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. "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."