The Apple of My Eye novel Chapter 196

"But....." Charles felt upset. It was his wishes to give her gifts and not the other way around.

"No more shilly-shallying!" Autumn got up with the help of Charles, "It is late. Let's get some rest."

Charles said to himself, 'I will make Autumn realize her mistake.'

On the following weekend, Autumn decided to take her grandma out to buy some new clothes, as all of her grandma's clothes were too old and bleached to wear anymore.

However, the intense and passionate love-making with Charles last night had rendered her absolutely exhausted. She woke up late, and found her grandma basking under the sun in the courtyard. Grandma said to her, "I've prepared breakfast for you in the kitchen, hurry up and have some breakfast. You should never miss you breakfast even if you're too busy."

"Grandma, thank you." Autumn replied at once, "Grandma, prepare yourself, we're going out after breakfast."

"There's no need to accompany me. You must be very busy anyway." Emily declined immediately. She had been overcautious in fear of troubling Autumn and Charles, since settling down in Dream Garden.

"Grandma, I've decided to buy some new clothes for you today, youe see, the winter is coming." Autumn whispered to her, "Dear grandma, I do this for you at my own expense. Moreover, I have just bought a new car for us. Why don't we go for a drive today?"

"I am afraid..." Emily finally acceded to Autumn's requests, "Then go have your breakfast now."

Autumn changed her clothes after breakfast and was about to go out with her grandma, when Wendy, her mother unexpectedly walked in to the house.

"You are not welcome here!" Autumn stood in front of her grandma like a shield and challenged her mother, "Now you do not have any power over me!"

"Yes, you must feel very powerful, now that you have found your grandma even though I hid her so well." Wendy reacted to the challenge with a cold smile, "But you can rest assured. I am not here for this old woman."

"So what is the purpose of your visit?" Autumn's countenance turned rigid as she cried out to Wendy, "Wendy, from now on, consider our bond as good as severed. I will no longer play by your rules. All of that must come to an end!"

"You are too innocent! I'm afraid nothing is ever that simple." Wendy grinned and pestered her daughter, "The fact that I am your mother cannot be challenged. I won't allow you to sever our bond so easily."

"It, indeed, pained me to give birth to you. To sever our family ties would be the last thing I'd want to do. Anyway, I expect you to repay the boundless kindness I have showed you over the years!" Wendy insisted with a cold smile.

"Wendy, you are going far beyond my ability to tolerate you!" Emily protected her grand-daughter the same way Autumn had protected her, "Autumn has done everything she could do, to repay you, even though you kept hurting her. You should have been well satisfied with that!"

Emily continued her protest, "The bond between you and Autumn is as good as inexorable. I am not asking you to treat her with kindness, but since she finally has a life of peace and comfort, I am just asking you not to drag her down with you."

"Autumn is my daughter, she owes me a duty of support and care throughout my declining years." Wendy replied jestingly, "After all, she adopted my surname Ye, didn't she?"

"You insolent woman!" Emily realized that Wendy's motive of being there was just to put an end to Autumn's peace of mind, "Stop your arrogance! You've come here to claim Autumn's duty of care to you, but have you even spent one day loving her the way that befits a mother? There is no way you can justify your demands to her!"

"I gave her life!" Wendy agitated Emily on purpose.

Autumn immediately came to her grandma's rescue, as the old woman coughed at Wendy's insolence. "Wendy, what else should I do to satisfy you?" she asked Wendy.

"My dear daughter, all I ask is that you support me throughout my old age." Wendy replied with a cold smile, "I was informed that Yvonne was sent down to live in a maid room. Now... I expect you to treat me with proper courtesy."

Wendy said slyly, "Be quick to tidy up a room, because tomorrow I am moving in here." Wendy put on a crafty smile, "Emily, tomorrow I will move in here to accompany you. Isn't that a great idea?"

"How could you be so shameless..." Emily's face turned paler by the minute. Autumn spared no seconds to help her grandma to a chair. Gary was disturbed by the noise and came out to ask, "What happened? Why do you look so terrible?"

Immediately, Gary instructed Nancy to help Autumn's grandma retire into her room, "Nancy, take good care of Emily."

Emily was too frail and weak to withstand any more trouble. Gary turned to Wendy, "Mrs. Gu, what brings you here... Is it for Miss Gu?"

Wendy felt a bit embarrassed at this question and smiled back at Gary, "Awfully sorry to disturb you. However, I may have to remind you that Autumn is also my daughter and we are relatives by this marriage."

"Is she really? It, indeed, surprises me to know of your relashionship with Autumn, as she had told me that she was orphaned without a mother, as a child." Gary said in amazement. "Mrs. Gu, I have to apologize to you for what happened to your daughter. Chris beat your daughter, because she was angry at her for hurting Autumn. Chris wasn't aware that Yvonne was pregnant. We acknowledge the error in our ways and are ready to provide you with any compensation you may deem fit, including a big wedding gift. You can rest assured" Gary said with great composure.

"You must be joking. Yvonne was just bewitched by someone. Now that she has come to her sense, the one she is going to marry must be a young man with enterprise, rivalling Charles." Wendy always talked in reference to Charles.

"That will be rather difficult, I guess." Gary replied seriously, "Autumn is, indeed, a good girl and a rare find in this society. Charles is incredibly lucky to be married to a woman like her. But Yvonne... I am afraid, has yet to find a man of good match."

"How could it be...." Wendy felt embarrassed at Gary's deprecative remarks, that were seemingly in favor of Yvonne, but actually were not.