The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 526 Dwelling On The Aftermath

An overwhelming feeling of anguish washed over him. His heart started racing a hundred miles an hour at the sight of Leila's naked back.

Dazzled by the bright sunlight, he couldn't even focus. He needed to recall what had happened the night before. How did he end up in bed with his employee?

In spite of all his efforts, his memory was completely blurry. Flashes of shots going down his throat and the moment when Leila mentioned Autumn's name were all he could remember. Charles felt weak, ashamed and most of all, guilty. He had not touched another woman for all these past years up until last night. Not sure how to react to it all, he decided to run away.

He moved across the room quietly as to not wake Leila up, picked up his clothes from the ground and put them on with trembling hands. His shirt buttons kept slipping in between his fingers, so he decided to button just enough of them leaving the top three open. He then grabbed his crumpled suit jacket, tiptoed to the door and immediately fled the room without hesitation.

Leila had been awake throughout the entire time. As soon as he shut the door, she sat straight up pondering on the consequences of last night's events. She didn't feel ready for a conversation about it, so she pretended to sleep. Charles wasn't in the best condition to talk about it either. She knew they'd have to discuss it at some point but it would be best to wait for the right moment.

They both needed enough space and time for things to sink in first.

Looking at the empty room, she ran her hands over her face overpowered by doubt. 'Did I scare him away? But if I hadn't done this, I would have never stood a chance against Autumn's memory,' she thought pathetically.

It hadn't been the first time she had gotten so close to Charles, but it was the first time she had to stage something like this on him. It was all new territory for her as well.

Leila was just about to call Chris and inform her that the plan had gone smoothly, when Chris' own call popped up on her screen. As soon as she answered, the voice on the other end felt as if it had pierced through her eardrum,"My brother didn't come home last night. Was he with you?"

"Yes, he was," Leila replied but without any excitement in her voice. "He just woke up, and as soon as he saw me lying down beside him, he ran away..."

With a slightly apologetic tone, Chris chuckled and reassured Leila,"Charles loved Autumn deeply. He hasn't dated anyone after her. If I were in his shoes, I'd feel panicked too. It's a lot to take in all at once. Bu don't worry. Now that you were intimate, I don't think there will be any problems in winning his heart. Besides, you also have his son, Charlie. My brother will not want to leave his side once he replaces out." "Really?" Leila responded half-heartedly. Though, there was one thing that neither Chris nor her brother knew. In reality, nothing had happened between Charles and Leila that night. He had been way too drunk to function in any capacity, so he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Leila simply took off his clothes and staged a scene that would lead him to believe they had had sex.

Chris continued with her instructions, "Now that you're already halfway to success, the next step is to have Charles meet Charlie. I'm telling you, my brother loves kids, and he will especially love his own son. If he realizes that marrying you would also mean living together with him, he'll be more likely to consider it."

In fact, that was part of Chris and Leila's plan all along. They intended to manipulate her way into his heart by using Charlie, in case Charles wasn't going to fall for her alone. If Charles knew that Charlie was his son, he would feel some responsibility towards the child and perhaps gratitude towards Leila for having raised him. Eventually, those reasons would be enough for him to marry her.

He was a good man, after all. Chris and Leila knew that.

"I hope you're right," stated Leila. She had to be right. Otherwise it would have all been in vain, and she would have to deal with the awkwardness of seeing him at work too.

Refusing to think about it, Leila immediately convinced herself that it was all going to go perfectly from now on! It had to! Plus, Charles' panicked expression from a few minutes earlier was starting to look really funny in her mind. Straightening herself up, she began getting dressed. She got out of bed, took a shower and left for her rented apartment.

While all of that had been going on, Charles was getting into one trouble after another. As soon as he left the hotel room, he rushed down the stairs and towards the exit door dizzy and confused. His goal was to leave as soon as possible before Leila woke up or anyone else saw him.

At the same time, Sue was getting Sheryl some breakfast, since it was that time of the month for her; she felt too uncomfortable to walk down herself. As soon as Sue turned the corner, with hands full of food, Charles knocked right into her sending her plates sailing through the air.

Her soybean milk, the steamed, stuffed buns, and the soft, ripen fruits were all sprawled along the dining hall entryway.

Looking at that wasted food, Sue immediately lost her temper. What made it even worse was watching Charles turn around, intending to simply walk away from the scene he had just caused. Enraged, she pulled him by the collar and started scolding him in front of everyone, "What the hell are you doing?! Don't you look where you walk? And where do you think you're going?"

"I'm sorry," Charles replied in a low voice. He was trying his best not to draw any more attention towards him, in fear that Leila would hear it and come down. Their hotel room wasn't too far; he had only walked down one very short flight of stairs. So she could easily hear the commotion. Nervous, he swallowed loudly casting frequent glances towards the room. Due to his hangover, no good excuse or explanation would come out of his mouth. All he could do was apologize to Sue,"I'm really sorry. I... I can't. I've got something important to deal with. I must go." "Oh, as for your breakfast... how much do I owe you?" he offered politely while reaching for his wallet.

Unfortunately though, he had no cash left in there and paying by card would be too much of a hassle. So he slid his wallet back in his pocket, and with an embarrassed look he apologized again,"I'm really sorry. I didn't bring cash today. How about I pay you later?"

The breakfast was on behalf of the hotel. So Sue didn't care about the money. She was simply irritated by his attitude.

'Does he think money can solve everything?' she wondered full of anger.

That was why she decided to teach him a lesson in front of everyone. "What's the matter? Why the rush? Did you cheat on your wife and fear that the woman you slept with last night might ask you to take responsibility for your actions? Because you obviously know so much about that!"

In addition to her words, she also fired him a judgmental look accompanied by an aggressive step forward. In her mind she was assuming only the worse about Charles, 'This irresponsible individual couldn't even take the time to dress up properly. Look at him, his jacket in his hand, the top of his shirt unbuttoned... It's obvious he cheated on his poor wife.'

Sue's disgust towards him was becoming stronger by the second, and she wasn't even hiding it.

Caught off guard by Sue's sarcastic remark, Charles panicked. He bit his lips staring silently at her for a few moments, and then quickly uttered, "Sorry, I've got to go now."

That only made Sue even more furious.

'I HAVE to get out of here... where is the damn exit? I'm losing my mind,' he thought to himself while leaving Sue behind.

However, when it rains, it pours. As soon as Charles finally found the hotel exit door, he caught sight of Eric. It suddenly dawned on him that his friend owned that hotel. Of course he would risk running into him!

His first instinct was to ignore Eric and walk in the opposite direction. However, his friend had already seen him and ran over to him excitedly. "Charles," he yelled leaving Charles no option but to stop. "How could you be like this, man? Every time I ask you out, you refuse saying you're busy. And today here you are!

What are you doing here at this hour by the way? Don't tell me you slept here last night?" Eric's questions seemed endless. Charles just wanted him to stop, but Eric was just getting started. With a sly smile on his face, he continued questioning, "Oh! Were you here with someone? Did you have a date behind my back?"

"Stop talking nonsense," retaliated Charles in frustration. He had gotten fed up of Eric's comments. In general, he wouldn't mind them but Eric touched upon a soft spot just then. Whatever had happened the night before was not a date! How dare he think that about him!

Looking at Charles' serious expression, Eric knew that he still couldn't let Autumn go. Even though it had been three years of living without her, her memory was still alive in his heart and mind. His friend was stuck in the past.