The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 828 Doris

"Please do not misinterpret me. I was just concerned about my dear daughter, Sue. I didn't mean anything else." Peggy heaved a sigh and explained herself further to Sheryl, "I think that you may believe that I have not been a good mother all these years. I was totally unaware of how she was doing. I know I may have neglected her feelings, but I hope to make it up to her now. That's why I wanted to talk to you. I just wanted to know more about her life."

Peggy even managed to squeeze some crocodile tears out, as if she cared for her daughter to the point that she could not help but cry. The act looked genuine that it would have easily deceived any spectator. Who would doubt the overwhelming love and concern of a crying mother? Luckily, Sue had already given Sheryl an understanding on Peggy's true colors during their previous discussions.

Noticing that Sheryl was not at all moved, she began to act further. "Sue has always been a considerate daughter. She would only tell us the good but hide the bad. She told me that she bought the house on her own, and that she has been doing well. To me, that's apparently not true. How is it possible for her to get all the money to buy a big house like this at such a young age? Do you know whether she is involved in any monkey business?"

"Aunt Peggy..." Peggy's words confirmed Sheryl's suspicion that she was lying. All the while she was just trying to trick Sheryl into telling her about Sue's money. Sheryl felt miserable enough on what she had gone through, until she met Peggy. Now she felt even more miserable for Sue, whose mother spared no effort to exploit her own daughter.

'At least my family treat me well. Luckily, I do not have to take extra caution when I'm with my family,' she thought.

"You are right, Aunt Peggy. Sue is so kind and considerate that she lied to you about her true financial condition. This house is not hers. How can she even afford it?" Sheryl smiled politely to Peggy. She was testing the waters.

They were too busy that they never even noticed that another person had stepped into the room. Allen just got back and after he heard Sheryl's confirmation that the house was not Sue's, he couldn't help having his nasty thoughts. "Then could it be that she found herself a sugar daddy?"

As he spoke, he could hardly contain the excitement which was clearly written on his face. It was as if he was eager to hear a positive answer from Sheryl.

"What are you talking about?" Sheryl was obviously annoyed and defended firmly for Sue, "You think Sue is such a person?"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Peggy pushed Allen away. She was this close to getting Sheryl to spill the beans, only to be interrupted by her dear son. After a few nudges, she was able to make sure that Allen wouldn't disturb her again, she then turned to Sue and explained, "Sheryl, please don't take his words seriously. We know that Sue is not the kind of person who would do anything for money. As a parent, I was just worried that she may have been cheated into doing something immoral."

"Rest assured, Aunt Peggy. Sue will never do that." Sheryl's assertiveness seemed to have convinced her.

"Then about this house..." Peggy intentionally let her question trail off and hoped Sheryl would finish it with the answer she was looking for.

That was enough hint for Sheryl to pick up from where Peggy left off earlier. Aware that Sue wouldn't want her mother to know the truth, she paused for a while to think of how to make up the story, and then she said, "To be honest to you, Aunt Peggy, this house does not belong to Sue at all. She is just living here temporarily."

"How could that be?" Peggy couldn't seem to hide the surprise in her voice. Hearing that the house was not the property of Sue made her feel uneasy. Did she hear it wrong? She clarified, "Sue told me that..." "Just as you mentioned earlier, Sue would only tell you the good and hide the bad." Sheryl sighed. "This house actually belongs to the company. Our company has leased the house for its employees. So we are just renting the place."

Although Peggy was shocked to hear that, Sheryl could make out from her face that she was starting to believe her story. That was a cue for her to continue, "I was living at the house across the hallway previously. Since my parents also live in Y City, I moved back to their place afterwards. Clearly, this apartment is too expensive for both Sue and I to afford."

Seeing that her words were actually affecting Peggy, she continued with her string of lies, "Indeed, Sue has had decent earnings these past few years. You should also be aware that she wasn't able to save any money for herself, not even a single cent. She cared so much about you that she ended up sending almost all of her earnings the moment she received it. Most of the time, she was barely left with any amount to even survive. Because of this, I even had to keep an eye on her, otherwise, she might just faint due to undernourishment. What a poor girl! She eats very little everyday just to save more money for you."

Realizing that her words might have come across as offensive, she rephrased, "Aunt Peggy, please do not get me wrong. I am not blaming you for her suffering. I just feel sorry for Sue. You know, she has always been a warmhearted girl." Sheryl had her eye glued to Peggy as she took everything in.

"Yes, yes, you are absolutely right. She is a nice girl." Peggy smiled. 'It seemed that Sue was telling the truth all this time,' she thought.

At first, she didn't want to trust Sue's words that she had no money left. Now, with what Sheryl had said, it seemed that she indeed had exploited Sue to the fullest. But she had already promised Doris that she would plan a grandiose wedding for her. How could she keep that promise if she didn't have any money?

"Mom, what do we do now then?" Allen's worried voice interrupted Peggy's thoughts. Glancing at her mom, he pleaded, "Doris has made it very clear that she would not agree to marry me if her needs are not met. She would even abort our child for that. That's your dear grandson that you've always dreamed about. It's going to be a cute baby, I promise. You must help me!"

"Shut your mouth!" Peggy shouted at her son with discontent.

Looking at Sheryl in embarrassment, she feigned some sympathy for Sue. "It seems that life has been hard for Sue."

"Absolutely," replied Sheryl. "She doesn't have any savings. She can't even go shopping even if she badly needs a new pair of shoes. She rarely goes out with us. That's also why she only has very few friends."

"Hi, I'm back..." Sheryl hardly stopped when Sue's voice emerged. Just now she went out to fetch Doris. As she stepped in the house, Sheryl - an unexpected person - appeared in her sight. "Why are you here?" she asked with a slight sense of nervousness.

"Oh, it's like," Sheryl started to explain, "you didn't go to work today, so Miss Ye asked me to pay a visit to you. How are you?" Sheryl smiled in her typical way and said, "I didn't know Aunt Peggy is here. Why didn't you get me informed beforehand, Sue?"

"Well, I'm okay." The day was not even that hot but Sue felt her hands were getting sweaty. She was so afraid that Sheryl, who was not aware of the situation, might let the words that should have been kept within themselves slip out of her mouth incautiously. "I'm alright, and now you see. If there's no other thing to deal with, you may leave now."

She came over to Sheryl, reached out to her hand and started to lead her out of the room. "I'll personally call Miss Ye later to explain the situation," she reassured her that there was nothing to be worried about "Why does she need to leave right now?" Peggy's voice made everyone stop for a moment. "She doesn't seem to be in a rush, does she?" As Sheryl was about to leave, Peggy started to persuade Sue, "She came all the way here to visit you. Why don't we have a meal together with this affectionate girl?"

Peggy grinned at Sheryl, trying to persuade her as well, "Girl, you don't mind this, do you? Not as fancy as a feast, just a casual home-cooked meal."

"No need..." Sue knitted her brows unnaturally. She just wanted to fulfill her purpose -- chase Sheryl out of the house so as to prevent her from spilling the beans to her mother -- as soon as possible. She answered on behalf of Sheryl, "She's quite busy. She wouldn't have time to stay here for a meal."

"Yes, I'm free. I can make time for the meal," Sheryl said otherwise. "Thanks for your invitation." Sheryl agreed. She had already detected something by now. Peggy was cooking something up. She wouldn't give her a treat without any hidden agenda. Now, Sheryl wanted to figure out what the agenda was.

Peggy's face lit up with a sense of satisfaction. She intended to turn over Sue's lukewarm response to Sheryl's visit. "You need to learn how to treat people well, my child. Now, go and cook the meal, please. I'm going to have some chitchat with her."

"Oh it's okay, Aunt Peggy." Sheryl gave Peggy an ever-so-polite smile. "I remember Sue is not so sophisticated with cooking. I can help her with that. By the way, I can cook very delectable dishes." Sheryl and Sue went to the kitchen together. Allen was over the moon due to Doris' presence. He simply couldn't suppress his enthusiasm to her. "Do you feel tired, Doris? May I wash an apple for you?" "No, thanks. I have no appetite for that at the moment." Unlike the majority of the countryside girls, Doris was blessed with soft, tender skin like that of newborn babies. She only gave Allen an annoyed glance, her voice hostile as she said, "Let's keep in a safe distance. I'm pregnant, and I'm afraid that you'll scare my baby."

"Oh don't be so nervous. I surely won't do that." Allen immediately explained, "How can I scare my own baby? I have no reason to do so."