The Substitute Bride

"All right. I'm going to bed now, and you should go to bed too. I don't think Charles is going to be sleeping anytime soon because he just texted me that he's still busy. So you don't have to worry about that,"

Melissa added when she saw Leila peering in Charles' direction.

"All right. Got it. Good night, aunt Melissa."

Leila smiled bashfully before she went back to her room.

Since Charles got home pretty late that night, he didn't check on Melissa again.

The following morning, he made sure to check on Melissa early.

He was surprised to find that the person who opened the door when he knocked wasn't Melissa—it was Leila.

Leila's face broke into a smile when she saw Charles. "We're having breakfast, Charles. What do you want to eat?"

"Anything." Charles face was stone cold.

Leila was already used to that, but she took it as a good sign that Charles was even willing to talk to her.

"Mom, how do you feel now? I'm sorry that I was busy yesterday." Charles walked over to Melissa and apologized to her.

Melissa shook her head and smiled as she could tell that Charles felt guilty. "Charles, why are you saying sorry? Why would I blame you for that? I'm fine. I spent the day with Leila. You don't have to worry about me."

Upon hearing that, Charles nodded his head. He then turned to Leila to flash her a grateful smile.

Leila silently smiled back. She figured Charles must have some things to talk about with Melissa, so she needed to give them some space.

"Charles, do you still have anything to do?" Melissa asked with a worried look.

Charles quickly answered, "Mom, don't worry. Everything's fine." He smiled at her to console her.

"Great!" Melissa exclaimed.

A waiter knocked at the door and told them that their food was ready. He asked if they would prefer to go down to the dining hall for breakfast.

Charles and Leila helped M

ng with me?" Leila asked, her eyes expectant.

Charles wasn't affected in the least by Leila's begging. Casting her a cold glance, he said flatly, "I'm going back to my room. No, I won't be coming with you."

He didn't say anything more. Without waiting for Leila to respond, he stalked off. Leila couldn't help but feel abandoned. It was as if he didn't care about how she felt.

Soon, Charles had already disappeared. Leila's eyes were filled with resentment as she thought of Sheryl.

Meanwhile, at the airport, just as Sheryl was about to pass through customs, someone suddenly called to her.

She turned around and was immediately stunned.

'What's Isla doing here?' she wondered.

"Sher!" Isla waved her hand, running toward Sheryl as soon as she turned. Gasping for air, Isla said, "Why didn't you tell me that you were leaving?"

"I thought you knew I was going to Malaysia. What else is there to tell?" Sheryl couldn't help but be amused at Isla's reaction.

Isla paused. It was written all over her face that she realized that Sheryl was right. Soon, she turned bashful, and she lifted her hand and scratched her head. She asked, "I thought I told you I wanted to say goodbye at the airport?"

Sheryl shrugged. She knew what was up.