The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 299 An Accident Designed By Leila

The building was so quiet that one could hear the sound of footsteps before they could see someone coming. Upon getting that head start, Leila spotted Autumn walking in the direction of Charles' office, she immediately rushed to his office with a cup of coffee.

"Would you like a cup of coffee, Mr. Lu? You seem tired and it looks like you could do with a pick-me-up right about now." In a clumsy movement, Leila pretended to drop the coffee all over Charles' pants. She then squatted between his legs to clean the mess she deliberately created and apologized, "I'm so sorry, Mr. Lu."

Leila then let out a helpless and grieved expression but she was indeed quite happy.

"Just hand me the tissue. I can clean it myself." Charles tried to push Leila away because he was too embarrassed to have her touch his body in this manner. It all seemed so inappropriate to him. Right at this moment, Autumn swung open the door and saw them two in a rather compromising position.

Charles was sitting back in the chair while Leila was kneeling against the floor and wiping his pants. They looked very intimate with each other, so Autumn couldn't help suspecting Charles had betrayed her.

"You are..." Autumn couldn't exactly clearly see what had happened because the table was blocking her view, but she saw Leila kneeling there and that was enough to spark a doubt. She couldn't help but doubt the nature of the relationship between Leila and Charles. Leila sneered secretly for successfully delivering her trick while Charles was panicking. In a bid to explain everything he said, "Autumn, don't misunderstand. It isn't as bad as it appears."

"We were not doing anything." Leila pretended to get up hastily to explain to Autumn but fell into Charles' arms. Charles tried to support her but he too fell on the ground with her because of her sudden weight. Leila was ecstatic secretly but she put on the show of being sorry and embarrassed as she apologized to Charles, "I'm sorry, Mr. Lu. I didn't do all this on purpose."

Keeping up the charade, yet reluctant to leave Charles' arm, she tightly grasped him. Charles frowned and said, "Fine. You can stand by yourself now."

"Okay..." Leila responded with reluctance. She then stood up slowly, noticing Autumn looking at her with piercing cold eyes.

"What are you doing here, Autumn?" Charles stood straight and walked up to Autumn.

"Do you mean that you don't want to see me here? So much for surprises." Autumn was annoyed and now lost her cool even though she knew Leila did this on purpose. "What are you saying?" Charles tried to explain the entire mishap to her and said, "That is not what I meant and you know it!"

"Please believe Mr. Lu. I'm sorry, Autumn. This is all my fault." Leila stood here like she was wronged and added, "It's all my fault. I dropped coffee on Mr. Lu's clothes by accident so I wanted to clean it for him. I didn't mean for this to cause a problem between both of you!"

"Just shut up!" Autumn shouted at Leila impatiently as she saw through her vain plan. Autumn understood Leila's nature more than she realized. Even though she looked innocent on surface she was nothing but an evil woman in reality.

"I..." Leila pretended to be frightened but internally she was really happy with how the night was unfolding.

Earlier, no matter how much trouble she had caused to Autumn, she had never lost her temper. But now she was annoyed. Leila believed she had found Autumn's weakness.

"Autumn, this is enough!"

Charles was already exhausted from all the work. What happened now was simply an accident in his eyes. He wondered why Autumn was getting so overworked over something so trivial.

Autumn had never behaved like this before.

"Enough?" Autumn looked at Charles in amazement. In that moment, she felt Charles had changed because now he was dismissing her and asking her to remain silent in front of another woman. A sudden impulse to tell Charles what Leila had done earlier gripped her suddenly, but she gave up the idea upon seeing Charles' face.

She smiled bitterly and said, "I know you haven't had dinner yet, so I brought over some food for you. I did not intend to bother you, I am so sorry. I need to go now."

Autumn put the food aside on the table and left Charles' office almost immediately.

"Hold on, Autumn..."

Leila tried to call her back and explain the situation but Charles held Leila back and said, "Leave her alone."

"But..." Leila added with a aggrieved expression, "Mr. Lu, I think Autumn must have misunderstood our relationship. Please let me explain what happened to her."

"No, that is not required of you." Charles said indifferently. He wanted to give Autumn some time to calm down before he would explain to her what had happened once he went back home.

"I think you should say some kind words to your wife." Leila pretended to give some thoughtful advice and added, "Autumn is just like a little girl..."

"Enough!" Charles got impatient and asked, "Don't you have your own business to deal with? Stop meddling in my relationship and making the situation worse than you already have with your clumsy behavior!"

"Yes I do..." Leila answered reluctantly and left Charles' office.

The second she walked out of his cabin she revealed her evil face immediately. She felt so happy and content to plant that misunderstanding in Autumn's mind but her relationship didn't get any further development.

She then sat down to decide and plan how to manipulate the delicate situation further.

"Leila!" David returned with food as Leila was mulling over her devious plans. David cast a glance at her and asked, "Did Mr. Lu's wife come to the office just now?"

"Yes, she did. So what happened?" Leila felt distressed every time she heard anything about Autumn.

"I greeted her but she didn't respond. She looked like she was in a terrible mood. Do you know what possibly happened here?" David puzzled and yet worried. He had never seen Autumn like this. "Why are you so concerned about her? Do you have a crush on her? Is this what this is about?" Leila asked him with a sly smile.

"Don't just speak utter nonsense!" David snapped back with a frown.

Leila returned to her own seat and started dealing with the files.

Autumn didn't go home after leaving Shining Company. She didn't know where she should go as she was overwhelmed with emotions.

She didn't know what exactly bothered her so much. 'Was it because the 'accident' planned by Leila?' she wondered.

She then negated this idea immediately. Somehow, she felt she couldn't control her emotion and couldn't help getting worried even though she knew in the bottom of her heart that Charles would never cheat on her.

She hung outside for a long time before she returned to the desolate house.

Neither Charles nor Chris had returned home.

She sat in the sofa quietly without turning on the light, waiting impatiently for Charles to tell him that she couldn't bear Leila any more and what had lead her to feel this way. She desperately wanted to clear the air.

"Good night! I'll leave now." She was in a daze until she finally heard Sam's voice entering the house.

"Okay, I'll call you first thing tomorrow." Chris entered the house after saying her goodbye to Sam. She was scared as she turned on the light and found Autumn sitting in the sofa almost lifeless.