The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 778 Tightening The Reins

Holley had no idea why she would suddenly mention their wedding. Perhaps her phone call with Leila left her a bit concerned. The more she thought about it, the more worried she got.

Anything could happen. She really couldn't predict Donna's next move, so she wanted to get married to George as soon as possible.

"Why are you bringing up marriage right now?" George wondered. He couldn't hide his confusion. Holley's comment had come out of nowhere.

"Don't you want to marry me?" she replied. Before he even had a chance to answer that, Holley continued, "George, I am not a young girl anymore. I want to settle down and have a family. Don't you want to do that with me?"

"Don't be silly," George said while grabbing her hand. "It has been my dream to marry you since I met you. Why would you doubt that?"

With eyes full of excitement, Holley cautiously began saying, "Well then, how about we go get our marriage license tomorrow?" Looking George in the eyes, she pleaded, "Darling, I can't wait any longer. Whether your mother agrees or not, I don't care anymore. Being with you is all I want."

"Tomorrow?" George asked. The rush made him hold back. He had to give her an answer, however, so he came up with an excuse, "Dear, I have to go on a business trip tomorrow. Can we do that once I come back from my trip?"

Hearing George agree to marry her soon, Holley felt relieved. She then rested her head on his shoulder and expressed her feelings out loud, "That's all I need to hear."

George smiled and planted a long kiss on her forehead.

Holley could not stop worrying that Donna might try to spoil her plan, so she had to figure out a way to get married to George as soon as possible.

After Leila hung up the phone with Holley, she started cooking dinner for Shirley and Charlie. She actually never intended to harm the kids, only to make Sheryl nervous.

Many thoughts were cruising through her mind, but one, in particular, was becoming more prominent. She began realizing that Holley had been the one pushing her to take all the wrong steps from the beginning. She had allowed Holley to influence her to such an extent, that she could not say "no" to her requests anymore.

However, in the end, she would always come out losing and regret listening to her.

Leila brought dinner to the kids' room and decided to stay for a little while. She watched them play and noticed how patient and kind Charlie was being towards Shirley. The little girl felt safe and comfortable around him, and that only made Leila more envious.

She couldn't get it; after staying with Charlie for three years, he never treated her the same way. Even if Shirley was his sister, they hadn't had any contact for three years. Why did Charlie act as if they'd never been apart before?

'Is this all because of their blood bond? That can't be!' Leila kept wondering while staring at the kids.

Eventually, her intense looks began to make Shirley uncomfortable. She was worried that Leila might take Charlie away, so she kept a close eye on her, ready to intervene.

Charlie didn't eat until Shirley finished eating. Noticing that, Leila inquired, "Why do you treat her so kindly?"

"Do we need a reason to be kind to anyone?" replied Charlie all confused. His serious face aggravated Leila.

"Of course!" she asserted. Perplexed that he didn't see things the same way, she began justifying, "Why should we be kind to others if they don't do us any good?" Charlie was speechless for a few seconds, and then continued, "You and I are different. Everything you do is for some reason. I don't know how you can live like that." Those words kept playing in her mind as she tried to come up with a reply. She couldn't say anything because he was right. Indeed, whatever she had done was for a specific reason. Even raising Charlie was so that she could be with Charles.

However, all those years of upbringing still did not manage to develop a strong relationship between them.

Annoyed by his words, Leila asked, "Do you really think that if you act kindly towards Sheryl's daughter, she will do the same towards you? Ha, keep dreaming boy!"

With a cold, jealous look she warned him, "If I learned anything from mothering you is that kidnapping a child makes a parent not think straight any longer. Sheryl won't take kindly to any involvement you may have in this. So, if you were to live with her, she would never appreciate you. Instead, she will hate you for what I have done to her daughter."

Seeing that Charlie kept silent, she continued persuading him, "Think about it. Have you ever heard in any fairy tale of a kind stepmother? Never!"

"Have you said enough?" asked Charlie calmly, completely ignoring her words. With an indifferent stare, he added, "If you have, then you can get out. Shirley needs to get some sleep now."

Realizing her words were not working, Leila gave up. She then checked the clock and saw it was time to meet with Charles. Quickly, she put on some bold makeup and her most sophisticated dress, and took off at 9 pm sharp.

Arriving at the destination one hour earlier than their appointment, she decided to hide nearby and wait for Charles, just to make sure he was alone.

Charles showed up alone indeed. He then waited there for a little while, looking around the restaurants in the area to see if he could spot Leila. With no sign of her, he took out his phone. But before he could dial any digit, Leila came up to him.

"Always punctual, Mr. Lu," she remarked. Her tone was serious, unfriendly. That took Charles a bit by surprise.

He looked at her, unimpressed by her efforts to seem more attractive. With an extended arm pointing down the street, he proceeded to suggest, "Let's replace a place to sit down and talk."

That was not the reaction Leila was hoping for, so she replied in an offended tone, "Fine!" She then looked around and picked a restaurant filled with guests. "Let's go there."

After they both got seated, an awkward silence settled in. In an effort to snap out of the moment, Leila broke the ice, "It's been a while. How are you?"

Charles, however, was not in the mood for pleasantries. "I will be fine as long as you give me back my kids. What is it that you want from me? I won't let you take Charlie away. You'd better give that up right now."

"How funny!" Leila commented laughing. Turning serious again, she addressed, "Charlie is my child. You are the one trying to take him away from me!

Look, Charles, I am here today... not to get you back. I'm done doing that."

She paused to gather her thoughts and then continued, "If you really loved your son, you should have chosen me instead of Sheryl. You can't be with her and expect me to give up my son just like that. What am I left with?

You can't have everything, you know? You want your son? Okay, then marry me. That's your solution." In spite of her feelings, Leila's tone was cold and nonchalant.

Charles frowned as he heard her. "Even after everything, you are still daydreaming.

I'm telling you once and for all that I will never marry you! You have to let it go."

His reply was exactly what Leila expected to hear, though. So instead of getting angry, she gave him an affectionate smile and went on saying, "Don't worry. I'm done waiting for you.

I have thought it over, and decided to give you another option." Leila paused before explaining, "Nowadays, nothing is more useful and reliable than money. People will fail you but money can do anything. So if you want your son, come back with a good offer next time."

She finished her thoughts as she stood up. "I guess we don't have anything else to talk about today, so it's time to end this meeting. Take some time and think about how much having your son is worth to you, then we can talk more."

"Wait!" Charles shouted angrily as she was about to leave. He stood up as well, looking furious.

Leila turned around halfway initially, but noticing his stand, she faced him and asked sarcastically, "What? What are you going to do? Beat me right here?"

With an insolent smile, she reiterated, "Don't forget. Your kids are still in my hands. If you dare hurt me, you will never see them again."