ENCHANTED LOVE, VOLUME 2 - Season 9 Episode 92

Sue shook her head. “I have no clue either. The police just called me. We’ll find out what’s going on after we get there.”

“Wait for me. I’ll get the car keys,” Sheryl replied. After getting the car from Abby, she drove Sue to the police station as fast as she could. Just before Sue was to enter the main gate, Sheryl pulled her back by her arm in worry.

“Mimi, wait. I have to remind you.” Looking at Sue in care and concern, she continued, “You’re pregnant now. You have to put the baby first. No matter what happens, you have to stay calm. Don’t get angry, okay?”

“I know,” Sue agreed. Of course, she knew that she had to control her temper for the baby’s sake. Still, she also knew that sometimes, things were out of her control. She had no idea what was waiting for her, and she couldn’t anticipate how exactly she would react either. Driving the thoughts away, she stepped inside with Sheryl.

A policeman led them into a small room. He sat on one side while the two girls sat on the opposite side, feeling confined in the small space. They couldn’t wrap their heads around the fact that Allen, who had always considered Doris a priority, would take her life. He had shown absolutely no sign of doing such a thing. It was astonishing news, as no one ever expected it to happen.

For formalities’ sake, the policeman asked Sue some questions regarding Allen’s recent behavior. Sue was as helpful as she could be as she told the policeman what she knew, which, unsurprisingly, revealed nothing about the motives behind the murder. After he was done, Sue had a question of her own. “Sir, you said that my brother has been accused of murdering Doris. Do you have any evidence?”

“I’m sorry. I cannot reveal our findings of the case to you,” the policeman replied solemnly. “All I can share with you is that their neighbors heard them quarreling, after which, Allen ran out of the house covered in blood. Along with him was with your mother, Peggy. We’re looking for them now. We called you in to get more details about both the suspect and the victim, and to tell you to inform us as soon as possible if you have any clue whatsoever about where they are.”

After a pause, he gave her a strange look and continued, “Or… if they come to you, please do not hesitate to tell us. They are now suspects of a murder case and have the potential to harm you as well. For your safety, please don’t hide them from us.”

“How is that even possible?” Sue suddenly shouted in her disbelief of the whole situation. “I know my brother. He would never say ‘no’ to that woman, not to mention after she got pregnant. No matter how angry he was, he couldn’t have killed his baby! It’s a mistake!”

He was her brother, after all, and she knew her brother. He might have had the guts to commit some wrongdoings, but she couldn’t believe that he was capable of murder.

“It is a possibility,” he replied flatly. “A thorough investigation is being conducted. If he didn’t kill her, we will not accuse him falsely. But he ran away, which makes him more suspicious. Why else would he run? Don’t you think it’s worth a second thought?”

Having been so focused on denying that her brother could be capable of murder, that thought never crossed her mind.

She was so overwhelmed with shock and disbelief that she couldn’t even slightly consider the strong cause of the police’s suspicion. Now that he pointed it out, she had nothing more to say to defend Allen.

“Anyway, if you have any information on their whereabouts, do inform us right away. Understand?” the policeman again reminded the two.

“Okay, we will,” Sue agreed with a nod.

After the session with the police, Sue was left feeling lethargic. She absentmindedly scratched her head as she thought hard for any possible reason Allen would want Doris gone. She couldn’t figure anything out. Allen’s temperament was far from good, but… not to the extent of murdering someone, his baby nonetheless.

Did something unthinkable happen that she had no clue of?

As they walked out of the police station, Sue and Sheryl saw a person rushing towards them. It was Anthony. Without even a glance at Sheryl, he practically ran towards Sue and embraced her tightly.

“Are you okay?” he asked worriedly with an ever gentle voice.

“I’m fine,” Sue answered him, emotionless. Slightly pushing him away, she wondered what brought him there. “Why are you here, Anthony?” she asked curiously.

“I heard about the incident. I tried calling you, but you weren’t picking up. I guessed you might be called in by the police, so I came here. What’s going on now? Did they tell you anything?”

Anthony explained, still in a rush.

“It’s a long story.” Sue smiled wryly. It wasn’t a pleasant thing to tell and she didn’t know where to start.

Reading their mood, Sheryl thought the other two might need some space for a private conversation. “Since Anthony is here, I’ll go first,” she excused herself.

“Anthony, I’ll leave Sue to you.” She turned to him with a serious look.

“Of course,” he replied. It was the first time he had spared Sheryl a glance since he arrived at the scene.

It was rather strange for Anthony. In the past, when the two girls appeared before him, it was Sheryl that drew his attention first. Now, the opposite was true, and all he could see was Sue. It wasn’t until Sheryl addressed him directly that he even noticed Sheryl’s presence.

After Sheryl left, she headed towards Charles’ company. Her head couldn’t seem to escape thoughts about the whole incident, making it difficult for her to maintain calm. She wanted to talk to Charles about it.

As he left his meeting, he was surprised to find Sheryl at the office, who rarely visited him lately. “You’re not with that friend of yours today?” he asked her curiously.

“Anthony is with her,” Sheryl said with a sigh.

Charles could hear the exhaustion in her voice, and his brows knitted in concern. “What happened?” he asked, wanting to know what was making her uneasy.

“Nothing. I’m just thinking about how easily things can change without us noticing.” With a helpless expression, Sheryl continued, “Just a few days ago, she was alive, going about her business. Now, she’s gone.”

“You’re talking about Allen and Doris, right?” he probed.

“You know?” Sheryl asked him, stunned about how indifferent he seemed. When she remembered how he had kept an eye on Allen behind the scenes, she quickly recovered. How could he not know about it?

Charles walked up next to Sheryl, put her hands in his, and led her to the sofa so she could take a seat. “My dear, I can almost hear the gears in your brain turning every day.”

“I just feel that… people really change so fast.” Heaving a deep sigh, she explained, “Though that younger brother of Sue’s was always so easily irritated, and treated Sue awfully, it was not all him. It was his mom pampering him every step of the way, encouraging him to be cruel to his sister. He was not someone so evil that he would kill anyone who triggered him. Even I could tell that he loved Doris and would give her everything he could.

He never even dared shout at her. But…

How come that changed overnight?

Sue can barely process it. She’s in a really low mood now, and so am I. I have no idea how to help her, or even cheer her up. It’s too disastrous for her, of course. Even if she has been always mistreated by her family, she still has some sort of strange ties with them. And it was her brother who…”

“Why are you bothering yourself with that?” Charles asked tenderly when she trailed off. He was never so concerned about the business of other families, only his own. Handing her a cup of hot tea, he tried to comfort Sheryl, “Let others do what they will. We’re different. Just keep in mind that such a thing will never happen to us. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Charles paused to observe Sheryl’s reaction, but she didn’t respond while she took in what he said. Feeling somewhat reassured, Charles gathered himself and decided to bring up something he had been meaning to for a while. “Sheryl, it’s been quite a while. Have you considered moving back to live with me? Clark has been nagging at me about you for days.”

Sheryl’s jaw clenched and she scooted away from the man. “Get away.” She shrugged his hand off her as she noted what his true intention was. “You aren’t expecting an answer of ‘I have’ or ‘I haven’t’. You’re just asking me to live with you, aren’t you?”

“Yes I am,” he responded frankly. “Don’t you want to come back?” Her gentle nudges didn’t drive him away but only made him move even closer and embrace his love. He asked with such eagerness in his eyes, almost like a spoiled child asking his parents to buy him a much-desired toy. Sheryl couldn’t, or maybe even didn’t want to escape.

She relished in the warmth of his hug and childlike behavior, which she knew was only ever for her to experience. After indulging in his love for a while, she realized where they were and gently pushed him away. “Stop that. Others will see us,” she said bashfully.

“This is my office. No one will see,” he reassured her.

With slightly more force, she pushed against Charles. She almost couldn’t fathom the stark contrast of such a strong and powerful man acting so childlike, but she did enjoy his affection. With conflicting feelings in her heart, she finally spoke. “Let’s talk about all that after this incident is settled. Sue really needs someone right now… I can’t help but worry about her.”

Charles sighed heavily after hearing that and his mood turned low and depressed. Waiting was all he’d been doing lately because Sheryl’s life seemed to revolve around Sue instead of him. With the way she was acting, it seemed to Charles that until she was absolutely sure that Sue was out of reach of that annoying family of hers, Sheryl wouldn’t even consider settling things with him. In disappointment, he asked, “When do you plan to prioritize me?”

Sheryl’s brows shot up in surprise. It was a startling question but she could sense Charles’ frustration. She couldn’t help but find it rather funny and started teasing him, “What? Are you jealous?”

Charles simply turned his head away and refused to respond. At that moment, he was a pouty child giving her the silent treatment.