The Substitute Bride

Nancy helplessly shook her head. Looking away from Leila, she decided to keep her mouth shut.

"What are you thinking about? Are you hoping that Sheryl will return to Dream Garden? You better get that wild thought out of your head. She's never coming back." Leila looked at Nancy in disdain. For her, Nancy was nothing more than a stupid servant, so she always looked down upon her.

In Leila's eyes, a servant was below her level and should never be treated with respect. In Nancy's case, the fact that Leila knew she got along with Sheryl, and preferred having her in Dream Garden, made her despise Nancy even more. She never stopped picking on Nancy, intending to drive her away completely.

"Leila, this is the Lu Family. I am not part of the family, so I know what I should and shouldn't care about. I think right now, I should continue my job, instead of arguing with you," Nancy answered nonchalantly.

Feeling irritated by Nancy's retort, Leila glared at her. She wanted to discipline Nancy for her rudeness.

Shortly after Nancy finished speaking, Leila approached her and shouted, "Nancy, but I think you have always care about things that are none of your business, haven't you? You're just pretending that you haven't!"

"Leila, I don't know what you mean. Forgive me, I may be too old to understand your words clearly. If you will excuse me, I have to go back to work now! And it's not good for you to stay in here, aren't you aware of the strong odor of cooking oil inside the kitchen," tolerating Leila's rude demeanor, Nancy just replied with a faint smile.

Though Nancy treated her kindly most of the time, Leila had always noticed the strong disregard in her eyes every time they ran into each other. Since Sheryl had been gone, no one who could stand up for Nancy anymore. Seeing this as an advantage, Leila wanted to vent all her anger on Nancy. But to her dismay, it appeared that Nancy was smart and avoided getting into conflict with her. Frustrated, Leila angrily stomped her way out of the kitchen.

Passing by the living room, Leila saw that Charles and Melissa were chatting with each other. Reading how they responded to each other, Leila could tell they were getting along very well, so she decided not to interfere.

"Aunt Melissa, I am going upstairs to change my clothes," Leila greeted Melissa, before heading to the stairs.

Melissa nodded her head slightly, her eyes watching Leila as she went up. On the other hand, Charles didn't bother to throw her even a quick glance.

Quickly, Melissa pulled herself back to her discussion with Charles. Missing half of what he had said, she asked, "What? Charles, what did you just say? Are you serious?"

Seeing Melissa's happy expression, Charles thought that his mother must be very excited to learn about his news. He felt happy too. He was even more convinced to carry out his decision.

"Yes, I am. Have I ever lied to you? Let's leave for Malaysia tomorrow, all right? I can't wait anymore," Charles repeated, smiling back at Melissa.

Melissa regar

ight now, she needed to push further to make sure the couple separated once and for all.

Leila had been trying to find a way to do just that. So if Charles accidentally got her pregnant while traveling, she believed his attitude would change. Besides, Sheryl's endurance would definitely run out. Without a doubt, the plan would succeed.

Thinking of her upcoming success, Leila's lips curved into a spiteful smile. She had never put on a smile like that. After a close check on how she looked, she finally decided to go down and have dinner.

As soon as Leila stepped out of her bedroom, she bumped into Charles. Her heart jumped in excitement.

However, Charles quickly looked away after meeting her eyes. Silently, he proceeded downstairs, completely ignoring Leila's presence.

Trying to keep her smile, Leila blurted out, "Charles, David told me that you are planning to take Melissa on vacation. Is this true?"

"As you've been told," Charles replied coldly. A tinge of displeasure quickly settled on his eyebrows. Charles believed that this family vacation was definitely a private affair. He didn't want anyone else knowing or talking about it.

Charles' curt reply left Leila fazed. Sizing up his expression, Leila immediately knew what was on his mind. She decided to stop asking further about the vacation agenda, to avoid raising Charles' displeasure.

Leila silently followed behind Charles as they went down the stairs. The sound of their footsteps caught Melissa's attention. The sight of Leila and Charles coming down together reminded her of a young couple in love, so she teased, "Charles, I have to say, you and Leila look like a perfect match!"

Melissa nodded her head happily, and a pleased grin showed on her face.

Leila became bashful. She knew Melissa was doing her a favor on purpose. With a knowing smile, she answered at once, "Aunt Melissa, stop joking about Charles and me. I don't think I am suitable for him." Though her words sounded like a denial, Leila actually tried to admit it.