Chapter 987 Cherry Invites Aria To A Meal

Watching the three walk out of the ward, Cherry settled her eyes on Jackson. Instead of the smile on her face, now tears freely rolled.

"What's the matter?" Jackson asked with a rattled expression. 'Why is she crying? She looks so sad, ' he thought.

"Jackson," Cherry called out him by name instead of her usual 'honey'. The distress in her voice was evident. She couldn't hold back her emotions any longer.

Feeling at a loss, Jackson didn't know how to comfort her. All he could do was to receive her into his arms and hold her tightly. He whispered in her ear, "Everything will be okay. You have me. I will always be there for you."

"So many years have passed, but I still met her. I never thought that I would see her again. What a small world!" Cherry cried.

Even though she didn't mention the name, Jackson assumed that she was referring to Aria's mother- Kate Bai.

"Are you referring to Kate Bai?" Jackson asked tentatively. Afraid that Cherry might feel uncomfortable, he loosened his grip and lay her back on the bed. Perching himself on the edge of the bed, he grabbed her by the hand.

"She is Emily's cousin," Cherry sobbed.

Out of the blue, a shock registered on Jackson's face. Cherry's words brought him back to the past. 'Until her tragic death, Emily Xia was Cherry's closest friend. I will never forget the horrific accident that claimed her life. When she passed on, Cherry was devastated. She must have meant the whole world to Cherry. Even to this date, no one has ever filled the empty gap she left in Cherry's heart, ' he meditated.

With eyes blankly staring at the ceiling, she recalled, "The lady I met today is no stranger to me. It's someone I met back when I was in college. Only that Emily used to call her nickname, so I didn't know her full name. She was Emily's favorite cousin and just like Emily, she's persistent and very independent."

"Even though age is finally catching up with her, and her face is wrinkled, I recognized her immediately. There's no mistaking, she is Emily's cousin," Cherry said emotionally, her eyes welling with tears all over again.

Taken by surprise, Jackson remained silent. 'What a coincidence! So it turns out Aria's mother is Emily's cousin? That will only complicate things more. Now, I have no idea what to do next. What do I do to protect everyone?' he ruminated.

"Now Kate is not leading a comfortable life. If Emily was still alive, she would go to great lengths to help her. Worse still, Aria is Kate's daughter, yet I haven't been so kind to that kid. If anything I have been downright mean to her. But Lawrence is my son, and I can't let anyone ruin his future. I just can't. He means everything to me," she continued, once more completely caving in to her feelings. When she came to the last part, she was almost wailing.

Looking at his unstable wife, he leaned forward and helped her sit up directly. He pressed her head against his chest and tried to console her, "Cool down, honey. Everything will be alright. You don't have to worry."

Nestling in Jackson's arms, Cherry couldn't calm down. 'I finally recovered from the loss of Emily. After her loss, I endured my most miserable days. The trauma, pain, and hurt were unforgettable. Right now, even though things and people around me have changed, Emily has always silently lived in my memory. But now, I have no option but to face the cruel fact agai

"Do you know what you did wrong? It's alright if you just wanted to own me. But you should not have helped Molly leave me!"

When Brian learns the truth, there is no chance for Hannah to win his heart.

Molly, who wants to run away from Brian, seems to be the only one to blame for Hannah's misfortune...

ion. As she came to realize, there wasn't much she could do to salvage their relationship, even if she tried her very best.

Flashing back to last night, when he stared at her cheeks which were bathed in tears, he really wished that he could wipe away every drop. As usual, he wanted to pull her in his arms for a warm embrace, hoping that would ease her grief. But he didn't for he was afraid it would change his mind about the issue. Besides, it would only make things worse for her. When he remembered her tears and the words he had said against his will, he now felt his heart ache. But in spite of all that, he resolved to forget about the relationship.

He shook his head to get over his daze. He forced himself to get the scenes of what happened in the apartment out of his head. 'Now that I made a choice, I need to move on, ' he resolved.

On realizing that he had spoken out loudly, he checked around to confirm that he was still alone in the room. Just then, his telephone rang.

"Mr. Lawrence, Miss Anna is downstairs. She wants to see you," a polite female voice announced from the other end of the line.

"Let her in, please," Lawrence said and hung up.

Three minutes later, Anna emerged into his office.

"Do you have any appointments at noon, Lawrence?" she cheerily began. "We could go have lunch together, if you have time," she invited, while standing at a distance. But judging by the look on his face, she could tell that something was troubling him.

"I haven't finished my work yet," Lawrence turned down the offer and started shuffling through his files to emphasize how busy he was.

"In that case, I can stick around and wait until you finish," Anna persisted, now walking closer to his desk. "There are still thirty minutes left before lunch time. I will go take a seat over there," she said pointing at to the direction of the lounge, which was to his right. "Once you're done with your work, we can go have a meal together," she added.

Without waiting for Lawrence's reply, Anna made her way to the lounge and found herself a chair.

Lawrence raised his head and cast her a sidelong glance. 'Looks like I have no choice but to eat with her. I know her character. It's impossible for me to drive her away, ' he mulled.