ENCHANTED LOVE, VOLUME 2 - Season 9 Episode 80

“That’s good to know.” Amy finally took a weight off her mind and said to Sheryl with concern, “By the way, you should seriously consider the things between you and Charles. It’s been a long time since you separated from each other. It must be hard for you both. So if both of you have made up your mind to be together, then why not make it as soon as possible?”

“Come on, mom! It’s none of your business. Both of them are grown ups.” Abby gave a hearty laugh to reassure Amy that she did not need to worry about Sheryl and Charles. Then she added, “Moreover, they are parents of two lovely kids. I am sure they take care of their own things.”

“Really?” Amy was rather taken aback by Abby’s words. She turned towards Abby with curious eyes.

Sheryl blushed at the thought of how eagerly everybody in her family wanted her to get back with Charles. But the very thought of it just made her feel like running away. She stood up trying to calm down, but seemed to be of no avail. All she could do was just to stammer, “If… if this is what you want to discuss with me now, then I think I am really tired and would like to go to bed.”

Sheryl just rushed into her room without turning back to look at Abby and Amy even for once. Amy and Abby shared a glance with each other and broke into a smile. Sheryl decided to take a shower to calm herself down. As soon as she finished her shower, she received a phone call. As she answered the call, it was Isla on the other side, her voice bustling with joy and excitement, “I knew you would make it! Sher, Congratulations!”

The pitch of Isla’s voice was so high that Sheryl had to hold her phone away from her ears in order to avoid the risk of becoming deaf. She had no idea why Isla was so excited.

“I knew you would make it!” Her voice got more and more loud and full of excitement as she kept repeating herself. After a while she just realized that it was she who kept on talking while there was a complete silence on the other side. Just to confirm that the line was still connected, she asked, “Sher, are you there? Are you listening to me?”

“I am,” Sheryl replied in a nonchalant voice.

“Then why are you not replying to me? Aren’t you excited?” Isla wondered.

“My dear Isla, since I picked up my phone, it is you who have been shouting at the top of your voice and congratulating me all this while. You didn’t even bother to tell me the reason behind your excitement. I thought once your moment of exhilaration passed, I would take a chance to ask what it is that you were so desperate to share with me. So, may I ask now? What makes you so excited?” Sheryl felt a little speechless at first and now she finally got a chance to speak.

“Ohhh, I almost forgot to tell you. I was just too exhilarated. Let me tell you the most important thing.” Isla took some deep breaths to calm herself down before she spoke. “The project you delivered got permitted!”

“Really! Are you sure?” Suddenly, there was a spring in Sheryl’s voice as she spoke. All this while, Sheryl was in some sort of a daze. First, the deep passionate kiss with Charles, then being caught by Abby and at the end, Amy raising the topic of her getting back with Charles.

Sheryl felt as if her voice had gotten lost somewhere. The news from Isla acted like a much needed force to pull her back to herself. At the onslaught, Sheryl found the news a little unbelievable. Her lips curled up unconsciously when she heard Isla. Then slowly she could feel the sense of accomplishment. Sheryl was so glad to hear the news because she loved this job. Though she barely revealed it, but she felt a deep satisfaction in working on projects for Cloud Advertising Corp. She never felt the same way while working for the Kline Corp.

“Certainly, of course.” Isla was still very excited and praised, “I am so happy, Sheryl! I knew you would make it!”

Sheryl could not help smiling and asked, “Is there anything else that you want to tell me about?”

“Yes. There is another thing.” Isla cooled herself down and explained, “Here it is. Our partner company demands a meeting with us to discuss in details about the project. I agreed with that on your behalf and the meeting has been set for tomorrow. So you have to make yourself available for the meeting tomorrow.”

“Do I have to come?” Sheryl became anxious all of a sudden. “Can you just find someone else to attend the meeting on my behalf, or maybe you could attend the meeting alone?” Sheryl frowned as she spoke. This was really a hard choice to make. After all, she was still under the employment contract with Kline Corp. that would refrain her to get actively involved in a project for any other company. She could only help Isla secretly. If she went for a meeting, she would be exposed.

“Sher, you know I don’t want to put you in trouble.” She gave her a wry laughter and continued, “If I had any other option, I would never ask you to come with me.

But the client insisted that you should attend the meeting in person, otherwise, there will be no deal! And more importantly, Sher, are you willing to allow this project to end up in vain? You had stayed up the whole night working on it.”
“But…” Sheryl’s mind was in a complete mess now. She didn’t know how to make a choice between her current professional commitment and her dream project at Cloud Advertising Corp.

“You are in a dilemma, and I can totally understand that.” Isla paused for a while and then again continued, “The meeting has been scheduled in our office where only the staff from both the companies will be present. No outsider will even come to know about your presence. I can assure you of that!”

Sheryl was more than eager to join the meeting. But she found it difficult to say ‘Yes’ to Isla right away. She kept hesitating and at last begged, “Can you just give me a moment please? I need to think it over.”

“What do you have to think about? This is urgent and the company belongs to you.” Isla let out a helpless sigh and continued, “OK, you think over it. But Sher, you’d better hurry up. Time is running out. We have to confirm to them at the earliest.”

“Got it.” Sheryl hung up the phone, walked over to the swing near the window and sat on it, in a trance. Her mind was completely blank. How could she actively take part in any project under Cloud Advertising Corp. while being under the employment contract with Kline Corp? Even attending the meeting secretly would mean a breach of contract.

Sue shared the same room with Sheryl. She was watching over as Sheryl sat in the same posture in the same place with a vague look. Sue wanted to speak to Sheryl but she was unsure whether it was a suitable time to say anything.

However, after a while of hesitation, she decided to break the silence. She asked, “Are you okay? Can you tell me what you are so worried about?”

When Sue was in trouble, eager for a place to stay, Sheryl was the one to give her a hand. She even shared her own room with Sue. Now that Sheryl seemed to be in trouble, Sue couldn’t just watch her without taking any action.

Besides, Sue was not aware of the dilemma in Sheryl’s mind. It could also be concerning Sue sharing her room. Sue had no idea about what was bothering Sheryl. All she knew was that she really wanted to do something helpful to relieve Sheryl, instead of just standing by.

“Nothing much.” Sheryl looked surprised to hear Sue’s voice. She immediately turned towards her and asked her with a smile, “Why don’t you go to sleep? I thought you were asleep when I came in.”

“I almost fell asleep, but then I felt a little worried about you when you looked worried after hanging up. Tell me, what happened to you?” Sue got out of the bed and took a step forward towards the swing. She grabbed Sheryl by her hand with a caring smile on her face.

“You just… can’t understand. Just leave me alone,” Sheryl answered her in a helpless tone. She was clearly not in the mood to share her concern with Sue.

“Just tell me. Maybe I can find a way out for you.” Sue didn’t give up. She kept smiling and tried to make Sheryl open her heart. So she continued to inquire with patience, “It is said that sometimes the outsider can view a situation from a fresh perspective that you might be missing. When you are trapped in a situation, you may think it is really hard for you to solve it. However, it may be very easy to me, because I am the outsider.”

Sue’s words sounded persuasive. Sheryl looked at Sue for a while, and let out a deep sigh.

She said, “I am not being able to make the choice. I don’t know whether I should go back to Cloud Advertising Corp. or continuing to stay in Kline Corp.”

“Have you found a solution in your mind?” Sue fell into a deep thought for a while and asked Sheryl.

Sheryl certainly didn’t have a solution, so she shook her head. “I really don’t know. I signed an agreement with Kline Corp. a short while ago. If I choose to leave my job at this moment, I will have to pay a huge fine for breaking the contact.

However, as to Cloud Advertising Corp… Sue, how can I make the right choice?” Sue held Sheryl’s hand and replied, “Actually, it is very simple.”

She gave Sheryl a convincing smile and spoke in a slow and calm voice, “When you spoke about your thought on your job in Kline Corp., you just mentioned the penalty. Evidently, that is the only thing that you care about. Besides that, there is nothing else in that job which seems to appeal to you. Apparently, it proves that deep down, you just took this job just to make a living for yourself and your daughter. But I assume you have no interest in it at all. Am I right?”

Sheryl nodded her head with agreement and admitted, “Indeed, I can never think of myself as a model for the rest of my life. And you know that I am in no way better than the young models in terms of age. My career as a professional model has come to an end right away. If it weren’t for Shirley, I wouldn’t have been doing this kind of work for so many years. So…”

“That’s it.” Sue had only expected this sort of reply from Sheryl. It was true that sometimes you need an external voice to tell you the things that you already knew to give you a push in the right direction. In this case, it was Sue’s voice for Sheryl. She said, “However, I observed your expressions when you mentioned the Cloud Advertising Corp. It tells me that you love the job. I even saw that a sense of achievement and enjoyment just flashed across your eyes just now. You really love it, don’t you?”

“I guess so.” Sheryl uttered the words slowly as if she was clearing the mirror of her mind to see her own face clearly. She nodded again, looked Sue in the eye and added, “I have been working in that company since I graduated from college.

In the beginning, I didn’t know anything, had to follow my superior’s orders and worked very hard every day, learning from my mistakes. In a word, I was really nothing then. But the more efforts I have made, the more experience I have gathered. At present, I am really good at it and have even earned a credibility in the marker. I may not be famous but I have good repute for my work. Yes, I love my job in Cloud Advertising Corp. much more than any words can ever explain. In my heart, I still remember how I burned the midnight oil to finish every task. How I felt alive when I submitted my projects and watched them turned into full-fledged business deals one after another that helped the company grow block to block. That sense of achievement! Can you imagine that?”