The Substitute Bride

"The bar belongs to one of our partners," Sheryl told Damian. He seemed sullen at the moment.

"Ah, I hope I am paranoid, and there's nothing to worry about," Damian replied with a voice loaded with concern.

"Yes! You are paranoid and overthinking even a trivial thing. Hey! Won't you give me a ride?" Sheryl walked right ahead as she rolled her eyes at Damian.

"I'll certainly give you a ride. Just give me a minute," Damian spoke falteringly and was hesitant to look Sheryl in the eyes.

An hour later, Sheryl and Damian arrived right in front of Isla's bar.

Surprisingly, Sheryl seldom visited this bar. But, this time, Isla had set a private banquet and had specifically invited Sheryl to it to have some company along.

At the bar entrance

Damian was very eager to go into the bar with Sheryl. Yet, Sheryl gave him a blunt refusal.

"I'll go inside on my own. You can leave now. Thanks for the ride! Bye-bye!" Sheryl was reluctant to have Damian's company along at this moment and in this place particularly.

Damian stood staring at Sheryl, mouth agape with incredulity, smothering the retort that rose to his lips.

Sheryl hurriedly stepped inside the bar as Damian looked at her with envious eyes while she walked away. Seconds later, Damian hopped in his car as he waited for Sheryl to return.

In the bar, Isla joyfully greeted Sheryl upon seeing her and gave her a warm welcome.

"It's so considerate of you to show up here. We were going to begin without you. You should have been here ten minutes ago. Well, thank God, you're finally here!" Isla muttered, putting on a feeble facade.

"What's going on? Why didn't you tell me that my sole mission is to add on to the crowd here?" Sheryl was baffled by Isla's words and questioned her with bewilderment.

"That's correct." Isla nodded desperately in agreement as she hauled Sheryl along with her into a karaoke lounge.

"My intuition can sense something fishy going on, Isla. Tell me the truth, or else I'll leave this place right away and won't come back at all," Sheryl growled and pretended to be offended. She shook Isla's hand off her arm viciously out of rage.

"There is nothing fishy going on here, Sheryl. Aron and his best friends have just returned from abroad, and you know, Aron has invited several stunning beauties to this party. I just invited you to psych out those beauties and help me out. All you need to do is just cow them down with your intoxicating eyes and unrelenting words. Please! Sher, I need your support."

When Isla ended her long tale, Sheryl finally snapped out of her trance. She felt miserable, realizing she was

ous glance.

Aron felt relieved at Isla's tender glimpse. The pressure was finally rolled off his mind.

Meanwhile, the foolish and seductive woman took the chance to firmly hold Aron's hands in hers.

"What in the hell are you doing?! Don't you know Aron has a wife?" Sheryl yelled out in anger. It made Sheryl's blood boil when she saw that this disgusting woman was taking such foolhardy action to lure Aron.

"Why are you getting so emotional? Please don't fly off the handle!" The woman growled furiously and anxiously. A second later, she wasn't able to restrain herself from weeping.

Sheryl could not put up with her anymore. She got to her feet, dragging Aron along with her.

The woman also got up and followed closely behind Aron. However, Sheryl held up her hands and obstructed her from following them further at the door of the karaoke lounge.

"Just stay inside if you don't want to be beaten up," Sheryl bellowed as she shot daggers at that woman with her eyes.

At that moment, Sheryl looked like she was a she-wolf, deterring that woman from following closely behind them.

"Just tell me whatever is going on? What are you up to, Aron?" Sheryl asked Aron resentfully after they had walked out of the karaoke lounge.

"What are you talking about, Sheryl? I don't know what you mean." Aron was stunned by Sheryl's strange interrogation. Then Aron rubbed the back of his head, not knowing how to respond.

After all, Aron and Isla had been married for so many years, so, naturally, Sheryl knew all about Aron, to a greater or less degree. Sheryl was aware that Aron was not a liar, and she saw him remain calm and at peace at that moment. Intuition told her that Aron was a man of dignity and had preserved his moral integrity.