The Substitute Bride

When this thought popped into Isla's head, she hurried and said, "Sher, I have noticed that you aren't very busy lately. If you can spare some time, would you show Mr. Li around? He has come from abroad to cooperate with us. Is that fine?"

As Isla spoke, she gave Sheryl's arm a small nudge. She was worried that her friend would refuse to comply. Isla didn't want this project to fail. Also, a part of her believed this would be a good opportunity for Sheryl to get to know Duke. Deep down, Isla cared very much about Sheryl's love life and wanted her to get remarried.

Sheryl took a quick look at Isla, but she didn't have the slightest idea about what was brewing inside Isla's head. She thought that Isla merely wanted to get this project. Therefore, she had requested her to show Duke around for the time being. In recent days, Isla had been showing more and more interest in business, so Sheryl didn't want to make her upset.

"Okay! Mr. Li, it's my honor to be your guide. I will show you around. In a matter of days, you will know this place quite well. By the way, which hotel are you staying at? I would like to invite you for dinner. Would you accept my invitation?" Sheryl smiled at Duke politely.

Duke was elated at the prospect of having dinner with Sheryl, so he nodded, saying, "It will be my honor. Ms. Xia. It is very kind of you. I believe that we will cooperate successfully."

Sheryl also nodded with a smile and added, "I hope so."

They carried on with a perfectly interesting talk. Though they didn't actually sign the agreement, it was obvious that they were satisfied with the cooperation.

Isla was curious, so after Duke and his employee left, she took Sheryl's hands and closed the door of the office. She stared at her friend with a curious expression.

Sheryl found Isla behavior to be strange. She also felt a little uncomfortable as Isla eyed her. Unable to take this suspense, she said, "You asked me to show Duke around because you didn't want to lose this project. Is it true? But why couldn't you show him around? From what I know, your communication skills happen to be much better than

ly knew what Isla was doing with Aron at home.

'But how could this couple do that in the early evening?' Sheryl thought and shook her head helplessly. After taking a deep breath, she said, "Okay. I will go to the hotel by myself. You can both continue with whatever it is that you are doing!"

As she finished speaking, she hung up at once. She didn't want to hear Isla's groaning again.

Once Sheryl stopped thinking about her phone encounter with Isla, she started to think about the dinner. She felt uncomfortable at the thought of having dinner with two male partners.

'I wish I could get myself out of this situation, ' she thought.

Racking her brain, she tried to think of a female she could take with her. However, she failed to find someone within such a short time.

The thought of canceling the dinner popped her mind. 'I could tell Duke that I am busy today. And then promise him a dinner tomorrow?' she wondered if this would work.

In the end, she dismissed all of her ideas. She had promised him dinner and, therefore, she felt obliged to give him one.

Sheryl knew that punctuality was a big deal when it came to business. It would be their second time meeting each other, and she couldn't let him down. Moreover, the contract hadn't been signed yet. Her reluctance to have dinner could bring a big loss for her company.

Somehow, she mustered up the courage to go to the hotel on her own.