The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 2012 Vicky's Plans

"Without a doubt, there is nothing more I could ask for in a man. Jackson is handsome and excellent, and he is devoted to me. No woman would not want a man such as him. I am truly fortunate, don't you think so, Sheryl?" Under the guise of these seemingly harmless words, Belinda sneered at Sheryl. A woman such as her only had her beauty and body. To Belinda, Sheryl amounted to nothing more than a gold- digger.

Sheryl was not stupid. She easily picked up the venom in Belinda's words and smiled wryly.

"Truly. There is nothing more unfortunate than a woman who could not see beyond the surface of things. A woman such as yourself could surely see that I built Cloud Advertising Company with sheer sweat and blood," Sheryl said meaningfully. "I am not a woman who would resort to underhanded means for money. Besides, it isn't even a problem at all now, with the money paid by my divorce from my husband," Sheryl continued, casually mentioning the divorce. It was a private matter, but she knew that Belinda would understand what she meant if she became aware of it.

Hopefully, it would be enough to persuade her.

Belinda had an incredulous look on her face at Sheryl's words. "Really?" she asked in shock.

"It's true," Sheryl acknowledged. "We are all being played. I don't know who is responsible, but I am obviously the target. The person behind all of this tried to use you and Jackson to set me up. You have to believe me. I never wanted you and Jackson to be involved, and I hope the two of you can resolve things and get back to how things were before." Sheryl looked at Belinda as she spoke, her eyes reflecting her sincerity.

"Alright, I believe you," Belinda answered quietly. All her earlier animosity was now gone. Instead, it was replaced with guilt. She had wrongfully accused Sheryl without getting all of her ducks in a row. Seeing that Belinda had been persuaded, Sheryl heaved a deep sigh of relief.

"Good. Now that this has been settled, I'll be going first." Turning to her watch, she left immediately.

Sheryl stepped out of the lift onto the first floor. With quick steps, she headed straight towards the door. Once she was out of Belinda's company, she spotted Jackson waiting. He stiffened the moment his eyes landed on her, concern written all over his face.

"Jackson, I am not here to talk to you," she blurted out first before he could say anything. "I talked to Belinda and explained everything. Now would be a good time for you to clear up your side of things. I'm sorry for dragging the two of you into this mess." Sheryl truly hoped that the two of them could reconcile.

"Please don't apologize. It was our problem. I should be the one thanking you for all you've done," Jackson answered, letting out a sigh of relief. Sheryl had already cleared things up with Belinda. Now, all that was left for him to do was to talk to Belinda, and surely everything would be back to the way they were.

After wishing him luck, Sheryl bade goodbye to Jackson and decided to go back to her apartment. She could finally breathe in peace after all that had happened.

Meanwhile, Charles was at the hospital, shaken to his core with disbelief. He had not expected that Melissa would create such a mess. The truth was a lump in his throat that was almost impossible to swallow. Still, he remained calm and considered the situation from a safe distance. Melissa was his mother, and he was not incapable of forgiving her, but Vicky was a completely different matter. She was the root cause of all this. Since the beginning, she had been making unreasonable requests, and now, she had even had the nerve to demand a visit from him.

He despised the woman. She was deceitful and manipulative, going so far as to cause a scene and make ludicrous claims just so she could lure him to the hospital.

"Charles, darling. I am so happy to see you. I miss you so much!" Vicky gave him with her brightest smile as soon as he entered her ward.

Charles merely looked at her, not even acknowledging her greeting. His face was stoic, and his eyes were distant. He was growing more and more tired of this woman, and he had to stretch his patience thin. Saying nothing, he waited for her to continue.

"I am feeling much better now. I think I can even leave this place! Can you please take care of the discharging formalities for me?" she asked, her voice thick with honey.

Charles was inwardly delighted by her words. Finally, she was getting out of this damned hospital. Ever since she was admitted, he'd had to go through extreme lengths just to placate her. Thankfully, that struggle would be coming to an end at this very moment.

"Alright. I will have David to do it right away." Charles immediately turned and gave orders to David.

Not even sparing a single second, Charles chose to act quickly. God knows what crazy idea she would come up with next, and he did not want to risk her changing her mind. It would be absolute hell. He'd be damned before he submitted to the ridiculous wiles of such a capricious woman a second time.

He had spent all this time trying to uncover her true colors. Originally, he had wanted to investigate her and the people she associated with, but since she kept herself cooped up inside the hospital, there was not much he could probe into.

Vicky had claimed that her memories were gone, and Charles was unable to trace her family members. He had never trusted Vicky's intentions, and not for a single moment did he believe her claims. Once Vicky got out of the hospital, she would want to meet the people closest to her. All that was left to do now was wait.

"Do you remember the place where you lived before?" Charles asked with a thoughtful look. At his question, Vicky's smile withered, and she sank into silence. He was gratified at the sight. It was only the beginning of his payback. He had more questions lying in wait that he would have her answer.

However, it was as if Vicky was determined to derail all his plans. She wore a confused look as she raised her head and looked into Charles' eyes. "What do you mean? Didn't we live together before? You must know the place where I lived," she answered.

"Well... Yes...." Charles answered in disappointment. He said nothing more. With a frown, he concentrated on counting the seconds until David came back.

A long silence set in, and the atmosphere had turned awkward. Charles had not spoken a single word, and Vicky started to feel uncomfortable. To calm her nerves, Vicky attempted to start another conversation.

"Charles, I want to thank you. I know how busy you are, but you made time to see me here. I appreciate it," she started, giving him an apologetic smile.

Charles only nodded his head. His face held the same impassive expression, and he made no effort to continue the conversation.

Vicky's heart sank. She was trying her best to at least clear the air. It was displeasing to see how Charles stubbornly refused to even acknowledge her words.

But she was not one for giving up. If anything, Charles' indifference only made her more determined to get a hold of him. She appreciated a challenge.

It was not too long after that when David finished the discharge formalities.

"Mr. Lu, we are free to go," he reported as he came back into the ward, a little out of breath.

"Good. Let's leave this place now."

They had everything packed up and were ready to leave, but Charles didn't want to take Vicky to Dream Garden. Instead, he gave instructions for David to drive her to another place. Her accommodation would not be a problem. He owned plenty of unused places in the city. They were meant to be used in case of some urgent business, or as investments, but they came in handy in this situation.

Vicky made it clear that she had no intention of letting him go, and he had to keep up the façade and play his part. For now, he would put her in a villa and think about what to do next later on. "Charles, won't you come with me?" Vicky asked, her brows furrowed anxiously as she watched Charles move to another car.

David was the one who answered. "Mr. Lu has some urgent matters to attend to in the company. He has to go back and deal with them immediately, Ms. Ruan. Do not worry. I will be driving you home." His explanation didn't seem to convince Vicky.

There was no way she would allow Charles to leave so easily. Two could play at this game of cat and mouse. She had just left the hospital, and she could still use her weak condition as a card to keep Charles by her side. The clock was ticking, and she felt that it would be best to stir things up a little more and show off her relationship with Charles to the public.

"Charles, would it be too much to ask? It's only a small favor. Won't you please do it? For me?" she pleaded, deliberately adding a tremble to her voice as a finishing touch. Her eyes had a glassy look as if she would burst into tears at any moment.

Charles had to clench his fists to prevent himself from wincing at Vicky's hurt expression. He felt no pity for her. Rather, he was disgusted.

Vicky's tears bought her time. As David was struck by confusion, she got out of the car and went over to Charles quickly, grabbing him by the arm and giving him an imploring look. "Please, Charles. Won't you drive me home?" She tightened her grip as she tirelessly pleaded.

Charles tried to pull back his arm and disentangle himself from Vicky's grip, but it proved futile. Passersby were throwing them looks, and people started to whisper around them. Vicky purposefully raised her voice, trying to draw more attention from the people around. Left without other options, Charles conceded.

If the press got wind of this, it would be even more troublesome.

"Fine," he said flatly.

"Really? Thank you! You are so good to me, Charles," Vicky exclaimed, beaming with delight. She pushed herself closer into Charles' arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. Startled by Vicky's abrupt gesture, Charles pushed her away.

However, the woman had not run out of tricks. She wobbled back and forth as if she had lost her balance, and the next moment fell to the ground. With a shocked expression, she looked up at him. "Charles... What's wrong?"

David almost couldn't believe what he had just seen. From where he was, he was sure that Charles hadn't used that much force, so how could she possibly fall down so easily?

Still, he contained his shock and was quick on his feet to help her stand back up. "Ms. Ruan, are you okay?" he asked half-heartedly.