The Substitute Bride

"Nancy, I have to go. Please take care of Clark. Thank you so much!" Isla said as she stood up. Before leaving, she winked at Clark.

Meanwhile, Nancy had no idea what Isla was really planning. She thought Isla had just brought Clark here, so she hurriedly said, "Please don't say that. It's my job. Would you like to stay for dinner? I can cook up your favorites."

"That's so nice of you, but I really have to go..." Isla turned her down.

"Nancy, I'm afraid that aunt Isla can't stay for dinner today. She has lots of things to do at home, and she also has to get up early tomorrow for work," Clark suddenly chimed in as he looked at Isla knowingly.

Nancy smiled back and said, "All right, I won't keep you here. Thank you, Ms. Zhao! Take care!"

Isla cast a meaningful glance at Clark again. 'What a clever boy!' she thought to herself.

"Aunt Isla, please be careful on the road. Drive slowly," Clark replied, sticking his tongue out at Isla.

Isla let out a loud laugh at this as he looked quite funny. Shaking her head, she smiled and waved goodbye at him. She then walked out of the house. As she got in her car, she noticed that another car was just pulling in.

Her eyes lit up in excitement as she knew whose car this was. It was exactly who she was expecting.

Isla didn't hesitate. She pushed the door open and got out. However, she stayed in place and waited until the woman had gotten out. It was only then that she slowly made her way to the car.

Meanwhile, Melissa was startled when she heard a voice as soon as she got out of her car.

"Mrs. Lu, how are you?"

This made Melissa jump. She didn't know someone else was nearby. She turned to look where the voice had come from and found that it was Isla.

Isla had visited the Dream Garden a couple of times for Sheryl. She and Melissa had already met before, but it hadn't always been a pleasant experience for either of them. Melissa then found herself a bit embarrassed to face Isla, knowing now how stupid she was before.

Melissa was different now. She knew how important Isla was to Sheryl, and she also appreciated how much Isla was doing for Sheryl. She'd decided long before that the next time she saw Isla, she was going to be nice to her. With a warm smile, she walked toward Isla.

"Oh, I'm fine, thank you. What a surprise! Is there anything I can do for you, Ms. Zhao? Please, come on in! Let's talk inside!" Melissa said, sincerely. She looked into Isla's eyes and reached out her hand, inviting her inside.

Isla stared at Melissa in shock. She didn't expect Melissa to be this polite to her. Melissa had never been nice to her, so the last thing she expected was to be invited inside the house by Melissa.

Isla was so surprised that for a moment, she thought Melissa had gone crazy.

After all, Melissa wa

was overwhelmed with mixed feelings that stirred in her heart. She couldn't explain what she was feeling as she recalled the times they had spent together.

"Mommy, hurry up. Eat your dinner. You always tell us not to waste food, and the food Daddy brought is delicious!" Shirley quipped.

Charles flashed his daughter what seemed like a look of appreciation as he returned his gaze to Sheryl.

Sheryl stood up and slowly headed to the table. She took the thermos in her hands and opened the lid. A sweet smell instantly filled her nostrils, which made her mouth water. She could tell the food was good just by how it smelled.

Sheryl didn't eat anything the whole afternoon, so her stomach was empty. But because she was busy with other things, she hadn't realized it until now.

She could hear her stomach grumbling, and she had to swallow to stop her saliva from dripping.

Sheryl couldn't resist it anymore. She didn't want to turn down Shirley either, and she didn't want to waste the food. As a way to comfort herself, she told herself that it was not like she asked Charles to bring her food.

Sheryl sat down and began to enjoy the meal.

Meanwhile, Charles and Shirley continued to tell stories to each other.

It was a magical moment. The smell of the food, Charles's magnetic voice, and Shirley's occasional giggling.

After finishing her meal, Sheryl took the thermos to the bathroom to wash it and placed it back on the nightstand.

At that time, Charles had just finished his story, and Shirley was already yawning. It was time for her to go to sleep.

Sheryl approached Shirley's bed and tucked her in, making sure she was comfortable as she slept.

Soon, Shirley fell asleep.

This was Sheryl's chance. She turned to Charles and gestured for him to follow her outside. She wanted to talk to him and ask him to leave her and Shirley alone.