The Substitute Bride

"I…" Sheryl stammered. All of a sudden, it was, as if, a cat had gotten Sheryl's tongue as she remembered the reason why she had to see Charles. She then eyed on Charles, embarrassed. "I… I came to ask for your help, Charles…"

Inside Sheryl's heart, she grew jittery as Charles would assume she only needed him for help.

"What happened?" When Charles finally heard Sheryl's true intention, his lips tugged upwards. 'Sheryl already trusts me enough to ask me for help… I shouldn't let her down, ' he thought.

"I…" Not knowing where to even start, Sheryl hesitated for a brief moment, collected herself together, and finally, answered Charles, "I… I want to borrow some money from you."

"How much do you need?" Charles inquired as he eyed on Sheryl.

"F-Five…" Despite feeling reluctant to even continue, Sheryl took a deep breath and threw the last amount of embarrassment she had in her body. She then uttered, "Five hundred thousand…"

The air felt heavy, and the room was silent. Standing up from his spot, Charles went over to his table, took out a credit card, and handed it over to Sheryl. "There's eight hundred thousand in this card. I intended to pay for Shirley's tuition with this card but, nevertheless, you may use it. I'll just add more cash into the card later on."

"No, you don't have to do that, Charles. This is more than enough for me and Shirley. Besides, her tuition doesn't cost so much money."

Suddenly asking Charles for help felt different for Sheryl. The feeling had turned into a burden. Regret filled Sheryl's whole body.

"Just take it," Charles remarked. "I want to give this to Shirley. She needs money for education and as my daughter, she deserves it."

"But…" Embarrassment then immediately took over Sheryl's body as she started to frown. Despite Charles being Shirley's father, the money he offered was just too much. Sheryl felt reluctant to accept it.

"I won't be taking 'no' for an answer." Taking Sheryl's hand into his, Charles then placed the card into Sheryl's hand. Sheryl wavered for a brief moment before she clenched her hand to a close. It delighted him that she finally took the card.

Once Sheryl had placed the card into her pocket, she glanced towards Charles and asked, "Why aren't you asking me the reason I need so much money?"

"I don't find the need to," Ch

ey could also amp up their performance by doing things harshly to make it more vivid and believable. However, you need to get Sue's permission first." Standing up from his spot, Charles then turned to Sheryl.

"This is the easiest, most simplest way to solve the problem for Sue. But, do remember to negotiate and consult with Sue before rushing to make a decision."

"Alright. I'll keep that in mind." Sheryl then got up from her seat and headed towards the door. "I'll get going. Thanks Charles."

Without any intention of letting Charles' suggestion slip from her mind, Sheryl immediately rushed back home. When she arrived, she saw Sue in the living room with Shirley. Clearing her throat, she called out, "Mimi, I need to talk to you."

"Did something happen?" Sue responded, concerned as to what Sheryl had to tell her as well. Everything moved quickly and the next thing Sue knew was that she was dragged into Sheryl's room. Puzzled, she turned to Sheryl with utmost concern and asked, "Did my mom cause trouble?"

"No but, I have something important to tell you," Sheryl answered. With the doors put to a close, Sheryl then disclosed what she and Charles had discussed earlier. The atmosphere was heavy between Sue and Sheryl. "Look, I know a sorry is in order because I went and did something without telling you but, Charles told me that I can't help you in the way I want to help you as it could put you in severe trouble. With Charles' proposition, I think it is only right to tell you about it but Sue, you have to make the final call."