The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 506 Not Yet Time

Leila's initial plan was to bring the boy to see the Lu family a year after Autumn's disappearance. But she had two fears. One was that Charles might suspect the child's identity. And the other was that Autumn might suddenly appear. So she kept putting off her plan.

Then recently, she learned Charles was a frequent guest at one bar. She decided to work there. After more than a month of waiting, she finally came face-to-face with him.

She was glad that all her efforts were not in vain.

Charles scowled at Leila on hearing her words, as he said, "Autumn must be living somewhere else already. Maybe she has a problem with me, and that's why she hasn't come back to me." Leila raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Come on, Mr. Lu. Stop deceiving yourself," she said. "It's been too many years since she left. Shouldn't you set her free? Look at me."

She checked to see if he was paying attention. "Many years ago, you meant everything to me. And I thought you would accept me if I took care of you and stayed loyal to you. I was even dreaming that you would divorce Autumn for me. And if that had been the case, I was determined to go see Autumn to apologize."

She gave a self-mocking smile and confessed,"But when you fired me, I realized I was coveting someone who never belonged to me. Autumn was the only one you loved. It took me three years to let you go and move on. So I know you can do it, too."

Charles gave her a bitter smile. "I'm sorry," he said earnestly. He sighed while thinking, 'To keep Autumn from becoming paranoid, I was cruel to Leila. Now she's so thin that I can barely recognize her.'

This time, Leila gave him a real smile. "I'm telling you these things not because I want an apology. But I do hope you can forget Autumn, and go on with your life. She's gone now, and you can't bring her back. It's best to let her go and move on," she advised.

Charles gave her a wry smile. "I know I should let go of Autumn and move on with my life. I've tried but I just can't," he sighed.

Suddenly, he stood up and said, "Let's go!"

"Go where?" Leila asked. His command stunned her.

"I had drinks, so I can't drive. Besides, your manager said that you had a son and he was sick. Is he in the hospital?" Charles spoke without looking at Leila.

"No, he isn't in the hospital," she quickly replied. "He just has a cold and is resting at home."

Her expression became tender and affectionate when Leila spoke of the boy. Her initial plan was to use the child to get Charles to marry her. But over time, she developed a real fondness for the boy and began to treat him like her own as he grew up. She found herself vowing to do anything to provide him with the best life.

Maybe he looked like Charles, and this made Leila accept and regard him as her own. But the boy was aloof and indifferent to her.

Despite his lack of interest in Leila, she continued to love him and hoped his attitude towards her would eventually change.

"I'll come with you and visit him," Charles suddenly offered. "I didn't expect you to get married after your disappearance. And who is the boy's father?" he asked.

Charles didn't hear everything Leila's manager said since the bar was too noisy.

She looked at him before replying, "I'm... I'm not married."

"You mean you're single and unmarried?" Charles was incredulous. It was the last thing he expected to hear. Charles could not help but marvel at Leila for being a strong woman.

He insisted, "I'll take you home." Leila smiled gratefully but politely refused his offer. She said it would not be appropriate given his condition. She was thinking, 'It's not yet time for him to meet the child.' Charles did not insist, noting the firmness in Leila's tone. They hailed a cab and arrived at the Lu family house. Leila assisted Charles out of the vehicle. He was drunk. She hurriedly left to escape but stopped when Charles called out.

"Leila!" he called her name aloud. "Can you give me your phone number?" He paused. "Maybe we can have a drink another time," he offered.

She turned to see if he was serious. "Okay." Her lips formed into a sly smile.

After exchanging numbers, Leila called a taxi while Charles walked into the house slowly. As he entered the living room, he found Chris asleep on the couch. His brows were knitted. Even drunk, he looked at her with concern. Before he could lay a blanket to cover her, Chris' eyelids fluttered open.

"You're back," she said, her voice still sounding sleepy. She rubbed her eyes, and then stared at her brother.

"Yeah, I'm back," he said while nodding. Frowning, he said, "It's late. Why aren't you resting in your room?"

"I was waiting for you," Chris answered, smiling. She looked up at her brother and asked, "Do you have time tomorrow, Charles?" Charles raised his brows in question. "I was hoping you could accompany me to mother-and-baby stores," his sister continued.

Her words transported Charles to another time. 'Autumn always asked me to accompany her when she wanted to shop in those stores, ' he thought.

Chris tugged her brother's arm. "Did you listen to what I said?"

Her voice snapped Charles back to the present. He replied, "Uhm, okay."

In the years since Autumn disappeared, he had been avoiding mother-and-baby stores. But since Sam wasn't around, he had to keep Chris company. Recalling Leila's words earlier, he now wondered if he should finally learn to accept Autumn's death.

The following morning, Chris was excited as she woke her brother, and urged him to get ready for their outing. They entered a shop, and Chris ended up buying so many items. Charles soon ran out of patience and was itching to leave.

He eventually realized what Chris was doing. 'Her intention was to take me somewhere for a relaxing time,' he thought.

But he was quickly running out of patience and finally told his sister. "Are you done here? I still have things to do at the office, so I need to leave," Charles said with a hint of annoyance.

Chris panicked as she saw her brother attempting to leave. She quickly grabbed his hand and appealed,"Wait, Charles. Look, there's a toy shop, and I want to have a look there." She was gesturing to the opposite shop. "Please stay a while longer. Are you going to let me go around carrying all this stuff with my bulging belly?" she implored.

Her brother grumbled, "Don't you think it's too early to buy toys for your unborn baby?"

"It's never too early," she replied with a grin. "I need to get everything ready for

my baby." She shifted to negotiating mode. "We can go home after taking a look there, okay?"

With great reluctance, Charles finally gave in.

Chris cheerfully went through the racks of baby accessories. "How about this, Charles?" she asked. "I have a feeling this is going to be a baby girl. When I give birth, I'll dress her up so she'll look like a pretty princess," she told her brother, her eyes full of expectation and joy.

Charles held out a princess dress with a pink collar bow and commented, "I think this is lovely." Deep inside he was thinking bitterly, 'I was looking forward to the arrival of our twins and wondered about their gender. Now, I will never have the chance to meet my children.'

Chris stared at Charles with wide eyes. She never expected her brother to choose the color pink for an infant.