The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1645 Couldn't Put Up With It Anymore

Clark remained silent during the whole breakfast. The only time when he opened his mouth and said something was when Sheryl asked him questions. He seemed to be alienating Sheryl.

"I'll drive the kids to school this morning, will that be fine with you?" Sheryl offered and then turned to Joan. "Joan, please stay at home and clean the house while we're gone, alright?" "Yes, madam." Joan nodded and folded her hands in front of her.

Shirley was thrilled about the idea but Clark didn't seem interested at all. He silently climbed into the car with a blank expression on his face.

On their way to school, Shirley played and sang songs with Isla. They were having a jolly time, except for Clark who remained stone-faced throughout the whole trip.

Soon, they finally arrived at the kindergarten. Sheryl gave a nod to Isla, and she immediately understood. She took Shirley away, leaving Sheryl and Clark alone.

"Clark, is there something wrong?" Sheryl's confused eyes stared at Clark's emotionless ones. She couldn't understand why he was so alienating towards her lately. Was it because she was seldom home? Or maybe he was just stressed from school? She couldn't tell.

"Mom, is Dad going to leave us? Are you really going to be with Uncle Xu?" Clark's eyebrows furrowed as he blurted these questions out in frustration.

"Clark, what made you think that?!" Sheryl's eyes went wide with shock. She had never told her children what was going on between her and Charles. She wondered where that thought had come from. Clark kept a straight face while looking at his mother. He was hesitant because of what he was going to say next.

"Clark, didn't I tell you that no matter what happened, you have to tell me?" Sheryl spoke sternly.

Clark gulped and gathered all of his courage. "Mom, is it true? There are pictures and videos all over the internet. I even saw them in the news."

When Clark mentioned about the news, his eyes started to well up. He tried his best to stop himself from crying. He lifted his head and awaited for Sheryl's response.

Sheryl's sternness was instantly replaced with gentleness. She hadn't realized that she had hurt the kids until Clark spoke up. She pulled Clark into her arms and kissed his forehead. "Clark, I guarantee you that what is on the Internet isn't true. Will you trust Mom on this?"

Clark exploded into tears the moment he was drawn into Sheryl's arms.

He sobbed and sobbed until he had gradually calmed down. Then he pulled himself away from Sheryl's grasp and looked at her with teary eyes. "Mom, I trust you. B-But... will Dad never wake up? Please, I want to visit him."

Clark's voice was hopeful. He secretly wished that Sheryl would say yes.

Sheryl was taken aback for a moment. She knew how Charles would want to see his children. But because of his current condition, she didn't have the heart to let the kids visit their father. If they knew, they would feel sad and heartbroken. Considering their tender ages, it would be too much for them to take.

Then Sheryl decided to tell a white lie. She thought that it would be best for now, so she said, "Clark, my son, don't believe what you read online. They're just making up stories. Dad is abroad because he has a lot of work to do. Don't worry. He'll be back in a few days. Once he's back, I'll ask him to take you and Shirley to the amusement park, okay?"

"Really, Mom?" Clark's eyes began to brighten as he smiled.

Upon seeing the smile on Clark's face, Sheryl felt that she'd done the right thing. She nodded, "Of course. When have I lied to you?"

"You have never lied to me, Mom!" Clark answered, elated.

Sheryl caressed Clark's head. "So, you'll trust Mom, right?"

"Yes! Sorry for doubting you and crying, Mom."

Clark replied.

"Clark, remember that no matter what happens, Mom and Dad will always your parents, okay?" Sheryl was about to say that she and Charles would never leave Clark and Shirley, but then she thought about Ferry. She had already lied to them, and she didn't want to do it again. So she dared not promise Clark that she wouldn't split up with Charles.

"I know, Mom. I'm sorry. I shouldn't believe what I see online. I won't make the same mistake again, Mom. Don't worry!" Clark nodded as he spoke firmly. Satisfied, Sheryl smiled and patted his head.

"Alright! It's time for school. You're almost late. Be a good boy and remember to take good care of your sister!"

"I will!"

Clark was in a better mood now that he knew he had nothing to worry about. He happily ran to Shirley, grabbed her hand, and walked to the teacher.

Clark was still a child. It wasn't hard for Sheryl to comfort him.

Isla's eyes followed Clack and Shirley as they went with their teacher into the classroom. Then she looked at Sheryl and asked, "Hey, what's wrong with Clark? He looks down today." "Ah. He saw the news online," Sheryl shook her head, sighing.

Isla felt annoyed and angry when she heard Sheryl. Those stupid keyboard warriors! They had nothing useful to say, and even propagated the spread of fake news! They knew nothing about Sheryl and what happened, but they were so thick-skinned that they made up stupid accusations!

"Those people online are so mean! This so-called cancel culture is getting really toxic and I hate it! I should block them from commenting!" Isla immediately took out her phone. She was trying to contact someone who could help her delete those snarky comments.

"Calm down, Isla. No need to get so worked up. Let them. I don't care about what other people think," Sheryl said as she gently placed a hand on Isla's shoulder.

But Isla didn't listen. She was so focused on her phone and kept typing.

On their way back, Isla kept asking people to delete those comments and defend Sheryl.

When they finally arrived at the company, Isla sighed in relief. "Sher, I've asked a bunch of people to leave good comments for you online. Don't worry! Justice will be on our side!"

"Isla, what can I do with you? I've asked you to ignore those comments and let things cool down. Now that you're defending me, I guess those trolls will be more than happy to argue with you online. It's a tiring cycle, really. What's the point?" Sheryl felt a bit annoyed. At the same time, she also felt sorry for Isla since she could tell that Isla was tired and had been looking at her screen for a long time.

"Come on, Sher, I'm doing this for you! Try to be a bit grateful and cut me some slack." Isla pretended to be annoyed also.

Sheryl didn't say another word to Isla. She parked the car and walked to the elevator.

"Hey, Sheryl, wait! Why are you walking away?" Isla ran to catch up with Sheryl. She pouted to express her disappointment.

"Oh, Isla, stop it. I know you won't be mad at me because of a few words. Are you sure I don't know you well? And I believe you know me well enough." Sheryl rolled her eyes at Isla. Then she grabbed Isla's hand and entered the elevator.

While they were going up, they talked about the rumors spreading on the Internet.

It was true that Sheryl really didn't care about what people said about her online since she knew what they were really thinking. They just wanted to see Sheryl get pissed about it. And it would be a waste of time to deal with them. So why not just ignore them and happily live her own life?

At first, Isla was on the same page with Sheryl. But since she had seen how it affected Clark and Shirley, she couldn't put up with it anymore. They were just children for Pete's sake! They shouldn't have to go through this!

"I understand what you are talking about, Sher, but the situation is different now. Clark is being affected by those rumors. Do you really think that they'll stop if we just ignore them and wait for things to cool down?" Isla asked Sheryl sincerely. She wanted Sheryl to realize that there were times that compromise wasn't the best solution. After all, people tend to take advantage of generosity.