The Substitute Bride

'What is wrong with people nowadays?' Phoebe thought with irritation. Charles was still married to Sheryl, yet he had the audacity to be in the mall, shopping with another woman. Phoebe couldn't help but wonder whether those rumors online were true.

A look of sadness crept onto her face. She thought how disheartened Sheryl would be if she came to know about this.

"President Lu, I paid for this. Shouldn't it belong to me then?" Phoebe gathered some courage and asked Charles.

In Phoebe's eyes, Charles was a serious man. Normally, while speaking to him, she always sounded submissive.

But now, thinking about what Charles had done to Sheryl, Phoebe felt no respect for him. Hence, she mustered up the courage to confront him.

Charles hadn't expected to see Phoebe here either. He hadn't felt like coming in the first place. And now bumping into Phoebe, he cursed himself for making this decision. He tried his best to look composed. There was no way he would show his disappointment to them.

"President Lu, it has been a long time since I saw you," Josef said and greeted Charles with a smile. He had noticed the manner in which Phoebe was glaring at Charles. Not wanting to make any trouble, he decided to step in.

"President Zhang?"

Charles looked at Josef and then at Phoebe. 'Wait, what is happening? Are these two dating?' Charles thought to himself.

No one had told Charles that Josef and Phoebe were together, so he was confused to see them shopping like a couple.

"Charles, this is for Aunt Melissa!" Leila was annoyed that Charles was talking to the man who seemed to be Phoebe's boyfriend, so she grabbed Charles' arm and complained.

"It's just clothing! Since Phoebe has already paid for it, I think she deserves it more. Plus, I am certain we can find something else for Melissa," Charles snapped at Leila, knowing that she was trying to seek attention.

Leila was embarrassed as she felt Charles push her away. But she didn't want to lose face, so she asked the manager, "I pre-ordered this, right?"

The manager turned his head around, embarrassed. Leila had pre-ordered the item. She also mentioned that she would stop by and take it yesterday. But she hadn't shown up yesterday, so he thought Leila didn't want it anymore, and he sold it to Phoebe. Never had he anticipated that such a thing would happen.

"Leila, let's go to another store."

Charles didn't want to fight with Phoebe over a piece of clothing. In truth, he wasn't doing this for Phoebe; instead, it was for Sheryl's sake. The second Phoebe went back to the office she would inform Sheryl about what happened. This was something he knew with certainty. He didn't want Sheryl to hate him more than she already

All she wanted was his company. As long as he was with her, she was satisfied.

Throughout the meal, Leila kept on chattering. She would constantly help him choose his dishes. Charles didn't reject Leila at first. But her clinginess intensified with time, and he was in a helpless state. When he couldn't take it any longer, he furrowed his brows and said, "I can get my own dishes, Leila. Stop putting food on my plate."

Leila was embarrassed and stopped instantly. She sat silently, not knowing what to say or do.

Charles and Leila finished their dinner very quickly, and now neither of them enjoyed their meal.

When they returned to the Dream Garden, Charles headed straight to his study.

Leila could tell that he wanted to be far away from her as soon as possible. She stood in the middle of the living room, frustrated. Today was an awful day for her since nothing went according to her plan. For Leila, it was such a shame that she couldn't even fight against Sheryl's secretary. And to make it all worse, she had been told about Holley's pregnancy. 'Oh, God! How can I make it all right?' she screamed internally.

In this defeated state, she waited for Melissa to come back to the living room.

When Melissa entered the hall, she noticed that Leila was sitting slouched on the sofa. With a smile, she walked to Leila. In an excited tone, she asked, "Leila, how was your date with Charles tonight?"

Leila, who had her head lowered in frustration, lifted her eyes and looked at Melissa.

Now Melissa discovered she was as pale as a white paper.

Immediately, she was overcome with anxiety. On closer inspection, she noticed tears streaming down Leila's cheeks. With her concern filled voice, Melissa asked, "What's wrong, Leila? Why are you so upset? Tell me who is the reason behind this!"