The Substitute Bride

"Enough, Leila!" Charles shouted. Charles shook her hands off and said,"I think you could clearly see now. My son and I don't want to be with you. So, if I were you, I would leave now and think over the offer. Once you've decided, you could come back anytime and tell me."

Charles threw her a contemptuous glance before getting in the car and leaving.

When the father and son entered their home, Charlie rushed to his room to take a bath. Charles followed inside Charlie's room and patiently waited for him to finish. He turned off the lights inside the room, leaving only the bedside lamp on. When Charlie went out of his bathroom, Charles softly said,"Charlie, dad wants to have a talk with you."

"Sure dad," Charlie replied. His voice was so calm.

Charles hated Leila because of the countless evil things she had done in the past especially to Autumn. He even felt a little annoyed to Charlie knowing that he was Leila's son. However, Charles later on realized that Charlie had nothing to do with Leila's deeds.

It was true that Leila raised Charlie alone. They depended on each other for some years. Charles knew Leila cared about Charlie. It was very clear that she loved this boy very much.

Of course, Charles expected Charlie to love Leila back as much as she loved him. That was why he was confused when he heard what Charlie said to Leila earlier. If Charlie loved his mother, why would he refuse to live with her?

"You and Leila..." Charles hesitated for a moment. He found it difficult to utter his question.

But Charlie was a smart boy. He could already sense what was Charles trying to ask. "You wanted to know why I chose to live with you rather than Leila, right?" he asked. Charlie was in his pajamas and his face was still reddish like an apple because he just finished a warm bath so he looked very cute.

Although Charles was a little embarrassed, he nodded his head. Charlie guessed it right. He only wished that they would be able to solve this problem tonight, or else, he wouldn't be able to sleep.

"Actually, I didn't know either," Charlie answered honestly. Charlie tilted his head and gave Charles an earnest look. Then he continued,"I have never liked her. Since I was young, she kept on telling me things about you. Then she wanted me to convince you to accept her once we were together. She badly wanted to be with you and she want

her. Shirley's face showed a delighted expression when she saw the food. Then, Amy began to feed her. When Sheryl finished brushing her teeth, she said to Amy,"Amy, you shouldn't spoil Shirley that much. She actually knows how to eat by herself."

"Don't mind it, Sher. I also like what I'm doing," Amy replied. Then she added,"Besides, Shirley's still a little girl and she still needs our care."

Sheryl had no other choice but to let Amy do what she wished to do. Actually, she also found Shirley acting weird recently. Shirley had been eating her meals by herself even when she was small. But since Amy started feeding her, she also started to act like she couldn't really eat by herself alone. Sheryl could feel that Shirley liked the way Amy was pampering her.

A little while later, Sue arrived. She immediately dragged Sheryl to the corner of the room after she greeted Amy. She then reported to Sheryl,"Sher, Mr. Han informed me that we will be having a meeting this afternoon. I tried to ask a leave on your behalf since Shirley is still in the hospital but he didn't allow me to do so. He said you must also attend the meeting."

Sue frowned when she remembered her conversation with Mr. Han. Then she added,"He said that this will be the first meeting after we signed the contract with BM Corporation so it would be inappropriate to ask for a leave at such a crucial moment."

"I know that," Sheryl answered with concern. "But as you can see. Shirley hasn't fully recovered yet. I can't just leave her alone in this hospital to attend the meeting. What should I do?"