The Substitute Bride

'Anyway, I've always known that Melissa will never acknowledge me. It's not that bad. If I accept that, I won't need to rack my brains to try and please her, ' Sheryl thought.

Without another word, she followed Nancy into the kitchen. While the latter made tea, she stole several glances at Sheryl. Every time she tried to speak, something stopped her.

Preoccupied with her own thoughts, she initially didn't notice Nancy's anxious expression. When she snapped out of her trance and detected the hesitant look on Nancy's face, Sheryl asked in confusion, "Do you have something to tell me, Nancy?"

Going on alert, Nancy looked up to check the kitchen door, making sure they weren't heard. With a tense look on her face, she leaned in closer to Sheryl and lowered her voice saying, "After you left this morning, I overheard Mrs. Lu…"

Briefly, she filled in Sheryl on what happened. Out of good will, she reminded Sheryl, "I could tell Mrs. Lu doesn't take a liking to you. She might give you a harder time later. You must be careful."

The other merely nodded in reply. Having lived under the same roof with Melissa for a while, she learned a thing or two about her.

'Melissa is an arrogant, stubborn, pretentious woman, and she loves being flattered. That's why she gets along with Leila so well.

Her biggest problem is her sharp tongue and quick temper—she couldn't tolerate losing an argument. Perhaps she got angry about what I said to her last night. She didn't know how to vent her anger, so as a result, she just blurted all her complaints out when she was alone, ' she analyzed.

In spite of that, Sheryl didn't believe that Melissa was as vengeful as Nancy described her to be. 'No matter how much she hates me, she is unlikely to really hurt me or get me into trouble, at least for the sake of Charles and her grandchildren, ' she continued to muse.

Stroking the back of Nancy's hand, Sheryl tried to say something to set the other's mind at ease when Melissa's yelling suddenly reached their ears. "Where is our tea? We've been waiting for so long. Did you forget my order?"

Immediately, Sheryl called back, "Please wait a minute."

To satisfy the other two women, Nancy prepared the tea and put the cups and teapot on a tray, ready to be served.

In the living room, Melissa nodded at Leila while the latter gave her a subtle

"Wait. Drink it when Sheryl comes downstairs," Melissa said.

Fixing her eyes on the tea, Leila swallowed nervously and nodded in agreement.

Because of Melissa's warning, it was the first time that Sheryl had entered her bedroom. Never would she have expected herself to be standing inside.

Since Melissa moved in, her room had been refurbished. As she surveyed the interior design, she noted that it was indeed, luxurious, going rather well with Melissa's usual style.

Without lingering inside, Sheryl went straight to the night table and opened the first drawer just as she was instructed to. Inside, the white drug bottle came into view.

'I guess this is what she needs, ' she thought. Picking the bottle up, she walked out of the bedroom.

When she reached the first floor, she saw Melissa and Leila happily chatting away—the old lady didn't look as sick as she did a few minutes ago. As skeptical as Sheryl was, she had no intention of voicing her doubts—she didn't want to get into trouble with those two.

"Mom, here it is." Promptly, she handed the bottle to her.

Though Melissa snatched the bottle from Sheryl's hand, she didn't take the medicine. Instead, she rubbed her temples and smiled at Leila as she said, "I don't know what's going on. After I talked to you, my pain is almost all gone. It's unbelievable."

With a smile, Leila responded, "Aunt Melissa, I think you had a headache because you haven't slept well. There's no need to take medicine, now. You just need more rest. Taking too many pills can be harmful to your health."