The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 917 Don't Be Silly

In the end, Sheryl decided to believe Coral. Her explanation was convincing because this was just the way she was. Coral wasn't offering to help Sheryl because she was kind-hearted. She knew how to use other people for her own benefit. She always put herself first.

After some hesitation, Sheryl said, "I can't call Charles from here. They have taken my phone. You have to call him for me."

Coral nodded. She got Charles' phone number from Sheryl and turned to leave. "I have to go now. I can't let Holley know that I was here. And rest assured, I will make the call," Coral told her. "Thank you," Sheryl said in a low voice.

Susan breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally! A way out of here!" she said. "Sher, we should get some rest now."

"You go ahead," Sheryl said absent-mindedly. Though Coral had promised to help, she was still wary of the situation. Her instinct told her that it wouldn't go as smoothly as they expected. It was just too good to be true.

No, she couldn't put all her eggs in one basket. She needed to figure out other solutions besides Coral's help.

"Sher, what's wrong?" Susan looked at her in confusion. "Coral has promised that she will pass on your message to Charles. Why do you still look so tensed? Is something wrong?"

"I'm fine, Susan. Don't worry." Sheryl smiled at her and tried to make her feel at ease. "You go to bed first. I need to take a shower."

After leaving Sheryl's room, Coral didn't return to her own room. Since the phones in their rooms were only available for internal calls, and their cell phones had been taken by Holley, she had to make the call to Charles from outside.

Luckily, she was allowed to walk outside unlike Sheryl. So she decided to go to the lobby to borrow a phone from the hotel staff. However, the moment the lift door opened on the first floor, she saw Holley standing there, her face sullen.

"Miss... Miss Ye!" Coral stammered nervously. She lowered her head like a kid who had misbehaved and gulped nervously. She picked up the courage to look into her sharp eyes and asked, "It's really late, Miss Ye. You didn't go to bed yet?"

"How could I possibly sleep when you haven't gotten into bed yet?" Holley asked enigmatically. Holley had told her guards to keep a careful eye on Sheryl at all times and report to her whenever someone came for a visit.

As soon as Coral had walked into Sheryl's room, Holley had received the information. She had been waiting to see what Coral would do next.

"You should be in your room now. Why are you out here at such late hours? Are you going somewhere?" Holley questioned her coldly.

Coral started to tremble. She managed to manifest a weak smile and said, "Um... The room was really stuffy and I had difficulties falling asleep. So I thought I'll take a walk and clear my head. Miss Ye, would you like to join me?"

"No, thanks." Holley eyed her carefully.

Coral was relieved when she refused her offer. Having Holley with her was the last thing she wanted, because then, she wouldn't be able to call Charles.

A relaxed smile appeared on her face. "That's too bad. Good night, Miss Ye. I'll take a stroll and return to my room soon."

When Coral was about to leave, Holley held her shoulders and stopped her. Coral felt her nails sink into her flesh. She flinched. Holley looked into her scared eyes and said, "It's not safe for you to roam around alone late at night. How about this? I'll arrange some guards for your protection."

Holley gestured at the two men behind her who were clad in black suit. She smiled wickedly and commanded, "You two! Follow Coral wherever she goes. She is a fragile little girl, so make sure that you keep her safe. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Miss Ye," the men replied with no emotions on their faces.

"Oh no! That's not necessary, Miss Ye..." Coral blurted out, shocked by the sudden turn of events. She searched for a quick excuse to avoid the guards. "Miss Ye, I was hoping I could take a walk alone. I won't go too far, just around the hotel. There are hotel staff everywhere, and it's brightly lit here. So nothing will happen. I'm sure I'll be fine on my own."

"No, I can't let you do that," Holley said firmly, shaking her head. She continued, "M City has not been very safe recently. There are robberies, rapes and murders reported everywhere. It's not safe for a young girl like you to go outside alone. They will accompany you. If you don't feel comfortable, I will have them follow you from a distance. You won't even know they are there. What do you think?"

"Miss Ye, it's really not necessary. Please!" Coral became anxious and she was desperate to get away from Holley and her guards. If they followed her around, then she wouldn't be able to make the call. "I won't wander away from the hotel. You don't have to worry. I'll be back soon," Coral tried to reassure her.

"Why are you so against taking the guards with you? Are you planning to do something which you don't want me to know?" Holley sneered. Her sharp eyes pierced through Coral's act. "What...what are you talking about Miss Ye?" Coral tried to smile, but she was too nervous to produce a satisfactory smile. She continued, "There's nothing that I want to hide from you!" She lowered her eyes and fixed her gaze on the floor. She couldn't dare look into Holley's cold eyes.

"Oh really? I heard that you paid Sheryl a visit." Holley sneered. She edged closer to Coral and said, "I wasn't aware that you were such good friends."

"I..." Coral stammered, unable to replace a suitable reply. She realized by now that making the call was impossible today. She needed to clear the air between them first. Holley was not easy to fool. She smiled bitterly and confessed, "Miss Ye, you know everything that happens around you. You are so clever."

Holley snorted, unimpressed by Coral's flattery.

Coral tried hard to clean up the mess. She said, "I wasn't trying to hide it from you, Miss Ye. I did go to Sheryl's room. I wanted to see for myself the disgrace which our elegant swan had fallen into. I taunted her a little, nothing more. I promise I didn't hurt her."

Coral's expression became hateful. She continued, "You already know that we didn't get along well with each other. I hate her arrogance! I didn't want to give up on this great opportunity to make her feel ashamed. Am I wrong, Miss Ye?"

"I wouldn't know." Holley gritted her teeth hearing the blatant lie. "There's a saying, 'Yesterday's enemy is tomorrow's friend.' How would I know if you went to Sheryl's room to taunt her or to make friends with her?"

Holley glared at Coral with an expression that made her tremble. "Coral, I recommend you think wisely before you choose a side. You should know who is in control right now. You will have hell to pay if you ever betray me."

She paused for her words to sink in and she watched as Coral's expression changed to that of pure terror. She snorted in satisfaction and continued to threaten her, "If I replace out that you're plotting something with Sheryl, I will not be able to punish her, but I can do whatever I want with you. Think carefully! Unlike Sheryl, you don't have a powerful patron guarding your back. Getting rid of you will be child's play for

me."

Coral's face became pale and her hands shivered in fear. "Tell me, Coral... Do you think that Sheryl will beg Charles to help you? You said yourself that you never liked each other. You think she'll save you?" Holley patted Coral's shoulder and continued, "Coral, you are a smart girl. You have great potential and a bright future! Don't ruin it. Do you understand?"