The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 536 A Counter Proposal

With a bitter smile, Leila continued, "My heart broke when I saw you in despair after Autumn disappeared. At that time, I believed I could take care of Charlie alone, but later found out I was wrong. The boy always pretends to be strong in front of me. But like other children, I know he yearns for a father's love. He expects excursions to the amusement park or the aquarium. I kept thinking I could both be a mother and father to him. Then I realized he always needs his father's care and love. So, however hard I tried, I couldn't replace his father."

She paused to take a breath. "Since then, I've thought of how I could give him a complete family." Miserable, Leila buried her face in her hands and cried out, "It was all my fault! I should have pushed you away when you thought I was Autumn."

Her chest heaved before she made the tears stop falling. Then she moved closer to Charles and gripped his hand. "Mr. Lu..." she pleaded, tears pooling in her eyes. "I love you! I gave birth to Charlie for you. Autumn is no longer in your life. Can't you give me a chance and give your son the family he deserves?" she begged him. Sniffing back the tears, Leila went on,"I promise to serve you well and take care of our small family. I won't mind even if you don't love me. Just let me stay with you."

"Let me go!" Charles shouted while shaking off her hand violently. His attitude towards Leila did not change, even after learning of Charlie's existence.

Charles did not hate the boy. It was Leila he couldn't accept.

She stared at the hand he shoved away but persisted, "Mr. Lu, I know you're mad at me. But the boy is innocent." Looking at him with pitiful eyes, she begged,"Can't you do this for our son's sake?"

"Leila, I wish..." he stopped as he felt the fury rise. "I could kill you now!" The words came, out of exasperation.

It was deathly silent. Charles' eyes were full of hatred. If looks could kill, Leila would probably be dead. She had no idea what to say.

Several minutes passed before she got over her fear and found the courage to reason with Charles. "I know you hate me. But things happened. Charlie is your child. If you don't believe me, go have a DNA test," she dared.

Leila expected Charles to have misgivings and prepared for the suggestion.

Brows wrinkled, Charles was totally lost in his thoughts. 'He looks exactly like me. Even without a paternity test, I believe he's my son.' The boy he could accept, but Leila as the birth mother, he could not. Suddenly, he barked at her,"What do you want?" If he couldn't avoid the woman, he would at least figure out her intentions. It was the only way to put an end to this.

Leila remained silent, so he asked impatiently,"Now that you've laid out your secret weapon, you must want something from me. So tell me, what is it that you want?" He sneered and added, "Or should I ask, how much do you want?"

Hearing him say those words was like a slap to the face. "Mr. Lu, am I such a shameless woman to you?" The hurt was all over her face. "I admit I'm poor. Still, I managed to give the boy a good life and take good care of him. How could you even think I want to blackmail you?"

Charles cared little for drama. "Get to the point, Leila! Name your price. I don't want to waste time on you," he said. She saw Charles had run out of patience, so Leila went straight to the point.

"I've always believed that Charlie deserves a complete family. That's why I feel sorry for him. The boy is insecure because he has no father. I tried to replace someone to marry since you never wanted me. But then I thought of Charlie. What if my husband maltreated him? I also feared that no man would be good enough so I'll end up living a miserable life."

She paused, waiting for a reaction. When none came, Leila continued, "But you're different. You're Charlie's father, so I know you will treat him right."

When she noticed Charles put on a straight face, Leila hesitated, unsure if she should continue or not. Gathering the courage, she said, "I feel fortunate to have met you again. You lost Autumn, but I have your child. I gave up on you because you and Autumn were happy. I couldn't bear the thought of destroying that happiness. But I don't want to miss the chance of being with you again. So, I will fight for my son and me." She looked Charles in the eye while saying. "I hope you can accept Charlie and me. We could be happy together, the three of us." Leila pressed on,"Will you agree to my proposal for the boy's sake?" Before Charles could say something, Leila hurriedly explained, "I know you can never forget Autumn, but I don't mind this at all. I only ask one thing from you— let me be with you, and I will do anything for you. I'm confident that you will learn to love me in time."

"You won't mind even if I can never forget Autumn?" Charles asked as he sounded incredulous.

The woman nodded. With a small smile, Leila declared, "I believe you'll learn to appreciate my kindness and accept me one day. I truly hope you can consider my offer for our son."

"You won't mind..." Charles snorted, and then plastered a cold smile on his face. "But I do!" he thundered. Leila was taken aback by his raised voice.

When Charles learned that he and Leila had a child, he mourned for his wife even more and was so sorry for the indiscretion.

"If I truly offended you in the past, I apologize," he told Leila. "I will take responsibility for the boy. If you agree, I will bring him into the Lu family and raise him as my son. I'll give him the best life, and will make sure he receives the best education in spite of his family name," Charles offered. Leila didn't like how the negotiation was turning out.

"What do you mean by that?" she queried.

"As for you..." the man frowned again. "All I can do is compensate you. I'll give you money. It doesn't matter how much you want," Charles offered.

And if Leila wanted everything he possessed, he would agree as long as the woman promised never to bother him again.