Chapter 1471 nning A Holiday


    "It''s unnecessary. Your mother is not being held prisoner at home. She is free to invite her friends over


    or do less extravagant activities," Sheryl told Charles. She thought for a while before she added, "I


    have just talked to her. Charles, have you ever thought about why her friends always like hanging


    around with her? And why she is always asking you for money?"


    Charles was stunned. "You mean...they make friends with my mother only because of her money?" he


    eximed in amazement.


    "Isn''t it true? You can ask any of her friends to confirm if she''s the moneybag in their circle. Besides,


    she likes showing off. Whenever there is a gathering, she always shoulders the bill. Some of her


    friends even encouraged her to gamble. And they even..."


    Charles interrupted, "Sher, I know what you mean." He hadn''t forgotten thest time his mother went to


    Las Vegas to gamble and lost a big sum of money.


    "I have already talked with Mom. She agreed to give up her allowance for the next six months, as


    punishment," Sheryl said curtly.


    Charles was surprised to hear what Sheryl had just said. Half a year''s allowance? That was a


    considerable sum of money.


    Before Melissa was arrested, she was a richdy from the well-respected Lu family. When Charles


    learned about her release, he felt very sorry for the hardships she had endured. He tried his best to


    make it up to her. He gave her as much money as she wanted. However, he didn''t expect that she


    could spend as much as a million dors within one month. He was shocked by howvishly she liked


    to spend, but he didn''t intend to stop her. Now, she had begun asking him for even more money.


    Charles knew how the money was being spent, to some extent. But Melissa was his mother, after all.


    He wouldn''t get richer even if he had saved the amount he had been giving her instead. As long as his


    mother was happy, he was willing to pay whatever the cost. It wasn''t a big deal for him.


    He knew clearly what a moneygrubber Melissa was. ordingly, he felt amazed that his mother would


    agree to Sheryl''s terms.


    "Charles, why are you looking at me like that? Don''t you believe me?" Sheryl asked, looking into


    Charles'' eyes.


    Waving his hands, Charles quickly replied, "Of course I believe you! If both of you arefortable with


    it, then I approve. This is indeed punishment for her. By the way, Sher, the kids must be frightened. We


    must help them out."


    "Sure. I will." Sheryl nodded. She felt like smirking when she noticed Charles'' surprise. She knew how


    softhearted he became when it came to his mother. She took the initiative to cut Melissa''s cash flow


    when she realized that unexpected things might happen.


    Sheryl couldn''t help imagining how differently Melissa''s snobby friends would treat her when she no


    longer had money or influence. Melissa had always been an arrogant woman, and she would surely be


    pissed off.


    It was just a little lesson for her. If Melissa dared to cause more trouble at home, the punishment


    wouldn''t be so light.


    Sheryl hade around to thinking that the best response was offense. She learned that she should


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    abandon the idea of trying to get along with that viperous witch, Melissa, and instead, took the


    necessary steps to gain the upper hand. Melissa was a lion among sheep and a sheep among lions.


    Concession would only feed her arrogance. However, Sheryl didn''t realize this until this day. She pitied


    herself for the mistreatment she had to endure due to her weakness in the past.


    When Charles saw that Sheryl was no longer angry, he finally felt at ease. The only thing he wanted


    was Sheryl''s forgiveness.


    "Are the kids both asleep now?" Finally, Charles was able to think of his kids.


    "Thanks for thinking of them! You have been stayingte at work recently. You ignored your wellness


    and you even ignored your kids. Shirley told me today that if she couldn''t see you theseing days,


    she might just forget what you look like," Sheryl grumbled with a sigh.


    "My little fool." Charles smiled. He felt both sad and sorry. He had been busy recently and had not been


    paying attention to his family. "Sher, I''m sorry, I''m at fault for leaving you alone. But I promise you, this


    project is nearingpletion. Once it''s done, I''ll take you and the kids on a vacation. How do you like


    the idea?"


    "Out on a vacation? Are you sure you''ll have time? Or would they be calling you back to work in the


    middle of our vacation?" Sheryl asked immediately, full of doubt.


    "No, it won''t happen. I promise I will be with you the whole time," Charles assured her, wearing a bitter


    smile.


    Sheryl nodded. "All right. I''ll be really happy if you make it."


    "Consider it done." Finally, a genuine smile formed on Charles'' face.


    He couldn''t wait to go on vacation since, in thest few days, he had been beyond exhausted. Now, in


    his excitement, he found himself wondering about where they could go on their vacation. A beach?


    Overseas? But it didn''t matter where they went. The most important thing was he was going to be with


    his family.


    Noticing that Charles was lost in thought, Sheryl poked him and said, "What''s on your mind? It''ste.


    Let''s go to bed."


    Charles was brought back to reality. He smiled warmly as he told her, "You go ahead. I''ll get in a little


    thinking about meeting Melissa before going to bed. But he knew he shouldn''t let Sheryl know,


    especially now that she was finally in a better mood.


    Sheryl cast a suspicious nce at Charles. ''Is he going to inform Melissa of his ns?'' she thought.


    She wasn''t convinced he would deal with Melissa as resolutely as he dealt with business matters.


    When it came to his mother, Charles alwayspromised in the end, no matter how furious he had


    been in the beginning. At times when Melissa stepped out of line, he would admonish her and warn her


    not to do it again, assuring her of serious consequences. In the end, he would do nothing.


    The lenient and seemingly uncaring way he handled things made Sheryl suffer. She knew she couldn''t


    count on him regarding Melissa''s issue. She knew she must take action herself.


    The thought of it made her sad. She couldn''t help but sigh, thinking about the fact that she had


    changed from an innocent girl to a woman who was adept at scheming.


    She didn''t know whether this change was good, but she no longer cared about it either. The only thing


    she cared about now was protecting her children, rk and Shirley, even if it meant making sacrifices.


    She had to be brave.


    Charles caressed Sheryl''s hair. His eyes were full of love. His warm and soulful gaze always touched


    Sheryl.


    "Goodnight, Sher. Go to bed. I''ll be right back," Charles whispered to her. He gave Sheryl a gentle kiss


    on her forehead. The kiss wasn''t steamy. It was pure, as sweet as the fresh scent of grass in spring.


    Sheryl nodded. Exhaustion swept over her after such a long day. She yawned and went to bed, her


    eyelids heavy with fatigue. She had been nervous the whole day. Since the issue with Melissa was now


    resolved, she felt relieved. The moment she threw herself on the bed, she fell into a deep sleep.