The Substitute Bride

Peggy gently took Doris' hand and asked in concern, "Are you hungry? Just let me know what you feel like eating and I'll prepare it for you."

"It's alright Aunt Peggy. I'm not hungry." Doris cast a look of gratitude over her shoulder towards the doctor behind them and followed Peggy out of the examination room. She let out a soft sigh of relief. She might get caught further down the road, but at least for today, she was safe.

At BM Corporation, Sheryl was preparing to make a quick visit to Cloud Advertising Company. She had already made an arrangement with Isla anyway, so it was only the right thing to do.

"Sher! Wait up!" Just as she was about to leave, Sheryl heard a familiar voice calling her. She turned around to see Sue brisk walking towards her. "Do you mind walking with me?" she asked nervously.

"Why? What's the matter?" Sheryl was a little baffled. She was not used to the usually independent Sue relying on her so much nowadays. "I still have some matters to settle. I'm not going home yet."

"I know..." Sue looked at Sheryl, who noticed the slight look of shame on Sue's face. "It's just.. I was wondering if you could accompany me out of the office building, that's all." For a woman like Sue with a huge amount of pride and ego, this was a big favor to ask.

"Are you worried that Anthony might still be waiting outside?" Sheryl understood in an instant. She smiled gently and agreed, "Alright then, let's go."

Sheryl led the way to BM Corporation's main entrance. Before they reached the doors, Sue caught sight of a familiar silhouette through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows. She could only see his back, but even though many men probably owned the same suit, she could tell from his posture that it was Anthony. She instantly felt a jolt of panic, as if she were about to get caught doing something illegal. She quickly pulled Sheryl back and hissed, "Sher, look over there!"

Sheryl looked in the direction that Sue was pointing at and instantly recognized her former boyfriend. She frowned slightly. It had been a few hours and he was still stubbornly waiting at the entrance. She wasn't sure if she should be annoyed or impressed by his persistence.

She wondered why he was looking for Sue. It had to be something urgent if he was willing to wait for hours.

"Sher, he's still there. He's really waiting for me." Sue squeezed Sheryl's arm tightly. She fought the urge to hide her face in Sheryl's shoulder, as if he would magically disappear if she couldn't see him. "I don't want to see him, but he's still waiting out there. I can't go out without him spotting me. What should I do?"

"Don't worry," Sheryl reassuringly patted Sue's hand, which was still clinging tightly to her. "Where there's a will, there's a way," she said with a wink.

Sheryl was lost in thought for a while and finally said, "Okay, how about this? I'll go out there first and talk to him. Then when he's distracted, you just grab the opportunity to leave quickly. That way, he wouldn't notice you and you won't have to worry about talking to him,"

"But..." Sue protested. Her eyebrows pulled together into a small frown. "Sher, I know your history with him. I know he's the last person you'd want to have a conversation with. I can't ask you to..."

"It's alright," Sheryl interrupted gently, giving Sue

uble. Quickly, he pulled out his cell phone and made a call, ordering one of his men to find out exactly what was going on.

Even after he hung up the phone, the sense of trepidation still lingered in his heart. His gut had been telling him all along that something was not right, and Sheryl's words only confirmed his fears.

He still couldn't figure out what were his feelings for Sue, and all he knew was that it was driving him insane.

If someone had asked him to describe his feelings, it might sound like love. But he knew it was nowhere near the affection and devotion he had felt towards Sheryl.

Then again, if it wasn't love, why was Sue keep running through his thoughts all the time? Why was he always worrying about her and hoping that she was doing well? And now, why was he so restless knowing the fact that she was going through a hard time? All he wanted to do at the moment was to see her face and see her smile so he knew that she was okay.

He was truly bewildered by his own emotions. He had no idea at all what he ought to do. Perhaps the first thing he should focus on was to ascertain exactly what were his feelings towards Sue. Only then he could plan his next move.

After leaving BM Corporation, Sheryl headed straight to Cloud Advertising Company without any further ado. Before she reached the entrance, she suddenly remembered the dessert place at the corner of the street. It was one of her favorite places and she would always head over during teatime to buy some pastries and cakes to share with the other staff.

Just like her old routine, she went into the shop and bought some desserts before going up.

Even though three years had passed, Cloud Advertising Company did not seem to have changed much. The major difference was that under Isla's management, the company had expanded to more than double of its original size. They even had to rent the entire floor above to accommodate all the extra staff and business. Sheryl couldn't help but marvel at the spectacle, and all the unfamiliar faces moving around in the office.

"Hi, can I help you? May I know who you're looking for?" The receptionist approached Sheryl, who was still gaping in amazement from the main entrance.