ENCHANTED LOVE, VOLUME 2 - Season 9 Episode 47

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 Mrs. Garcia. 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 Kline Corp., Sheryl was preparing to make a quick visit to Cloud Advertising Corp. 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 Kline Corp.’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 a warm smile. “It’s not that a big a deal whether I bump into him or not. You, on the other hand, really want to avoid him, and I know that you’re not exactly in the right condition to see him at the moment. So I’ll help you avoid him this time, okay? All I need from you in return is for you to escape as quickly as possible, you understand?” she told her gently but firmly.

Sue knew it was no use arguing with Sheryl. She was overcome with gratitude and gave Sheryl a sudden hug.

In just a few days, Sheryl had done so much for her. She had no idea how to repay her.

Sheryl exited the doors of Kline Corp. and marched straight towards Anthony. He had strategically positioned himself so that he could see every single person who came in and out of Kline Corp.’s doors. He never let his eyes wander elsewhere, lest he miss Sue. He knew very well that the possibility of bumping into Sheryl was very high, but since she disliked him so much, it wouldn’t make a difference. They weren’t likely to talk anyway. She would not be a distraction from his quest to find and talk to Sue.

To be honest, he hadn’t even imagined in his wildest dreams that Sheryl would approach him first and talk to him. As a result, seeing Sheryl walking towards him threw him totally off guard.

“What’s wrong? Surprised to see me?” Sheryl couldn’t help but smirk at Anthony’s dumbstruck expression.

Anthony shook his head slightly, wondering if he was dreaming. He pinched himself on the thigh quickly just to make sure he hadn’t fallen asleep. “I thought you never wanted to see my face anymore. You made it clear that I was dead to you,” he said, slightly confused.

“You’re right, I really don’t want to see you,” Sheryl reminded him. “But there’s a very good reason I’m standing here in front of you. The person that you’re waiting for, she wants to see you even less than I do. So I took one for the team and came over to talk to you instead of her.”

“You mean, Sue…” Anthony blinked at Sheryl. Then, he gave a huge sigh and said, “Sher, I know you two are good friends now. I also know that I did her a huge wrong. It seems to be the only thing I’m good at, hurting the women in my life. So, I came here today because I want to sincerely apologize to her from the bottom of my heart and also find a way to make up for it. Please don’t stand in my way, Sher. I’m trying my hardest to be a better man.”

Anthony caught sight of Sue leaving the building and wanted to go after her badly. He moved towards her, but Sheryl quickly blocked his way. She was smaller than him but he did not want to cause a scene by pushing her out of his way since there were so many people around.

“Sher…” Anthony glared at her. It was clear she wasn’t going to budge. “What do you want from me?” he growled.

“I think I’ve made it very clear. She doesn’t wish to see you,” Sheryl replied calmly. She looked at him directly in the eye and told him, “If you really want to make it up to her, here’s a tip. Find out and understand what kind of situation she’s in right now, and not just come here aimlessly, waiting outside the building like a homeless man. Anthony, I’ll be frank with you. If you really want to help her, you need to stay away for a while. Give her a few days of peace.

Right now, you’re only stressing her out even more, so it’s understandable that she wouldn’t agree to see you.”

“What are you talking about?” Anthony eyebrows knitted together. He asked urgently, “What do you mean by ‘situation’? Is she in some kind of trouble? Tell me what exactly is going on.” Sheryl was surprised that Anthony seemed to be genuinely concerned for Sue.

“Do you really care about her that much?” Sheryl scoffed. Deep down, she was wondering if Anthony had somehow ended up falling in love with Sue.

“I…” Anthony paused for a while to gather his thoughts, and admitted bashfully, “I just really want to know how she’s been doing recently. And if there’s anything I can do to help, I really want to be there for her.”

Sheryl gazed at him for a while and gave him a simple answer. “She’s going through a difficult time,” she said coldly. “Is that good enough for you? I bet you’re happy about that deep inside right? You love to see her suffer.”

“Sher, you know that’s not what I mean,” Anthony protested, suddenly feeling the need to explain himself. But before he could say anything further, Sheryl cut him off.

“I have no idea what your intentions are,” Sheryl said with a grim face, “but I do know this. If you really love her, you should be staying by her side. Love her, protect her, care for her, and don’t let anyone hurt her. What you’re doing now, giving her mixed signals, not only makes her confused, you’re also hurting her even more. She doesn’t need any more pain than what she’s facing at the moment.”

“Sheryl…” Anthony tried to explain himself again.

“That’s enough!” Sheryl snapped, cutting him off for the last time. “I have my own matters to attend to. I’m not going to waste any more time and energy arguing with you. But I’m warning you right now, Anthony. You only have a few months. I have no right to interfere in the personal issues between you two. Just remember, if you cause her to shed even a single tear, I’m going to make sure you pay for it.”

Anthony stood by helplessly as he watched Sheryl leave. He no longer know what was the right thing to do. He was confused not only by Sheryl’s words, but by his own emotions as well.

He went over Sheryl’s words again in his head and deduced that Sue must be in some kind of trouble. 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 Kline Corp., Sheryl headed straight to Cloud Advertising Corp. 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 Corp. 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.