The Apple of My Eye

Chapter 533 Striking Resemblance

"You're a good boy, Charlie," Leila began. "There's something I want to tell you." She was a bit nervous

and furrowed her brows as she continued,"You're going to meet someone tomorrow. I'll bring him here

to meet you and I hope you can talk to him calmly."

Leila didn't tell Charlie who he was going to meet, but she knew that Charlie must be clear about the

man he would meet.

Charlie frowned at Leila's announcement. "Are you really so eager to be with that man?" the boy asked

bluntly.

The question and the tone of his voice shocked Leila. She knew Charlie could be straightforward but

still didn't expect his reaction. And while the child never opened his heart to her, Leila always thought

Charlie hoped to be with his father.

"How can you ask me that?" she replied. She had no other choice but to make things clear for him. From NôvelDrama.Org.

"That man is your father. He never came to see you before because he didn't know about you." She

paused to calm herself. "Are you mad at him?"

He said nothing. She continued as she wanted she could persuade Charlie to come to terms with the

situation. "Your father is a good man. If he knew he had a son, he would love him and take good care

of him."

In his heart, Charlie had no doubt that his father would love and care for him.

But he was confused about Leila, and how his father never knew of his existence.

"If like you said he didn't know about me, what about you?" he inquired with a frown. "I'm sure he

knows about you, right?" Again, Charlie's words shook Leila, so her frown deepened. Even knowing his

character, she never expected such a young boy to speak harshly to her or to be on the mark.

She felt a hint of embarrassment but calmed herself. "Charlie, I don't think you understand," she

mumbled. "You're our son. And I'm sure he loves you very much, and it has nothing to do with how he

treats me," Leila explained.

The boy sighed after listening to Leila. It was not a typical reaction from someone very young, but he

was unlike other boys at his age. He already knew the truth behind her words. The man did not love

Leila. Charlie was also very wise for his age. He was beginning to understand that even if she could be

with that man, she would never be happy to stay with him.

"Okay, so follow your heart," the boy said without emotion. With those words, he turned to go back to

his room.

One thing that pleased Charlie very much was having a cell phone of his own, which Leila bought for

him. That meant he could call Sheryl any time. He dialed her number and connected immediately. The

boy smiled as he heard her say,"Hello, this is Sheryl."

He kept silent. Charlie had been trying to understand why he liked being with Sheryl and talking to her.

After all, she was still a stranger to him, and they only met yesterday.

Then he jumped at her next words. "Hello? Charlie, is that you?" She asked tentatively after waiting for

several seconds to hear someone on the other end speak.

"How did you know it was me?" The boy was obviously shocked at being identified.

His call came in as she was eating and once sure that it was Charlie on the other end of the line, she

got up and walked out to take the call. Sheryl smiled while explaining to her little friend,"I know because

only you know this number."

"Is that true? You're not kidding me?" Her reply surprised the boy, who clenched his phone in

happiness.

"Of course, I'm serious," Sheryl responded, a smile on her lips. "So, why did you call me?" she asked

curiously.

"Nothing. I just wanted to talk to you," he said simply. If she didn't know she was talking to a young

child, Sheryl would think it was a sensitive man who was speaking over the phone.

She grinned and said,"Well then, have nice dreams, Charlie."

"Wait!" The woman was about to hang up when she heard his plea. "Sorry, but I won't be going to

school tomorrow," Charlie said. "You can call me if you miss me."

Smiling, she told him,"Okay, I will Charlie." Sheryl had just ended the call when Leila suddenly opened

the door. She heard the boy talking and wanted to check. "Who were you talking to, Charlie?" she

inquired.

His heart was pounding, but there was no way he was telling her the truth. Charlie turned to look at her,

and said with impatience,"It's none of your business." Annoyed at the intrusion, he said loudly,"Get out

of my room!"

Leila was used to Charlie's attitude and behavior, so she said nothing and walked out.

The next morning, Leila prepared breakfast for Charlie before leaving for work. Alone at home, the boy

got up, washed his face, and rinsed his mouth. He decided to visit Sheryl at her hotel, which she

mentioned when they met.

Charlie was so eager to meet her, but couldn't figure out why he had the strong urge to be close to

Sheryl.

Sheryl's feet were much better today, so she insisted on rehearsing.

Director Ang was not pleased seeing her and said sarcastically,"I suggest some people giving up this

early, so they don't clip the wings of the rest of us."

His words hit Sheryl directly and she turned pale.

Sue noticed her friend's reaction and rushed to Sheryl's side to assure her. "Don't be angry. It's better

to focus on yourself."

"Thank you, Sue. I know that. And I'm not mad." She smiled at Sue. While still not fully recovered,

Sheryl knew the only way to appease their director was to do her best at rehearsal.

And she did that, which pleased Director Ang so much that he stopped frowning. He praised her

performance, and said,"I hope you continue to persist and exert every effort to perform well. If you don't

progress, I will be upset again."

Sheryl blew out a breath and sighed in relief. The rehearsal went smoothly. When she was about to

take a break with Sue, she noticed Charlie walking in with his backpack. Sheryl was astonished to see

him there and rushed towards her young friend. "Charlie, what are you doing here?"

"I came her to see you," the boy replied. Charlie was overjoyed seeing Sheryl. And while he couldn't

help smiling at her, he controlled his real feelings and appeared to be calm.

"You came for me?" she asked. The boy's answer stunned her, and she wanted to be sure it was what

he meant.

Charlie pouted and said nothing, but it was only because he felt embarrassed to say that he really

missed her and wanted badly to see her.

He may be a little boy, but he had a strong sense of pride.

Sue spoke up to break the silence. "Sheryl, who is he?" She had been staring at Sheryl's young visitor,

thinking he looked quite familiar and that she had met him before.

"This is Charlie," Sheryl introduced him with a smile. "We met each other yesterday," she added.

"Charlie, this is Sister Sue." She was looking at the boy while touching her friend's arm.

The boy hesitated slightly, then turned to Sue and said,"Nice to meet you, Aunt Sue."

"What? You just called me Aunt Sue?" she gasped. Quickly, she corrected,"Call me Sister Sue, please.

I am still a young woman." She was taken aback by the child's reference to her. And no matter how

hard she tried to convince him, Charlie refused to address her as sister. Meanwhile, Sheryl was

amused by their exchange and giggled.

Sheryl excused herself to change clothes so she could take Charlie out to eat. Suddenly, Sue pulled

her and whispered,"Sheryl, do you still remember the man I mentioned before? He knocked over the

breakfast box I bought for you, remember?"

Her friend thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yes, I remember." She stared at Sue. "But why you

suddenly mention something that happened a long time ago?" she inquired.

Sue kept staring at the little boy. "Listen to me, Sheryl." She took a deep breath before saying,"This boy

looks very much like that man." Sue could not hide her excitement. "I was just so surprised at the

resemblance."