The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 510 Still Devoted To Autumn

"What..."

Leila didn't believe she could pass herself off as Autumn enough to win Charles' affection.

At most, she's had the privilege to listen to Charles talk his heart out. But she was far from becoming his lover.

And even drunk, he would not sleep with her.

So, this was Leila's greatest challenge.

Meanwhile, Chris was relentless in pushing her to complete the mission. "You think this is beyond your reach?" Chris asked. She hoped sneering at Leila would encourage the woman to hurry up.

"I'm afraid so. Definitely," Leila replied. Every day she was not making progress, which filled Leila with more doubt. "As far as we're concerned, Mr. Lu tends to sleep alone when drunk. And this is making it impossible to play my game," she told Chris.

"So, it's time to act more wisely," Charles' sister suggested. Bluntly, she told Leila her idea. "You can make it appear that Charles slept with you. And then you can use Charlie, his son who is in your charge, as leverage."

Leila looked doubtfully at Chris. She didn't believe she could rely on the boy, who she knew was too willful and capricious.

But she said confidently, "Don't worry. I know what to do."

She had waited three years, and was determined to win Charles.

With Autumn supposedly dead, Leila was in a position to be made part of Lu family, passing herself off as Charlie's mother. She intended to use the child to her advantage.

Leila stood up and said, "I need to go back home now and take care of Charlie."

Chris watched her leave, wondering what Leila had planned.

The following day, Chris invited Charles to have breakfast with her at the table. "Have a taste of this shrimp-filled wonton," she offered her brother.

"No, thank you. Just enjoy it yourself," he replied. Charles felt disheartened and couldn't hide it.

Worried about her brother, Chris appealed, "Please eat, even just a little. Besides, I have something to talk to you."

He sighed and gave in to his sister's wishes. Charles sat down beside Chris and had a bowl of wonton, prepared by Nacy Zhang specifically to help get rid of his hangover. Surprisingly, he enjoyed the meal much to Chris' delight. She saw it as an opportune time to talk to her brother.

His bowl clean and his stomach full, Charles turned to his sister and urged, "Now, feel free to talk."

"It's nothing serious, really."

She smiled before going on, "Leila brought you back last night. It's nice to know that you two are becoming close, or even closer than before."

"It was only a coincidence that she happened to be there," he replied.

Then skillfully, he steered the conversation away from Leila. "Since there doesn't seem to be anything important happening here, I need to go to the office to deal with piles of paperwork."

"All right. Then, drive carefully," his sister said. She nodded at him and then smiled secretly. 'Oh, Charles. If you only knew. There will be more encounters between you and Leila.' She chuckled. Charles focused most of his energy running the business, as his way to get over the trauma caused by Autumn's disappearance. And with Edward spending more time with his new girlfriend, he assigned Charles to manage Sun Company, which meant an increased workload for him.

His two assistants, David and Alice, were already overworked as they helped Charles manage the affairs of the growing company.

"We need to work overtime again," David complained to Alice.

He just walked out of the boss's office and approached Alice to complain and apologize. "I'm sorry that I can't go see a movie with you tonight as I promised."

"It's okay," Alice replied, patting David's arm. Then smiling, she teased, "Well, we can make working together romantic."

"You're so sweet," he whispered. David wrapped Alice in his arms affectionately.

"Okay, enough with the banter!" Alice broke free from the embrace. She warned, "We're at work and should behave appropriately. It doesn't include hugging."

"But we're just acting naturally," David complained. "Everybody knows about our romantic relationship, even Mr. Lu," he pointed out.

"Still, we need to behave properly here," she retorted. Alice felt a little embarrassed over their public display of affection.

Since Charles decided to concentrate on the business to keep him from thinking about Autumn's disappearance, David and Alice had been his assistants. But since they were closely working together, they eventually ended up as a romantic couple.

David cast a helpless glance at Charles' office, with its shut door, and continued complaining,"If Mr. Lu still doesn't move on from Autumn's disappearance and focuses all his time on the business, we will never be able to go out on a date."

Alice saw how frustrated David felt and agreed quietly. But she shrugged it off and ordered her boyfriend, "Enough of the complaining."

Putting herself in Charles' position, she argued, "Mr. Lu needs more time to recover from PTSD. You know, post-traumatic stress disorder."

Her eyes appealed to David. "He needs our sympathy and understanding."

His reply was a deep sigh. After Autumn went missing, Charles desperately searched for his wife for days and ended up becoming ill. After recovering, he decided to dedicate himself to the company, working day and night, and requesting David and Alice to put in as much time as he did.

David was growing frustrated with the situation at work because he was eager to solemnize his relationship with Alice and wanted to present her to his family during their Spring Festival reunion.

Alice stared at Charles' door, falling into a dreamy state. "Mr. Lu's feelings for Mrs. Lu has never waned," she sighed. Looking at David, she added, "Separated for three years, but Mr. Lu continues to cherish his wife. If I were Autumn, I would replace it very heartwarming to know my husband still adores me."

"But I'm just as devoted to you," David rushed to tell Alice. Her eyes twinkled at his words, but she put an end to the sweet talk. "Get back to work!" she snapped.

Alice truly sympathized with Autumn's fate.

She may not have known Charles' wife very long, but she found out that Autumn's life had been full of hardships and ordeals. Now, not only did she go missing, she was pregnant with no contact with her family 'And who knows what happened to her? She may be in even bigger trouble, ' Alice thought to herself.

Back in America

Sheryl was feeling uneasy over Anthony's absence. Their constant quarreling and fights pushed him to leave.

With no one to argue with, Sheryl realized how unbearable it was to live without Anthony.

It seemed laughable that she was sitting on the couch watching a comedy show but looking petrified.

What was most frustrating for her now was Anthony not appreciating all her efforts to make sure she and Shirley live a more comfortable life. Making matters worse was his reaction to her getting a job interview.

She found it strange and somewhat terrifying when Anthony flew into a rage at the knowledge that she had left the house to go in for the interview. "Sher, are you okay?" asked a small voice. There was no reply. Shirley then crawled up the coach and cuddled up to Sheryl.