The Substitute Bride

With one glance at her watch, Sheryl groaned and gritted her teeth. A few more minutes left, and she'd be late. Her walk kicked off to a run as she raced down the crowded streets, sifting her way through the people, before finally arriving at the cafe. 'Finally, ' she thought in relief. Panting, she pushed the door open.

As Sheryl entered, she surveyed the area–sensing the peaceful atmosphere as she saw people sipping from their coffee mugs and typing on their laptops. Near the window frame sat Melissa, hands clasped around a mug. Without much thought, Sheryl headed her way.

Melissa couldn't help but feel a bit giddy when she saw Sheryl enter the cafe. Lowering her mug, she waved in greeting.

She didn't know why Sheryl wanted to meet with her, given their relationship, but a part of her felt that it was because of what she had done to Belinda.

'It'll be fine, ' Melissa thought optimistically as Sheryl neared. 'Everything will go as planned.'

"Sher, sit over here."

Melissa motioned to the seat opposite her. Beaming, she started, "This cafe is famous for its milk tea, so I've ordered their best seller for you." She pushed the untouched cup towards her, its tapioca pearls pushing towards the glass from the movement. "Try it."

"Thank you so much, Aunt Melissa."

Taking her seat, Sheryl smiled back. She sipped from the straw before turning her attention back to Melissa. "Jackson came to talk to me earlier," she said casually. "I have a feeling you know what it's about."

Melissa shifted in her seat, suddenly feeling much warmer than she was before. Pulling her collar, she sat back, a bit straighter this time. She hadn't done anything wrong, so she had nothing to feel sorry for. "Yes, I didn't see anything wrong about it." Her nose wrinkled. "That man is engaged, and he still tries to be with you. What is he thinking?"

Sheryl blinked at her bluntness. It was something she wasn't expecting, that was for sure. A wave of frustration rushed through her, and she couldn't help but sigh–somehow, this felt like deja vu. "Aunt Melissa, why exactly did you talk to Belinda? I've already divorced Charles–I feel nothing for him anymore. And Jackson, not that it's any of your business, Aunt Melissa, but he's just my business partner. But even if I find someone in the future, you still have no right to interfere with who I'll choose."

Sheryl had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Somehow, the sweetness of the milk tea contrasted with her sour mood. She took another sip, trying to remind herself that Melissa was still older than her.

"Well, did you find someone? Did you?" Melissa demanded.

sla couldn't help but worry for her.

"You told her, didn't you?" Sheryl mockingly glared at her assistant.

"Ms. Xia, it's not my fault." Phoebe smiled sheepishly, raising her hands in surrender. "Ms. Zhao forced me to tell her. She's been asking all day, so I just had to!"

"Yeah." Isla was quick to defend. "It's not her fault, Sher. Now, tell me!" Isla took Sheryl's arm, shaking it to prompt her into speaking.

Sheryl sighed, knowing that nothing would escape Isla's questioning. Surrendering, she finally answered, "Yes, Jackson has already talked to me about what Melissa had done, but everything's fine now. I've already handled it."

Isla crossed her arms, looking her up and down. She knew it wasn't as simple as that, but after a minute of staring her down, she found absolutely nothing. Isla couldn't help but sigh.

"You sure? Everything's really fine?" Isla insisted.

"If it wasn't, would I still be here talking to you?" Sheryl waved her hand exasperatedly.

"You're sure?"

Isla asked again. Sheryl let out a noise rolling her eyes. "Look, I've got things to do, okay?" She gathered the papers on the desk. "Just go do your thing, I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, okay. Fine."

Isla put on a knowing smile, backing away. She held her hands up in the air in defeat. There was nothing else to do to convince Sheryl to tell her what had happened...At least, for now.

Relieved by the response, Sheryl smiled and walked back to her office.

She took out her phone, finger hovering on the numbers to dial Charles. However, after a few seconds of staring at the screen, she placed her phone back on the desk, deciding against it. 'It was something worth telling another day, ' she thought. With that, she returned to her work.