The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 558 Something Has Changed

Charlie instinctively did not mention Sheryl to Leila. His gut told him that if Leila knew about Sheryl there would be hell to pay. Thus, he kept his secret.

"Enough!" Leila cried out loudly with a frown on her face. 'This is the boy who I have been raising for years. He's only known Charles for a few days. However, his loyalty is for his father instead of me. How ridiculous and pathetic!' she thought bitterly with anger and sorrow.

She sneered and said in a cold voice, "It's late. You should go to bed."

Saying this, she stood up and left Charlie's room. She didn't want to argue with Charlie about these things anymore.

Back in her room she took a shower and tried to calm down. As she lay in bed, Charlie's words kept running through her mind. 'If Charles really hates me, nothing I do will matter,' she thought to herself secretly.

She had even employed the age-old trick of producing a son even before he could work out if he had ever had sex with her. But still Charles refused to accept her. She pondered on this and tried to figure out what she should do next.

Suddenly, she remembered Chris. Chris was most likely to be her only ally in that house. She would surely help Leila.

This thought cheered her up and Leila breathed a sigh of relief. She snuggled into the bed to make herself more comfortable. Although Chris had just given birth and should not be bothered, Leila knew she had no other choice. So she was determined to ask Chris for help the next day.

At the hotel

Ever since Sheryl got back to her room she just lay in bed. She neither undressed nor went for a bath. When Sue came back after a midnight feast with the other models, she found the room dark. She thought Sheryl hadn't returned. As a result, when she turned on the light, she got a fright at the sight of Sheryl in bed.

"God, you freaked me out," Sue exclaimed, placing her hand over her racing?heart. "I thought you weren't back yet. Why did you lying in the dark?" she frowningly asked.

Sheryl made no reply and remained motionless in bed. It was as if she hadn't heard her friend at all.

What Sue did not know was that Sheryl had an issue raging in her mind. Sheryl was perplexed about why she hadn't experienced any attraction in all the years she had been with Anthony, but today, she had been strongly attracted to a strange man.

This curious reality left her both confused and ashamed.

It was as if she had done something wrong to Anthony.

"What's wrong, Sher?" Sue asked as she sensed something was majorly troubling Sheryl. She went up to the bed and placed her hand on Sheryl's forehead. She muttered, "No fever, are you...

"I'm fine," Sheryl interrupted weakly. Sue stared at her doubtfully. She was sure that Sheryl was upset about something. After a moment of hesitation, she said softly,"Sher, I'm your best friend. In the past you have always confided in me. Why has this changed since our arrival in Y City?"

Sheryl gaped at Sue's innocent question.

She thought sadly to herself, 'Why has it changed?

When did the change begin? From the moment Sue got drunk and told me she liked Anthony or from the moment Charles showed up?'

She couldn't replace the right answer to these questions, but she was sure something had changed between her and Sue.

Sheryl forced a smile on her face as she did not want to worry Sue. "I'm all right, really," she assured Sue. "I'm just extremely tired. It is nothing more than that. So don't worry about me."

"Okay... if you say so," Sue said in a doubtful voice. She would not force Sheryl if she did not want to talk. "Oh Sher, why didn't you answer Anthony's phone call? He called me when he was unable to get through to you."

Sheryl turned on her phone. She found it was on silent mode and that there were innumerable missed calls from Anthony.

"You better call him back immediately," Sue was quick to remind her. "I told him you were unwell and resting at the hotel."

Sue had lied to Anthony mostly because she did not want him to get worried. Besides, how could she tell Anthony that Sheryl had gone to the playground with a little boy she had just met, and the boy's father. It was just too weird.

Sheryl gave a small nod. At this, Sue sensibly walked away to the bathroom to shower. She wanted to give Sheryl some privacy to talk to Anthony.

As soon as Sheryl dialled Anthony's number, he answered. "Sher, are you all right? I have been trying to contact you all night. You were not answering my calls," Anthony's worried voice came over the phone. "I'm sorry," Sheryl said in a soft, low voice. She didn't know herself, if she was apologizing for not answering Anthony's calls or for her attraction to Charles.

"Sher, why are you apologizing? I'm not blaming you. I am just concerned about you," Anthony gently said. He could sense something strange in his girlfriend's tone. However, he was unable to understand what it was.

"Well," Sheryl explained, "I felt a little sick after dinner. So I returned to my room to rest and put my cell phone on silent. I didn't expect to fall asleep and that took for so long. If Mimi hadn't woken me up, I might still be sleeping."

Sheryl held her phone tightly as she lied. She stuck to the story that Sue had told Anthony about her. It was the first time she had lied to Anthony. She had a strong feeling that it would not be the last lie she would be telling him.

"You were not well? Oh God! Tell me Sher, what's wrong with you?" Forgetting his anger at Sheryl for not answering the phone, Anthony began to worry about her health. "I shouldn't have let you go to Y City without me. I'm really worried about you," he said, his voice full of concern for Sheryl.

The more Anthony worried about her, the more Sheryl felt guilty about what she had done. Her guilt drove her to irritation and she snapped in a waspish tone, "Can you stop being so nice to me?" She thought to herself, 'Your kindness only increases my guilt.'

Sheryl didn't dare voice this to Anthony.

Anthony was startled by her sudden anger. He asked tentatively, "Sher, my love, what's wrong? What has happened to you? Your behavior is worrisome."

"Nothing...nothing is wrong. I don't know why I am so stressed," Sheryl responded dryly. She then tried to compose herself and changed the subject. "Is Shirley asleep?" she asked gently.

"Yes dear, she has been asleep for sometime now," Anthony replied in a sad voice. "She was asking to video chat with you before she went to bed. She remembered that her birthday is coming soon. She was eager to ask you whether you would be back by then to celebrate it with her. She is really excited about it, you know."

Sheryl felt a wave of regret. She had always celebrated Shirley's birthday with her. Unfortunately, this year her daughter's birthday fell on the same day as the show of BM Corporation.

Sheryl knitted her brows and said, "Anthony, please comfort her for me. Will you tell her that I'll make it up to her when I get back. I will celebrate her birthday again at that time."

Anthony replied, "Okay Sher. I will make her understand this. Don't you worry. Just take care of yourself and come back soon." Then he told Sheryl to rest. "It must be rather late in Y City. Go to bed. Don't wear yourself out."

"I know, I'll take care of myself." Finally, Sheryl cheered up a little. "Anthony, I am not a kid. Stop talking to me like you talk to Shirley," she teased in a laughing voice.