The Substitute Bride

Kitty hired someone to check on Charles' and Sheryl's whereabouts. She was on tenterhooks while waiting for the result. After a short while, the man she sent came back. "What did you get? Have you found out where they are?" Kitty asked eagerly the moment she saw him. She was like a cat on hot bricks.

"Mr. Lu and his son's current location is just five minutes drive away from here. Sheryl and her daughter are with them, too. According to the staff that I have talked with, Mr. Lu ordered a square meal so there is no doubt that he is currently having lunch with Sheryl and the two children," the man said all in one breath.

"Rubbish!" Kitty shouted at him. "Everything you said is completely useless! I can even guess those things with my eyes closed. What I want to know is Charles' exact location right now and when he is coming back." She was enraged beyond measure.

"Well... that..." The man stole a sheepish glance at Kitty while fumbling for words. "That is something beyond my capacity. Mr. Lu is the biggest shareholder of this resort so no one dares to pry into his private life."

"Trash!" Kitty raged at the futility of it all.

She had spent a lot of time and efforts dressing herself up to look stunning in the eyes of Charles, hoping to catch his attention. 'I can possibly lure him into bed if things go well for me. But how can I do it if I can't even have the opportunity to see him in person? What am I supposed to do?' she thought to herself, feeling distraught.

"Kitty, just calm down. Don't panic," the models around Kitty advised. They tried their best to comfort her when they saw her at a loss. "Since it was Mr. Lu who brought us here, he will definitely show up. Let's just wait for him."

"How long do we have to wait? If we just stay put and do not make a move, that whore Sheryl will definitely win Charles' heart," Kitty said. She was already fretful.

She really couldn't figure out what was so attractive in Sheryl that both Charles and Anthony were bewitched by her.

Sheryl had no inkling of what was happening to Kitty and the other models because she was enjoying the moment with Charles. After lunch, Charles led her and the two kids to the juicy peach orchard. Sheryl found the resort extremely large. The back hill was full of ripe and mellow peaches, which emanated an enticing aroma.

Shirley was elated to see so many peaches. She screamed that she wanted one. Charlie immediately picked one big red

ike a little boy. "It doesn't matter that I'm slow on the uptake. At least, you're on the ball. That's enough."

On the other hand, Sheryl was still a little anxious after she and Charles left. "Can they really take good care of the kids? Didn't you say they are here because you want to give them a chance to spend time together and enjoy themselves? The kids might cause them too much trouble."

"Don't worry, they won't," Charles patiently answered. He comforted Sheryl gently, "Didn't Alice say it's a good opportunity for them to learn the ropes of taking care of kids?"

"But..." Charles' words didn't dissipate Sheryl's misgivings. So Charles added with a smile, "Cheer up. We'll come back as soon as possible. Let's hurry up before it gets dark."

Sheryl forced herself to shake the concerns about the kids off. The mountain they climbed was not very high so she was filled with anticipation and energy in the beginning. But when she was halfway through, she started to pant and ran out of strength. Maybe because she didn't have regular exercise.

"Are you okay?" Charles wheeled around to check whether Sheryl could still continue to walk or not.

Sheryl gasped and was too exhausted to speak. On the contrary, Charles' breath was steady and there was no trace of tiredness on his face at all. Sheryl heaved a deep sigh and thought to herself, 'He is not only rich and good-looking, he is also right as rain. How come he can be so perfect? That's unfair!'

"I'm alright. Move on." Since she was already there, Sheryl didn't have any plans to give up. 'I won't stop until I scale the mountain, ' she told herself firmly.