Ch. 1101..1110

Chapter 1101 The Lore Family’s Apology

Grayson was oblivious of Lynette’s thoughts; the only thing he knew was the fact that she had taken his advice, which relieved him. “That’s right. You should talk to us before you do anything. Just keep in mind that we are always on your side, and we wish for you and Toby to be together more than anyone else. Okay?”

“Okay.” She nodded before biting her lips and asked, “But what are we gonna do right now? Toby is angry at us and he doesn’t pick up our call. This is not a good sign. I don’t want him to hate me. Otherwise, I won’t be able to win his heart, will I?”0

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He narrowed his eyes. “The fact that he’s angry at us is a bad thing for us, but don’t worry about it. You have your grandfather. Since it’s our fault, as long as we apologize in addition to your grandfather’s help, Toby will definitely forgive us. We should never take their relationship lightly.”

All in all, Grayson did not think that Toby would cut ties with Harry for a woman. If that came to pass, Toby would be perceived as someone ungrateful.0

Hearing that Harry was going to help her, Lynette was soon able to soothe her jittery heart. She had the exact same idea as well. Although Sonia was an important person to Toby, Harry was the same to him as well.

Toby will never anger Grandpa for Sonia. He’ll get over it soon.

Needless to say, the father and daughter’s mind had steered in the same direction.

Lynette collected her thoughts and questioned, “When will Grandpa meet Toby to straighten things out?”

Grayson pinched his nose bridge. “You know your grandfather’s health. He’s not as healthy as he appears to be. He has to nap for a few hours in the afternoon. He’s still asleep, so he doesn’t know what you’ve done. I’ll inform him once he’s up so that he can meet Toby as soon as possible. But, Lynette, it’ll be best for you to rebook the tickets and return to the country before tomorrow morning. Come to Seafield and apologize to that woman in person. You might be able to appease Toby’s anger that way.”

“What? Apologize to Sonia?” She raised her voice, which penetrated through the air. “Why should I apologize to her? Dad, you know that we’re love rivals. Are you telling me to say ‘sorry’ to my love rival? There’s no way I’m gonna do that!”

Understanding the reason behind her reaction, Grayson sighed. “Lynette, I understand, but there’s nothing else we can do about it. They know that you’re the culprit. If your grandfather is the only one turning up, Toby might see it as an insincere apology. Even if he forgives us, he will still hold a grudge against you. Then, it’ll be more difficult for you to win his heart. It’s just an apology, not something that will tamper your pride. Or you can keep this apology in mind and return the ‘favor’ in ten folds to Sonia once you date Toby. Isn’t that a perfect revenge?”

Lynette wavered as her eyes brightened approvingly. “Got it, Dad. I’ll apologize to her as you told me. After tolerating it for some time, I’ll let her have a taste of her medicine.”

“That’s right.” Grayson smiled delightfully.

Their conversation was utterly reprehensible; not only did the father not stop his daughter from being the homewrecker, he even gave his support and suggestions.

It could be said that the whole Lore Family were scoundrels and none of them were good guys.

When the call ended, Grayson put down his phone and called his secretary into his office. “Have you contacted Toby?”

The secretary shook his head. “No. Mr. Brown has been refusing our call. President Fuller’s assistants and secretaries won’t tell us his whereabouts either.”

“He’s genuinely angry this time. He’s going to teach us a lesson.” Grayson sighed.

The secretary looked at him worriedly. “President Lore, what if President Fuller takes action against our company because of what Miss has done?”

He raised his hand firmly. “No, that won’t happen. My father’s around. Even if we lose Toby’s favor, he won’t do anything to us because of him. That would only happen after my father passed away.”

It was because of that exact reason that the Lore Family stayed in touch with Toby. Without his protection, they might face regression from their position as a wealthy family.

Therefore, they had been hoping for Lynette and Toby to form a special relationship. That way, they would not need to worry about losing Toby’s help after Harry passed away.

Grayson and Harry had been looking for a way to make sparks fly between the two youngsters. Harry returned to the country this time round to persuade Toby into breaking up with Sonia. Although it was a failure, they still had a faint chance.

However, they never expected Lynette to lose her patience and made moves without informing them, hence the repercussions.

Forget about the matchmaking mission, he had to come up with an idea to maintain their relationship with Toby first and foremost.

Although he assumed that Toby would not go against the Lore Family because of such a trivial matter, Toby would distance himself from them for sure.

Their petered-out relationship would tell the whole world that they had lost the Fuller Family’s backing. Then, the rapacious people would find a way to push the Lore Family to downfall in order to obtain their personal advantages.

Thus, they had to do something right away so as to retain their relationship with Toby.

Deeply absorbed in his thoughts, Grayson narrowed his eyes on the secretary. “Inform the public relations team to release an official apology to Sonia and Toby through our company’s official account. Explain that it’s a blunder made because of Lynette’s immaturity and include that we will educate her so that there won’t be a next time. Seek for their forgiveness. Since everyone knows that Lynette was behind this, we can’t just stand still and do nothing. We must apologize first. Not only to Sonia and Toby, but to the netizens too. We have to stabilize the stock price. That couple might not let us get away with an apology statement, but we gotta please the netizens first to stop the destructive comments.”

“Okay.” The secretary nodded.

Grayson motioned him to leave. “Go ahead.”

“Yes, Sir.”

After the secretary left, Grayson did not stay in his office for long as he took the car keys and left. He was going to drop by their old manor to check on Harry.

If Harry was up, Grayson would inform him of the whole incident to think of a solution together, for they could not afford to cut ties with Toby no matter what happened.

At the same time, time already struck 5.00PM when Sonia and Toby left the police station. Therefore, they drove back to Bayside Residence instead of returning to the company.

Along the way, Toby was driving whereas Sonia surfed the Internet in the passenger seat. Suddenly, a notification from her social media account popped up as someone mentioned her, which intrigued her curiosity.

Since her account was especially disabled and ordinary account users would not be able to tag her, her phone kept buzzing still.

Hence, it was only possible for special accounts to tag her into something, like the official or verified accounts. What she had yet to find out was the type of account that had mentioned her this time.

Chapter 1102 Idiotic Lore Communications

A curious Sonia clicked on the notification to open her social media account. As soon as she entered her account, she could see the user that had mentioned her.

Lore Communications? Interesting. The corner of her lips curved upward, for she wished to know why the Lore Communications official mentioned her.

She tapped on the tag section at which she could read the posted contents by Lore Communications immediately. After perusing the text, she could not help but laugh sarcastically.

Since there were not many vehicles straight ahead, Toby took the chance to glance at her. “What’s so funny?”

She lifted her head. “Know what? The Lore Family just tagged me.”

“They tagged you?” His brows knitted.

She showed her phone screen to him. “Yeah. With their official account.”

Possessing great dynamic visual acuity, he was able to read the content clearly although she swayed the phone before him for a moment. His expression darkened. “Is this their apology?”

Honestly, he was dissatisfied because he could not discern a tinge of sincerity throughout the text.

Sonia retracted her phone to read it again before sniggering, “Yup. It is an apology statement. What do you think?”

“It’s just for show,” commented Toby sternly without saving his tutor’s face.

She was content with that as she smiled. “True. If they genuinely wish to apologize after realizing their mistake, they could’ve come to us in person first thing after I exposed them. However, they did nothing until now. People online are attacking Lore Communications and their stock price is dropping. That’s why they thought of apologizing. Funny thing is that they neither met us personally nor released a press conference for an apology. They chose to release a simple statement and mentioned our names. It’s my first time seeing this kind of apology.”

Sonia had a point. If one was genuinely sorry for their actions, they should come up to the victim in person to compensate for their mistake in order to seek forgiveness.

Otherwise, they could hold a press conference and apologize in front of billions of audiences. At least the public was aware that they could put down their pride to express their regrets.183742

That would impress the audience, who would take it as their sincerity and deem them as a decent company.

Consequently, they could restore their ruined reputation and save the company! Which of those two alternatives appeared less sincere than releasing a succinct statement online? Anyone would agree that any of those two would be better.

Yet, the Lore Family chose such a method rather than executing the other two plans to express their apology.

They’re basically telling everyone that they’re not feeling sorry for their actions. It would’ve been better for them to stay silent.

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A cold glint flashed across Sonia’s eyes. “By the way, do you know what they wrote? They mentioned that Lynette acted like that because of immaturity. And what kind of people are immature? Kids. Little kids! They’re basically telling the world that she behaved that way because she’s still a kid, hence the mistake. How hilarious. She’s already like what—twenty-six, twenty-seven? Yet, they call her a kid. What is she? A big baby?”0

Toby frowned while hearing her mockery. Not that she said it wrong, but he was displeased by the Lore Family’s actions.

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As Sonia had mentioned, he could tell what they were thinking. Clearly, they thought immaturity could understate matters, but it was utterly preposterous.

“Just ignore them and pretend that we haven’t seen their apology,” suggested Toby sternly as he drove the car.

Sonia tapped on her phone. “Don’t worry about that. I think the same way too. I haven’t planned on entertaining them since the beginning. Besides, there’s a lot of smart people in this world. We’re not the only ones who can read between the lines. The netizens will be able to do the same. Look. Someone’s on the same boat as us.”

She showed the screen to him for a short while. “Many of them can see them through. They’re flooding the comment section with taunts.”

His gaze swept across it. “Lore Communications has taken the public as fools. They have it coming.”

“True.” She withdrew her hand to look at the netizens attacking Lore Communication. Her smile did not fade for one second.

Toby hit bullseye; Lore Communication’s statement had basically turned the public as fools by assuming that no one could see through the true meanings behind the message.

However, they were the ones who made a fool of themselves since they had blatantly shown their true color. As long as one was not an idiot, people could see the ugly truth at one glance—the Lore Family was not feeling sorry for one bit.

Ever since the beginning, Lynette and Squirrel Media edited the pictures and released misleading articles to make the public believe that Sonia had cheated on Toby. Due to the way society was constructed to view women, Sonia was bombarded with shades as a result of that.

Whenever men cheated on their partners, the ‘magnanimity’ onlookers would deem it as the same mistake that every single man would make. Ridiculous!

On the other side of the coin, if the cheater was a woman, everyone would reproach her by labeling her as a sinner of enormity. Everyone would tell her to go to hell in rage.

That was why a lot of people hurled criticisms and shades at Sonia when the scandal broke out. They presumed that she had done such things without waiting for the person involved to release their side of the story.

Aside from the inherent hate toward women, Lynette and Squirrel Media did their part by throwing everyone off the scent too.

After Sonia exposed their evil scheme, the netizens were enraged to find out that they were being used, hence the attack against Lore Communications and Squirrel Media.

Due to the stock market crash, Lore Communications reckoned that they could not stay still and do nothing anymore. That was why they released a hollow official statement as a means to appease the public’s wrath and stabilize the stock price.

Still, Sonia did not expect them to be this stupid.

If they intended to stave off the heat and save the company, they could have added an apology directed to the public. Yet, they did not, as only Sonia and Toby were mentioned.

Clearly, Lore Communications took the public lightly and even looked down upon them. Perceiving the people as ordinary beings, the superior company did not mention a word regarding the public at all.

It was hilarious to see how they ignored the public when they actually intended to rebound the stock price. Their thought of apologizing to Sonia and Toby was the same as apologizing to everyone.

How should one think of them aside from being idiotic?

Chapter 1103 The Netizens Aren’t Buying It

Perchance, Lore Communications perceived the netizens as a fool, who would take that official statement as an apology to them. It was possible for them to have that kind of idea.

They assumed that the netizens were ordinary citizens, who admired the strong and respected the powerful people. Thus, the netizens would take that as an apology directed at them.

A part of the netizens might think so, but unfortunately, the majority were indeed ordinary people. However, they did not feel so inferior to take an apology statement from the prestigious company as an apology toward them.

All Sonia could say was that Lore Communications had taken the netizens lightly by underestimating them.

In fact, the destructive comments were easy to deal with. The issue could have been settled if only Lore Communications apologized to them sincerely or mentioned them in the statement.

In doing so, she believed that Lore Communications would be able to earn forgiveness since no one was silly enough to go against someone with power.

Still, the company did not do that as they might have forgotten about the fact that they were the instigator. Lynette had enraged the public and stirred turmoil in the stock market, so it would not be wrong to say that Lore Communication used them first.

When they were accosted by backlashes, neither did they apologize nor mention the netizens. Therefore, it was obvious that they thought lightly of the netizens.

How can the people not be angry and not attack them again? I bet they’re driven to the edge by now.

Sonia smiled while wondering whose idea was it to release that statement. Was it the public relations team or the Lore Family themselves?

If it was the PR team, they could bid their job a sweet goodbye because no company would want a troublemaker as their employees. If it was the Lore Family, they were destined to be done for.

Great men’s sons hardly do well. I reckon the Lore Family would not be able to secure their status for any longer. It’s their shortcoming to have such a leader.

Sonia shrugged her shoulders with a smile and backed out from Lore Communications’ page to her own page.

Under her latest post, the number of comments proliferated almost over ten thousand compared to the time she left.

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Raising her eyebrow, she clicked on the comment section to have a look of it. It was flooded with comments asking her to not forgive Lores.

It seemed like they left comments on her page upon reading the infamous apology statement.

Furthermore, there were even some of them who were worried that she might not decipher the implicit meaning behind that statement. So, they interpreted the content for her before tagging her in order to let her know about it. They were concerned that Sonia would take it as a sincere apology and forgive Lore Communications and Lynette.

Sonia was touched at that and giggled, prompting Toby to take a glance at her. Although he did not say anything, it was obvious that he was questioning why she was laughing.

Without hiding anything, she waved her phone and explained, “It’s the netizens. They’re cute.”0

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“Cute?” He frowned. “Have you forgotten how they criticized you?”

“Those people are racking their brains to find a way to win the lawsuit. They don’t have the guts to leave any comments here. So, these comments are basically from the good ones.” Sonia stuck out her tongue.0

Then, she decided to reply to the most liked comment. “Thank you for the reminder. Don’t worry. An empty apology doesn’t deserve to be forgiven, much less when they excuse a mistake made by an adult with immaturity. They should’ve sought agreement from the victim on whether to understate the issue first.”

Soon, people screenshotted and posted her reply, bringing it to the trending chart. After all, that reply from Sonia implied her attitude toward the Lore Family.

She was not going to forgive them.

Almost instantly, everyone rejoiced at her answer and mocked Lore Communications by leaving comments on their official page. The company’s stock price declined to rock bottom.

The whole PR team was dumbfounded, except for their head department—Joshua, who sat in front of his computer with a cup of coffee. Looking at the data shown on the monitor, he calmly drank his coffee. “Told you so. The apology statement mustn’t be released. If President Lore held a live broadcast in person to apologize to Paradigm and the public, it would’ve been for the best, but you wouldn’t listen. Look. They’re not holding back with their words.”

Grayson’s secretary, Jack, stood behind the head department and saw the datas as well. The stock price decline made him anxious.

“What else could I do? It’s President Lore’s orders and I’m just a secretary. How could I not obey his orders?” Jack scratched his head in frustration.

Joshua looked at him. “Can’t you advise him? Frankly speaking, he doesn’t have what it takes to be a president. He’s meh. If it wasn’t for the Fuller Group’s help, the company could’ve announced bankruptcy long ago. So, do you think that his idea is feasible?”

“I am aware that it’s ridiculous, but you know how he is. He doesn’t listen. He’s full of himself. Even if his strategies are wrong, he won’t listen to others and thinks that his orders are right. We have to execute his orders or we’ll be asking for trouble. Do you think I would have been able to dissuade him in this kind of situation?” Jack smiled bitterly.

Joshua sighed. “All of the Lore Family members are scoundrels.”

“What do you mean by that?” Jack lowered his head to look at him.

Joshua blurted out, “Miss Lore contacted the technical department to make the issue trending so that President Fuller wouldn’t be able to appease the online rage. Mr. Whitlock—he works in the technical department—knew that President Fuller was on the move to bring the issue down and tried to convince her to stop. Obviously, it won’t do anyone good if we offended him, but Miss Lynette is the same as her father. She’s stubborn as a bull and just wouldn’t listen. She thought that Toby wouldn’t mind, since her grandfather was his tutor. Mr. Whitlock had no choice but to bear the pressure and do as he was told. Two hours ago, he resigned from his position. He’s afraid that it would be difficult for him to escape when President Fuller takes revenge.”

Jack heaved a sigh without saying anything.

Joshua set down his cup. “It seems like I gotta think of an escape plan too.”

“Are you going to resign?” Jack was shocked.

Joshua kneaded his temples. “Yup. Look, President Fuller is genuinely livid and everyone is saying that he’s going to cut ties with our company. Other companies are waiting for the show to begin. Once President Fuller clearly states that it is true, they will join hands to take Lore Communications down. When the time comes, it’ll be difficult for us to hunt for another job. Thus, it’s better to hand in our resignation letter ourselves. At least, we won’t be dragged into the fray before the war starts. Jack, we’ve been good friends for more than two years. I think you should give it a serious thought.”

Jack fell silent for a moment. “I’ll think about it, but I should report the latest news to President Lore for now. Let’s talk during dinner.”

“Sure. Go on.” Joshua waved his hand.

With his documents in hand, Jack walked out of the office and headed to the presidential office at the top floor. He reported the netizens’ reaction to Grayson.

Hearing that, Grayson asked in disbelief, “How did this happen?”

Chapter 1104 Arrogant and Prideful

Those small fries are still on it! But why?! Looking at Jack’s serious expression, Grayson had no choice but to accept the truth. His hands formed tight fists on his table while the wrinkles on his countenance rendered him appear older. His eyes spoke of helplessness. “What went wrong?”

I just don’t get it. We apologized! Why are they still making a fuss over it?

Jack lowered his head as he saw through Grayson’s mind and a flicker of disdain flashed across his eyes.

Things have escalated to this point and President Lore hasn’t realized his mistake yet. Geez. It seems like I gotta consider Joshua’s advice to resign from my position and look for a new job. If this continues, the company will be led to its downfall by its very own incapable leader.

In spite of that, Jack kept it to himself and wore a worried expression. “President Lore, what should we do now?”

Grayson tightened his fists without uttering a word, for he was clueless as well. Previously, he returned to the old manor to discuss with Harry on how to retain the relationship between their family and Toby.

After that, he rushed back to the company to appease the shareholders since he had to give them an explanation regarding the stock market crash.

Who would have known that such things would happen right after he promised them that the stock price would rebound? Jack mentioned how the stock price dwindled profusely instead of going up after the apology statement was released.

How could he accept the truth? It was completely different from what he had thought of.

With that statement, he assumed that Sonia and the unreasonable netizens would stop the backlash against his family and company, as well as forgiving Lynette.

Sonia should’ve forgiven us instantly, that was what he thought at first. Considering Harry and Toby’s relationship, she should’ve done that.

Even if Toby was angry at the Lore Family, he would never turn his back against them. Instead, he would stay on good terms with them.

Sonia should’ve thought of that and get over this issue. She should’ve forgiven Lynette after our apology, but that woman did not do that! She even said that it’s an empty apology without sincerity!

Indeed, they were not sincere with their apology; they were not willing to apologize to that kind of woman either.183744

It was because the Lore Family did not perceive Sonia as the perfect match for Toby, but Lynette was.

If they offered their genuine apology, would it not imply how much they acknowledged Sonia as the perfect partner for Toby?

If that happened, what would people say when Lynette and Toby were together?

Grayson could never allow that to happen, hence the apology statement released on purpose. Although they were mere empty words, they apologized nevertheless.

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Shouldn’t Sonia Reed accept it as it is? We’re going to reconcile with Toby anyway. When that time comes, isn’t she worried that we might speak bad of her in front of Toby and make him hate her? Sonia, oh, Sonia. What a stupid little girl. Why can’t you think of this?0

The self-conceited Grayson displayed contempt toward Sonia on his visage, yet he did not take Toby’s love for her into account, which weighed much heavier than Toby’s perception of Lore Family. In actuality, Toby would not reconcile with them, let alone hate Sonia just because they drive a wedge between them.

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All and still, he overestimated the Lore Family’s position in Toby’s eyes compared to Sonia. Grayson was the exact epitome of being doused by his own fantasy and blinded from the truth. As for the netizens, he was really displeased with them.

To him, they were nothing but immature nobodies. In other words, how dare those small fries talk to someone of high status like Grayson?

Isn’t it normal to not mention them in the statement? Why would someone successful like me keep bringing up some nobodies? What is there that they can’t accept? We mentioned Sonia and Toby, but they should take it as an apology directed at them too! How dare they request me to apologize again! In their dreams! Who do they think they are? Morons. How dare they force us to do anything!

The more he thought about it, the quicker his breathing became. However, he soon recollected himself and snorted coldly.

Just let those idiots be, Grayson. Let’s see how far they can go. Think we’re going to fall just like that? Impossible!

Anxious, he looked at Jack. “Just let them be and inform the staff to stabilize the stock price.”

Hearing that, Jack heaved a silent sigh while exclaiming how stupid his boss was. He never expected Grayson to be this incapable in saving the company. It was indeed the Lore Family and the employee’s bad luck for having such a leader.

Still, the boss remained the boss. He suppressed his thoughts while fixing his glasses before asking, “President Lore, we can stabilize the stock price, but that won’t solve the issue. As long as the netizens don’t stop, the stock price will decline no matter how many times we do it. It’ll be troublesome if it hits rock-bottom.”

One would realize that it was a useless plan if they had the brain to think, but Grayson was not one of them. Instead of sensing something amiss with his plan, he was displeased with Jack’s doubts. “What’s troublesome? I doubt the netizens will lead us to bankruptcy. Enough, just do your job and stop running your mouth.”

From that impatient tone, Jack could tell how Grayson was oblivious of the gravity of the issue. As such, a wave of helplessness washed over him.

Nevermind. I’ll think of what to write in my resignation letter after tonight. I should leave this hellish company and superior before things get any worse.

He forsake the idea to persuade Grayson because it was redundant to do that to someone who was foolishly stubborn; he would rather not waste his precious time. After all, it was not his company that was going bankrupt.

As an afterthought, he nodded and left. “Okay, President Lore. I shall do that right away.”

Grayson’s phone rang the moment Jack left. It was a call from the shareholder, who insisted he head to the conference room, rendering him in distress.

Just a moment ago, he promised to rebound the stock price, but things did not turn out as he wished and the stock price declined further. Thus, the displeased shareholders were eager to listen to his explanations.

Grayson placed back the telephone and sighed in frustration. In the end, he stepped out of the office and strode to the conference room, admitting his fate.

Despite being the president of Lore Communications, the shareholders actually possess most of the authority. That was why he could never turn a deaf ear to their requests.

In the meantime, Sonia and Toby arrived at Bayside Residence.

Yet, they did not enter the residence immediately as they went to a nearby posh grocery store hand-in-hand.

Chapter 1105 Grocery Shopping

Since there were no ingredients in the fridge, the two of them went to the premium grocery store to buy some. This was the first time he ever bought groceries.

Although he cooked quite frequently, all the ingredients were prepared by Sonia in advance. Hence, whenever Toby cooked, he did not encounter a situation where he lacked the ingredients.

Seeing that this was his first time grocery shopping with Sonia, Toby thought that it was something new and refreshing. Walking into the premium supermarket, she found a cart.

Just as she was about to push it, a pair of hands reached out and pulled the cart away instead. Sonia turned around and looked at him with arms left hanging in the air. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ll push it,” Toby replied with pursed lips as he used his jaw to motion her to look in front of her.

Looking at the direction he pointed, she did not see anything special, which made her even more confused. “What do you want me to look at?”

This made Toby sigh. “What I wanted you to see was the people that came here for grocery shopping. All the men are pushing the carts, so I should do it too. What those women have, you deserve them too. Besides, physical work like this should be helped out by men.”

Stating that, he gently tapped on the handle of the cart.

Sonia, who was amused by his words, replied, “Okay, then. Since you put it this way, I’ll leave the cart up to you.”

“No problem!” Toby accepted it willingly.

A hint of slyness flashed across her gaze. “Actually, even if you didn’t say anything, I would’ve still let you push the cart.”

“Oh?” He raised his eyebrows.

Holding onto his arm, Sonia swung it and continued, “Look. All the couples here are doing the same, in that the men are all pushing the cart. If I didn’t let you do it, wouldn’t people look down on you? Wouldn’t that be embarrassing since a woman is pushing a cart for you?”

Toby smirked. “Oh, is that so?”

“Of course.” Sonia nodded.

Toby reached out and touched her forehead with his finger. “If I didn’t push the cart, those women might look down on me. Still, shouldn’t the men be envious of me instead?”

“It’s up to them whether they want to be jealous or not, but as a man, could you bear to see your woman doing this?” She looked up at the man who was subtly smiling, seeming like she would give him a lesson if he dared to nod.

Noticing this, the man felt more bemused. “Of course I can’t bear to see this happen. My woman only needs to spend the rest of her life in happiness. Alright, let’s go.”

With both hands on the handle, Toby was about to enter the supermarket with the cart.

Yet, Sonia called out to him, “Wait.”

“What’s wrong?” He stopped.

She pointed at a couple who passed by them. “You saw that the man was pushing the cart, but did you not see the woman’s actions?”

Raising his eyebrow, Toby observed the couple that walked by earlier.

Now that he took a closer look, he understood what Sonia was getting at.

Smirking, he lifted up his right arm slightly and looked toward her.

Sonia, who smiled sweetly at him, held his arm.

“I didn’t think that you would understand my hint.” She hugged the man’s hands before they entered the grocery store.

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Since she was hugging him tightly, Toby could feel two mounds of flesh rubbing on his arms continuously.

With a dark gaze, he could not stop himself from gulping as he said hoarsely, “Your husband is no fool, so how could I not understand?”

“Who said that you’re my husband? Don’t speak too soon.” Sonia glared at him embarrassingly.

Smirking, he replied, “I’ll be. Soon.”

“Hmph. We’ll see,” a pouting Sonia muttered while her cheeks were bright red like a ripe apple.0

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If not for the amount of people in the store, he would have pressed her against the wall and held her face to kiss her.

As if she could see how passionate Toby’s gaze was, Sonia blushed even harder. Slapping the man on his arm, she warned him. “I’m telling you, don’t be rash.”0

Toby replied in the same hoarse tone, “I won’t, for now. Can’t say the same when we’re home, though.”

The corners of Sonia’s mouth twitched.

Seriously, this man… Whatever.

She hugged his arm again while thinking that.

Entering the grocery store, Toby saw the fully stocked shelves and raised his eyebrows.

As she noticed his expression, she suddenly understood his thought and laughed. “Is it your first time coming to a grocery store?”

Toby could not deny it. “I’ve never had to buy groceries personally, as the things we require are always sent over on a scheduled basis. Since I never have to worry myself over it, I never came to a place like this, but I did walk in markets before. They look quite similar to a grocery store.”

“Even though they are similar, they still have their differences.” Sonia proceeded to place a bunch of bananas into the cart.

This was a high-end market, also known as a premium supermarket.

The items available here were the creme-de-la-creme of imported goods, so one could just pick any item when buying without having the need to see if it was rotten or not.

This saved a lot of the customers’ time.

Since the grocery store was located near Bayside Residence where millionaires resided, they were the main target of the store as well.

Seeing how Sonia stopped after taking the bananas, Toby looked at the other fruits. “Are you not taking more?”

She shook her head. “Nope. I don’t eat a lot of fruits anyway, so I can make do with banana salad.”

“No, no, no.” Toby frowned before reaching out and began putting other fruits into the cart. “I’ve been too busy lately and have forgotten about your diet. Now that I’ve noticed, I need to monitor you to eat more fruits.”

While stating that, he saw something and pushed the cart forward. Then, he took another ten or so premium fruits before putting it in.

Soon, the cart was filled halfway with just fruits.

Finding the sight to be hilarious, Sonia said, “And how are we going to finish all these? Put it back.”

She walked over, attempting to return a few of the fruits into the crates.

Seeing this, Toby reached out and stopped her. “You’re not allowed to do that. I’m buying all of them for you. What are you going to eat if you put it all back?”

He gently nudged Sonia’s hand away before pushing the cart to his side so she could not reach it.

Facepalming, Sonia explained, “Just a few are enough for me. If you buy so many at once, how long will it take me to finish them?”

“If you can’t finish them, then put ’em in the fridge and finish slowly.” Toby looked at her, not planning to remove any of the fruits.

He did this for her, as the fruits he chose were all beneficial to women.

Therefore, he could not permit her to put them back no matter what.

Seeing how determined he was made Sonia feel helpless yet funny.

At that moment, the sound of a shutter went off behind them; it was the sound of a camera.

Since the scandal had only happened earlier that day, Sonia was still sensitive to the sound of a shutter.

Knowing that someone was secretly taking pictures of them, she immediately stopped smiling and her expression became cold.

After all, she assumed that the paparazzis must be taking pictures of her and Toby in preparation for another exclusive scoop.

With this in mind, Sonia turned around, intending to warn that person. Yet, she saw no paparazzi. Instead, it was a girl who looked like a high-schooler. This stunned her.

She doesn’t seem to be a paparazzi…

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Chapter 1106 A Fan

Sonia did not sense any malicious intent from the girl and only noticed that she was somewhat nervous and uneasy, which amused her. “I trust you, but I still want to know why you took those candid shots of us. Could you please answer me truthfully?”

“I can!” The girl nodded profusely before fidgeting again. This time, she looked even more embarrassed. “Actually, I am a member of… Tonia.”

As she said that, the girl looked up shyly at Sonia before lowering her head again with an intense blush on her face, neck, and even ears. Sonia was in a daze. Tonia?

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Isn’t this our ship name? She knew that a lot of people were following their relationship online. This was why they took their names and combined it, forming a ‘ship name’—Tonia.0

The name was very apt, as it highlighted their names and showed an elegance to it. Hence, it left a deep impression on Sonia. Yet, she never thought that she would meet a fan of theirs in the flesh.

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Toby, who was selecting the fruits in the back, heard the girl introduce herself as he stopped his action and turned around. After all, he knew that there were people who were following their relationship, so he was happy about it.

Of course, that also meant that a lot of people supported them. Although the fans had weird thoughts about their relationship, he did not feel repelled by it. Instead, he found himself able to tolerate it.

It was all because they were in favor of their relationship. With this in mind, Toby looked at the girl without any disdain in his gaze and even found her adorable.

Not knowing what the man behind her was thinking, Sonia had snapped back to reality as she smiled at the girl. “I understand now. You’re a fan of us, right? Is that why you took a photo of us? Because you were excited?”

If that was the case, then she could understand her intentions.

After all, she was into celebrities when she was a teenager. Whenever she bumped into a celebrity she liked, she would snap pictures of them too.

Her situation was exactly like the other fangirls.

Hence, she did not feel any animosity toward the girl and decided to let this go.

Facing her, the girl was exhilarated to know that Sonia understood her thoughts, so she nodded excitedly. “You’re correct. I became a fan of Tonia upon seeing you and President Fuller reconcile. I’m very active in your fan club forum. I even stood up for you in your latest incident. Take a look.”

Initially, she was wary of standing too close to Sonia, but now that she found out Sonia was actually very gentle and humble, she could not hold in her excitement. Therefore, with a renewed sense of courage, she took her phone and walked up to Sonia, handing it over to her.

The passion of the girl stunned Sonia before she found it hilarious.

This girl is quite interesting.

Sonia ran her fingers through her hair and looked down at the phone the girl handed over, confirming that the girl was telling the truth. She did help me stand up against the haters online.

In her activity log, it showed that she was speaking up for her and rebuking all the haters.

This made her feel warm inside.

This girl really likes me.

“I’m not lying, am I, Miss Reed? I’m a real fan of you and President Fuller.” The girl looked at her with big expectant eyes.

Unable to hold it in, Sonia reached out and patted the girl on her head. “Yes, you didn’t. Thank you, my adorable fan.”

The girl breathed in deeply, dazed once again.

Oh my God, my Goddess just touched my hair!

Am I dreaming?

Reaching out absentmindedly, the girl touched the spot where Sonia’s hand was.

There’s still a little warmth left. I am not dreaming!!! My idol actually touched me!!!

I’m in heaven right now!

The girl put her hands on her chest and wore a silly-looking smile while looking at Sonia.

Also, Miss Reed is so gentle.

She had always thought that a woman like Sonia, who managed a whole company, must be cold and harsh, that a person like her would be uneasy to approach.

Yet, she did not expect to be this gentle. After realizing that she was not a paparazzi, Sonia even apologized to her and comforted her with a pat on the head.

With such a gentle idol, Do meet your heroes! she thought.

Besides, Miss Reed even called me her adorable fan.

Seeing how the girl was smiling foolishly at her, Sonia found this even more amusing.

This girl really is interesting.

“Little girl, hello to earth?” Sonia smiled and waved in front of the girl, making her snap back to reality.

The girl’s pupil trembled for a split second before she awoke from her thoughts, finding herself gazing into Sonia’s smiling eyes.

Her eyes were so clear that the girl could see her own dazed look through the reflection. Blushing hard, she felt very embarrassed as she lowered her head and wanted to keep her phone.

Yet, just as she was about to retrieve her phone fully, a giant hand snatched it away from her out of nowhere.

The girl thought that she was being robbed and was about to shout for help when she realized that the person was Toby. Instantly, the cat got her tongue.

W-What is President Fuller doing?

Why did he take my phone?

The girl blinked in confusion while she panicked inside.

Although she did not have any dark secrets inside her phone, she was in panic to see Toby snatching her phone away like that.

The feeling was akin to where she would be caught playing with her phone by the teacher in class.

All of a sudden, the girl bit her lower lip and froze on the spot as her anxiety manifested itself.

Sonia, who was also caught off guard by the man’s actions, turned around and saw Toby checking the girl’s phone. “What are you doing? Why did you take her phone?”

“I’m just looking.” Toby moved his finger across the screen while replying.

Pursing her lips, Sonia stated, “What is there to look around for? Girls normally have private information on their phones. It’s rude to snoop around her phone like that. Give it back to her.”

The girl nodded quickly.

She’s right. Give it back to me.

With one hand holding the phone, Toby placed his other hand on Sonia’s head and rubbed it gently just like how Sonia did to the girl. “Don’t worry. I’m not the kind of man without any principles. I won’t look at other things on her phone. I just want to see how she stood up for you.”

“That’s more like it.” Sonia was relieved.

She did not suspect that her man would lie to her. After all, why would he lie about something like this?

Meanwhile, the girl did not think that a person of Toby’s stature would be interested in a normal girl’s phone like her either, so she heaved a sigh of relief inside.

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As long as President Fuller didn’t look at other things on my phone and only looked at how I stood up for Miss Reed, I have nothing to be nervous about.

The girl breathed out as her stiff body loosened up. Then, she saw the hand that was gently rubbing Sonia’s head as the man smiled warmly.

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Chapter 1107 Keeping the Photo

Oh my God, my ship is sailing right in front of me!! This is so romantic! Also, President Fuller is so gentle toward Miss Reed. He isn’t as cold to her as he did to me.

This must be what they meant online when they said that he was only gentle toward one person. As expected, a man needs to be as caring as President Fuller so a girl can feel safe.

I don’t like men that are too soft. Men like President Fuller are the most popular. With both hands on her cheeks, she looked at Toby and Sonia with an absentminded smile.

Her obvious gaze made it hard for them to ignore it. As such, the two then looked at each before noticing the amusement in each other’s eyes. After that, Toby locked the phone and handed it back to the girl. “I’m sorry for taking your phone. Here.”

The girl accepted it in a daze before replying timidly, “I-It’s fine.”

“You frightened her.” Sonia slapped the man’s arm. Toby frowned. “I didn’t.”

He did not do anything to the girl, so much as even glanced at her coldly. Sonia is framing me. Pursing his lips, he looked at Sonia with a wronged gaze.

The girl quickly waved her hands. “You’re mistaken, Miss Reed. President Fuller didn’t frighten me. I am afraid of him, so don’t blame him.”

“Afraid of me?” Toby’s frown deepened. “I didn’t do anything to you, so why are you afraid of me?”

The girl tucked her chin in and lowered her head without responding.

On the other hand, Sonia smiled and explained on her behalf, “You don’t need to do anything. Just your presence alone can intimidate anyone.”

“What do you mean?” The man was upset at her comment.

She looked at him while smiling. “What do I mean? Look at how emotionless your expression and how sharp your gaze is. Anybody would think that you’re about to teach them a lesson.”

That’s right!

The girl agreed with Sonia inside.

Closing his eyes, Toby fell into self-doubt.

Am I really so intimidating?

“I’ll change from now on,” Toby replied calmly.

Yet, before Sonia could say no, the girl answered on her behalf, “No, President Fuller. You don’t have to change. You’re the best when you only treat Miss Reed like she’s the only one in your world. Who cares about how you treat others? They may be afraid of you, but it’s fine as long as Miss Reed isn’t. Right, Miss Reed?”

The girl looked expectantly at Sonia with the words ‘praise me’ written on her face.

As a result, Sonia gave her a thumbs up satisfyingly.

Seeing how she responded, the girl smiled so widely that her eyes became a slit.

Meanwhile, Toby praised the girl too. “You’re right. Besides, you did a good job, rebuking those people online.”

The girl did not expect nor imagine that she would ever receive Toby’s praise. Naturally, she dove into a pool of disbelief and excitement upon hearing his words.

Oh my world. President Fuller just praised me.

Mom, this is the highlight of my life.

Seeing how excited the girl was, Sonia smiled while shaking her head. “Are you really that happy?”

“I am.” The smile on the girl’s face was about to overflow. “I only came out here because I wanted to buy some snacks. Normally, I don’t ’cause I’m an introvert. I never thought that I would be so lucky to see you and President Fuller grocery shopping. Also, I saw how well you two were getting along. I think I’m the only fan to witness this. At last, I even got praises from both of you, so of course, I’m happy! Overjoyed, even.”

The girl then jumped around excitedly with her phone in her hands.

Then, she recalled something and stopped before looking at Toby and Sonia. “Miss Reed, do you and President Fuller live around here?”

“Yup.” Sonia nodded.

The girls’ eyes shone. “You really live around here?”

“We do.” Sonia nodded.

“But, with you and President Fuller’s stature, shouldn’t you be living in a wealthier area?” The girl pointed at Sonia before pointing at Toby.

Although the neighborhood is touted as a place for the rich to stay, the homeowners of Bayside Residence knew that this was for the well-off, as the truly rich would think of this place as more like a slum.

The truly wealthy all had villas and estates of their own, for they would not want to live in a neighborhood with so many people.

This was why the girl was so shocked to know they resided here.

“We’re only living here temporarily.” Toby held Sonia’s hands and calmly stated, “We’ll move in the future.”

Sonia hugged the man’s arm and added, “That’s right. It’s my property, not his. He moved in with me for some time now.”

She gently tapped the man’s arm while stating that and Toby silently agreed with her.

Nodding, the girl stated, “So, I see. Then, doesn’t that mean that I missed a lot of chances to bump into you guys?”

The girl looked very forlorn all of a sudden.

Seeing this, Sonia laughed. “Now that you know we’re living here temporarily, that means that we might run into each other in the future.”

“That’s right.” Her words of comfort made sense to the girl as she became happy again.

Sonia pursed her lips and smiled.

What a charming girl.183748

Checking the time on her watch, Sonia noticed that the time was getting late, so she let go of Toby’s arm and said, “Alright now, little girl. We still have things to buy, so let’s end here. We’ll talk if we see each other again. It’s my honor to be able to meet a fan such as yourself.”

Sonia extended her arm.

The girl held her hand in shock. “O-Okay, Miss Reed. It’s my honor to be able to meet you and President Fuller. This is my luckiest day. I hope you two live a happy life.”

She then looked at Toby. “President Fuller, you must treat Miss Reed with all your heart and never let her down, especially the incident concerning that crazy lady from the Lore Family. You should teach her a proper lesson. After all, she wronged Miss Reed. You can’t let her off the hook.”

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Toby smiled. “I won’t.”0

“That’s that, then.” The girl was reluctant to let go of her hand.

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Toby nodded as a promise with the girl.

Fidgeting her fingers, the girl started to draw circles with the tip of her foot as she became shy. “Also…”

“Just say what you want. It’s okay,” Sonia said gently.

After hearing the encouragement, the girl calmed down and clenched her fists before voicing her thoughts, “Can I keep the picture I took earlier? I also want to upload it. I believe that the other fans will be green with envy when they see it. Miss Reed, President Fuller, may I?”

She looked at them carefully with expectant eyes. At that moment, she looked like an adorable tiny animal.

This sight made Sonia reluctant to reject her. Yet, she could not decide on her lonesome, so she turned and looked at the man.

Toby nodded gently at her. “Do what you wish. You don’t need my permission.”

“If you say so. I’ll decide, then?” Sonia smiled.

Toby nodded. “Okay.”

“Great.” Sonia turned back and focused her gaze on the girl. “Keep it if you want; upload it if you wish. But, I have a request.”

Chapter 1108 The Fear of Lynette

Sonia extended her beautiful slender fingers. Seeing this, Toby reached out and held her hand before squeezing it gently with hints of teasing. Sonia, who noted what the man was doing, stared at him.

This b*stard. Taking advantage of me whenever he can. Their actions were witnessed by the girl, who became excited again. Oh my, they’ve started again! They’ve started again!

President Fuller and Miss Reed are being cute again! I feel so blessed today! Excited to the point of fainting, the girl felt giddy as she spoke in an unstable tone, “Miss Reed, regardless of your request, I’ll agree to it. I swear!”

Scared that Sonia might not believe her, she even lifted her palm in the air, making an oath gesture. Laughing, Sonia shook her head. “It’s nothing big. It’s just a simple request. If you upload the picture and include a caption, then please write it as it is. Don’t exaggerate or twist the facts, got it?”

“Got it.” The girl nodded profusely like a chick. “I understand. Don’t worry, Miss Reed. I won’t do anything rash. That’s what those heartless paparazzis will do. I’m a kind person, so I won’t do that.”

“That’s good to know. I don’t have any other requests now. We’ll be leaving now. See you.” Sonia was satisfied with her answer as she smiled even more warmly.

The girl waved. “See you, Miss Reed, President Fuller.”

Toby did not reply whereas Sonia waved back to her. Then, she held his arm and walked toward the vegetables aisle.

Standing at the same spot, the girl could still hear their conversation.

Sonia was asking Toby why he bought so many fruits while he answered that he bought it for her sake since eating fruits was beneficial to her body.

While hearing this, the girl showed a gentle smile with crossed arms and a lowered chin as she mumbled excitedly, “President Fuller is heads over heels for Miss Reed. They are so sweet. This can’t be done. I can’t just enjoy this by myself. I need others to know as well.”

The girl laughed sheepishly before taking her phone out to write about her experience with Toby and Sonia. Then, she uploaded the photo of the two buying fruits together along with a caption.

Since she was an active fan on the forum, she had about over ten thousand followers on her account, who were indeed active and not bot accounts.

Since it was an exclusive and personal post regarding bumping into Sonia and Toby, the fans immediately retweeted upon seeing it.

Soon enough, the topic of Toby and Sonia grocery shopping trended before everyone knew about it.

All of a sudden, everybody was lamenting about how sweet and in-love they looked together.

On the other hand, Lynette, who was abroad, blew her top when she saw the trending topic before she threw her phone at the wall opposite her.

The phone bounced from the wall after it made contact. Flying backward, it crashed onto the ground and shattered into pieces. It was completely out of commission at this point.

Still, it was not enough to quell the rage inside her as she sat on the couch and clutched the pillows while screaming loudly.

After a moment of roaring, her hair and clothes became messed up as she sat there, hunched-back with bloodshot eyes that were staring at the phone on the floor.

This is fake! It has to be!

The post isn’t real!

Toby will never like that woman! Never!

They only married because that woman threatened Toby. Their reconcilement must be because Sonia blackmailed Toby again!

So, there’s no way they have feelings for each other. The smile and gaze Toby has for her must have been faked. It must have been photoshopped.

Sonia must have been the uploader. She must have found someone to take photos of them because of what happened earlier today and uploaded it. Her aim is just to confuse the masses and let them think that they have a solid relationship.

Right! That must have been the case!

Lynette clenched her teeth hard while brainwashing herself constantly since she could not bring herself to believe the reality in front of her, nor could she accept the fact that Toby really had feelings for Sonia.

She had fancied Toby from a young age, but it was not until she grew older did she understand what romance was. From then, she came to understand that she did not treat Toby like a brother or uncle; instead, she liked him as a man.

When she found out that she liked Toby, the only thing on her mind since then was to get married to him and be his wife.

Yet, Toby did not feel the same way. Although she was disappointed, she did not force him to love her, as she thought that he did not like other women at that time, so she had ample time to further their relationship.

Unfortunately, before Toby could fall in love with her, he told her one day that he had a woman he liked and that the woman was his penpal. They had been exchanging letters for many years. He even said that he ‘witnessed’ that woman grow up.

At that moment, she felt as if her world crumbled. She never knew that Toby had a penpal and that he had fallen for the person; she could not accept this.

I have known Toby since we were little. We’ve known each other longer than that penpal of his. Why is it that the person who captured his heart is some penpal that came into his life later than me?

It was then she swore that she would find that person and get rid of her from Toby’s life.

Yet before she could dig her out, Toby actually brought his penpal to Lynette. She was Tina from the Gray family.

This shocked her back then, as she could not believe that that woman was Toby’s penpal. Tina was no saint, for she was crueler than Lynette. Capable of harming the boyfriend she had been together with for three years, Lynette could not figure out why this evil woman managed to charm Toby.

Therefore, she went to Toby and told him that Tina was not as she seemed. However, he got angry, telling her not to spout nonsense before chasing her out from the Fuller Residence. Eventually, she became the butt of everyone’s joke.

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She did not pin this humiliation on Toby. Instead, she pinned it on Tina, who had caused him to treat her worse ever since Tina’s appearance, So, who could she blame except for Tina?

She wanted to expose her facade and let Toby know what kind of woman Tina really was. She wanted to let him know that that woman was undeserving of him, and that only her, Lynette Lore, was the most suitable candidate to be at his side.

However, she did not foresee that Tina was more twisted and terrifying than she predicted, for she nearly died in her hands.

She even managed to grasp her weak point, so Lynette could not act rashly. In the end, Tina threatened her to never appear in front of Toby again.

Out of options, Lynette could only accept the condition begrudgingly in fear that Tina would threaten her again. After that, she made up an excuse to study abroad, all in cover to escape and hide from Tina Gray.0

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Chapter 1109 Old Memories

She really was afraid of Tina. Although she was no saint herself, she still could not bring herself to take a life. Yet, she found that Tina could do it effortlessly, seeing that she could kill her boyfriend of three years. Therefore, one could see how terrifying this woman was.

Not only that, Lynette almost died in her hands the last time she went to find Tina. She figured that if not for the relationship she had with Toby, Tina would have killed her back then. If that had been the case, it would have prompted Harry to have Toby investigate her death. Otherwise, Lynette might have really died in her hands.

All in all, she was absolutely terrified of Tina since then. Thus, she could only escape abroad while still harboring the feelings she had for Toby, all because she could not win against Tina.

However, she did not think that the universe was on her side until she heard that Tina had fallen into a vegetative state after getting into an accident not long after Lynette settled down abroad. Back then, she laughed for a good ten minutes when she heard the news; she even celebrated this fact at a bar the same night.

Since Tina was now in a vegetative state, this meant that there was nothing to fear, so she did not have to stay abroad any longer. She could return anytime and continue to be around Toby, in hopes that he would fall for her.

Yet, before Lynette could return, she heard that there was another woman called Sonia, who blackmailed Toby into marrying her as gratitude for saving Tina from the accident. The most absurd thing is that Toby actually agreed!

When she came to know this, she was so utterly furious that she bought the flight tickets straight away, intending to return.

However, the moment she arrived at the airport, her grandfather called her and stated that the genius doctor, Tim, had gone abroad to further study on neurosurgery and psychiatry in hopes of saving Tina.

Tim was a world-renowned doctor. Although he was still young, his surgery success rate was a hundred percent as he had never failed an operation so far.

Old Master Fuller also informed her that before Tim went abroad, he had people check up on Tina’s condition. After the check-up, he was confident that there was a seventy percent chance of waking Tina up upon the completion of his studies.

This meant that Tina was destined to be healed. During this whole time where Tina was still in a vegetative state, Toby had people move her to a place nobody knew of in order to protect her.

At that moment, Lynette was livid and jealous.

Does Toby really love her this much? Even when she’s in a vegetative state now, he still wishes to protect her from any possible harm.

Also, that genius doctor, Tim. He would actually further his studies just to rescue Tina.

It was as if Tina was the daughter of some God.

Knowing that Tina would eventually wake up, Lynette—albeit reluctantly—could only give up returning home. Eventually, she tore the flight ticket and left the airport.

Although she did not manage to get rid of Sonia who was then married to Toby, she was not in a hurry, for she thought that Sonia would be finished the moment Tina woke up.

As expected, Tina woke up after six years. The instant she woke up, Toby divorced Sonia for Tina.

Hearing this, Lynette found herself happy and troubled at the same time.

The happy thing was that the woman who threatened Toby was finally gone. The troublesome thing was that even though Sonia was gone, Tina was a headache in comparison because she was a nightmare to deal with.

Tina struck fear in Lynette so much that she even wanted to give up on pursuing Toby, for she did not have confidence in winning against such a fearsome woman.

Unexpectedly, Tina and Sonia started to fight just as she was contemplating this.

Her grandfather had been helping her to keep an eye on the two women. She then knew that Tina could not accept the fact that Sonia was married to Toby when she was in her vegetative state, so she repeatedly tried to harm Sonia to her demise.

Catching wind of this made her overjoyed as she could not wait for the women to start fighting amongst themselves.

Although she did not think that Sonia would be able to win against Tina, Lynette knew that Sonia was not a simple woman, judging by how she could threaten Toby into marrying her. She thought that even if Sonia lost against Tina, she would still be able to hurt her somehow.

Then, she might win if she struck right after Sonia defeated her.

Therefore, Lynette had the thought of remaining as a bystander while she held her hand and observed the two women.

The reality was that Sonia was not an easy opponent either, for she could actually survive going against Tina. She even managed to retaliate, which inspired confidence in Lynette, who thought that Sonia might even win.

As expected, the women fought fiercely. Their ploys were all aimed at each other’s life. Though it was only Tina who wanted to kill Sonia with Sonia defending or retaliating, this proved that Sonia had some capability to be able to survive against Tina. In the end, she really did win against Tina and successfully made Toby feel disgust toward her. Canceling the engagement, Toby even managed to find out evidence that Tina was not the real daughter of the Grays, resulting in her expulsion from the family.

Tina, who was completely defeated, not only lost Toby, but she also lost her status as a Gray and became a loner. In the end, she was convicted of her crimes and went insane in prison. Transferred to an asylum, she committed suicide in the end. What a happy ending.

Yet, just as she was feeling joyful of this, Lynette also had chills running down her back. It was because of Sonia.183750

If Sonia could even dominate such a terrifying opponent like Tina and corner her to commit suicide, how scary is she actually?

If she could threaten Toby into marrying her, she might be able to coerce him into reconciliation since Tina is not an obstacle now.

Once again, she was proven correct because not long after Tina’s death, she heard from her grandfather that it was Toby who was courting Sonia. He wanted to get back together with Sonia.

That’s impossible!

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Although Toby did not love Tina in the end, he would never fall in love with Sonia.0

Otherwise, he would have fallen for her the six years they had been married and not after their divorce!

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Perhaps, there’s something nobody knows as to why Toby would court Sonia.

Or, she might have threatened Toby again, forcing him to have no choice but to agree to the reconciliation.

Or, she might even want him to court her due to the six years of cold shoulder he gave her. What a shameless hussy.

Only she knew how much she wanted to go back and help Toby chase away Sonia so that he would not have to live under her oppression.

Yet, this woman gave her pressure that surmounted that of Tina’s, causing her to retreat from causing any conflict.

Thus, Lynette decided to hold it in and observe the situation from abroad since Harry and Grayson also supported her, advising her to not be rash.

Due to the time spent abroad, she grew innately frustrated, especially when she saw articles about what Toby and Sonia were up to. The affection they displayed for each other publicly made her green with envy.

The more she read about it, the more jealous she became. In the end, the feeling of envy forced her hand.

This was the first time she struck, and it was also a testrun for her.

Since she had never gone up against Sonia, she could not gauge how difficult her opponent would be until they were in the battlefield.

Chapter 1110 Sonia’s Coy Act

As such, Lynette could only take the subtlest action to test Sonia’s response. This was also a way for her to figure out Sonia’s defense system and understand her better. As such, this would make things much easier for Lynette in the future to go after Sonia.

With the original assumption that her plan was flawless, Lynette did not expect Toby to take action. Not only did he come forward to clarify that the rumors were untrue, but he also mentioned that he had full confidence that Sonia would never betray him.

This isn’t something that Toby would do! He would never be bothered about the rumors on the internet. However, this time, he actually did something, so there clearly is a problem here. It must be Sonia who forced him by coercion. She even forced him to cut off ties with my family and go after our family. She’s despicable! That Reed woman is much more complicated to deal with than I thought! As Lynette thought about this, she could not help her discontentment and her adorable face was distorted quite hideously.

Subsequently, Lynette shut her eyes and took a deep breath before finally calming down temporarily. Next, she got up from the couch and walked over to the phone that had been smashed to pieces. She picked up the phone and removed the sim card before turning around to walk off to her room. She took out a spare phone from the bedside table in her room and placed the sim card inside, then made a phone call. “How’s everything? Have you sorted out the necessary procedures to enter the country?”

The person on the other end immediately replied, “Yes, everything’s sorted, Miss.”

“Alright. I’ll leave for the airport right away.” Lynette narrowed her eyes and responded to the person on the other end with a sinister-sounding voice.

Finally, I’ll be able to head back! There was an unmistakable crazed and excited look in Lynette’s eyes. Wait and see because this time, once I’m back, I’ll definitely help Toby escape Sonia’s evil clutches! I’ll definitely succeed!

Meanwhile, Sonia was not aware that trouble was about to befall as she was standing in front of the freezer with a pint of ice cream in her hands. She was currently in a tug-of-war with Toby.

In fact, three minutes ago, this was what happened. They were grocery shopping and had already selected some vegetables and meat, so they were about to push their filled cart to the next aisle as they walked past a large freezer stored with an assortment of ice cream. Sonia was attracted by mango-flavored ice cream and she stopped in her tracks to grab a pint of it. Then, she happily placed the ice cream into the cart. As soon as she did that, Toby stretched out his huge hand and removed the ice cream from the cart, then back into the freezer.

Instantly, Sonia felt as if her world had come to a standstill and the elated expression on her face froze too. She glanced at Toby for some time and she was stunned in place.

Finally, she came to her senses just as he reached out to drag her away from the ice cream section. She immediately retrieved her hands from his and pursed her lips tightly as she stared at him with red eyes. “Toby, how dare you remove my ice cream!”

Though he saw her reddened eyes due to the anger, he was exceptionally calm. “You’re not allowed to have this.”

“Why not?” Sonia’s eyes widened and she found his words rather amusing. “If you can’t come up with a reasonable excuse for me, then you can just take the couch tonight.”

As soon as he heard the word ‘couch’, his eyes widened slightly and his expression turned solemn almost instantaneously. “You’re not allowed this for your own good. Have you forgotten that the last time you had something icy, you experienced stomach cramps for the entire night?”

Back then, he had her in his arms and was just about to enjoy a pleasurable night with her when her expression suddenly turned and her countenance became as pale as a sheet. There was a sheen of cold sweat on her forehead and she clutched at her stomach while complaining of pain. Startled by that, Toby found his urges dissipated as he took her into his arms and rushed out of the doors toward the medical center nearby. He was very worried that something bad was about to happen.

Finally, the doctor gave him the diagnosis and her stomach pain was due to the icy stuff that she consumed. In other words, she would be fine after some pain relief and plenty of rest. As soon as he found out the outcome, he heaved a strong relief and could finally feel at ease. From then on, he started to keep close control of her intake of cold stuff.

Fortunately, she was not one who enjoyed icy food, so he did not have to keep tabs on her all the time. However, she suddenly placed a huge pint of ice cream into their shopping cart today right in front of his eyes. As soon as he recalled the torment she experienced during the previous episode of stomach ache, he naturally stepped forward to stop her from eating any ice cream. As such, he removed the ice cream she had added into the trolley without any hesitation and placed it back.

However, he did not expect her to react so badly. Her eyes had turned red instantly and her rage was unmistakable. He started to doubt his actions and wondered whether he had gone too far. Of course, though, the self-doubt that he felt merely lasted for several minutes before he suppressed it. After all, he was doing all this for her own good, so he was fine even if his actions were deemed excessive.

Sonia was originally angry, but as soon as she realized that the reason he discarded her ice cream was because of her stomach ache incident the last time, her anger dissipated instantly.

She was left with no other option because his reason was valid. Even if she was angry about it, she had no way of venting her anger. Furthermore, she found it ridiculous to rage at him as this would make her seem like an ungrateful brat. After all, he was doing all this for her own good. Nonetheless, she had a craving for ice cream, so she felt slightly upset to be denied it.

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Sonia looked at the ice cream, which had been placed back into the freezer, and spoke up earnestly, “I felt uncomfortable after the ice cream last time because I was due for my period, but this time, I’m not. I reckon some ice cream would be fine.”

“No, that’s unacceptable.” Toby maintained a cold expression and rejected her, “I don’t care whether you’re on your period or not. The weather’s too cold for ice cream anyway. Wait till summer arrives.”

“How much longer do I have to wait?” Sonia stretched out her hand. “Can you see this? I would have to wait for at least four to five more months.”

“Four to five months will pass by in a blink of an eye. Be patient.” Toby grabbed her wrist and put down her hand.

Sonia grimaced slightly. “Toby, you’re such a—”0

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“Hmm?” Toby lifted his brows.

Meanwhile, she bit her lips in response and clung to his arms as she started to shake his arm while behaving coyly. “Toby, don’t be mean. Let me take one pint. Just one will be enough.”0

As she spoke, she lifted one finger with a pleading look in her eyes. “I’ll honestly just take one pint. I won’t be greedy and ask for more. Besides, I wouldn’t finish this pint in one go. I would definitely take a while to go through this, so it would be alright even if the weather’s cold.”

“No.” Toby took a look at the woman, who was clinging to his arms, behaving coyly. Despite his wavering heart, he maintained a stern front.

He had to resist her wiles and avoid giving in to her coy behavior for her own good.

Naturally, Toby felt slightly regretful because he secretly hoped that she could have shown her coy side to ask for something other than this. However, regretfully, this was what she was after.

As soon as Sonia saw his unwavering look, for a moment there, she doubted her attractiveness. This man here is usually unable to resist my ways, but why is he so determined today? Hmph! I don’t believe that this is his actual self. I’ll wait and see whether he’s truly determined or merely putting up an act.

Sonia’s eyes roved around before a glint flashed across her eyes as she clung tighter to his arms. She inched closer and nuzzled his arm with her heaving chest. Not only did she increase her efforts to woo him, but she also spoke in a much more seductive voice than before, “Toby, please. It’s just a pint. We should get one, alright? Please, let’s just get one?”

As she nuzzled against his arm, she lifted her head to look at him and fluttered her pretty eyes at him.

At that point, he took a deep breath and pursed his lips tightly soon after that as the vein on his temple swelled and pulsated. The hand gripping on the cart handle tightened significantly and his veins protruded clearly.

Evidently, this time, Sonia’s action of wooing him had landed a huge impact on him to the point that he could no longer control himself. He could only force himself to draw upon his willpower and resist the temptation. As a result, the sweat pooled on his forehead as he resisted.