The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 699 Climb A Mountain

Kitty hired someone to check on Charles' and Sheryl's whereabouts. She was on tenterhooks while waiting for the result. After a short while, the man she sent came back. "What did you get? Have you found out where they are?" Kitty asked eagerly the moment she saw him. She was like a cat on hot bricks.

"Mr. Lu and his son's current location is just five minutes drive away from here. Sheryl and her daughter are with them, too. According to the staff that I have talked with, Mr. Lu ordered a square meal so there is no doubt that he is currently having lunch with Sheryl and the two children," the man said all in one breath.

"Rubbish!" Kitty shouted at him. "Everything you said is completely useless! I can even guess those things with my eyes closed. What I want to know is Charles' exact location right now and when he is coming back." She was enraged beyond measure.

"Well... that..." The man stole a sheepish glance at Kitty while fumbling for words. "That is something beyond my capacity. Mr. Lu is the biggest shareholder of this resort so no one dares to pry into his private life."

"Trash!" Kitty raged at the futility of it all.

She had spent a lot of time and efforts dressing herself up to look stunning in the eyes of Charles, hoping to catch his attention. 'I can possibly lure him into bed if things go well for me. But how can I do it if I can't even have the opportunity to see him in person? What am I supposed to do?' she thought to herself, feeling distraught.

"Kitty, just calm down. Don't panic," the models around Kitty advised. They tried their best to comfort her when they saw her at a loss. "Since it was Mr. Lu who brought us here, he will definitely show up. Let's just wait for him."

"How long do we have to wait? If we just stay put and do not make a move, that whore Sheryl will definitely win Charles' heart," Kitty said. She was already fretful.

She really couldn't figure out what was so attractive in Sheryl that both Charles and Anthony were bewitched by her.

Sheryl had no inkling of what was happening to Kitty and the other models because she was enjoying the moment with Charles. After lunch, Charles led her and the two kids to the juicy peach orchard. Sheryl found the resort extremely large. The back hill was full of ripe and mellow peaches, which emanated an enticing aroma.

Shirley was elated to see so many peaches. She screamed that she wanted one. Charlie immediately picked one big red peach from a nearby tree and put it into her mouth after peeling it.

Shirley took a bite. Its flesh melted immediately and the juice filled her mouth. The sweetness lingered between her teeth. She then held the peach up to Charlie's mouth and motioned him to take a bite as well Charlie hesitated for a moment but eventually decided to take a small bite. After that, he ruffled her hair affectionately and pushed the peach back to her gently. He said, "I have eaten my fill. You should have some more."

Shirley smiled contentedly upon hearing Charlie's words.

Charles initially planned to take them to climb a mountain after picking peaches but Shirley was already exhausted from jumping and running around the orchard. So they had no choice but to retrace their steps back to the resort. There, they ran into Alice.

Alice did a double take when she caught sight of Charles and Sheryl. She asked in bewilderment, "Mr. Lu, Miss Xia, why are you back so early? The party at night is still hours away." Charles had already arranged a barbecue party for the models later at night. It would be held at the pool side.

"Because Shirley is tired," Sheryl smiled politely. "We planned to go mountaineering but Shirley and Charlie are now resting in the room. Since they are still kids, I worry about their safety so we decided not to pursue it," she explained.

Then Sheryl asked, "Are you going out?" Alice took a glance at Charles. She had a brainwave.

"Miss Xia, if you don't mind, you can entrust the two kids to David and me," she suggested with a reassuring smile.

"You seldom visit here so you should have a whale of a time. Anyway, it will also be a very good chance for me and David to practice taking care of children in advance."

Upon hearing Alice's suggestion, Charles unconsciously grinned from ear to ear. 'Alice is much more dependable than David. I should give her a pay rise after this trip is over,' he thought.

"I..." Sheryl hesitated for a moment. "I am afraid it might inconvenience you." Indeed, Sheryl was torn. Deep down she felt like climbing a mountain. However, she was also worried about the kids' safety if they were left on their own in the room.

"Not a big deal." Alice smiled. "Only if you don't mind, we will take care of them."

"It's a deal," Charles cut in hurriedly. He helped Sheryl decide.

"We'll go ahead," Charles said goodbye to Alice. He then took Sheryl's hand and pulled her to leave. He trusted Alice with Charlie and Shirley.

Alice went back to their room with Shirley and Charlie in tow. David asked after a double take, "How come you take them with you? If Mr. Lu and Miss Xia can't replace them, they will worry themselves sick." "Don't worry, they won't," Alice said calmly. She knew how to get on with Charlie because she had spent some time with him before. She had actually cherry-picked a science book which she thought would tickle his fancy and planned to give it to him during the trip. It so happened that it came in handy on this occasion.

As for Shirley, it was a piece of cake to take care of her. Alice just turned on the TV and Shirley conked out after a short while.

David was a little disgruntled and asked in confusion, "What is the meaning of this? It's very rare for us to go on a trip like this and enjoy ourselves. Mr. Lu didn't even come to you for help but you voluntarily took these little kids with you. They will spoil our enjoyment. What are you..."

"No wonder Mr. Lu doesn't like you that much," Alice interrupted David. She got annoyed by David's reaction. "Mr. Lu came here in an attempt to win his wife's heart back, pure and simple. Can't you see that? It's totally fine if you want to stand on the sidelines. But if you dare to mess things up, you're screwed."

"I..." David opened his mouth but found nothing to say. At the sound of Alice's explanations, he came to a realization and blamed himself for his stupidity.

'Mr. Lu's intention is crystal clear. But I was in the dark. What a fool!' he scolded himself.

David hugged Alice and kept rubbing his head against her neck like a little boy. "It doesn't matter that I'm slow on the uptake. At least, you're on the ball. That's enough."

On the other hand, Sheryl was still a little anxious after she and Charles left. "Can they really take good care of the kids? Didn't you say they are here because you want to give them a chance to spend time together and enjoy themselves? The kids might cause them too much trouble."

"Don't worry, they won't," Charles patiently answered. He comforted Sheryl gently, "Didn't Alice say it's a good opportunity for them to learn the ropes of taking care of kids?"

"But..." Charles' words didn't dissipate Sheryl's misgivings. So Charles added with a smile, "Cheer up. We'll come back as soon as possible. Let's hurry up before it gets dark."

Sheryl forced herself to shake the concerns about the kids off. The mountain they climbed was not very high so she was filled with anticipation and energy in the beginning. But when she was halfway through, she started to pant and ran out of strength. Maybe because she didn't have regular exercise.

"Are you okay?" Charles wheeled around to check whether Sheryl could still continue to walk or not.

Sheryl gasped and was too exhausted to speak. On the contrary, Charles' breath was steady and there was no trace of tiredness on his face at all. Sheryl heaved a deep sigh and thought to herself, 'He is not only rich and good-looking, he is also right as rain. How come he can be so perfect? That's unfair!'

"I'm alright. Move on." Since she was already there, Sheryl didn't have any plans to give up. 'I won't stop until I scale the mountain,' she told herself firmly.