The Substitute Bride

Leila spoke in a worried tone, saying, "Aunt Melissa, even though Sheryl has said that she wants a divorce, she insists on taking the two kids with her. Surely Charles won't agree to that. Charles would never really part with Sheryl because of the kids. I can see that after they get divorced, Charles will probably still pay regular visits to the children. As time goes on, they would probably get remarried because of falling back in love."

"Absolutely not!" Melissa slammed her hand on the table in anger, seeming worried now as well.

"What can we do about it, though? Sheryl knows that Charles wants the kids. She might have even done it on purpose!" Seeing that Melissa had gotten angry, Leila began to villainize Sheryl even further, picturing her as an awful and insidious woman.

"You are saying that Sheryl might not be planning on really getting a divorce at all. All she wants is to have Charles love her more, am I right?" Melissa seemed to have come to the realization suddenly and looked at Leila in shock.

"Aunt Melissa, I can't say for sure; I'm just a bystander after all. At least, that is how I feel!" At first, Leila had sounded so sure of it, as if it was a fact, but now she sounded more hesitant.

"Well, I think it makes sense. How could Sheryl really decide to divorce Charles? She must be playing some other kind of trick!"

After she was convinced of that point, Melissa became even more infuriated.

"Aunt Melissa, please, don't be so angry. The only thing we should try to do is to further enlarge the gap between Sheryl and Charles. We should make Charles resent Sheryl first. Then, we can help him take the kids away from Sheryl. Only then can Charles stand a chance of leaving that woman forever!" Leila gave Melissa a reassuring glance.

Melissa nodded her head and thought deeply. She knew that Leila was right; even if they were going to get a divorce, the main custody of the kids could not be allowed to be given to Sheryl. After the divorce, it would be impossible for them to get back together again if Charles had the kids.

After thinking for a while, Melissa said, "All right. For the next few days, you don't have to go to work. Take the time to be with Charles more. Perhaps he will grow more fond

her.

Flipping through the file, Sheryl asked, "Have you contacted Mr. Xu yet?"

"Yes! The only thing left that we need is your signature!" Phoebe exclaimed.

"All right. You can continue with your work now. After I'm done, I'll call you," Sheryl said, and she seemed to be intently focused on reading the document.

Phoebe understood what Sheryl meant. She wanted to say something more, but eventually gave up and left.

After Phoebe left, Sheryl heaved a small sigh. Holding up a small mirror, she gazed at her face. The hand mark there seemed to mock her stupidity.

Taking a deep breath, Sheryl told herself not to think too much about it, and then she started working again.

After she finished reading the document, she called Phoebe in.

In the meantime, Isla, who had just finished extorting Aron, also arrived at the company building.

Isla had forced Aron to buy her an expensive set of make-up. In truth, she could afford it herself, but she enjoyed having Aron pay for her purchases. The more he felt disgruntled about it; the more joyful the process was for her.

With a huge grin, Isla walked into the Cloud Advertising Company building. When she saw Phoebe, she noticed immediately that there was something wrong. "What happened?" she asked. "Did you have a fight with Josef?"

Phoebe's eyes started to turn red, but she pursed her lips, unwilling to say anything. Isla then realized that it must be something really serious. Why else would Phoebe look so sorrowful?