The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 882 Asking For A Leave

There was a slight hurt look on Sue's face when she found out that Abby was allowed to assume that she had some dirty tricks up her sleeve. If there was anything that the innocent woman hated, it was being judged and misunderstood.

"Whatever it is that you think about me, go ahead and think it. But, you have to know that I have a clean intention and I have no business hurting Sheryl. I don't plan to bring her harm. I promise," Sue generously explained with eyes that did not lie.

"I sure do hope so," Abby replied in a passive-aggressive tone, implying that she did not believe a single thing Sue was saying. "Don't forget that Sher trusts you more than anyone, but I don't; I'll be watching you all the time. If you even try to hurt her, I will know. I suggest you figure out how you'll get through the consequences now," the misled woman threatened the wrongly accused one.

Usually, Abby's approach would easily create a fuss; people would immediately get mad and be all defensive about it.

However, Sue did not feel even the slightest of spite for the woman before her -- she did do something in the past to harm her friendship with Sheryl and she understood that whatever Abby was doing was out of concern for Sheryl.

If she were Abby, she'd probably do the same thing for Sheryl.

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind," Sue assured the confrontational woman, making sure that she understood that the situation was being handled maturely.

Abby didn't say anything more once she heard what she wanted to hear. After dropping Sue off at the gate of BM Corporation, she quickly drove away. The mature woman who was proud of how she handled the confrontation gave herself a pat on the back before heading straight to Holley's office.

Knock! Knock! "Come in!"

After Holley told her to come in, Sue pushed the door open and gently invited herself inside Holley's office, keeping her manners and professionalism. Holley, who was on the phone, motioned for her guest to take a seat before ending her call. "Yeah, I see what you're saying. I'm sorry, but can I get back to you later? I have something urgent to deal with right now. Okay, thank you. Bye," the corporate woman said. After dropping the call, the woman walked up to Sue and gave her a big, welcoming smile. "My secretary just brought in some freshly squeezed orange juice. Would you like some?" Holley offered enthusiastically.

"No, thank you, Miss Ye," the shy woman refused politely. She somehow had an intuition that this seemingly kind and careful Holley had more secrets than she let off.

It was strange to Sue that Holley always carried around a big, bright smile on her face. For some reason, Sue could not feel the sincerity of the woman's enthusiasm.

"I've heard so much about you and your family," Holley uttered in an almost-angry voice, sympathizing with Sue. "Sorry, I have been so busy focusing on the company's welfare recently. I should haven talked and taken care of you sooner," the businesswoman continued with a look of remorse on her face.

"Surely you meant well, Miss Ye," Sue responded in a polite, but distant manner. "You are my boss. It is unprofessional to bother you about my family issues," the poor woman explained, slightly telling her boss off to mind her own business.

"Sue, for God's sake, don't you say that again. It's not like we're strangers to each other," the boss cried out, looking at the woman behind her office desk helplessly, obviously pretending to be affected and hurt "You're my friend, Sue. Don't ever think twice about that," Holley continued to be pretentious and it was beginning to make Sue feel uneasy.

"Miss Ye, I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but you have to remember that I am just a mere unknown model. I can't possibly be your friend," the uncomfortable woman said faintly, dragging herself to pretend not to know the ploy of the woman who thought of nothing else but business.

The sigh of resignation escaped the corporate lord, as she felt how Sue was subtly pushing her away. Keeping her distance, Holley refuted, "Well, I may not be your friend, but I'm still your boss." Then she aggressively demanded, "So feel free to ask me for help whenever you're in a tough spot. It's my responsibility." In order to make her words to go in accordance with her social status, a boss must connect with the employee. This way, she could also avoid making Sue suspicious of her hidden motives. For Holley, it was like hitting two birds with one stone. However, Sue was not stupid no matter how hard her boss tried to relate to her personal life in work. "Besides, you nearly missed the show. That greatly affects your records in work, you know," the boss said, trying to equally justify her kindness.

The moment Holley finished talking, Sue fell into a pit of embarrassment. She could not hide the guilt plastered onto her face. Her boss let out a small sigh of relief and added, "I can have your mother and brother evicted from your apartment right now if you want me to."

"There is no need for that, Miss Ye," Sue once again refused a generous offer. "I can handle them myself," the prideful woman said.

Sue's apparent estrangement bothered the woman in her business coat. "Then..." Holley hesitated and asked, "What did you come to see me for?"

"I'm here for two things," Sue quickly answered, knowing real well what her original intentions were. "First, I came to say that Sheryl could not come to work today because she had something urgent to do. She was going to call you about the big news she got last night, but it was late and she did not want to interrupt your sleep, so she asked me to ask you for a leave today."

Upon hearing Sheryl's sudden request for a leave, Holley furrowed her brows and said, "Hmp! Sheryl has been over-using her privileges. How rude is it to ask someone else to ask for a leave for her?" The woman whined and added, "Since her comeback from Shining Company, she has become a completely different person. They really fed up her ego, huh?

She must be getting a little carried away, and have forgotten who she really is. She must be thinking that if Charles has a crush on her, she could do anything she pleases as if she has stepped out with her career in the world. This is ridiculous!"

"It's not that easy to get into a rich and powerful family. Love? Nonsense! If a couple does nor come from families who possess equal statuses, they will come to create a conflict sooner or later," the boss vented out.

"Miss Ye," Sue said when her boss was finally finished leaving herself out of breath from talking. It was finally Sue's turn to talk. "As far as I'm concerned, your family and Mr. Han's family aren't equal in status either, but Mr. Han is still always so nice to you and even trusts you with the whole company. Aren't you happy?" Sue asked with a look of mocking innocence on her face.

"So why would Sheryl have to suffer for the same exact thing?" she continued to question Holley. The innocent look on Sue's face suddenly shifted into a cold smile.

She knew that the point she was making was embarrassing her boss. "Well..." Holley forced an awkward and strange smile. At a loss for words, the woman turned and sat down on her big leather seat. After a moment of silence, she finally turned to Sue as if she had finished scheming something vengeful. "Didn't you say you were here for two things? What's the other one?" the boss began the conversation. "Oh, I want to take some time off work, too," Sue answered blatantly.

"Some time? How long of a time are we talking?" the stressed out boss asked. Holley was now frowning. The idea that two of her employees were leaving little to no sentiment for their work was devastating to her.

"A year," Sue said faintly as though she weren't asking for too much.

"What?!" Holley said in utter disbelief. Her eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Sue. "Are you kidding me? You're taking a year off? How long is your contract period?" the boss bombarded her model with questions.

"I know it's difficult for you to grant me this request, Miss Ye, but I have no other choice," Sue explained with a bitter smile on her face. "I'm pregnant and I want to devote more time for this upcoming baby," she added.

"You're pregnant?" the boss asked, hoping for a reiteration. Holley was taken aback by the sudden news. After a brief pause, she inquired, "Is the father Anthony?"

"Yes," Sue answered honestly. She hesitated for a while and eventually went on saying, "The time of the contract can be extended for another year. Surely, in my case, it is impossible for me to walk in high heels while carrying another human being in my belly, isn't it?"

"Yes, you're right. The health of you and your baby is now paramount," Holley agreed and echoed Sue's idea. If the truth were to be told, Holley tensed up in excitement when she learned that Sue was carrying Anthony's baby. She immediately decided on Sue's request, saying, "Tell the personnel department that I've given you the permission to take a year off."

"Thank you very much, Miss Ye." Sue's face lit up in joy of the approved request. It was not all the time that authorities gave her what she asked. "If there's nothing more you require of me, I'll head to the personnel department," said the happy soon-to-be mother.

"Hold on, Sue," Holly said, robbing Sue of her celebration. "How are you and Anthony doing?" the boss interfered.

"Miss Ye, I don't think that has anything to do with our professional relationship," Sue blurted out in a stern voice with her face growing cold. "I don't know what you're planning to do, but I'm telling you, if you try to undermine Sheryl, I'm not letting you get away with it," Sue threatened her boss fiercely for her friend before storming off.