The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 883 The Visit

"Look at you. What are you talking about?" Holley said with a dry smile and a hint of nervousness in her voice. She never expected her innermost thoughts to be pointed out by Sue so frankly. It made her uneasy to have her secrets thrown right back in her face because she wasn't going to admit having such malicious ideas. She felt embarrassment creep up her neck, and it pushed her to defend herself, "How could you suggest that? With all the laws and regulations in place, how could I even think to do anything illegal just to bring Sheryl harm. Take this with a pinch of salt. I was only curious."

Sue didn't respond but instead stared at Holley with a cold expression. Such an explanation was far from satisfactory for Sue, of course. Given the other's reaction, Sue thought she wouldn't get anything out of her at the time. Sue decided not to waste more time and to end the conversation. "If that's all, I'll go now."

Without another beat, she turned around and walked away. Being dismissed like that, however, triggered anger in Holley.

She thought about all she had done to try to ruin the relationship between Sheryl and Sue. She almost succeeded, but much to her dismay, it seemed that she missed something while executing her plan, and the two were brought back together once again.

And after all that, Sue, who was supposed to play a crucial role in Holley's plan, didn't seem to have any interest in helping her plot against Sheryl. It was time for new plans then. Meanwhile, Sue was oblivious to the even greater thunderstorm waiting for her at home.

Back home from Anthony's office, Peggy was delighted. It seemed that things were going in her favor, and she had a strong feeling that the money she had been after would end up in her pocket very soon. As soon as Allen saw her arrive home, he rushed to her anxiously. "Mom, how did it go? Did the bitch agree to pay us the money?"

Peggy scoffed, "Since when did we depend on that useless woman to pay back the money we deserve?" With a cold face, she announced proudly, "I've found a much better solution. Just wait and see. This time, we will not only pay back what we owe, but also get a great deal back."

Allen's eyes widened with excitement. "Really?" His exhilaration shot up as he heard his mother reveal the new solution. Still staring at her eagerly, he asked, "Mom, how much can we get?" "You shouldn't concern yourself with that," she retorted impatiently. "If ever your clever wife replaces out, she'll stick her big nose in and demand a portion of it."

"Mom, Doris won't do that. She's not that kind of person," Allen stood by and defended his wife. "Are you referring to the sum to pay to her family? It was you who agreed to pay her, right?" "Yes, it was me," she admitted reluctantly. "But it's for my dearest grandson. If she ever dares to give birth to a girl, she won't be receiving any more kindness from me."

"Mom..."

Allen started, wanting to speak more on Doris' behalf but he hesitated and Peggy interrupted him impatiently. "Alright, rest assured. This money that's coming in is going to be yours and hers. But you'd better tell her not to be impatient. Tell her to wait. The more she wants it, the longer I will wait to give it to her. I'm curious to see what she would do about it," Peggy said casually, but her tone was like that of a warning. She had already sensed that her authority in the family was diminishing because of Doris' presence, especially her hold on Allen. To ensure her status in the family, she decided to give Doris a lesson - make her remember who the person with the real power in the family was.

Having no choice, when Allen went back to his room, he told Doris what his mother had said. As he expected, she didn't take it well. In an attempt to ease her discontent and anger, he attempted to stress to he the good side to things, "Doris, rest assured. I'm the only person in the world that my mom loves. After she gets the money, she will definitely hand it over to me, and what belongs to me belongs to you, right?" After hesitating again, he continued, "Please just bear with it for a while longer, okay?"

"Bear with it... bear with it..." Doris repeated in frustration. "How long do you want me to bear with it?" she questioned Allen in anger. "Why do I have to marry a coward like you?"

"Don't be angry, please don't be angry," Allen pleaded. Even as he was harshly rebuked, Allen put on a smile and reminded her to mind her body. It wasn't good for her to be stressed at such a time. He seemed to be unconcerned by her words, igniting Doris' anger even further. There was no way to properly vent her roaring emotions, and she was at a loss for what to do.

All the while, Peggy could hear their quarrel from outside the room. She knew that Doris would complain to Allen about the arrangement, but she paid it no mind. She was the one in control of the family anyway, not Doris. Peggy merely scoffed at the little episode and headed to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

Just as she put on her apron, she heard someone knock at the door.

With her apron on, she went to see who it was. It was someone she didn't recognize -- a well-dressed lady with heavy make-up on stood in front of her. The moment she saw Peggy, her expression turned passionate. With a warm grin, she greeted Peggy, "Hello, are you Sue's mother?"

"Yes. And you are?" Peggy asked in return with knitted brows. The random visit gave her an uneasy feeling.

"I've come to see you," explained the woman. Laura was too anxious to sleep the previous night. The fact that Anthony and Sue had broken up still did not sit well with her.

Afraid of more uncertainties and distance developing between the young former couple, she was up the whole night thinking of what she could possibly do get things in order. She came to the conclusion that meeting Sue's family would help her settle the matter between them.

"I've brought you some bird's nests and ginseng as gifts. I hope you like them," Laura said graciously as she handed the packages to Peggy.

"Sorry, but you haven't told me who you are," Peggy said instead of taking the gifts. She looked at the stranger with caution -- she had no clue who the woman could possibly be.

"Sorry, I was just so excited that I forgot to introduce myself." Laura smiled a little too brightly and gave a proper introduction, "I'm Anthony's mother. You can call me Mrs. Xiao."

"Oh, so you're Mrs. Xiao..." Peggy's eyes brightened when she realized that it was Anthony's mother -- how opportune, she thought it was. She warmly welcomed her guest into the house and said, "The gifts you brought are so expensive... I couldn't possibly..."

"Don't worry about that. Please take them," Laura insisted generously. With that, Peggy didn't say anymore and happily took the packages from Laura's hands. Inside, the house was messy, with clothes and other things scattered about, except for the sofa, which turned out to be the only decent place for a guest to sit.

"Please come. Take a seat." Peggy led Laura to the sofa, pushing off anything scattered on it. "I'm sorry that it's a bit messy. It's been rather busy around here. I haven't found time to clear everything up yet. I hope it's not too bothersome."

"Of course not," Laura said politely. Even she was embarrassed to say that as well, as the messiness was way beyond "a bit messy". Out of courtesy, she had to hide her dissatisfaction. "Mom, who was that?" Allen asked as he came out of the room. He paused when he saw the lady, all dolled up, sitting in the middle of their messy living room. He took a moment to inspect her. Laura was expecting to see Sue there, but much to her disappointment, it was only the rest of the family at home. "Mrs. Wang, may I know if Sue is home?" the guest asked.

"This isn't her home," Allen retorted in annoyance.

"Mind your words," Peggy shushed her son, unhappy about his rude attitude. She put a hand on his shoulder and subtly squeezed in warning, making sure he would watch his mouth in front of their guest. She turned to Laura and explained, "You see, this is a rather small house. It would be too crowded for four of us to squeeze in here, so Sue has moved out to live at her friend's place for the time being. She's such a nice girl. Now three of us are residing in this house."

"I see." Laura simply nodded.

"Why are you still standing there? Call your sister and tell her to come eat with us later," Peggy ordered Allen sharply.

"Okay, okay. I'll call her now," he agreed and excused himself to reach Sue.

When Sue first heard the request, she thought it was ridiculous and refused outright. However, when she heard that Laura would be there, she changed her mind and rushed to take a taxi home.

Back at the house, Peggy still wore a welcoming smile. "I was just talking to Sue about you the other day. We were planning to visit you sometime, but we didn't expect you to come by so soon. I'm sorry for your trouble coming over. I should've visited you first."

"Please don't say that. I wanted to come visit," Laura returned with a big smile.

"Yes, we are a family anyway. I suppose it doesn't matter," Peggy said with a smile of her own.

It was still puzzling, though. Even as she racked her brain, Peggy couldn't figure out why the woman would visit them. It seemed as though Laura had no intention of getting to the point anytime soon, so Peggy let her impatience surface.

"I'm still not sure why you've come, though," she probed.

After pausing for a moment, Laura sighed deeply. "You've probably guessed... that I've come to discuss the matter between our children."

Wearing a wry smile, Laura continued, "Anthony has always been a good son. He knows how to handle his own life, and I don't have to worry about him so much, ever since he was a child. It's just this... his marriage, that I can't help but worry about."

Having realized that Laura wanted to discuss the marriage with her, Peggy let herself relax and the tension in her shoulders eased. "Please don't say that. I've seen Anthony. He is a great and mature son indeed. I think he is a good boy."