The Apple of My Eye

Chapter 2080 An Unexpected Run-in

The room felt hot and stuffy. Inside his hotel room, Damian paced back and forth as if he were walking

on embers. He was in a five star hotel, but it felt more and more like a prison as the seconds went.

That call from earlier. He did not know who the man was. He gritted his teeth, struggling to keep his

focus and recall the conversation. This was no time to be tripping over his own feet with anxiety.

"I suggest you think about it thoroughly. It's now or never. Your hesitation will cost you dearly," he said

over the phone. "If her ex-husband comes back into the picture, it won't be good for you. They might

rekindle old flames and marry again. When that happens, it's all over."

His words rang inside Damian's head like persistent echoes long after. Not once did he have a

moment's rest from its merciless intrusion.

His anxiety fed on these voices like a hungry beast. Damian was visibly unnerved. Sheryl was the only

woman he wanted in the world, and he would do anything and everything if he could have her.

However, he was well aware that he was teetering on unstable ground. At this point, he knew what

Sheryl's answer would be if he asked her to marry him, and it was not the answer he wanted. Not once

had she shown interest, and now here was Charles again, lingering like a ghost from her past.

To make matters worse, he did not know who this Rob person was, nor his intentions in offering his

help. It would be too much of a risk to trust him. If Sheryl was harmed in any way because of his rash

decisions, Damian would never forgive himself.

He was not that stupid. Good Samaritans had long disappeared from this world, and their place was

taken by opportunists, waiting for their chance to pounce and turn the tables in their own favor. There

would always be a catch. No way was this stranger doing him this big a favor for nothing.

Damian paused in his pacing and contemplated Rob's persona. Finding out who he was, was the top

priority for now. He wouldn't be able to put his mind at ease until he figured out what this mysterious

man was plotting.

Taking out his phone, he dialed a number, impatience gnawing at his already anxious nerves. Finally,

the call was received.

"Duke, it's me, Damian. Can you come over now?" he said in haste.

"Now? Are you kidding me? It's time for dinner. Can't I at least eat first?" Duke replied, sounding

fatigued.

For the past few days, he had been running around, carrying out Damian's orders. He had been

working nonstop to get him what he wanted, and his patience was wearing thin with yet another of his

demands.

"Why don't you come here and join me for dinner, then?" Damian proposed. "Remember that Western-

style restaurant next to my hotel? Let's have our dinner there. They have the best steak in town. It'll be

my treat."

Duke instantly perked up at his offer. Damian really knew how to make people follow him. "Alright," he

replied, laughing. "I'll be there in 10 minutes. Get a table and wait for me," he said, and then hung up.

On the other side of the city, Isla raised her head from the pile of documents on her desk and looked at

them disdainfully. Her neck and shoulders were complaining from the whole day of work. It was time to

call it a day.

Before leaving her office, she called Phoebe, planning to drop by the hospital and check on Sheryl

before going home, but they spotted Josef the moment they stepped out of the elevator.

"What are you doing here? I told you that I'd visit Ms. Xia after work!" Phoebe complained charmingly

as she went to him–her voice as sweet as honey.

Isla let out a loud laugh at the sight. "Aren't you two a vision?" she snorted. "Stop flaunting your

affection in such a public place. My eyes can't take it. Just go with him, Phoebe. Have a good time, you

two," she teased.

"No, Ms. Zhao. I'll go with you!" Phoebe insisted, hurriedly turning to grab Isla's arm.

Isla chuckled. "Phoebe, I was twenty once too. I mean it. Time will never go back! Just enjoy it." Isla

stopped Phoebe, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

A blush bloomed on the younger woman's cheeks. She lowered her head, averting her eyes from both

Isla and Josef.

Josef, on the other hand, did not have any trouble accepting Isla's words. He wrapped his arm around

Phoebe's shoulders and looked at Isla. "That's very nice of you, Isla. Please send my regards to Ms.

Xia. I'll visit her myself next time," he said courteously.

Isla nodded. "I will. Take good care of our Phoebe. Don't break her heart," she warned teasingly. It was

refreshing to see them basking in the beauty of their youth.

Josef smiled at her meaningfully, and then his eyes went to Phoebe. Words would not be enough to

describe how grateful he was that she had appeared in his life and taught him the feeling of falling in

love. Having her by his side was contentment, and he was full of the satisfaction of loving her and

being loved in return.

Isla turned away and walked to the parking lot. Unable to resist one last poke at the couple, she said

aloud, "Oh, to be young again!" And she laughed. Phoebe, her face still red, went with Josef to his car

parked on the side of the road.

"I thought you had plans for the evening," Phoebe said as they got inside and buckled her belt. Josef's

appearance was a surprise. He didn't mention that he would come over when they talked over the

phone earlier today.

"I just wanted to see you," he answered as he put the key in the ignition. "I had planned to visit Ms. Xia

with you, but since Isla insisted, I just listened to her. Maybe we can go together and visit Ms. Xia

tomorrow after work," Josef explained. The next moment, he leaned closer to place a gentle kiss on

Phoebe's forehead before driving.

It was almost instinctual–he couldn't help kissing her when they were alone. Phoebe blushed again

with his action. It wasn't the first time he did this, but he caught her off-guard every time.

Minutes passed by with Josef focusing on the road while Phoebe fixed her gaze on his profile, thinking

of how lucky she was to have him. Not only was Josef good-looking–he was good at his job, and

treated her like she was precious. Her eyes lingered on him, and it was as if she could feel her heart

surging with her emotions. The lights sparkled pink, and romance flowed gently in the silence.

Sensing Phoebe's gaze, Josef was unable to contain his own feelings. He cast a glance at her and

teased, "Is there something on my face? Or is it just that I'm so handsome that you can't take your eyes

off me?"

"What nonsense!" Phoebe downplayed her being flustered at having been caught. "Just concentrate on

your driving!" she commented, changing the topic. She tore her gaze away from him and suddenly

seemed to find the view from her window interesting.

Josef roared with laughter at her expense, his voice ringing sweet.

The quiet comfort that they shared soon faded as something struck Phoebe. "Josef, what do you think

of what happened to Ms. Xia?"

"It's hard to say," Josef replied, his voice turning serious.

"I hope she recovers soon. The sooner, the better," Phoebe murmured absent-mindedly, still looking

outside.

Josef's eyebrows furrowed. Whatever happened to Sheryl was obviously weighing down on Phoebe as

well. "I believe that Ms. Xia will get through this. You know that better than I do. She's not one to give

up, is she?" he said comfortingly.

Phoebe whirled to him at his words. "Yes, she's like one of the strongest women I've ever seen! I just

don't get why people keep splashing dirty water over her online. Don't they have better things to do?

How can they have so much free time!" she said, her voice turning a pitch higher from irritation.

Josef let out a loud laugh at her huffing cheeks. She was adorable, even when she was angry. "We

normal people would never be able to figure out what goes on inside the heads of these internet mobs.

I doubt there's anything much we would find there anyway." He cast a glance at her and continued, Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.

"Honey, try not to let it get to you. They'll just ruin your mood. For now, let's just enjoy dinner, okay?" He

reached out one hand and squeezed hers lightly.

"Oh, I totally forgot about dinner!" Phoebe livened up at the mention of food. "Right! Good food is the

best after a long day," she said, her lips finally breaking into a small smile. At least for a while, she

would be putting her worries aside and enjoy her meal with Josef, who burst out into laughter again at

her enthusiasm.

The famous Western-style restaurant was packed with patrons at dinner time.

Shortly after the call, Duke arrived and quickly spotted Damian, who was sitting by a table in front of a

French window. He walked over to him without any delay.

"Have you ordered? I'm starving!" he said to Damian before he even sat down across him.

Damian smiled at him. "Did you miss your lunch and breakfast today?"

His question earned a roll of Duke's eyes. "Don't even go there. I was on the run all day because of

you. You owe me a feast tonight. If I die of starvation, you will lose a valuable and loyal friend. What

would you do without me?" he joked.

"Alright, alright. I get it. I'll feed you until you can't stand anymore. Waiter?" Damian raised a graceful

hand, and a waiter appeared to serve them immediately.

"What can I do for you, sir? Ready to order?" the waiter asked with a professional smile.

"Take care of the order, Duke. I need to use the men's room. You can get anything you want. Don't

even look at the prices. I'll be pissed off if you try to save for me!" After that, Damian stood up and left

the table.

Grinning, Duke browsed the menu and ran through it carefully, keeping his spirit high.

On his way to the men's room, Damian ran into someone as he turned a corner. Raising his head, he

was ready to apologize, but a familiar voice reached his ears before he could utter a word.

"Damian Li? Is that you?" Phoebe exclaimed, also surprised. Nothing is too strange in this world, such

as running into an acquaintance unexpectedly in a fancy restaurant.

"Yes, that would be me. But may I ask who you are again? Miss…" His voice trailed off as he wore a

regretful expression. He knew he had met her before, but he couldn't recall her name.

Phoebe hurriedly explained, "I'm Phoebe, Ms. Xia's assistant. We met in Cloud Advertising Company."

'No way!' Damian screamed in his mind.

His eyes bore into Phoebe, but he was still unable to find any concrete memory of her face. It should

have been easy to remember a pretty face like hers. And since she was Sheryl's assistant, he was

determined to be even more attentive.

"Oh, I remember now," he lied. "It's nice to see you again, Phoebe. Are you having dinner here too?"

He gave her a friendly smile as if he was talking to someone he was very familiar with.

Nodding her head, Phoebe returned it. It was the first time she saw Damian in private, and at such a

close distance. He was even more handsome up close. He definitely had the air of an artist about him–

aloof and distant. Objectively, he was very attractive. Not that she was interested. She already had

Josef. But she could see how a lot of women would probably be his admirers.

"Yes, I'm with my boyfriend. You must be having dinner, too, right?" Phoebe stretched her neck to look

behind Damian as she spoke. The restaurant was popular among lovers. Curiosity filled her about who

Damian's companion would be.