as he held Sheryl's hand and slightly shook his head at her. Then, he turned to Shirley and softly said, "Shirley, Dad and Mom are here. We believe that you can do it. Remember what I told you when you need to put your clothes on? Just relax. Don't be nervous. We are always here, watching you. Come on, take a deep breath. It will be just fine. Pull now your shirt over your head..."

And the words became magic! Shirley calmed down and stopped crying. She started to move and followed what her daddy said. Putting on her serious face, she concentrated on inserting her head in the shirt. Finally, her head came out.

Then, she continued with inserting her arms. As she stretched them out, they popped out from the sleeves.

"Wow! It's amazing! I finally learned how to put on my clothes on my own. It is really so easy after all!" Shirley said so happily as she jumped up and down. She even started dancing. She thought what she felt right at that moment was way better than getting her birthday presents.

For her, what she learned was something so meaningful. 'I can put on my own clothes now, just like how Clark does! It is so great!' she thought to herself.

"Wow! You did great! A thumb-up for your success!" And Clark gave the sign and pointed it at the middle of Shirley's forehead as a compliment.

"Thank you, Clark," Shirley said happily.

Watching Shirley smiling widely, Sheryl finally got relieved.

She nearly assisted Shirley in the middle of her attempt in putting her clothes on. It was lucky that Charles stopped her, or else, she wouldn't know when Shirley would be able to do it on her own. Upon that thought, Sheryl automatically turned around and looked at Charles. Charles was also looking at her. Their eyes met. And suddenly, Sheryl felt heart beat faster. Feeling her face turn red, she looked away abruptly.

'Oh my God! I've been married to this man for so long. We even have two kids. Why does my heart beat so fast whenever I look at his handsome face? Why do I still feel like a teenager after all these years? I must be insane!' Sheryl thought to herself.

Trying to cover up her feelings from Charles, Sheryl called the children. "Come on, Clark and Shirley. Let's eat breakfast."

Clark and Shirley followed her as she walked towards the door. Hesitantly, she looked back at Charles and said, "Let's go and have some breakfast."

Then, she quickly went on her way without looking at him a second more. She went down with the children following her.

In the dining room, Nancy already set up the table. The breakfast was hot and smelled delicious. Sheryl didn't need to taste it for she knew from its appearance that it was going to be delectable.

"Wow! You cooked my favorite poached egg! That is surely delicious!" Shirley saw first what was on the table. And the moment she saw her favorite prepped by Nancy, her happiness shone brightly again that she started her special dance once again.

Nancy was walking out of the kitchen when she heard Shirley's words. She smiled and said, "Sher, please sit Shirley and Clark to have their breakfast."

"Thank you, Nancy," Sheryl appreciatively said.

As a hired helper of the Lu family, Nancy thought of a lot of ways to please the children by making them delicious foods that they would surely like. It was not an easy thing to do and Sheryl could see her hard work. As an added bonus to Sheryl, Nancy was very nice to the whole family. For that, Sheryl was so grateful and considered Nancy as a blessing to them.

"Hush! It's nothing," Nancy responded smilingly. "I don't have any other skills to help you, but I'm good at cooking. I am happy when I see the children growing up healthy and strong. That is why I cook everything nutritious that they will surely eat."

"Clark and Shirley, did you hear that? Nancy prepares such good breakfast for you. So, you should eat all of it for her, all right?" Sheryl said to the children.

"Don't worry, Mom. I will eat all of my share. And, I will make sure that Shirley eats all of hers, too! And, thank you, Nancy!" Clark answered like how a grown-up did.

Meanwhile, Shirley was busy eating her poached egg she didn't have time to speak.

"Sher, where is Charles? Is he not coming to join us?" Nancy looked to the direction of the stairs and asked.

Since Nancy mentioned Charles, Sheryl asked in return, "Nancy, do you know that Charles went back home last night?"

"Yes, I do," Nancy responded. "But he came back very late. It was already 2 am. I was on my way to the bathroom at that time and I saw his arrival."

"Really? He came back at 2 am?" Sheryl asked, confused. 'What was he doing?' Sheryl asked herself. 'What was he doing so late at night?'

"Yes. Normally, Charles doesn't come home so late. Maybe he had something so important to do last night..." Seeing Charles going down, Nancy didn't finish what she was saying. She stopped talking. She looked at Sheryl and hinted at Charles' direction.

Understanding Nancy, Sheryl knew who it was. 'It must be Charles for Melissa won't normally wake up so early in the morning,' she thought.

Just as Charles reached the corner of the stairs, Nancy greeted him. "Good morning, Mr. Lu!"

"Good morning, Nancy," Charles answered, devoid of any emotion. Then, he sat beside Sheryl.

After breakfast, Sheryl wanted to leave for work immediately. So, she handed the children napkins and said, "Today, I will drive you to the kindergarten. Because something important came up yesterday, I wasn't able to pick you up on time. For that, I am so sorry."

Being the reasonable one, Clark shook his head at once. "Mom, there's no need to apologize. I know you didn't mean what happened."

Looking at her brother, then at her mother, Shirley also shook her head and said, "Yes, it's not your fault, Mom."

Upon hearing their words, Sheryl smiled. Their words both felt sweet and bitter in her heart.

She felt sweetness because her children were always thoughtful. She felt so happy and blessed for having good kids. However, the bitterness she felt was directed at herself. It was for the times she ignored her children because of the business. She felt she didn't live up to the expectations of being a good mother for she was not always around when they needed her. Those made her upset.

When Sheryl and the children were about to leave, Charles suddenly spoke up. "If you have something to do at work, remember to call their teacher or me. Don't keep the kids waiting for so long." What he said made Sheryl suddenly stop walking. She suppressed her urge to turn back and argue with Charles. Instead, she took a deep breath. 'If he just knows how complicated I feel inside...' she thought to herself.

She also knew that Charles blamed her for not picking the children up on time. She wasn't given a choice for something serious happened in the company. 'I did not like to keep the children waiting. He is speaking as if I did it intentionally! Besides, the children already forgave me and didn't blame me for being late. Why on earth did he still speak about it and blame me?' Sheryl thought.

The guilt she felt at first for the children was suddenly replaced with anger towards Charles. She felt if she didn't leave soon, the conversation would turn to argument. So, she started to walk again, holding the children, and left the house without looking or saying goodbye at him.

When Sheryl left, Charles lost his appetite. He put down his fork and wiped his mouth. As he was about to stand, Nancy came out from the kitchen.

"Mr. Lu, you came home so late last night and got up so early today. Are you going to take a nap?" Nancy asked worriedly.

Charles shook his head. Because his expression was so difficult to read, Nancy didn't know what he was thinking about, but Nancy could tell that Charles also felt bothered by what happened. Charles turned and looked at the direction where Sheryl left. Then, he instructed Nancy, "Sheryl is busy these days. So, go and tell the driver to pick up Clark and Shirley on time every day. Oh, and prepare something not spicy for dinner. I noticed that Sheryl's lips are unnaturally red. I'm afraid that she won't want to eat those things that will make her lips feel on fire. It might be the result of being too anxious in the past few days."