The Apple of My Eye

In the ward

The sun was out, and its rays were peering into the windows. As the trees rustled outside, Sheryl couldn't help but step out of her ward. It was a lovely day to walk, and she'd be damned if she wouldn't do it. She walked to the backyard garden of the hospital.

Even though the backyard wasn't a long way ahead, Sheryl was already panting when she got there, sweat beading down her skin. She was still recovering from previous incidents.

She wandered around the gardens aimlessly, admiring the fresh scent of flowers and pine that grew around her. It must've been days since she'd last gone outside. She mused to herself, as she giddily continued. Everything was peaceful, at least till Sheryl turned to the right. Immediately, her face flushed dark red.

A young couple was in a very intimate position, exchanging proclamations of love. The man was whispering into the girl's ear, his hand caressing her arm.

Sheryl turned away, averting her gaze to something else. However, when she was ready to walk away from that couple, she found that a screaming match broke out between them. Sheryl blinked in shock, finding that she couldn't move from where she was standing.

"So you lied? You're going on a business trip again? How long will that be? Do you even still want to be together?" The girl wrenched herself from his grip, her voice already wobbling. "Dear, please, it's a business trip. I love you, and I do want to stay with you, okay? Don't worry too much," the man pleaded.

"Worry too much? Do you think I worry too much? You haven't come to visit me for so long-and you come here for a few minutes to tell me you're leaving again? You're cheating on me, aren't you? Who is she?" she shrieked, bringing her sleeve to her face. The girl broke into sobs, backing away from the guy.

It was supposed to be private; however, Sheryl just couldn't make herself move away. It was as if she was in a trance. This scene was just so familiar-it reminded her of her and Charles.

She tried to recall their arguments, but her memory came out in blanks.

"What are you talking about? I love you, only you, not anyone else. Don't doubt that," he pledged, moving closer to her as he extended his arms.

Hearing that, the girl hesitated for a few seconds before falling back into the man's arms. "Why do you always make me angry," she murmured in his chest, giving a watery smile. "I swear I won't talk to you anymore."

However, they all knew she still would love him, and he would still love her. The couple hugged each other tightly as if they were the only person in each of their eyes.

Sheryl couldn't help but smile. A relationship would always have its ups and downs. It was going to be filled with trials, but love could always find a way to conquer everything. She had experienced this once before.

Though she felt happy for the couple, she could feel herself ache. This was something she once had, not something that she possessed now. At the thought, she suddenly felt a bit emotional.

She lugged herself away, fully knowing that the couple would be reconciled with each other. From the looks of it, they were deeply in love, and it could only take a very large disaster to ruin that love. Sheryl winced.

Back then, Charles had cherished her like that. He'd be there to cheer for her whenever she'd speak of her accomplishments. And when she encountered a failure, he'd be there to wipe her tears away and tell her to try again.

It wasn't like that anymore, though. They'd already gone their separate ways.

Sheryl felt her chest twist in pain. Gritting her teeth, she returned to her room with a hand pressing her stomach. Her room was empty, void of any noise and chatter. However, it was different from the garden. This carried a certain sadness to it, and she couldn't help but feel a bit more anxious coming in than she was heading out.

Not really knowing what else to do, she picked up the remote control and turned on the TV. She switched from program to program, letting the noise fill in the void of the room as she stared at the ceiling. The chatter became the background, and she found herself drowning in her own thoughts.

Five minutes later, in the conference room of Shining Company

The whole room was so silent that it almost felt like they were at a graveyard. Everyone stood still, staring at the handsome man on the stage.

People had always said that looks would fade away in ages to come; however, that wasn't true for Charles. He aged like wine. His jawline became more defined, and there was just something about how he had matured that attracted flocks of women towards him.

He was the brightest star in a room. He was like the light drawing the moths in, ready to set them on fire. Everyone stared at him in awe, keeping their silence. As he stared at them, they shuffled hesitantly before keeping their stance and holding their breaths at his speech.

"Allow me to express my warm welcome to all of you," David started. "Now, please allow me to invite the CEO of our group, Mr. Charles Lu, to the stage."

His introduction was followed by thunderous applause, with some even shrieking out his name as he neared the microphone.

However, all of a sudden, the applause came to a halt.

Charles had already raised his hand, looking around the venue.

Though he still didn't say anything, his presence itself was intimidating. The reporters who found themselves making eye contact with Charles broke into a cold sweat, adjusting their collars from the suddenly freezing temperature. There was just something about him that made people afraid of screwing things up.

"Hello, everyone." His voice echoed in the room. "I'm sure you're all curious as to why you've been invited here today."

Whispers broke out among the crowd as everyone raised their thoughts of what was to happen.

"Don't worry. I will inform you of the purpose of this press conference," Charles slowly added.

The crowd once again fell silent, waiting for the information.

"Now, I want to ask you a question." Charles turned to the first row, directing his stare at one of the reporters in the center. "What kind of news are you expecting to cover here, Sir?"

His abrupt question rendered the man speechless. Suddenly, the reporter had no words to say.

He was a senior partner in his company with experience enough to rival his bosses. His wit was usually praised by his colleagues, for he was able to carry the entire thing through tricky interviews. However, at this question, he sat there, stupefied as to what he was going to say.

"I..." The man stopped himself. Obviously, they were all there to get some new juice on the CEO's life, especially with all the scandals being reported of Sheryl. However, no one would want to admit such an atrocity.

"I can answer for you," Charles sneered. "You all came here to get some firsthand news, am I right? Usually, you ask questions regarding personal life and my business and try to find the simplest problem and take it up a few more levels. You've all done it," he said coldly. "Some of you made mistakes. You might as well be honest about it."

The crowd went into an uproar as some flushed reporters shouted their proclaimed righteousness.

"Made mistakes? What kind of mistakes? Is he insane?" Completely at loss, the reporters turned to their peers and colleagues in disbelief at the accusation.

'Does he want to get even with us this time?' the others wondered. They knew very well what Charles meant and what incident he was referring to-it was the one that had happened a few days ago with Sheryl 'I said that this invitation wasn't something good. I was right!' some of them thought with regret. Trapped in an awkward situation, others started to look around for an exit. However, they slumped back in their seats when they realized that all the openings were heavily guarded by Charles' men.

Without Charles' permission, they wouldn't be able to leave.

"I'm a man of principle, and I think we can work together to solve this problem. Some of you here have written and posted inaccurate information that could cause harm to both me and Ms. Xia. I hope that those reporters would stand up and admit their mistakes, and then I'll let you all go," Charles said slowly, glancing over those people.

There was a dead silence.

Everyone looked at each other with fear in their eyes. Nobody knew, but themselves, and it was time to face the music.