Ch. 1011..1020

This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr Chapter 1011

Sonia’s Concerns

After all, Charles was a friend and a brother figure to her. Secondly, Charles came this time to help her, so it was inappropriate for Toby to treat him like this. Of course, she was also in the wrong. She knew that Toby was a petty and jealous lover, but it never occurred to her to tell him about her eating out with Charles to prepare him for it.

Toby had probably said those things to Charles because he became jealous upon learning by chance that she and Charles had gone out together for dinner. Sigh, I have to learn the lesson and be more careful in the future.

Lastly, I have to tell him wherever I go lest he becomes jealous and does something off-putting. At the thought of this, she shook her head helplessly and sent the latter half of her message.

On the other hand, Toby had returned to the Fuller Group at this moment. As soon as he sat down behind his desk, his cell phone vibrated. Tired, he loosened his tie until it was loosely hung around his neck before taking his cell phone out of his pocket.

When he saw that it was a text message from Sonia, the look of weariness in his eyes was instantly replaced with a more spirited look. Obviously, she had become a source of mental strength for him. Whenever he saw her or anything about her, he would feel incredibly contented and energetic.

A faint smile curved his thin lips before he quickly opened the text message from her to read its contents. However, when he saw her message telling him not to say those things to Charles again, his smile faded visibly. In the end, his lips compressed into a straight line, and he was clearly in a bad mood.

Clutching his cell phone, he stared at the contents displayed on its screen with a dark expression and a sullen look in his eyes. How could she tell me not to say those things to Charles again? Does she care so much about him?

At this moment, he recalled how Sonia hadn’t told him about Connor intercepting the spare parts. Instead of asking him for help, she turned to Charles and told the latter about it. Although he knew that she didn’t go to him for some reason, he was upset at this moment.

At least he was upset with Charles being there for comparison. She keeps on saying that she wants to grow up on her own without relying on me, but it turns out that she’s willing to depend on Charles! How is asking Charles for help growing up on her own?

His lips curled into a sneer. If she hadn’t gone to anyone, he would’ve been willing to accept it when she said she wanted to grow up and solve problems on her own without asking him for help. However, he found it unacceptable that she had turned to Charles for help after saying so. It made him feel that he couldn’t compare with an outsider in her mind despite being her actual boyfriend.

He closed his eyes while pinching his nose. After a while, he opened his eyes expressionlessly. With a terrifyingly chilly aura about him, he replied to Sonia’s text message. ‘Let’s talk tonight.’

When Sonia read the text message, the smile on her face froze all of a sudden. Somehow, when she saw such a reply from Toby, she had a bad feeling, and her heart skipped a beat. Furthermore, she could tell the note of frostiness and anger in the sentence.

Am I imagining things? she thought uneasily while biting her lower lip. Her fingers went weak and trembled slightly as she typed her reply. ‘Okay, but what are we gonna talk about? Why say “let’s talk” all of a sudden? Did something happen to you?’

Usually, words like “let’s talk” wouldn’t be said aloud easily. Such words would only be said when there was a problem or a misunderstanding between a couple. In short, she had never heard of anyone saying “let’s talk” under normal circumstances. Therefore, she couldn’t help but wonder at this very moment if there was some misunderstanding between her and Toby that caused him to say that.

Rubbing the phone’s screen with her thumb, she stared at the screen while waiting for Toby’s reply. However, after a few minutes, the message displayed on her cell phone was still the one she had sent; there was no reply from him.

Because of that, she couldn’t help but wonder if he didn’t see her message or if he didn’t reply to her message because he had something unexpected to deal with and didn’t see her message. Or could it be that he deliberately refused to reply to my message after seeing it?

She didn’t know what Toby’s situation was at the moment. However, judging from the words “let’s talk,” she was somewhat inclined to believe that Toby had deliberately refused to reply to her message after seeing it. If that was really the case, there must’ve been a misunderstanding between them.

For a time, Sonia’s mind was in turmoil. She bit her lip so hard that her lower lip turned pale and was almost pierced. If it weren’t that she couldn’t call him and ask him directly about it in Charles’ presence at this moment, she would’ve actually called him and asked him what was going on.

She wouldn’t have been as puzzled and clueless as she was now. She could only make wild guesses on her own, but the more she guessed, the more flustered and anxious she became.

Charles noticed from the corner of his eye that something was wrong with Sonia all of a sudden. Sitting in the driver’s seat next to her, he turned his head to dart a quick look at her. Then, he asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”

Sonia clutched her phone to her chest while managing a weak smile. “Nothing.”

“Do you think I’m gonna believe it?” Charles curled his lips. “We grew up together, so I know you better than Toby does. Whenever something happens to you and you don’t want to talk about it, you’ll force a smile like this. So, how could I not tell that you’re lying?”

Speechless, Sonia hung her head without saying a word. Now that her lie had been exposed, what else could she say?

Just then, Charles’ car happened to stop at a red light, allowing him to finally turn his head to look at Sonia. He asked, “Come on, what happened? Everything was okay just now. Why are you depressed all of a sudden?”

Putting her cell phone into her handbag, Sonia put her hands on her cheeks and massaged them. Then, she replied, “It’s really nothing, actually. It’s just that Toby and I were texting just now, and I sense that something seems to be wrong with him.”

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“Wrong?” Charles raised his eyebrows. “What kind of wrong?”

“I don’t know.” Sonia shook her head with a look of confusion in her eyes. “He texted me that we should talk tonight. Such words are only used when there’s a conflict or a misunderstanding, but there isn’t any conflict or misunderstanding between us. When he suddenly texted me that we should talk, I can’t help but wonder if something went wrong in our relationship.”

“I see.” Charles raised his chin in comprehension. “Are you sure that nothing has happened between you two?”

“Nope, absolutely nothing.” Sonia nodded earnestly. She and Toby had said goodbye to each other when the latter left home in the morning, so how could anything have happened between them?

“That’s strange, then.” Charles drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.0

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Sonia’s eyes lit up as if she had found a bosom friend. She quickly chimed in, “That’s right. You also think it’s strange for him to say that all of a sudden, no?”

“Uh-huh,” Charles mumbled. “Indeed, words like ‘let’s talk’ won’t be said when there’s nothing wrong. He probably said so because something happened.0

But since there’s no conflict or misunderstanding between you two, you don’t have to be worried. Perhaps he just wants to talk about business-related stuff. After all, Paradigm Co. has collaborations with some of the Fuller Group’s subsidiary companies. Perhaps that’s what he wants to discuss with you.

It’s just that he didn’t make himself clear, so you should ask him about it tonight,” he said in an attempt to comfort her. In reality, he was anxious for Sonia and Toby to break up so that he would stand a chance, but even so, he wouldn’t fish in troubled waters by stirring up trouble. Otherwise, he’d be no different from a homewrecker.

This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr Chapter 1012

Sudden Change

Besides, he wanted the person he liked to be happy rather than expecting them to break up, and that the person who could make her happy would be another man instead of him. Even if he despised that man, he was willing to put in a good word for him.

After all, he was just a great and selfless man. Charles’ thoughts were bitter, but he still had to be strong and deliberately praise himself inwardly. Only by doing this could he somewhat alleviate the bitterness and helplessness in his heart.

Sonia didn’t know what Charles was thinking, but as she listened to his analysis of Toby, she felt that it was not impossible either. Toby’s emotional intelligence had never been stable. Sometimes he was extremely perceptive, but other times he would be so dense that it was appalling. Perhaps she really had been thinking too much into it.

At that thought, she temporarily let go of her worries and smiled at Charles. “Thank you for comforting me. I feel so much better now.”

“That’s good.” Charles nodded before reminding her anxiously, “Of course, it’s best if there is nothing between you and Toby. If something happens, don’t hide it and give yourself a hard time. If he ever bullies you or treats you badly, you must tell me, and I’ll avenge you even if it costs me my life.”

As he said this, his expression was extremely firm and serious.

Sonia felt her eyes sting with tears as his words moved her. “All right. Thank you, Charles.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” After the lights turned green, Charles retracted his gaze and started driving again. As he looked at the road ahead, he said, “You treat my parents as your second parents. In that case, I’m your brother as well. As your brother, it’s natural that I have to protect you all the time. Caring for you is also my responsibility, so you don’t have to thank me. This is what I should do for you.”

No one knew how painful he felt when he admitted that he was her brother. If they could help it, nobody would want to be the brother of the person they liked either. However, he could only be her brother, and only the identity of being her brother could bring him closer to her without being pushed away.

Sonia didn’t notice the loneliness and rue in Charles’ eyes as he stared at the road ahead, and she was only moved by his words. With slightly red eyes, she replied, “I’m really glad to have a brother like you.”

“Really? I’m glad. All’s good as long as you’re happy.” Charles nodded.

That was right. Didn’t he wish for her to be happy when he let her go? As long as she was happy, what was wrong with him being her brother? He could still achieve his original intention. He should be content just by protecting her as a brother.

While talking, they arrived at the place where they had an appointment with the bank manager, which was a private room in a hotel. When Sonia and Charles followed the waiter to the room, the manager was already sitting and waiting inside with a drink.

Upon seeing the manager, Sonia and Charles were both taken aback as neither of them expected the manager to arrive before them. They had even thought they were the first to arrive, but unexpectedly, the manager had arrived earlier, which made Sonia feel a little embarrassed.

After all, she was the one who had something to ask of him, and yet he had arrived earlier. What would he think of this? Would he think that she thought little of him despite having a favor to ask of him?

Sonia had a headache just from thinking about it. After rubbing her temples, she quickly stepped forward and walked to the manager before bowing. “Sorry for being late, Mr. Smith. The road was a little congested. I apologize for making you wait. I didn’t expect you to arrive so soon.”

Charles joined her by her side and apologized as well. “Mr. Smith, we’re really sorry. Please forgive us.”

If he refused to give them a loan because they were late, they would be doomed.

Brian Smith looked at the two uneasy people and put down the red wine in his hand, smiling happily as he said, “You don’t have to worry. I just arrived not long ago as well, mainly because this place is close to my office.

I happened to finish my work and had nothing to do, so I just came here to have something to drink and take a break while waiting for you to arrive. Besides, you aren’t late. There’s still more than ten minutes before our scheduled time, so there’s no need for the two of you to apologize to me.”

Hearing Brian’s words, Sonia and Charles looked at each other before breathing a sigh of relief. Although they knew that they weren’t late, Brian had still arrived earlier than them, and they were the ones who had a favor to ask.

If he hadn’t cared about the time and only thought that they were late as long as he arrived before them, they couldn’t even refute it. After all, they had a request for him. Fortunately, Brian wasn’t as unreasonable as they expected, and he seemed cheerful and relatively easy to talk to, so they would most probably get along with him easily.

Sonia let out a small sigh and straightened her posture before pulling the chair opposite Brian out and sitting down. Charles stood next to her and poured wine for the three of them, playing the part of her assistant. After all, he had tagged along this time to be Sonia’s temporary assistant.

“Mr. Smith, I’ve already told you why I invited you out on the phone. This is the building plan of the Reed Residence and the property rights. Please take a look,” Sonia said with a smile before opening the briefcase she had brought and taking out a stack of documents from it, which she handed to the man opposite her with both hands.

Brian took the documents from her and began flipping through them. Seeing that he was focusing, Sonia and Charles fell silent in order not to disturb him. For a while, in the huge room, there was only the sound of the paper flipping while Brian read the documents, and there was no other noise besides that. As there were many documents, he naturally took a long time to read through them.

After half an hour passed, Brian closed the folder in his hand and placed his hand on top of it as he raised his head to look at Sonia with a smile. “Miss Reed, I’ve mostly read through the documents. There aren’t any problems.”

Sonia clasped her hands together and smiled along with him. “Since that’s the case, then my mortgage should be fine, right? As for the mortgage funds I mentioned on the phone before, is that—”

Brian suddenly raised his hand and interrupted, “Let’s not talk about the funds for the time being. Before that, I want to confirm something with you, Miss Reed.”

“Confirm something with me?” The smile on Sonia’s face froze as she suddenly felt uneasy.

How could she not be uneasy? She thought that since he had said that the documents were fine, then she would naturally get the mortgage she wanted as well.

However, just as she was about to succeed, he suddenly suppressed the topic for the time being to ask her something else instead. How could this situation not make her nervous? In fact, she even began to worry if her mortgage would be rejected this time.

Next to her, Charles had not expected that what was about to be a smooth and successful event would have such a change. He couldn’t help but frown, wanting to ask Brian what he meant by this. Was he making a fool of them?

Seeing that Charles was about to stand up unhappily, Sonia panicked, her expression faltering, and she hurriedly tugged on his sleeve under the table, causing him to turn his head and look at her. Sonia shook her head at him, indicating that he should not act impulsively in case they made things worse.

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This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr Chapter 1013

The Cruel Reality

After all, they were the ones who had a favor to ask. Even if it felt like the other party was deliberately playing with them, they had to remain patient. Otherwise, if he got angry and walked away without lending them any money, they would’ve really come in vain, and Paradigm Co. was in urgent need of money now.

Charles understood the meaning behind Sonia’s gaze and suddenly recovered from his anger. After taking a deep breath, he calmed down and nodded, indicating that he would not be impulsive anymore.

Upon seeing this, Sonia let go of his sleeve, then smiled at Brian and asked, “Mr. Smith, the thing you want to make sure of, does it have anything to do with me asking you for a loan?”

“Yes, and no.” Brian shook his head and nodded.

Sonia frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Brian lifted the glass of wine before him and drank a sip before replying leisurely, “Miss Reed, you’re asking me for a 200 million loan.”

Saying that, he put up two fingers. “This is not a small amount. On our end, we also need to withdraw funds from a few of our branches in order to get the amount you need in a short time.

The most important thing is that you’re asking for a non-recoverable loan. You might not be able to buy your villa and the land back, so even if the two combined is worth 200 million, the interest we can earn is much less as it is a non-recoverable loan, and there is not much profit. In short, this transaction is an unprofitable business for our bank.”

Sonia nodded slightly. “So, you are saying…?”

“I need a reason to prove that I wouldn’t lose money with this deal, even if I don’t make a profit. Otherwise, I really can’t approve this loan. Should the bank directors hold me accountable, I wouldn’t be able to bear this responsibility,” Brian said, sighing.

Sonia hummed in reply. “That would certainly be the case. However, what kind of reason do you need to prove that this deal wouldn’t be at a loss?”

“That’s simple. I just need a few affirmative answers from you.” Brian smiled at her.

Coming to a realization, Sonia agreed, “All right. Please ask.”

Brian took a sip of wine. “You’re an easygoing person, Miss Reed. All right, I’ll ask. If you need such a large sum of money, why didn’t you ask President Fuller for help? Why come to our bank instead?”

This question made Sonia purse her red lips.

Next to her, Charles couldn’t hold it in and asked, “Mr. Smith, does this question have anything to do with us asking for a loan?”

This happened to be what Sonia wanted to know as well. Now that Charles had asked, she immediately turned to look at Brian, waiting for his answer.

Brian laughed. “Of course it does, because now everyone knows the relationship between Miss Reed and President Fuller. But now, you’ve bypassed him and come to our bank for a loan.

This makes us have to think more about whether there is a problem with the relationship between the both of you. This might be something that you might not want to hear, but to be frank, the current Paradigm Co. is not qualified to borrow hundreds of millions of funds from our bank.

First of all, Paradigm Co. is no longer a listed company, and secondly, it has internal and external troubles, and the flow of funds is unstable. Which bank would dare to lend to such a company confidently? Tens of millions may be fine, but hundreds of millions of money must be discussed at a board meeting, and the request may not even go through. Do you understand, Miss Reed?”

Sonia’s face paled a little, making it clear that his straightforward words had impacted her. She knew as well that Paradigm Co. was currently mediocre, and it was in a very tricky position. However, knowing it and hearing it from someone else were two different things, and it made her feel extremely awkward.

Sonia bit her lower lip, her face looking extremely strained.

Meanwhile, Charles’ face darkened even more. “Mr. Smith, I’ve mostly understood what you’re saying. You mean to say that if the relationship between Sonny and Toby has changed, then this loan will not be approved today, right?”

Sonia clenched her palms and looked at Brian, who nodded and said, “You’re right, Mr. Lane.”

Her eyes widened with agitation. “But why? Mr. Smith, I don’t understand. Why does my relationship with Toby matter when I’m borrowing money to the point where it could affect everything?”

She could not figure it out at all.

Brian looked at Sonia, who couldn’t accept his words, and pushed his hands downward in the air. “Calm down, Miss Reed. As I said just now, Paradigm Co. doesn’t have the capital to borrow hundreds of millions of funds, and you said you need 200 million.

Do you think that if you didn’t have your relationship with President Fuller backing you, our bank would agree to meet with you to discuss this matter in detail? Not only us, but other banks wouldn’t agree as well, and they would only find a reason to reject you the moment they receive your call explaining your intentions.”

Sonia’s red lips twitched as she fell silent, suddenly unable to find the words to say. His words were irrefutable. Indeed, Paradigm Co. was not qualified to borrow such a large sum of money, so banks would naturally refuse her from the beginning rather than agreeing to meet with her to discuss matters in detail.

At that time, she was just happy that the bank had agreed to meet up and had never thought about why the bank would agree so quickly without even considering.

If she had thought of this detail at the time, the current situation wouldn’t be so embarrassing, would it? In any case, she was now in an awkward in-between situation.

She had been in high spirits when she arrived, thinking that she would definitely be able to successfully take out a loan to solve Paradigm Co.’s current predicament, but reality had given her a heavy blow and made her aware that things were not going as smoothly as she thought, and that the opportunity she thought she had fought for with her own abilities was actually because of Toby in the end.

Now that she thought about it, it was funny. She had always believed that she could solve things without relying on Toby, but now, the facts told her that even if she didn’t want to rely on him, she was still forced to as many people were only willing to contact her because of him, or she wouldn’t even have the chance to talk to them. It really was ironic.

Sonia was not the only one feeling irritable at the moment—even Charles had nothing to say at this moment. Beforehand, he didn’t expect this either. He was also aware that she didn’t want to rely on Toby for everything, so he knew exactly how she felt now after knowing the truth.

Charles turned his head to look at her with a look of worry in his eyes, and his mouth moved, as if he wanted to say something to comfort her. However, even though the words were at the tip of his tongue, he couldn’t say it. He had no idea what to tell her. If he brought Toby up, she would probably feel even worse, but if he didn’t, there was nothing to say.

Sigh… What should I do? He rubbed his forehead, feeling frustrated.

On the opposite side, Brian took a sip of wine, not knowing what Sonia was thinking, but seeing that she was not in a good mood, he could roughly guess her feelings.

If she didn’t ask Toby for money, it meant that she definitely didn’t tell him about this meeting and had decided to come by herself. When she came, she was still spirited and confident, but after she listened to what he said, her entire demeanor turned glum.

He guessed that Sonia thought he was here because of her invitation, not because of Toby, and now that she knew the truth, her mood took a turn for the worse. After all, he had seen many young managers in some companies, and he knew what they were thinking.

He was aware that they all wanted to settle things with their own abilities, but when they learned later that they didn’t do anything, but relied on their connections to settle matters instead, it was natural for them to feel crestfallen.

He could understand how it felt. When he was young, he wasn’t a bank manager, but only a humble clerk. He had wanted to acquire a drawdown with his own strength, but after he succeeded, he didn’t have the time to celebrate before the other party told him that the reason the funds were given to him was for the sake of the senior who was backing him.

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Naturally, he didn’t feel pleased with the knowledge. Sonia’s current predicament was just like what he had gone through when he was younger.

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This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr Chapter 1014

Sonia’s Reasons

Hence, it made Brian feel a little more empathetic. At that thought, he looked at Sonia, his expression becoming a lot kinder, making him look like a kind elderly man instead of a businessman who was here to sign a deal.

“Don’t get upset, Miss Reed. This is a very realistic question. A person who has no ability, connections, or support can’t get far in life. I hope you can understand,” he comforted.

Sonia knew that he was saying these words for her own good, but she still couldn’t accept it. It felt as if all of her efforts were just a joke. Even though she had worked hard and struggled, what others saw was not her efforts, but the influence behind her. Her so-called efforts were worthless in the face of this influence and weren’t even worth mentioning.

“Sonny.” At the sight of Sonia biting her lower lip with a pale face, Charles became even more worried.

At the same time, he also blamed himself for not being as powerful and formidable as Toby, and that he could only remain unchanged, so he had been unable to develop the Lane Family even further. If not, he could easily help her solve any problems she faced instead of letting her fall into an awkward situation like she had now.

“I’m fine, don’t worry.” Seeing the concern in his eyes, Sonia forced a smile at him, indicating that she was all right.

However, Charles could clearly tell that she was faking a smile and lying that she was fine. He knew that she must be feeling miserable, but he didn’t know how to comfort her.

After taking a breath, Sonia calmed her thoughts and looked at Brian with a smile. “Mr. Smith, thank you for enlightening me. Indeed, I feel upset to hear you say that as I always thought that you promised to meet me because of my conditions and not because of anyone else.

However, you told me that you came to see me not because of me, but because of my boyfriend, and that I’m not qualified to meet you. To be honest, it was a huge gap from my expectations.”

“I’m really sorry.” Brian still apologized.

Sonia hurriedly waved her hand. “No, you don’t need to apologize to me. In fact, I should thank you for telling the truth. Thank you for waking me up and letting me understand that I am far from being strong or qualified enough to let others prioritize me. Now, I would like to thank you and give you a toast.”

Saying that, she picked up her glass of wine and stood up.

At the beginning, she was really happy to hear that the bank was willing to meet with her and had truly felt that they agreed because of her. For this reason, she did feel complacent and thought that she was now strong enough to succeed in whatever she wanted to do. She had never thought deeply about whether it was really her who had been powerful or if it was because others knew that she had Toby backing her.

Hence, Brian’s words had reminded her that she was actually not as strong as she thought she was. The reason why she could succeed in whatever she did was actually because of the person supporting her, not because of herself, and that others were treating her well because of the person backing her and not out of respect for her.

After all, to these people, if she didn’t have Toby supporting her, she was just a little ant and was far from being qualified to make them happily do whatever she said.

It was his words that woke Sonia up and made her see the true nature of things now. Otherwise, she would remain clueless and think that everything was going well because of her own strength.

In the end, if she became more blindly confident and even got ahead of herself, it would be even more terrifying. After all, a conceited person had no way to accept things that were different from their imagination.

If she really became conceited and overly self-confident in the future, once she learned that her success was not because of her own capability, but because of Toby, she might have a breakdown and even do something unthinkable. There was no need to say more about how terrible it was to meet someone conceited.

It was really fortunate that Brian appeared and gave her a wake-up call, making her understand how weak she actually was, and that her so-called success was just an illusion. Because of that, she could reflect on herself even better and prevent herself from becoming an arrogant person in the future. Hence, why wouldn’t she want to thank him?

Brian could tell that Sonia’s gratitude was sincere and not mere lip service, which improved his impression of her. His smile turned kinder as he raised his glass and accepted her toast. “Thank you, Miss Reed. In fact, you don’t have to thank me. I only said that for the sake of my business.”

“I know.” Sonia took a sip of wine and replied with a smile, “You’re doing it for your business, but similarly, you’ve also enlightened me, so my gratitude isn’t contradictory.”

He laughed heartily. “In that case, I’ll gladly accept your gratitude.”

“Of course.” Sonia nodded with a smile.

When Charles saw her smiling naturally without a trace of the gloom she had shown earlier, he breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the bottle of wine to refill their glasses.

After Brian thanked Charles, he looked at Sonia and said, “Miss Reed, you haven’t answered me yet. Why do you want to borrow money from our bank instead of President Fuller?”

Charles sat back in his chair once he was done pouring the wine. He then looked at Sonia as he wondered how she would answer the question. Would she answer truthfully or find another excuse?

Shetwirled the wine glass in her hand and did not answer immediately. Instead, she remained silent for a long time before she replied, “Actually, the reason is quite simple. I just don’t want to rely on him.”

“Oh?” Brian raised an eyebrow. “You don’t want to rely on President Fuller?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?” He straightened his posture and asked, “Could it be that you and President Fuller aren’t intending to tie the knot?”

“Of course not.” Sonia shook her head. “I’ve already told him that as long as our relationship doesn’t change, we’ll definitely remarry, but just not for the time being.”

“Since you will eventually get to that step, what do you mean by not relying on President Fuller?” Brian swirled his glass as he asked, “He’s your lover and future husband, so isn’t it normal for you to rely on him?”148781

Sonia caressed her wine glass and looked at the bright red liquid inside with a faint smile at the corner of her mouth. “Mr. Smith, you’re also aware that I manage a business by myself. If I was single, or a helpless woman, I would naturally have no qualms about relying on him. However, I don’t want to be weak and helpless.

I want to make Paradigm Co. thrive, and I want to return the company to its former glory with my power, so I can’t rely on him. I don’t want outsiders to think about me being Toby’s woman instead of my capabilities whenever Paradigm Co. is mentioned, and that I relied on Toby to prosper Paradigm Co. For me, that is unacceptable.”

“I see.” He nodded. “I understand your troubles, Miss Reed. Indeed, no matter the industry, there will always be more constraints and concepts for women compared to men, and women have to give up much more.”

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This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr Chapter 1015

Charles’ Advice

Sonia nodded profusely, agreeing with Brian’s words.

“I just don’t want others to look down on me and say that I can’t do anything without relying on men, but…” She supported her forehead with a wry smile on her face. “But now I discovered that I’ve been relying on Toby all the time, and there are not many things I have done by myself. It’s ironic.”

“Don’t say that.” Charles patted her on the shoulder, not wanting to see her doubt herself.

Brian took a bite of his food before saying, “Miss Reed, you dwell on things too much.”

“What?” Sonia’s hand that was propping up her head jolted before she lifted her head to look at him. “Mr. Smith, what do you mean?”

“Miss Reed, how long have you been managing Paradigm Co.?” Brian raised his hand, interrupting her question.

Sonia didn’t know why he was asking this all of a sudden, but she replied without hesitating, “It’s been almost half a year.”

“Then, have you studied management before you took over Paradigm Co.?” Brian asked again.

Sonia shook her head. “Of course not. Since I was young, my hobby has never been in business management, but my father respected my wishes and didn’t force me to inherit the company when I grew up.

Even when I was still in my teens, he decided to find a professional manager to manage Paradigm Co. after he retires so that I can pursue my hobbies without being tied to the company. Unfortunately, before he could find a suitable professional manager, my father…”

A sad expression appeared on her face, and she didn’t finish her sentence.

Brian rubbed his chin. “So you were completely rushed to take over Paradigm Co., and you hadn’t learned anything about management before that?”

“Yes.” Sonia let out a sigh. “Speaking of which, I know you’ll find this funny, but I basically learned everything about managing by myself. Charles and Toby have taught me some things, but they have their own jobs, so they can’t be teaching me all the time. Hence, there were many times that I was completely clueless. Fortunately, I was still able to hold onto Paradigm Co. and did not let the company go bankrupt in my hands.”

“In that case, you’re quite talented, Miss Reed. As a novice, even if you can’t bring Paradigm Co. back to its peak for the time being, you were still able to stabilize the company, and that’s already a very remarkable feat.

That’s why I said that you dwell on things too much. You’re too focused on not relying on President Fuller so that outsiders wouldn’t look down on you and think that you rely on men to support Paradigm Co., but have you ever thought that you are just a newcomer instead of a veteran who has been familiar with business management since they were a child?” Brian looked at Sonia.

She was taken aback by his words.

Charles blinked in confusion. “Mr. Smith, if you have anything to say, just say it. It’s making us antsy if you beat around the bush like this.”

Sonia nodded.

Brian laughed. “All right, since you say that, then I won’t beat around the bush anymore. Miss Reed, what I mean is that you’re a mere newbie who has just started to manage the company and not a veteran who has studied business management since young, so you don’t need to burden yourself at all.

You can rely on President Fuller and seek his help without any worries. Because you’re new at this, the outside world will not find fault with you relying on President Fuller. On the contrary, if you relied on him even though you were a veteran, outsiders would look down on you and think you’re incompetent.

In fact, the business world is quite tolerant to novices, but you just don’t understand this yet, Miss Reed. You thought that the business world was cruel from the beginning, and you weren’t aware of its other side. That is why I said that you dwell on things too much.”

“That’s…” Hearing that, Sonia completely froze as she fell into a daze all of a sudden.

Clearly, his words had a huge impact on her as she had never thought about it that way.

“Mr. Smith, you’re trying to tell me that I can rely on Toby without feeling helpless, and I don’t have to care about what other people think, right?” Sonia bit her lip and looked at Brian.

He nodded. “Yes. As I’ve said before, you’re new to the business world, and the business world is quite tolerant. We wouldn’t criticize a novice for relying on someone else for support, because every newcomer starts their business like this. Before they inherit the company, they will have someone supporting them. That’s why, Miss Reed, you can rely on President Fuller.”

Sonia’s red lips twitched, and she was just about to say something when Charles suddenly sided with Brian. “Sonny, I think Mr. Smith is right. Toby is your lover, and you’ll get married to him in the future, so you can indeed rely on him for his help.

Don’t think that relying on him to solve things is a result of your own incompetence. You’re a newcomer who is still learning, and you don’t have a strong influence yet, so there are many things that you can’t solve.

If you can’t solve them, you naturally have to rely on others for help. Didn’t we come to Mr. Smith for his help today? Since you’re willing to look for Mr. Smith, why not look for Toby? He’s the person you’re closest to, and you don’t even need to pay for his help.”

He didn’t like Toby and didn’t want to speak on his behalf at all, but now, he had to admit that Toby was the person who could help Sonia the most. Hence, he didn’t mind putting in a good word for him.

Sonia looked at Brian, then at Charles. Brian was an outsider, so she was not surprised that he would say this. However, now that Charles had joined in, she had no choice but to care. Could it be that she was wrong for insisting on doing everything by herself?

As if sensing her thoughts, Charles patted her on the shoulder again. “Of course you aren’t in the wrong, but the premise is that you are still a newcomer. If you are a veteran who has been dabbling in business for a long time, it’s absolutely right for you to insist on solving things by yourself.

On the contrary, if you were a veteran, but you still rely on others all the time, then others would look down on you. But, since you’re new, you can rely on others. This is how every industry treats newcomers, and I can’t believe I’ve forgotten this even after doing business for so long.”

Saying that, he couldn’t help but smack his forehead.

At the sight, Sonia laughed. “Do you think that I should rely on Toby as well?”

“It’s not that you should, but at your current state, you have to rely on others, because your current capabilities aren’t strong enough, and you can only rely on others to grow stronger in a short period of time.

If you take your time, how long would it take? Have you ever thought about it? Besides, have you ever considered if Paradigm Co. can afford to let you develop slowly?

I don’t think so. Paradigm Co. needs to thrive as soon as possible, which means all your work in the future would be highly difficult. For newcomers like you, that would only make you more confused. If you don’t rely on others, you won’t even know what to do. Only by depending on someone else will you not lose your way in the future and make the wrong decisions.”

As he said this, his expression was serious and solemn.

“Sonny, depending on Toby to solve some problems isn’t shameful, nor would it lower your status in your relationship with him, let alone make you feel that you will lose the ability to do things on your own. In fact, when you ask him for help, take a good look at his solutions and methods and learn from them.

Accumulate your experience and treat him as your own mentor. After all, he is unparalleled in the business world. With him as your teacher, you will grow even faster.”

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This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr Chapter 1016

Wavering Thoughts

The business world had a tolerant side, but it was also cruel. If a person wandered around in the business world without anyone to protect them, they would be eaten alive sooner or later.

As Charles’ tone was solemn, Sonia bit her lip and looked at him. After a while, she asked in an uncertain voice, “Do you really think I should rely on him?”

“It’s not about what I think.” Charles shrugged. “But, since you have this resource, why don’t you use it? I know that you don’t use it just because you can’t accept the feeling that you aren’t capable and need to depend on others to achieve something. You think that you’ll be inferior to Toby, and that your relationship with him would be imbalanced, which is why you refuse to rely on him for his help.”

Sonia was silent. Indeed, this was the biggest reason why she didn’t want to rely on Toby. In her opinion, she was the only one she could rely on in this world, and others could only help her temporarily, but not for a lifetime. If she depended on Toby with all her heart now, what would she do if they broke up one day, or if he got tired of her asking for help all the time and refused?

People who were used to relying on others would gradually lose their ability to handle things on their own. As she didn’t want to end up that way, she hated the thought of going to Toby for help at the first sign of trouble.

Similarly, another reason was because she really didn’t want to hear others refer to her as Toby’s woman instead of the chairman of Paradigm Co. whenever they brought up the company or her name.

When that happened, she always felt that she was like Toby’s accessory, and that her name was always tied to his instead of being an independent person. When others talked about her, they would always think of Toby first, not her.

Secondly, she would feel uncomfortable every time she asked Toby for help, and she truly felt worthless, as if she were inferior to him. Over time, her mental state would start to deteriorate, and she wouldn’t even be able to recognize herself. Hence, due to these various reasons, how could she be willing to ask Toby for help?

She wanted to be someone as powerful as him and could confidently stand by his side, enough to make the first thing that came to mind when anyone looked at her was that she was the chairman of Paradigm Co. who was extremely capable and able to bring the company to a new level.

She wanted to be a genius who was not inferior to Toby, and look like a match made in heaven whenever she stood next to him. She didn’t want people to ask her if she was Toby’s lover whenever they saw her and look past all of her other capabilities, making her achievements worthless compared to the title of being Toby’s lover! She absolutely didn’t want that!

Upon seeing Sonia’s furrowed brows and conflicted expression, Charles knew what she was thinking. After all, they had grown up together, and he knew her best. He could even confidently say that he understood her more than Toby.

“Sometimes, you force yourself to be too strong.” Charles sighed. “This isn’t a good thing. It’ll just make you suffer. Not relying on someone else is a good thing, and it’s great that you’re aware of this, but you never considered that you’re just a novice.

If you don’t depend on the people you can depend on and only rely on yourself, how can you solve things? If you force yourself to push through, have you considered that it would make things worse?”

Sonia’s gaze wavered as she was rendered speechless. She really hadn’t thought about it. She believed with all her heart that as long as she worked hard and held on, she would be able to solve everything.

She had completely forgotten that this was the business world, and there were many things that couldn’t be achieved with mere hard work or persistence. Behind the scenes, she needed contacts, connections, and authority.

However, she hardly had any of those things, so how could she talk about solving everything on her own? People would not give her a chance just because she was Henry’s daughter. After all, he had been dead for so many years, and the past connections he had built had long since faded away.

For example, if it weren’t because she had Toby supporting her, Brian wouldn’t have agreed to meet up with her at all. By then, her so-called request for a loan would simply be a dream, and what was waiting for her would only be Paradigm Co.’s bankruptcy, thousands of employees losing their jobs, and hundreds of millions of debts that she would have to bear. She felt horrified just by thinking about it, and she couldn’t help but shiver.

“Perhaps I’ve been too idealistic and naive,” she said with a wry smile, glancing up at Charles and Brian.

Charles added wine to her glass. “No, you weren’t. You just didn’t consider that you’re like a baby who just learned how to walk in the business world, and you don’t have the ability to solve every problem by yourself.

That’s why you need to rely on the power of others, and it isn’t a shameful thing. I’ll say it again, but you don’t have to feel burdened or that you would be inferior to Toby. In fact, I think that man would want you to rely on him all the time.”

Saying that, he curled his lips unhappily. “Besides, Sonny, have you ever thought about how Toby would feel with you refusing his help all the time? I don’t think I’d be happy if it were me.

If my girlfriend never thought of asking me for help every time she faced a problem, I wouldn’t feel good about it, and I’d think that she doesn’t love or care about me. If not, why would she rather go to someone else than ask me for help?”

Sonia’s red lips gaped open. “I… didn’t think that far.”

“So, you didn’t consider Toby’s feelings.” Charles spread his hands. “Even though I hate him, I’m still defending him. It’s clear that you’re in the wrong here, Sonny. Also, have you ever thought about it?

What if he’s always felt guilty for those six years, and he’s been trying to find a chance to make it up to you, but since you won’t let him do anything, he would feel even worse because he can’t find a way to make it up to you? In fact, you can calmly ask him for help. That way, your problems would be resolved and he could also make amends with you. Isn’t that a good thing?”

Sonia shook her head. “He’s already compensated me for the past six years by saving me all those times. In fact, he’s compensated for more than he needs to.”

“That’s different.” Charles stared at her intently. “Toby saved you because he loves you and is willing to do anything for you, even if he has to sacrifice his life. To him, he wouldn’t think that saving you a few times would make up for the harm he did to you back then. These two things can’t be compared. I’m a man, so I understand how he feels.”

“Is that so?” Sonia mumbled, lowering her gaze.

She had never thought about it that way.

Charles nodded confidently. “It definitely is. If not, you can talk to him about it. In any case, I’m saying this because I just hope that you wouldn’t burden yourself. Rely on others when you need to. You already need help to accomplish some things now, and how many people can you rely on?

Besides me and Carl, who else do you have? Besides, I understand your personality, and I know that you definitely don’t want to rely on us or let us help you all the time. If that’s the case, you need to find someone to support you, so why can’t it be Toby?

You’re already in a relationship with him, and if you have to rely on one person, but you don’t consider him, what would he think? At that time, you’ll face problems in your relationship sooner or later.”

This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr Chapter 1017

Finally Thought It Through

Sonia’s eyes widened all of a sudden, and her hand subconsciously tightened around her glass. Charles’ words completely made her realize what the consequences would be if she kept doing what she wanted without considering others.

She had always just wanted to rely on herself and not on anyone else, so she never thought about what Toby would think about this. Now that Charles had mentioned it, she realized that her mindset was indeed unfair to Toby.

Indeed, with how she was now, there were many things that she couldn’t resolve on her own and needed help for. This time she had gone to Brian, but who would it be next time? If Charles didn’t say these things to her, the next time something happened, the person she would ask for help would still not be Toby.

Even if he could endure it once or twice, would he be able to bear it many times? If she skipped him every time she needed help and went to someone else, it would make him worry. When she put herself in his shoes and thought about Toby going to someone else for help without asking her, she felt unpleasant. Hence, it was true that she had not considered this and had let down Toby.

Besides, Charles was right. Since she had to ask for help anyway, why didn’t she turn to Toby? At least he wouldn’t reject her if she went to him, let alone sabotage her when certain interests were involved. He would even be considerate toward her at all times and teach her how to survive in the business world. At the same time, it wouldn’t affect their relationship. So what had she been doing all this time?

Sonia held her forehead and rubbed her temples before she turned to look at Charles and thanked him sincerely, “Charles, thank you for reminding me. If it weren’t for you and Mr. Smith, I wouldn’t have thought of it, and I might not even know where I went wrong if I end up having an argument or misunderstanding with Toby.”148783

Seeing that she had thought it through, Charles smiled with relief. However, there was an indescribable feeling of bitterness and self-deprecation in his heart. By saying this, he undoubtedly pushed her closer to Toby and completely tied them together.

After all, she was the one he loved, so how could he feel good about pushing the woman he loved into the arms of another man? However, he just wanted her to be happy. As long as she was happy, he could endure his pain and lick his wounds alone.

Thinking that, he lifted his head and downed all of his wine in one go.

Sonia wasn’t paying much attention to what Charles was doing at the moment. She took a sip of the wine as well and looked at Brian opposite her. “Mr. Smith, do you have any other questions?”

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His first question was to ask her why she went to their bank when she was in trouble instead of going to Toby. As she had already answered this question, it was naturally time to take the next step.0

Brian smiled and nodded. “There’s one last question I’d like to know. Miss Reed, there aren’t any problems in your relationship with President Fuller, right?”

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Sonia shook her head. “Of course not. At the very least, I don’t sense anything wrong with our relationship.”

“Glad to hear that.” Brian placed his wine glass down and reopened the folder in front of him. “Since there is nothing wrong with your relationship, our bank will agree to this loan. Please don’t take offense, Miss Reed. After all, with Paradigm Co.’s current situation, there is really no way for our bank to easily provide a loan.

Now that we’ve confirmed that there aren’t any problems with your relationship with President Fuller, it means that you have him to vouch for you. With his support, it also means that Paradigm Co. will not completely fail, and that there’ll always be a chance for you to return the loan within the specified time. In that case, our bank can confidently lend you the money you need.”

“I see.” Sonia nodded. Now, she finally understood why Brian asked about her relationship with Toby before giving her the loan and persuaded her to seek Toby’s help as much as possible.

It was because he wanted to make Toby vouch for her. It made sense—if the bank did not have a guarantee that was enough to reassure them, how could they easily lend the money to her?

If she only relied on herself, when Paradigm Co. collapsed and she wasn’t able to repay the money, Brian wouldn’t be able to account for it either. She had really walked right into his tricks.

Next to her, Charles had also understood what Brian meant, but he didn’t think there was anything wrong with Brian tricking Sonia. After all, everyone was in a different position, so they had to always put themselves first. Hence, Brian was not in the wrong. Besides, didn’t he persuade her to accept Toby’s help for her own good?

“Sonny, are you still planning to take this loan?” Charles looked at Sonia and asked, “Or are you still unwilling to ask Toby for help?”

Sonia shook her head before she nodded again. “Of course I will. If I can use the loan to get through this problem, I won’t look for Toby anymore. In the future… If anything happens in the future, I’ll consider asking him for help. Although that’s what I’m planning, he has also helped us indirectly with this loan, or it wouldn’t have been this easy either.”

Saying that, she laughed bitterly before continuing, “Although I’ve figured out that there are many things I can’t do and I was naive for thinking that I could solve it by myself, and I’m now willing to ask him for help and rely on him more, I still feel troubled about it.

I keep thinking that if I keep depending on him, I’ll be owing him something, and it makes me uncomfortable. After all, we aren’t married yet.”

Even if they were married, she would not be able to peacefully accept the fact that Toby was helping her. In any case, this was the kind of person she was—someone who didn’t like to owe others.

As long as someone helped her a little, she would always think of returning the favor to them in the future. If not, it would weigh heavily on her, and she wouldn’t be able to rest easy.

Hearing Sonia’s words, Charles didn’t know if he should cry or laugh. “Oh, Sonny, why do you worry so much? If you feel bad about letting Toby help you, or that you would owe him something, then you can just wait for a chance to return the favor in the future.”

He spread his arms.

Sonia rolled her eyes. “That’s easy for you to say. The Fuller Family’s business is so huge. Why would they need my help?”

“You don’t understand. So what if they have a huge business? There must be something that they need someone else’s help to solve. Don’t think of him as someone who is so powerful and omnipotent,” Charles said, waving his hands.

Sonia fell silent. A moment later, she suddenly thought of something and her posture straightened all of a sudden. “I have an idea. I know how I can help him in the future.”

Thinking that, Sonia got so excited her face flushed red.

At the sight of her expression, Charles blinked. “What is it?”

Sonia smiled at him. “I can’t tell you. It’s his personal business.”

Charles pouted. “So be it, then. Still, it’s good that you figured things out, so I don’t have to worry anymore. In any case, I still think the same way. If there’s something he can help you with, you have to let him help you. No one will criticize you, and they might even envy you. After all, not everyone has such a powerful person to rely on.”

Sonia shook her head in amusement, but she had already let a huge burden off her shoulders.

Just as Charles had said, as long as she could help Toby in the future, then she wouldn’t feel like she was begging him for help or that she owed him something, and it would feel like they had reached an equal exchange.

This way, she wouldn’t feel any pressure to depend on him. Moreover, she knew what Toby wanted to accomplish the most now. As long as she helped Toby achieve what he wanted the most, asking him for help would no longer be one-sided, and she would feel much better about it.

At that thought, Sonia smiled easily before she thanked Charles. “Thank you, Charles. I know what I should do now.”

This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr Chapter 1018

Shivering Cold

In the future, if Sonia faced any difficulties, she would no longer escape, and would go to Toby for help instead. However, she would remember every single time she received his assistance, so that she could return the favor in her own way. Only by maintaining this mutually beneficial relationship would she not feel any kind of burden.

At Sonia’s words, Charles was able to completely relax as well.

After that, Sonia lifted her glass of wine and looked at Brian. “Mr. Smith, please approve my application for a loan. I really need the funds to be in place today, as Paradigm Co. urgently needs the money. Your help would be much appreciated.”

Saying that, she lifted her glass of wine at Brian.

Smiling, Brian followed suit and clinked his glass with Sonia’s. “Don’t worry, I’ll instruct the bank later, and I’ll make sure that the funds will be in place before nine o’clock tonight by the latest.”

“That’s great. Thank you, Mr. Smith.” Sonia felt extremely excited and grateful. Then, as if recalling something, she bent over and lifted a gift box from the ground before handing it to Brian with both hands. “Mr. Smith, this is a small gift to thank you for your help. Please accept it.”

Before she arrived, she had found out that Brian’s biggest hobby was collecting antiques. Hence, she specially brought an antique vase from her house as a gift for him. After all, she had a favor to ask of him, so she couldn’t just show up empty-handed. That would just be rude.

Besides, preparing a gift that would satisfy the other party was also a trump card. What if they were unwilling to pass her application for a loan at first, but they changed their mind after seeing her gift? Even if they refused after seeing the present, they might still give her some other useful suggestions.

In short, a gift was a must no matter what, and nothing would go wrong with it. Besides, it would make the other party feel better about themselves. Even if they couldn’t work together this time, they might be willing to give her another chance because she had prepared a gift for them in the past. In any case, a gift was no longer only needed to achieve a certain purpose, but it was also a necessary step in the negotiating process.

Brian was not too surprised when he saw the gift from Sonia. After all, he had watched her walk in with a gift, and he knew very well that it was prepared for him. Hence, when he was faced with Sonia’s present, he did not refuse, but reached out to accept it with a smile.

If he didn’t agree to her loan, he would not accept this gift. However, now that he had agreed, then he would naturally have no qualms about taking the gift. Besides, this gift was a part of the negotiations, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to refuse. Now that he had accepted it, it was also a way to reassure Sonia that he wouldn’t go back on his word.

Sure enough, upon seeing that Brian took the gift, Sonia breathed a sigh of relief.

Brian placed the gift on the table and opened it to take a look. When he saw the antique vase inside, his eyes lit up. “Miss Reed, this is from the medieval era, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Sonia nodded with a smile.

Brian’s face instantly lit up when he confirmed the vase’s origins. He couldn’t help but lift the vase to get a closer look. As he observed it, he gasped in awe, “The craftsmanship is really good. I never expected you to have a treasure like this, Miss Reed.”

Sonia calmly sipped on her wine while she replied with a smile, “Let me tell you something, Mr. Smith. My grandfather is an archaeologist, and this vase was awarded to him by the country, and he gave it to me as a birthday gift later on.

Now, I’m giving it to you. Because I knew that you like things like these, I brought it over as a present. Since this vase was just an ordinary vase in the medieval era, it may not be worth much, but there aren’t many of these that have been preserved, so it’s still a rare item. I hope you won’t mind.”

The vase was only worth around 100 thousand, which was nothing compared to other antiques. However, due to the fact that there weren’t many of its kind that had been preserved perfectly, it was still worth collecting.

“No, no, of course I don’t.” Brian hurriedly waved his hand and replied, “I have many antiques in my collection, but I don’t have this vase yet. Now that you’ve gifted me one, I don’t have to worry anymore. I have no reason to dislike this. Instead, I’m feeling overjoyed. Still, Miss Reed, this was a birthday gift from your grandfather. Is it all right for you to give it to me?”

Charles looked at Sonia as well. To be honest, when they were in the car, he had asked what she was planning to give to Brian, but she didn’t answer, making him itching to know the answer for the rest of the day. It was only then that he found out she had prepared a vase.

Sonia still smiled calmly after Brian’s question. “Don’t worry, Mr. Smith. There will be no problem with my grandfather. The reason why I can inherit Paradigm Co. is because my grandfather has put in a lot of effort. I’m giving the vase to you for Paradigm Co.’s sake, so I believe my grandfather would support my decision.”

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“In that case, I’ll gladly accept this vase. Thank you, Miss Reed,” Brian said as he lovingly caressed the vase.

Sonia nodded. “You’re welcome, Mr. Smith.”

For the rest of their meeting, Brian happily admired the vase, while Sonia and Charles discussed ways to perfectly solve the consequences of the missing parts after getting the loan. After all, they couldn’t just throw money into this case after acquiring it, and they had to plan how to use the money in the best way. If they used up the money without thinking, they might end up wasting it all.

The meeting lasted at least three hours before it ended. By the time Sonia and Charles bade Brian goodbye and walked out of the room, it was already five in the afternoon.

After Sonia paid the bill, she immediately waited at the hotel entrance with Charles for the hotel’s jockey to drive their car out of the parking lot. They had no choice as both she and Charles had drunk alcohol that night, so they could only ask the hotel to arrange a driver to take them home.0

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“Achoo!” Suddenly, a cold breeze blew over, causing Sonia to sneeze. Her body was trembling slightly as well.

When Charles turned to look at her and saw that she had turned pale from the cold, he hurriedly unbuttoned his coat and put it on her. At the same time, Sonia was rubbing her hands with her head down, trying to warm her cold hands a little.0

She had just started rubbing her hands together when she felt a warmth on her back as something was placed on her body. When she turned, she saw a gaudy suit jacket, and Charles’ hands that he was just about to retract from her body. She realized that he had taken off his coat and put it on her because he saw that she was cold.

“What are you doing?” She lifted her head to look at the man beside her.

Charles clasped his hands together and brought them to his face to blow on them. “Aren’t you cold? I gave you my jacket so that you wouldn’t feel cold anymore.”

Seeing that he was trembling from the cold, Sonia felt amused and quickly took off his coat before tossing it back into his arms. “I don’t need it. You’re wearing even less clothes than me.

I’m cold, but not to the point where I would be shivering. Look at you, after you take off your coat, you only have a shirt left. I feel cold just from looking at you. You’d better put your coat back on quickly. Don’t give it to me. What if you get a cold later?”

“No, I’m a man. I wouldn’t… Achoo!”

Before he could finish, he immediately sneezed. All at once, he turned speechless.

This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr Chapter 1019

The Spare Parts Were Sent Back

Upon seeing this, Sonia immediately laughed. “Look, you just sneezed. What do you mean you’re not cold? Your lips are already turning blue. Okay, hurry up and put on your coat. In the future, don’t sacrifice comfort for style and walk around in something so thin and gaudy. This weather isn’t a joke.”

Charles felt displeased by her chiding words as he thought to himself, How are my clothes thin and gaudy? Just as he was about to refute, he felt the tip of his nose itch as he sneezed again, causing him to abruptly hold his rebuking reply in.

Fine, I’ll admit my clothes are indeed a little thin. He had already sneezed twice in just a short amount of time, and he could faintly feel an itch in his nose, as if something was about to flow out.

In order not to look like a joke, Charles stopped acting tough and put his coat back on. Once he did, he felt much better even if he wasn’t completely warm yet. At the very least, he wasn’t trembling as badly.

“Sonny.” Charles dug around his suit pocket and took out a pack of tissues, pulling one out to wipe his nose as he asked, “Are you still cold? If you are, I’ll ask the hotel to provide two coats for us.”

“It’s all right.” Sonia shook her head and refused. “I’m fine. The car will be here soon, so I’ll just bear with it. You don’t need to ask the hotel to prepare a coat. It’ll be troublesome because we have to return it later. However, if you need it, just ask for a set. After all, you look much colder than me.”

“I don’t need it either.” Charles straightened his back and said seriously, “I’m feeling much better now, so I don’t need it anymore.”

What a joke. No matter what, he was still a grown man, so how could he allow himself to be unable to handle a little cold?

At the sight of his tough act, Sonia shook her head helplessly. “Well, you said that yourself. Don’t regret it when you catch a cold.”

“I absolutely will not.” Charles patted his chest. “I’m really healthy, so I won’t fall sick.”

The corners of Sonia’s mouth twitched when she saw him being so confident, but she didn’t say anything anymore.

At this time, the car was finally driven over, and Charles’ eyes lit up. He hurriedly descended the steps and opened the door, urging, “Sonny, get in the car.”

He gestured to her eagerly, as if he was in a hurry. Of course, Sonia knew him well and was aware that he felt too cold and wanted to get in the car quickly, but he was too stubborn to admit it, so he could only urge her to get in the car quickly and follow her in afterward. If he went in first, wasn’t that just admitting that he was afraid of the cold?

Shaking her head in amusement, Sonia didn’t expose his act either. She only rolled her eyes at him before quickly walking over and getting into the car.

Not long later, Charles leaned on the car window dizzily, his face turning red as if he were sick.

Seeing that, Sonia became worried and called out to him. “Charles? Charles?”

He opened an eye to look at her, but his vision was a little blurry, and he couldn’t see well. Even his voice became muffled as he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“That’s what I should be asking you. Are you feeling ill?” Sonia returned the question as she observed him.

Charles shook his head. “I’m fine. I just feel a little dizzy.”

“Dizzy?” Sonia snapped to her senses and hurriedly asked, “Did you catch a cold?”

Charles laughed. “Of course not. I’m still healthy, so how could I catch a cold?”

“Why not?” Sonia frowned. “You were standing in the cold outside the hotel, and you even took off your coat, so it’s possible that you’d get sick. All right, don’t move. Let me feel your forehead.”

Saying that, she reached out to touch his forehead.

However, just as her hand was about to make contact with his skin, Charles grabbed her hand. “Don’t worry, Sonny, I really don’t have a cold. I’m just a little tipsy after drinking too much. You’ll know from the smell of wine on my body. Besides, if I have a cold, wouldn’t I know that myself?”

Sonia fell silent and looked at him quietly. A while later, she retracted her extended hand. “Are you really all right? Is it really because you are drunk?”

“I’m fine, really.” Charles nodded.

At his serious expression, Sonia decided to believe him for the time being. “All right, it’s good that you’re fine. In that case, you can continue to rest.”

“Okay. I’m feeling really dizzy, so I’m not going to talk anymore or I might throw up.” Charles yawned before closing his eyes again.

Upon seeing him leaning against the car window and falling asleep again, Sonia stopped bothering him, but she whispered to the driver, “Please turn up the heat a little. Thank you.”

“Yes, miss.” The driver was very polite.

Sonia nodded with a smile and turned to look outside the car window and spaced out as she watched the bustling city outside.

However, the sound of her phone ringing suddenly brought her back to reality. Sonia first glanced at Charles. When she saw that he was still in a deep sleep and wasn’t disturbed by her phone ringing in the slightest, she breathed a sigh of relief and took her phone out of her bag. The moment she saw who was calling, she quickly covered the phone and looked at Charles again.148785

Seeing that he hadn’t woken up, she finally relaxed and answered the phone, asking in a low voice, “What’s the matter?”

On the other end of the phone, Daphne was a little startled when she heard Sonia’s deliberately lowered voice. However, she soon realized the reason why.

Sonia had gone out with Charles in the afternoon, and the two of them were probably still together now, so Sonia had lowered her voice to remind her that Charles was still by her side. When she realized that Sonia was still with Charles at the moment, Daphne felt bitter on the inside.

However, she did not forget the purpose of her call. After taking a breath, she suppressed her feelings and returned to her usual state as an elite secretary, replying with a serious expression, “Good news, Chairman Reed. Our parts have been sent back to us.”

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Hearing this, Sonia was taken aback for a moment before she sat up in disbelief and held her phone in both hands, exclaiming, “Say what? Our parts were sent back to us?”0

“Yes.” Daphne nodded and continued excitedly, “The staff told me earlier that the parts were sent to the processing department. They have already gone through the inventory, and not a single piece is missing. How did you get the parts back, Chairman Reed?”

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Sonia seemed to not have heard Daphne’s last sentence. All she had in her mind at the moment was the news that the parts had been sent back. This was obviously good news, but she did not feel happy at all. She wondered why the spare parts had been sent back to them.

Connor was clearly not the kind of person who would compromise to return the parts to her. If he was, he would have already done so after the call last night and would not deliberately delay it until now. Hence, there had to be a reason why Connor had sent the parts back, but what exactly was it?

Sonia bit her lip. “This has nothing to do with me. I didn’t get the parts back.”

“Huh?” Daphne was stunned. “It wasn’t you? Then who was it? Was it President Fuller?”

She took a blind guess. She knew that Charles definitely wasn’t capable of this. If he did, he would’ve definitely taken action as soon as the parts were intercepted.

Hence, there was only one person who could do this, and that was Toby. After all, he loved Sonia so much, and if he knew that something happened to her, he would definitely not stand around idly, which made it greatly possible that it was his doing.

This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr Chapter 1020

Relationship Problems

On this side of the phone, Sonia’s red lips twitched as she listened to Daphne’s guess. She thought that Toby might have done it as well. In the entire Seafield, he was the only one who did not have to respect Connor and was able to take the parts back from him without any effort. After all, Connor would never take the initiative to return it.

However, how did he know that Connor stole her company’s parts? She was pretty sure she had never told him. Could it be that he had placed a spy in her company again, and was really watching her as Charles had guessed before?

As she recalled what Charles had said in the past, Toby must have placed some of his people in Paradigm Co., and it was not impossible for him to receive reports about her in every detail all the time. Otherwise, how could he know about the parts?

As she pondered, Sonia frowned, feeling a little unhappy. How would she be happy? Nobody would be glad that the person they loved sent someone to monitor them and report their movements all the time. It was like being a prisoner without having any privacy.

In short, Toby’s behavior was completely distrustful and he didn’t believe in her performance. Besides, he had done this before, but she had told him to withdraw the spies placed in her company. Though he agreed, he did not keep his word at all.

Sonia pursed her red lips, and it took a while for her to respond to Daphne’s words. “I will verify whether it is Toby or not and give you a reply tomorrow. As for the parts, it’s a good thing that they are back. Hurry up and notify the processing department to start processing so that we don’t miss the construction period.”

“Yes, Chairman Reed.” As she listened to Sonia’s instructions, Daphne had no objections and immediately agreed.

When the call ended, Sonia slowly took her phone away from her ear with a stiff expression. After a few seconds, she rubbed her eyebrows, then tapped on her contacts to dial Toby’s number. She wanted to know if he was the one who had gotten the parts back, and if he was, why didn’t he tell her beforehand?

When the call went through, Sonia quietly listened to the beeping sound on the phone. However, after a while, the dial tone was still ringing, and it was not replaced by his low and pleasant voice. She frowned again and brought her phone to her face to have a look.

It showed on the screen that she had already been dialing for more than twenty seconds. If Toby hadn’t answered the phone for so long, it probably meant that he wasn’t free.

When she thought of how Fuller Group had thousands of people in their headquarters alone, she suddenly couldn’t be angry with Toby for sending someone to monitor her, and she only felt worried for him.

After all, she already felt exhausted managing hundreds of people in Paradigm Co., let alone the Fuller Group headquarters with more than 2,000 people. Besides, many subsidiaries of the Fuller Group submitted hundreds of documents every day and sent them to the headquarters for processing, so it was clear that he worked so much more than her.

She had backache every single day, and Toby, who worked so much more than her, naturally had it worse. However, because he was a man, he never showed these things on his face, so the person she saw was always in good spirits.

It seemed that she had neglected him quite a lot. Sonia lowered her eyes, feeling shameful and guilty. If it weren’t for the fact that Toby didn’t answer the call this time, she might not realize how busy and tired he usually was. She had really been spoiled.

Recently, he almost always pushed his work back, or pushed it aside just to make time to be with her. Even if he was not by her side, as long as she contacted him, he would almost always respond as soon as possible. So much so that over time, she forgot that he was the president of Fuller Group, and he was so much more tired and busy than her.

A helpless smile came from the corner of Sonia’s mouth. Didn’t this mean that she was spoiled? He spoiled her, and yet she had neglected him so often. In the future, she would have to pay more attention to him, and she couldn’t gradually abandon him like this. It was unfair to him.

At the thought, Sonia hung up and gently sent a message to Toby.

At the same time, in the president’s office in Fuller Group. Toby was sitting behind his desk with a fountain pen in his hand and his head slightly lowered, going through documents one after another.

The time each document spent in his hand would not exceed three minutes, and he was as precise as a ruthless machine. After the documents were processed, he tossed them directly to Tom who was standing opposite the desk and sorting out the documents.

Meanwhile, the documents in Tom’s hand had already been piled high into a tall mountain, all of which Toby had completed in a single afternoon. Though Toby could work without getting tired, Tom felt that in the two or three hours he had spent standing here, his eyes were losing focus and his legs were sore.

However, as he looked at Toby’s cold expression and the pressuring aura that emanated from his body, he couldn’t seem to persuade him to rest for a while and let him go. Instead, he could only grit his teeth and force himself to endure the pain in his sore legs, pretending as if nothing was wrong as he organized the documents in silence.

That was until a minute ago, when Toby’s phone rang, and Tom glanced at the screen. Seeing that it was a call from Sonia, he suddenly became excited, thinking that Toby would answer her call no matter what, which meant that he could also take the opportunity to move his legs around and rest.

Unexpectedly, Toby didn’t mean to answer the phone at all, as if he hadn’t heard or seen Sonia calling, and he didn’t pause in going through the documents.

Though Tom was disappointed that he had lost the chance to rest, he couldn’t help but feel his heart stop as he had a bad premonition. What was going on? Toby didn’t answer Sonia’s call, and he even indifferently pretended not to have seen it. They weren’t facing relationship problems, were they?

Tom looked at the phone that was already quiet, and then at Toby, who was looking at another document on the opposite side, and panicked a little. No way. That can’t be true, right?

He took a breath and couldn’t help but ask tentatively, “President Fuller, the call just now was from Miss Reed. Didn’t you see the caller ID?”

Still, he knew how unnecessary his question was. How could Toby not be aware? When he looked at Toby’s phone screen, he saw that Toby had also glanced at it, so it was impossible for him not to know. He had seen it, but he deliberately didn’t answer the call.

Toby’s hand stopped in its tracks as he raised his eyes to look at Tom. Those eyes were full of darkness and indifference, but they were enough to pierce through a person. Tom almost felt as if Toby could see through his mind, and he quickly lowered his gaze.

“I saw it.” The second Tom lowered his eyes and avoided Toby’s gaze, Toby spoke up, answering him in a cold and curt tone.

Hearing that, Tom abruptly lifted his head. “You saw it?”

Toby did not reply to his question.

Tom’s mouth gaped. “Then… why didn’t you answer?”

Toby still remained silent, only looking at him gloomily.

Tom felt a shiver run down his spine from Toby’s stare and lowered his head again, feeling his heart race with panic. It’s over. These two are definitely having relationship problems.