The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 2009 Barging Into The Office

"Sher, are you really doing okay?" Isla asked worriedly. She knew that Sheryl was talking about herself just now and that she missed Charles terribly.

"Yes, I am. I guess Charles and I are better off as friends. Some things are just not meant to be. I should move on; instead of wallowing in sorrow, shouldn't I? Besides, I have two fantastic kids. And I have you and Phoebe. I know you all care about and love me. I should be grateful for what I have. Don't worry, Isla. I can take care of myself," Sheryl swore.

She was trying her best to get her friend to stop worrying about her.

"Well, I'm glad that you've moved on, Sher. Listen, I need to get some rest, but if you need anything, ask Phoebe to come get me," Isla instructed. Moments later, she left Sheryl's office.

The minute Isla was gone, Sheryl became lost in thought once more.

She wasn't always as tough as she seemed to be. Deep down, she knew she hadn't moved on from Charles. On the contrary, she was still deeply in love with him.

Nonetheless, her love for Charles wouldn't change anything. Life still went on. She couldn't give up everything she had at the moment for the sake of one man.

Sheryl took a deep breath before deciding that she should go back to work.

She had a meeting to attend a little later, and she needed to get everything ready for it. There was no time to be over-sentimental. A few minutes before the meeting, Phoebe knocked, peeped into Sheryl's office, and reminded her that it was almost time.

The meeting lasted for an hour. When Sheryl finally walked out of the conference room, she was exhausted. She stretched her arms and then slumped her shoulders again, thinking about how much she would hate to attend such a meeting ever again.

"Ms. Xia, I've put the file on your desk. Please don't forget to sign it." Phoebe obediently followed Sheryl into her office.

Sheryl massaged her neck before managing to acknowledge the assistant.

Phoebe grew concerned. "Ms. Xia, are you okay? You look exhausted."

"It is nothing. It's just that I sat for a prolonged time, and now my neck feels sore. I'm sure I'll feel better after getting some rest. Thanks for asking, Phoebe. You can go back to work now," Sheryl assured Phoebe. She did not want to add to her worries.

After Phoebe left, Sheryl decided to squeeze in a few minutes of workout before getting back to work. She promptly faced the back wall of her office and started on some breathing exercises. Suddenly, she heard a loud crash. Someone had kicked her door open and had broken into her office! Sheryl was petrified.

Trembling, she turned around to see who it was and what had happened.

It was Jackson.

As much as she hated to admit it, Sheryl knew that something must have gone wrong. Otherwise, Jackson wouldn't be here in her building, not to mention barging into her office the way that he had. "Jackson, what brings you here?" Sheryl tried her best to sound casual.

Phoebe came running right behind Jackson. Immediately, she bowed in embarrassment and apologized, "Forgive me, Ms. Xia. I couldn't stop him."

"That's okay, Phoebe," Sheryl assured her. Then she gestured for Phoebe to leave.

It was quiet now. Sheryl could see the anger on Jackson's face. She wondered what she could have done to have made him this mad.

"Sheryl, I thought we were friends. I thought we had worked through our issues. Clearly, we haven't. Tell me, what do you want from me?"

Despite the volume of his voice, Jackson was trying his best to suppress his anger. He didn't know what he was capable of doing if he let his emotions take over.

"Jackson, what do you mean? Will you sit down and tell me what happened?" Judging from his tone, Sheryl realized that whatever had happened, it had to have been very serious. She wracked her brain to try to figure it out, but to no avail.

"Did you send Melissa to talk to Belinda?" Jackson's eyes shot daggers at Sheryl, who only grew even more confused.

She shook her head and asked, "Who's Belinda?"

"My fiancée!" Jackson bellowed impatiently.

"What? Are you toying with me, Jackson? Before now, I didn't even know who your fiancée is. How was I supposed to send Melissa to her? What happened exactly? None of this makes any sense!" Sheryl's confusion only deepened at the mention of Melissa and Belinda's names.

She had thought that Melissa would finally stop whatever she had been doing. However, she hadn't. She even took things to the next level.

"Melissa told Belinda that I was dating her for her money. She told my fiancée that I didn't love her..." Jackson then proceeded to fill Sheryl in on everything that Melissa had said and done.

As Sheryl listened, a black cloud hung over her head. She had no clue as to why Melissa would have done such a thing.

Jackson, in his fury, didn't notice Sheryl's confusion. He went on about what Melissa had done and about how angry he was.

"My fiancée is calling off the engagement now. What should I do?" Jackson didn't know who else to turn to, and that brought him here.

Besides, in his mind, it was Sheryl who had caused all this trouble. She was responsible for this.

Anger and frustration were beginning to take over Jackson. All he wanted to do now was to release all of this on Sheryl. With every passing second, he found it more difficult to calm himself down and clear his mind.

Sheryl knew that she had to help Jackson calm down as soon as possible. Otherwise, things could get messier than they already were.

Also, she realized that she had to do something to stop Melissa. She couldn't imagine what else Melissa was capable of doing.

"Sorry, Jackson. I know it's all my fault. I thought I settled everything with Melissa. I didn't know she would say such things to your fiancée and affect your relationship this way. Sorry for the trouble I've caused," Sheryl said. She looked sincerely into Jackson's eyes.

He began to calm down upon hearing Sheryl's apology. The sincerity of her voice made Jackson realize that he had perhaps overreacted.

"Sorry, Sheryl. I was too impulsive. I know you have nothing to do with this. I shouldn't have lashed out at you the way I did," he said. He had his head lowered in embarrassment and frustration.

"Rest assured, Jackson, I will talk to Melissa. As for your fiancée, I'll explain everything to her in person. Don't worry," Sheryl promised. Her only wish was that he could forgive her.

"Thank you, Sheryl." Jackson raised his head and nodded. There was almost no trace of the anger he had shown earlier.

Sheryl talked with Jackson for a while longer before asking Phoebe to see him off.

When they left, Sheryl felt like she had been punched in the chest a thousand times. She couldn't help but get angry. What was even worse was that she had no one to whom she could open up to. "Ms. Xia, are you okay?" Phoebe asked. She still remembered how angry Jackson had been when he had barged into Sheryl's office. As soon as he had left, she made sure to drop by Sheryl's office again to check on her.

"I'm okay. Can you help me set up an appointment with Melissa?"

"Sure, Ms. Xia."

Sheryl felt like her body was going to crash out of exhaustion. She rubbed her forehead while she waited for Phoebe's answer.

A few minutes later, Phoebe knocked on the door and walked into the office.

"Mrs. Lu said she'll meet you in the nearby coffee shop. She'll be there in half an hour. You can get there on time if you leave 20 minutes from now." Without being instructed, Phoebe then began setting everything up for Sheryl.

"Okay, I know," Sheryl answered weakly.

Phoebe couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Ms. Xia, are you really okay?" She asked again as she was walking toward the door.

Phoebe's hesitation amused Sheryl. She shook her head and told her, "Yes, I am. Stop worrying about me, Phoebe. If something goes wrong, I'll be sure to inform you."

"Well, as long as you're sure you're okay, Ms. Xia. I should go back to work now." Phoebe bowed and left the office.

Now that Sheryl was alone again, she felt empty.