The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 226 It Was Me

Leila received an invitation to Chris's birthday party. It couldn't have been Charles who sent her the invitation because she was no more than a secretary to him. Thus, Leila assumed that it might have been Autumn who had sent her the invitation.

The moment Leila got the invitation, she was so thrilled that she hurried to buy an expensive present. On Chris's birthday, she had hoped to flatter Chris with an expensive gift and extravagant compliments. Besides, this was a good chance to get to know what kind of person Mrs. Lu was. When she entered the main room, Charles was just speaking about Autumn. She had presumed that Charles was having an affair with Autumn, but never in a million years did she expect that Autumn was actually Mrs. Lu. It was remarkably unbelievable. Leila's jaw dropped on the floor, as she stood there, totally stupefied. It seemed as if she had been struck by lightning, her face becoming stale and mirthless. Isla accidentally bumped into her in a hurry, but Leila stood there paralyzed still, not having recovered from the shock she had just received.

When Leila finally returned to reality, she stared at Autumn with fierce intensity. In her eyes, Autumn was a manipulative, vicious witch. 'She set a trap for me. She knew I had feelings for Charles, so she invited me here on purpose, hoping that I will dismiss the idea of seducing him once I hear what Charles has to say about her,' she thought.

When she locked eyes with Autumn, she sneered, "Autumn, I guess, you are proud now, aren't you? Becoming Charles's wife and winning his unconditional love were the crowning glories of your life. You sent me the invitation to witness my humiliation firsthand, didn't you? Now that you've achieved your goals, are you satisfied?"

"You're not making any sense. When did I invite you to come here?" Autumn was confused about what Leila had said. She had never sent an invitation to Leila.

"Stop pretending!" Leila was too outraged to feign friendship. She raised her voice, and asked, "If not you, then who sent me the invitation? It couldn't have been Mr. Lu, right?"

Leila fell madly in love with Charles, when she was first hired as his secretary at the Shining Company not long ago. Since then she let her imaginations run wild, as she imagined being with Charles as his lover. She insisted that Charles had only married Mrs. Lu because they were both from rich families and their marriage wasn't built on love. Leila had deluded herself into thinking that Charles would somehow realize she was more appropriate for him and he would fall in love with her some day. She didn't mind being criticized. She would be happy and content if Charles accepted her as his mistress.

When she heard Charles declare his love for Autumn, her fantasies faded like fog on a sunny afternoon. Soon she realized that she had been daydreaming for quite some time.

"I have no idea why you are so angry. I don't think I have ever treated you unfairly. When you lost your job, I recommended you to the Shining Company. As for my marriage, I don't think it's necessary to discuss my private matters with you. Besides, I didn't invite you here. If you'd like to stay, please make yourself comfortable. If you want to leave, go ahead. No one is going to stop you,

Autumn retorted. She felt insulted by her allegations. She did not fancy being blamed for a crime she did not commit.

"It wasn't you? Well, that's a barefaced lie. That's impossible! I marched in here as bold as brass. If not you, then who else would have invited me?" responded Leila with a sneer.

"

"It was me!" As soon as Leila finished making her baseless claims, Chris slipped in and revealed the truth. She had been watching Autumn and Leila talking from a distance. When Chris noticed the atmosphere was getting tense between them, she hastily came to Autumn's rescue.

When Leila and Autumn turned around, they were surprised to see Chris.

Autumn quickly stepped close to Chris and said, "Chris, don't worry. This has nothing to do with you. I can handle the situation."

"Autumn, it's ok," Chris comforted Autumn with a smile. Then she patted Autumn's hand and stood in front of her as she said to Leila, "It was me. I invited you here. What's the matter?" Autumn looked at Chris in puzzlement. She wondered, 'Why did Chris invite Leila to her birthday party? I don't think they were friends. I don't even think they knew each other.'

"Chris, why did you invite her?" Autumn asked with uncertainty.

Leila was disappointed when Chris stood up for Autumn. She said crossly, "Stop pretending! I don't even know you. Why would you invite me?"

"Don't you remember? We've met once at a western-style restaurant," replied Chris, scornfully, "You told me you were there to buy food for my brother. I have seen many women fall for him before. I figured you had feelings for Charles, so I invited you here to witness how much my brother and sister-in-law love each other. So you'd better give up pursuing him."

"What? You look disappointed. Let me tell you, my brother and sister-in-law love each other deeply, " continued Chris with a sneer.

Leila was burning with fury. It felt like everyone was looking at her and no matter how much she tried to avoid making eye contact with them, she failed.

Chris was happy to see Leila at a disadvantage. She warned, "Leila, I remember your name. It doesn't matter whether you love my brother or not. You have seen today, just how much my brother and sister-in- law love each other. There is no place for you in his heart. You'd better give up on your fantasy, or I will give you a piece of my mind."

Chris thought, 'Autumn is sure to be aware of Leila's bad intentions, but since she doesn't want to deal with her, I don't mind being the bad person.'

Leila felt embarrassed and humiliated. It was such a silly situation to be in. After a moment's hesitation, she spoke to Autumn awkwardly, "Autumn, I am... sorry, there's been some kind of a misunderstanding." Autumn remained silent. She felt like she had already seen Leila's true self just now and that Leila was just pretending to be apologetic for the moment.

"I admit that I had feelings for Mr. Lu. However, my feelings were not based on love, but adoration and respect. I worshipped him. I know that you are doing well now and I am willing to let go of the past." After calming down, Leila said plainly to Autumn, "I was not in good mood just now, so I lashed out on you. I hope you can forgive me. I... I'm sorry."

"Forget about it. It's not a big deal." Autumn didn't argue with Leila once she apologized sincerely. However, she knew that Leila was just pretending to be friendly. It was obvious that Leila didn't give up on Charles. Autumn wouldn't be foolish enough to take Leila's words genuinely.

"Autumn, I ..." Leila understood that her attitude switched too quickly and there was a chance that Autumn wasn't convinced. She hesitated for a while and added awkwardly, "I am so sorry. I don't know why I behaved like an idiot just now. Please forgive me..."

"Enough! Since you have apologized already, you can leave now. We have other matters to attend to," Chris said impatiently and took Autumn away. She didn't care enough to see Leila's reaction. "Chris, aren't you being..." Autumn hesitated to ask her. After all, Autumn didn't want to hurt her feelings after what Chris had done for her.

"You mean I am way out of line?" Chris said unhappily, "Autumn, you are too kind. If you don't warn a seductive woman like Leila, she will harbor unrealistic ideas. She may even become a second Yvonne or Rachel. It'll be too late to cry about it then."

'If you show mercy to your enemies, they may seek to get revenge on you.

Since Autumn doesn't like getting her hands dirty, I will do them for her, ' thought Chris.