The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 742 I Promise You

"Aunt Laura, I really have something important to deal with right now." Sheryl looked at Laura anxiously. Her daughter was still lying in bed helplessly. She didn't have time to engage in a verbal fight with Laura right then.

"Stop with your excuses. Knock it off!" Laura sneered, "Sheryl, I really don't understand how a girl can be so shameless. You are beautiful and can have any man you want. So, why do you want to trap my son? My son is so blinded by your charms that he has nearly abandoned his own mother. He is unwilling to even see me now. So, tell me, how can you remedy things between me and my son?"

Laura was not afraid to lose face, so her voice was really loud. This attracted a lot of people's attention. On hearing Laura's words, people gathered around them. They pointed at Sheryl and whispered amongst themselves. Sheryl felt really uncomfortable but she couldn't say anything.

As Laura was Anthony's mother, Sheryl responded politely and patiently, "Aunt Laura, the relationship between Anthony and me is over. Please let me go now."

"Stop all your lies," Laura sneered again. "I've seen many women like you. You say that your relationship is over, but you are only saying it to deceive me. And when my back is turned, you will be back with Anthony again. You are just a single unwed mother with a child. I know you will never let a successful and rich man like my son out of your clutches."

Laura's words increased the whispers of the people around. Hospitals are often crowded places, and where there are people, there is chatter and gossip. The crowd stood around Sheryl and gossiped about her and Laura's son. These people judged Sheryl with mean words and cast her in the role of an immoral woman.

"I didn't expect such a beautiful girl to be so immoral. She looks so decent," a woman said.

"Neither did I. You can never judge a book by its cover it seems," a young man looked at Sheryl with disgust and said.

"Yes, you are right. If my son is to marry, I pray his future wife not be like her," another woman fervently said.

Listening to all these insulting words, Sheryl was pained. She was almost reduced to tears. Their words were sharp like knives, cutting her heart into pieces.

Laura couldn't help laughing when she also heard these words. She turned to Sheryl and said, "Do you hear them? It is not only me who dislikes you. See how many people are agreeing with me! Sheryl Xia, it would be better if you look within yourself. If you are a good woman, how is it possible that I do not approve of your relationship with my son?"

"Aunt Laura." Sheryl's face was sad. After hesitating for a while, she continued, "What do you want from me? Why are you creating a scene here?"

"I want to talk to you privately," Laura said directly to Sheryl. Sheryl hesitated but she still agreed to Laura. "Okay, but I don't have much time. So, you had better be quick about it."

"All right," Laura answered with a triumphant smile.

Laura wanted to replace a cafe, but Sheryl refused. Sheryl was worried about Shirley and wanted to get back to her quickly. She finally agreed to go to the garden in the hospital.

When there were about to leave, Junia appeared. Junia was shocked to see Sheryl there. She turned to Laura and said, "Aunt Laura, what are you doing? Have you forgotten all that Anthony said?" "Don't worry. It's alright," Laura sneered. "It does not matter what he said. He is my son. I am responsible for his well-being and his happy life. Everything I do is for his good. If I don't do the right thing just because of his few angry words, he will blame me in the future."

"But..." Junia frowned and stopped herself. 'Even I have given up on Anthony. I don't know why Aunt Laura is so stubborn,' she thought to herself.

"It will be alright. Don't worry." Laura smiled as she patted Junia's hand. "I will come back soon."

After she comforted Junia, she turned around and said to Sheryl, "Let's go."

Sheryl followed Laura to a quiet pavilion in the garden. There were some small sparrows hopping around and flying low.

Sheryl spoke first, "Aunt Laura, if you want to say something, just say it directly. Please don't waste my time and yours by beating around the bush."

'I don't want to see her, and she doesn't want to see me. Then why don't we say all the things we want to say right away and never see each other again?' Sheryl thought to herself.

"Excuse me? When Anthony is not around, you cannot even talk politely and respectfully to an elder, can you?" Laura sneered and said, "You really have two faces, don't you? Acting as a polite and sweet girl in front of people and showing your real face behind them. If Anthony could see your true colours right now, he would be really surprised."

"Aunt Laura, please stop being so dramatic," Sheryl answered coldly. "We are both adults, so we should behave like adults. If words make you happy and comfortable, say as many as you want. But, it will be better to say all you want to outright. It will save a lot of time."

"All right." Laura gave a false laugh. "It is rare for us to agree on something but I agree with you on this. So listen to me clearly I want you to stay away from my son."

Laura looked at Sheryl and said calmly, "You said that you are an adult, so please be one. Think about this - how can any parent allow their son to marry a woman like you? Except for your pretty face, what makes you qualified to be Anthony's wife?"

Sheryl did not respond. She listened to Laura's words silently.

Laura didn't stop and even meaner words came out of her mouth. "Let us talk about family first. My family is highly educated and has generations of doctors. How about your family? You are alone, with no one to help you. Except for a daughter who was born out of wedlock, you have nothing. Next, let us talk about your career. Anthony gave up his chance to be a well-paid doctor and became a businessman for you. And you? You are just a nameless model. Besides, you are a single mother and Anthony is a prize catch. No one would ever want a daughter-in-law like you."

After belittling Sheryl for a long time, she started to persuade her to give up on Anthony. "Miss Xia, I know that you are an educated person. You should know the saying that only a well-matched marriage can succeed. Even if you two get married, you will not live happily in the future. I just want to remind you that Anthony will be happier in the future with a girl like Junia who is a good match for him and his status. Trust me, I will never accept you into my family."

So, I need a promise from you. A promise that you will break up with Anthony as soon as possible and that you will never contact him again in the future. Can you make that?"

Laura watched Sheryl closely.

'A gold-digger like her must be using every trick in the book to trap and seduce rich men. She will never easily give up a man like my son. If she still insists on clinging onto him, I will offer her money to leave my son alone, Laura thought to herself.

However, to her surprise, Sheryl made the promise without any hesitation.

She glanced disdainfully at Laura and said, "Aunt Laura, I agree to everything you said. I promise that I will never contact your son or see him again. Can I leave now? I am in a hurry."