The Substitute Bride

"Mom!" Clark buried his face in Sheryl's warm chest. And then tears began to stream down his cheeks.

"Mom!" When this happened, Shirley was busily playing with her toys. But her brother's outburst stopped her. She finally realized he was weeping. Quickly, she stopped what she was doing and dashed toward her mother. Once Shirley approached her mother, she joined Clark and also put her head on Sheryl's chest. Both of the kids continued to cry bitterly.

Drowning in sorrow, Sheryl's heart broke into a million pieces. She couldn't think of words that would console her kids, so she resorted to hugging them tightly. She had expected Shirley and Clark's reaction when they found out about the divorce. Moreover, for a very long time, she had braced herself for the impact it would create.

In spite of this preparation, she still couldn't handle it any better. Sheryl patted them and took them to the sofa. When the kids' wailing turned into sobs, Sheryl started to comfort them.

"Listen, kids! Though Dad and Mom have divorced, we will still be your parents. Our relationship with each other may have changed, but you have nothing to worry about!" Sheryl reasoned with them. She wanted them to know that their separation wouldn't make Charles a stranger. At the end of the day, he was still their dad.

"So, we will still see Dad and Mom together, right?" Shirley asked expectantly.

"Of course, Dad will come to see you both. Also, if you miss him, we could go and see him as well!" Sheryl nodded, with a wry smile. But her swollen eyes revealed the pain she was feeling inside.

Shirley looked at her mother, confused, while Clark seemed to understand what Sheryl really meant. He dropped his head and sank into silence.

Sheryl made a lot of effort to persuade the kids into buying her story. She elaborated on how their lives would continue to be fine. She wanted them to believe things would be normal. However, her attempts were in vain. The wonderful picture she was trying to paint for them seemed to lack something.

But Sheryl wanted to assure the kids that they wouldn't cease to receive any less parental love because of this divorce.

Her determination was so strong that she went on till they were pacified. With a sigh, she finally went back to her bedroom to take a nap. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fall asleep.

Every time she made an attempt to close her eyes, she was reminded of the empty promises she had made to her children. Some of them were so absurd that she let out a bitter smile. Thinking of that, Sheryl couldn't help but feel worried.

She had prepared herself to face any challenge that Charles would put in front of her. No matter what choice Charles would make in the end, she thought she would show her respect. But now, she found it hard to accept that Charles would possibly marry Leila. These unreasonable emotions she felt shocked her.

Sheryl didn't want to

?" David blurted.

"Yes, that's what I am referring to! The truth is that Leila made it all up. Sheryl must have watched the news. Perhaps the rage she felt compelled her to take revenge!" Charles explained slowly.

Now everything clicked, and David began to understand Sheryl's motive.

"That's it! Mother of God! Mrs. Xia is now against you. What should we do now?" David asked, realizing that the situation was worse than what he had anticipated.

Charles didn't respond. He kept smiling, and there was not a trace of a frown that could be found in his face.

David sighed in his heart, 'What a couple! They used to love each other to an extreme, and now they have turned against each other. It is so hard to be around them these days.'

Sheryl's revenge on Charles would cost the Shinning Company to lose millions of dollars. David assumed Charles had thought of a way to get this situation under control. He didn't think it would be good to experience further loss.

With a smile, Charles asked, "David, do you think Sheryl is determined to send me over the edge this time?"

Stuck in his own thoughts, David missed what Charles had just said to him. When he realized it, he quickly shook his head and made an apology before saying, "What…Mr. Lu, excuse me, can you repeat your question?"

"Well, nothing!" Charles came to realize that he had shared too much with David. He didn't repeat his words; instead, he ended the discussion.

David noticed his boss's reluctance to continue it, so he chose to drop it as well. He knew very well how his boss hated being pushed.

When David raised his head, trying to start another subject, he observed Charles was resting his head on his hand.

It seemed like Charles was in a different world. David no longer had Charles' attention. 'I wonder what Sheryl is thinking right now. I cannot fathom or imagine her reaction, ' he thought. And suddenly, he let out a chuckle and touched his chin.