The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 2060 The Phone Call

"Okay, thank you! I'll see you later." Sheryl nodded and walked inside the building without looking back at Damian.

Therefore, she was oblivious to the hurtful expression on Damian's face.

Damian's eyes followed Sheryl as he watched her walk away. He couldn't move. He was standing still, and his eyes fixed on the spot where Sheryl had been standing a moment ago. He was frustrated when the emptiness took over in him. He stood there long enough to gather himself, and, finally, he got back into his car and drove away.

Sheryl was mentally and physically exhausted. She wanted to curl up on her bed, forget everything, and drift into a peaceful sleep. It was only wishful thinking. Isla arrived at Sheryl's apartment shortly after she got back home.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have other things to do?" Sheryl complained. Isla was leaning against the door, looking annoyed, as if she was about to swallow Sheryl in one gulp.

"Are you kidding me? Why are you avoiding me? I'm your best friend, Sheryl." Isla was gasping for breath

The elevator of Sheryl's building had broken down. Isla had no other option, but to take the stairs, all the way up, to Sheryl's apartment. She couldn't remember the last time she had worked out, and the tiring ascend to Sheryl's apartment had taken a toll on her body.

"Okay, calm down. "Have you come here directly from the office? Why didn't you go home? I can't believe it," Sheryl said in disbelief as she ushered Isla inside the apartment.

She led Isla to the couch and got her a glass of water. Isla was wheezing before she finally calmed down. Isla sipped on the water and looked at Sheryl, her eyes matching with the intensity of her tone. "Tell me the truth, Sheryl. What's on your mind? Are you determined to wait for Charles to come back?"

"I've told you a million times that the relationship between me and Charles is over. You've seen it with your own eyes, Isla," said Sheryl, honesty shining in her eyes. "It hasn't worked out despite putting in our best efforts. I don't think we can start it all over again. But that doesn't mean I'm ready for a new relationship. Please, don't set me up with Damian. Don't push me, Isla," Sheryl pleaded, hoping that Isla would drop the matter for good. She didn't want her to go on a boy-replaceing spree.

Sheryl had not even once thought that Isla was pushing her limits by interfering in her personal affairs. But the more Isla pushed her, by forcing her to get into a relationship with Damian, the more Sheryl grew suspicious. She sometimes wondered if Isla owed Damian something. Otherwise, why would her best friend force her into a relationship, despite her reluctance, and go out of her way to help him?

"You should move on, Sheryl. Damian is a nice guy, and you need to give him a chance." Isla understood how Sheryl was feeling, but she couldn't take seeing her friend like this. Isla felt that it was her duty to make her friend happy. Sheryl didn't believe that having a man could make her happy. She wanted to live her life, the way she liked, irrespective of a partner.

"I know that you care about me and want me to be happy. But I want you to understand that I cannot get into a relationship with a man that I'm not interested in." Sheryl had made up her mind and had no intention of changing it.

Isla looked at Sheryl for a while and nodded her head. She respected her friend's decision and wouldn't impel her in a direction that she wasn't ready to take. But deep in her heart, she felt that Damian was a better guy for Sheryl-definitely better than Charles. So, she requested Sheryl to think about it and not make a hasty decision.

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind, I promise. I'll think about it when I'm ready," Sheryl nodded reassuringly to make Isla feel better.

Isla sighed in contentment. She leaned back on the sofa, taking a sip of water. She studied the place and cast an upward glance. "It will take a while before Clark and Shirley come back, right?" "Yeah, Joan will pick them up. Why, what's up?" Sheryl knew that Isla had come up with a plan.

"How about we go shopping now? Let's go!" Isla stood up, grinning happily. She grabbed Sheryl's arm and dragged her out of the door without waiting for an answer.

Sheryl groaned but was left with no choice. She knew that Isla wouldn't shut up about it if she didn't agree to it.

Vicky's head was burning in frustration. She felt that she was being pricked by a thousand thorns at the same time.

She hadn't stopped calling Charles, but he had refused to answer her calls. Even when he did, he had hung up on her, saying that he was busy.

After trying for the hundredth time, Vicky finally gave up. Her frustration escalated to another level. She stared at the blank screen of the phone for a while and threw it on the floor.

The sound of the phone hitting the ground, urged Stella to walk out of the kitchen. She stopped for a second on seeing Vicky's red face and angry shaking. She slowly stepped forward and asked, "Please calm down, Miss Ruan. What's the matter?"

"Oh, cut the bullshit Stella. Stop pretending like you care about me. I don't have to wear a big smile for you," Vicky spat. Since Charles wasn't around, Vicky hadn't bothered to conceal her true self.

"You seem frustrated, Miss Ruan. If you don't need my assistance, I'll go back to preparing lunch. If there's anything I can do, please let me know." Stella smiled politely Stella didn't care about Vicky, and her words meant nothing to her. She was Charles' spy, so she'd always keep an eye on her. But Vicky's happiness or unhappiness didn't matter to her.

After Stella had gone, Vicky lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling, immersed in her thoughts. Things were taking a wrong turn and weren't happening according to her plan. Charles was moving further away from her, with every passing day. If she didn't do something to get him back, he'd forget her completely.

She remained still until a smile crept on the corner of her lips. She sprang up from the couch, reached for her phone, and dialed a number, as the slow, wicked smile spread all over her face, but didn't reach he eyes.

She was talking in a serious tone, giving every precise detail, before she hung up. She let out a sigh of relief and sank back on the couch. She had one leg on top of the other, circling it on the air with a meaningful smile.

The night had fallen by the time Sheryl got back home.

Sheryl and Isla had been shopping all afternoon and were completely exhausted.

The kids were fast asleep. Sheryl walked into their room like she always did. Her face broke into a happy smile when she saw their sleeping faces. They looked innocent and pure. She let her eyes wander across Clark and Shirley's faces before she touched them. She left after kissing them each on their forehead.

The silence of the room was broken when Sheryl's phone loudly rang before she got the chance to shut the door. She instinctively cut the call, afraid that her kids might wake up, and she didn't bother to check who the caller was. Her phone rang again as she walked down the stairs. She knitted her eyebrows when she saw the number-it wasn't a familiar one. She answered the call, wondering if it was an important call at this hour.

"Hello? Who's this?" she asked in a low voice.

"Hello, sorry to call you this late. Are you Ms. Xia?" The voice came out loud and clear. It was the voice of a man, but Sheryl hadn't heard his voice before.

Sheryl sat down, wondering who it was. "I am. Who are you, and how did you get my number?"

"I'm calling from the Mannland. Are you a friend of Mr. Damian Li?" the man asked politely.

Sheryl's nerves relaxed a bit when she heard Damian's name. She cleared her throat. "Yes, I am. What's the matter?"

"Oh, thank God! Damian is completely drunk and has passed out in the pub. We couldn't replace his address, but we found your number in his contact list. You were the last person he had talked to. Can you please come over and take him home?" the man said hurriedly, letting out a sigh of relief.

Sheryl's mind urged her to say 'no.' She was a single woman, and it was already late. It didn't seem like a good idea at all. But her heart refused; she couldn't say no. Damian was just back from abroad and was new to this place. She was probably the only person he knew in this city. If she didn't help him out, he might end up on the street.

Sheryl couldn't help but agree. Otherwise, her guilt would eat her up.

She quickly changed her clothes and headed to the place to replace Damian. Luckily, the pub wasn't very far from her house. It was late at night-the road was empty, and she couldn't replace a single person on the way. Only the sound of her footsteps accompanied her.

A lump had formed on Sheryl's throat when she stopped at a narrow lane. Although Mannland was a popular pub, it was located in an isolated place. As far as Sheryl knew, the narrow lane was the only way there. She took deep breaths, calmed her nerves down, and mustered the courage to face the darkness. She didn't want to get carried away by the scary thoughts that were swarming in her head.

When she walked through the lane, the familiar feeling that someone was following her hit her like a wave. She didn't dare to stop and turn around to see if her instinct was true-she kept walking. After a few steps, unable to suppress her curiosity, she turned around to see if someone was after her and was knocked unconscious from behind.

Damian had just returned to his room in the hotel.

He had gone for a walk when Sheryl refused to spend the afternoon with him. Feeling rejected, he had taken a stroll at the seashore and had spent the entire afternoon there. He had been lost in his thoughts, unaware of the hours and minutes he had spent staring at the sea.

He took off his clothes and stepped inside the shower when his phone started to ring.

He picked up the phone without thinking for a second. "Hello..."

"Hello, is this Mr. Damian Li?" a man asked politely from the other end of the line.

"Yes, it is. What can I do for you?" Damian said

"Are you a friend of Ms. Sheryl Xia? She's completely drunk and has passed out in our pub. Can you please come over and take her home?" the man said, letting out a loud sigh.

Damian couldn't have asked for a better opportunity. He was dying to see Sheryl and hang out with her.

"Sure. Can I have your address?" Damian asked trying to put on his shirt with his free hand. "I'll be there in a minute." He stormed out of the room and was out of the hotel in no time, hailing for a taxi. Damian got to the pub as soon as he could. He entered the noisy room and strained his neck to look for Sheryl through the dim lights.

Sheryl was nowhere to be found. Damian knitted his brows and caught the arm of a bartender who was passing by. "Do you know where Sheryl is?"