Ch. 1161..1170

Chapter 1161 Back to the Bedroom for Some Mingling

“I didn’t see anything!” Toby replied through slightly parted thin lips, but his eyes didn’t move away from the woman’s softness. Sonia immediately felt her temper flare at his reply. Shameless prick! Why are you not moving your eyes away from me, then?!

Not only are you not looking away, you are blatantly staring at me! And it will probably be fine if you are looking, but you are lying through your teeth with your eyes wide open! What are you if you are not shameless?!

“Toby Fuller!” Her voice became louder as she yelled the man’s name. Hearing that, he only blinked and asked, “What is the matter?”199268

The corner of her mouth twitched. What is the matter? Is this dirty dog really asking her that?!

“Get your eyes away from me, and stop looking as you please!” she yelled, her face flushed. A hint of humor flashed across his eyes at that. “I am not looking as I please, though.”

“Are you really saying that?! If that is so, where are you looking at now?” Her arms wrapped tighter across her chest. He smiled and retorted, “You are my woman. It is normal for me to look at you, so I am not really looking ‘as I please’, am I? I can only look ‘as I please’ if I was looking at some other women. Understood?”

Sonia was so angry she was at a loss for words, and she only found her voice again after a long minute. “Toby Fuller, you and your lame arguments and perverted logic! That is just nonsense!”

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“It can’t be helped.” He chuckled in a low voice. “It is my wife’s fault for being attractive. I couldn’t help but steal another glance. Surely you won’t blame me for it? You are the one who has tickled my fancy after all!”0

He kept gazing at her with his deep eyes.

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As Sonia listened to the coquettish words coming out of the innocent-looking man, she felt her eyelids twitch. “Don’t give me that. You are saying it is my fault even though you are the one who is looking at me with those perverted eyes. Are you going to say that I seduced you?”

“Nope.” Toby shook his head. “It is because you are overwhelmingly charming. That is why I couldn’t help but look at you.”

“You could have just looked at my face then! Why did you look… there?!” Her face was so flushed it looked as though blood could seep through her skin any second now.

Toby’s arms only tightened around her waist as he commented without hesitation, “I couldn’t help it. Also, don’t you think you have gotten bigger there?”

“You—” Her pupils dilated and a surprised look appeared on her face.

He actually noticed as well!

Sonia was quite pleased when she realized that she had grown a little bit there.

However, she wasn’t so happy as to let him notice it as well.

Sonia knew that she wouldn’t be the one who was happy as once Toby realized it, he would be the one who was delighted instead.

Seeing her turn quiet as she flushed red, he seemed to have understood her thoughts as the smile in his eyes almost overflowed. “You must have noticed it as well. Well, it is your body after all. You should be the first one to be aware of it. But, my Little Leaf, haven’t you thought about why you got bigger there?”

She shrank back warily. “What are you trying to do? I am telling you, Toby, no matter what the reason is for them to grow, it has nothing to do with you, so let me go. I am going back.”

She began to struggle against his hold as she spoke.

However, she couldn’t possibly get out of his iron grip.

Not only did she not free herself from him after what seemed like an eternity of squirming, she had ended up tiring herself out.

“We are not returning to the Bayside Residence tonight. Let’s just stay here in the old manor,” he informed her while still keeping his arms around her.

His words made her stop. “What? We are not going home?”

“Mhm.” He nodded. “Grandma already had Madam Mary prepare a room for us before we came here. It would disappoint Grandma if we didn’t stay and left instead. She is hoping we will stay and have breakfast with her tomorrow.”

“Why didn’t I know about this?” Sonia asked, confused.

“Grandma decided it is too small an issue to tell you. She wanted to have someone bring us over when it is time to rest. Also, it is late. She wouldn’t feel at ease about letting us go on the road. Little Leaf, you won’t let Grandma down, will you?” Toby looked at Sonia with narrowed eyes.

Pressing her red lips together, she finally let out a huff. “I am doing this for Grandma, okay? I wouldn’t even bother listening if you were the one who wanted to stay.”

“I knew just how filial you are, Little Leaf. It just so happens that the room is ready. Let’s go over there. I will take the chance to tell you why you have gotten bigger ‘here’ as well.”

After Toby said that, he didn’t even wait for Sonia to respond before he bent his knees and picked her up like a bride, thereafter walking forward to the bedroom that was just ahead.

She only came to her senses after he took a few steps. Eyes wide, she gasped, “Toby! What are you doing?! Let me down!”

“No can do. How can I let you go so easily after I have finally picked you up?” He held her with firm arms and continued to walk forward with steady steps. Neither his stance nor steps were affected because of her struggle.

Obviously, for him, she couldn’t faze him no matter how hard she squirmed against him. He could still hold her firmly in his arms.

As for Sonia, she would have felt the safest in Toby’s embrace like this if it wasn’t because he was bringing her to do the deed with him.

Unfortunately, she didn’t feel any sense of security at this exact moment—she was only filled with panic.

“Toby Fuller, I am warning you. You had better stop. I—”

She hadn’t even finished her sentence when she felt her back hit a soft surface.

Subconsciously, Sonia turned her head, only to see that the man had carried her into the bedroom when she was in the midst of struggling and she had now been placed on the soft, big bed.

All this had happened so quickly she didn’t even notice a thing.

It was only now that she had realized how close the bedroom was to the corridor they were in previously.

When Toby saw her freeze suddenly, he leaned over to hover over her and gently played with her hair, his voice gruff and sensual. “What is on your mind?” he purred.

She swiftly snapped back to reality, where she happened to stare right into the man’s zoomed in, handsome face.

As her body tensed up, Sonia instinctively tried to sink into the bed.

However, there already was a velvety quilt behind her that stopped her from shrinking back. She only continued to stay in his arms.

“I-It is nothing. Quickly get up, Toby. I definitely won’t do ‘that’ with you tonight!” She placed her palms on his chest and gave him a light push.

Hearing that, he lowered his gaze and looked back at her. “Why not? I haven’t ‘mingled’ with you—”

“Stop!” She immediately covered his mouth. “Who told you I want to mingle with you? And I don’t want to know how I got bigger there. Anyway, get up! We are at the old manor. Grandma will know if we do something like that here! It will be so embarrassing!”

Even though Toby didn’t seem all that ashamed about it, Sonia definitely was worried that Rose would make fun of her for it.

“What is there to be embarrassed about?” he nonchalantly asked as he slid his arms around her waist. Not only did he not get up, he no longer half-supported his weight, and had pressed his torso against hers.

Needless to say, Toby putting all his weight on Sonia had added so much pressure on her that she almost couldn’t catch a breath.

“Toby, you—”

“Little Leaf, why don’t you guess the reason Grandma only gave us a room for the both of us instead of one room each?” He cut her off while she was about to complain by asking her the question with a half-smile.

His words caught her off-guard as Sonia came to the realization that Rose indeed didn’t get them two rooms.

It wasn’t like Toby and Sonia hadn’t stayed overnight at the old manor before.

And even back then, they seemed to have stayed in one bedroom together as well.

The only difference between then and now was that they didn’t have anything going on between them last time, which was also why Sonia didn’t think there was any problem with the arrangement.

Is this the sequelae of me getting used to sleeping with him? she quietly lamented.

Sonia was so used to it to the point where everyone, herself included, thought it wasn’t a problem for them to stay in the same room even though they hadn’t remarried each other.

Not only that, it seemed like it was only natural for them to do what they did in the bedroom.

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Chapter 1162 She Still Ended Up Compromising

When Toby saw the glint in Sonia’s eyes as she stayed quiet, he lightly nibbled her ear. “It seems like you have finally understood, baby.”

She grumpily turned her head sideways. “So what? Even if Grandma and the rest of them don’t mind us doing… that here, I won’t agree to it no matter what.”

“And why is that?” He looked at her with a frown. Her red lips were tightly pressed together before she replied, “This isn’t my territory, after all. I am still going to feel embarrassed about it.”

So that is why. Toby chuckled. “How is this not your territory? You are the future wife of the Fuller Family’s head of household, and the old manor’s next mistress. This is definitely your territory. And since it is your territory, what could you possibly be worried about? Are you saying that other married couples don’t do the nasty if they live with the rest of their family?”0

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“This sounds like a straw man fallacy to me,” she remarked, the corners of her mouth twitched.

“Not at all.” He solemnly shook his head. “I am just stating the facts.”0

Sonia scoffed in response. “Aren’t you saying all this just because you want to do it?”

“So, baby…” Toby chuckled without giving a straightforward answer. “Are we doing it?”

“No—”

Sonia had just uttered one word when her lips were lightly pecked by the man.

As her eyes went wide, Toby caressed her face and teased, “I am sure Grandma wants us to be lovey-dovey by arranging for us to stay in the same room. She will be disappointed if we don’t do anything.”

His words earned him an eye roll. “Enough, Toby. Don’t try to use Grandma as your token of authority. Even if she did make us stay in the same room, she wouldn’t concern herself about what we do in the room, and she definitely wouldn’t be disappointed. After all, why would she be disappointed about something like this? You are just bringing Grandma into the conversation so that I compromise.”

There was no way Sonia didn’t know the kind of person Toby was.

Despite his thoughts being exposed, he refused to give up as he let out another laugh. “Fine, I did intentionally bring up Grandma. She wishes for us to be sweet to one another, and she wouldn’t ask even if we didn’t do anything. However, there is one thing I know for sure.”

“What is it?” Sonia blinked curiously.

His gaze suddenly became deeper as he looked at her. “That is, if we really don’t do anything, Grandma will surely doubt if I can get the deed done when tomorrow comes. So tell me, Little Leaf—do you want people to doubt your man’s abilities?”

She first froze at his answer, and she swiftly giggled. “You think too much. Grandma wouldn’t possibly—”

Toby cut her off before she finished her words again. “Of course Grandma would, which is why we shouldn’t give her the chance to make fun of your man by proving that I can do it well, hmm?”

After he threw that out, he pulled the quilt over their bodies.

Sonia only saw her vision turn black before she stopped seeing anything. Subconsciously, she pushed the man on her. “Toby Fuller, you—mmph!”

However, he had already made up his mind to shake the sheets with her, so how could he give her the chance to continue whining for him to let go of her?

The moment Sonia opened her mouth, Toby took the chance to steal a kiss, and swallowed all the words that were about to leave her lips.

Indeed, he had no intention of letting her off easy tonight.

He wouldn’t let her go no matter what she did.

Toby had decided from the moment he entered Rose’s bedroom and saw Sonia’s alluring face that he was going to gobble her all up tonight.

After all, her being so deliciously coquettish was a rare sight for him. He didn’t even know when was the next time he could see her behaving this way again.

They proceeded to spend the night getting tangled up with each other.

Sonia was reluctant at first. She couldn’t ignore the pressure of doing something like this with Toby at the old manor.

However, her layers of defense were gradually lowered after he slowly approached her. She was finally under him by the end of it. It felt as though she was so lost in the pleasure the man brought her she couldn’t get out of it anymore.

It went on until the second half of the night when she couldn’t even seem to recall where she was. All that Sonia had in her head was Toby and the sensations he made her feel.

She had to admit that he had good skills.

In fact, it was so good she could do nothing but enjoy it. She didn’t even have the energy or sense to care about anything else.

It was a long, long night.

Sonia had passed out and woke up more times than she could remember.

The only thing that she knew was that the man was still not done whenever she woke up.

Even though she had begged him to let her go, he would always reassure her in that gentle voice of his that it was going to be the last round.

But then…

“You liar!” She could no longer hold on this time. With her last ounce of strength left, she squeezed those two words out before she completely lost consciousness.

Toby only raised his eyebrows as his eyes showed a contented smile. He admitted that he was a liar.

Because if he didn’t lie, he wouldn’t have gotten to enjoy all the benefits that he had from lying.

So yes, he was proud to be a liar in this case.

Looking at the sleeping woman, he took pity on her while he pressed a kiss on her sweat-drenched forehead. “Sleep tight,” he breathed. “This really is the last time.”

With that, he sunk his body onto hers again…

At 8.00AM the next day, Mary helped Rose out of the room and into the dining hall to enjoy the day’s breakfast.

By the time Rose took her seat, the dining table was already filled with a variety of food. It almost seemed enough for them to open a small breakfast shop.

After Rose took the chamomile tea Mary brought for her and took a sip, she let out a contented smile while looking at the table of breakfast. “Not bad. Zara’s cooking skills have improved yet again.”

“Indeed. She is from the south, and she is good at making southern-style breakfast. But now she is also good at making pastries from the north.” Mary then continued, “We have so many types of food prepared. Miss Reed will be happy when she sees this later. I am sure she will also be moved that you specially asked the kitchen to prepare these for her, Old Mrs. Fuller.”

“Sonny and Toby have been divorced for half a year. She and I seldom eat together as well. On top of that, her temperament has changed a lot, so I guess her taste has also changed. Since I don’t know what kind of breakfast she likes, I went ahead and asked the chef to make a portion of the most famous breakfast in the north and south. We won’t have to worry then. Sonny can eat whatever she wants,” Rose said with a smile.

Seeing her smile made Mary let out a smile of her own as well. “Right, but this seems a tad too much. What are we going to do if we can’t finish it all?”

“We will just eat as much as we can, and wrap up the clean leftovers for the strays out on the streets. We are not being wasteful that way.” Rose proceeded to put down her tea cup. She had had everything planned out.

“Sounds good.” Mary nodded in agreement.

As the elderly women chatted, their conversation only revolved around how they prepared the breakfast for Sonia. They hadn’t mentioned Toby from the beginning until the end.

In other words, Toby, much to his pleasant surprise, had been forgotten by his own grandmother again.

At this point, she might not even have tried to prepare something Toby liked even if she hadn’t forgotten about him.

To Rose, Toby was but a punk who could get by just eating whatever. There was no need for her to specially prepare anything for him.

She couldn’t possibly pamper him!

“Oh, it is almost 9.00AM, but Young Master Toby and Miss Reed are still in their room.” After placing the teapot back on the table, Mary glanced at the time before looking at Rose to ask, “Old Mrs. Fuller, should I get them to come down for breakfast?”

Rose swiftly grabbed her hand as a knowing smile lingered on her face. “There’s no need for that. They probably are still asleep. The youngsters are always so vigorous. I am sure they are tired. We will let them sleep longer.”

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Chapter 1163 Rose Fuller’s Disdain

These words successfully made Mary halt and laugh. “Yes, yes. This poor memory of mine! I forgot that the young couple stayed together last night. They must have been too tired for them to not come down after so long.”

“Which is why we should let them sleep,” Rose replied while releasing her grip on Mary. Still, Mary sighed regretfully. “You were quite happy yesterday about having breakfast with the young master and Miss Reed today, but…”

“It is no big deal.” Rose waved nonchalantly. “Even though they aren’t joining me for breakfast, they can have lunch with me instead. If we went according to the initial plan, they would leave right after we have breakfast together. At least they can stay with me until noon now. I am still the one who is gaining from this.”

Mary covered her mouth and let out a chuckle. “You sure are a deviser, Old Mrs. Fuller.” “Right?” Rose proudly lifted her chin. Mary finally felt more relieved when she saw how happy Rose was instead of feeling down because Toby and Sonia hadn’t joined her for breakfast.

“Enough with that. Let’s not concern ourselves with anything else. Come, Mary. Sit down, and we shall start with breakfast.” Rose patted the seat beside her.

Mary responded with a hum as she unhesitantly sat on the chair that Rose indicated her to sit on. Rose and Mary had surpassed the mistress-servant relationship a long time ago. They were now best friends, or even family.

That was why they often had meals together. Mary naturally wouldn’t reject Rose’s offer after the latter had invited her to sit down and have breakfast.

As the elderly women happily chatted while they enjoyed their breakfast, Toby and Sonia, on the other hand, were still lying in bed, sound asleep in each other’s arms.

Sonia was so worn out from last night that she didn’t wake up despite the late hour.

As for Toby, he was still asleep now because he slept late last night.

They didn’t seem like they would wake up before the afternoon.

After breakfast, Mary helped Rose as they took a stroll in the garden to help with their digestion.

It was already 9.30AM now.

Mary seemed to think about something before she turned to Rose and suggested, “Old Mrs. Fuller, should I get the chef to cook some rejuvenating soup for Young Master Toby?”

“Oh?” Hearing that, Rose raised her eyebrows quizzically.

Mary then continued, “Think about it. They must have had a wild night for them to still be asleep now. Although it is normal for young people to not hold themselves back, I am afraid it will be hard on their body if this goes on, so I was thinking of making some healthy soup for the young master.”

“Makes sense.” Rose nodded. “Toby is 30 years old now. He is not that young anymore. It is about time he takes healthier food. Sonny will be the one who suffers if he doesn’t.”

The corners of Mary’s lips twitched at that.

How is Miss Reed the one who is going to suffer? she mused.

Isn’t it going to be harder on Young Master Fuller?

Having a physical ‘disability’ was a fatal blow to any man.

It was something that could make men feel inferior and depressed.

Of course, Mary might think that, but she didn’t say it out loud and only nodded. “Then let’s have the chef cook some soup suitable for men for the young master, and another healthy soup for Miss Reed. Since the children don’t know how to control themselves, we, the elderly, should do something for them.”

“That is true. As long as they are in good health, it won’t be long before they give me grandkids!” Rose giggled.

Mary also happily agreed with her words, but she soon let out a regretful sigh when she thought of something. “It was unfortunate that Miss Reed had a miscarriage. Otherwise, that child would have been born in about three or four months.”

Hearing this, Rose also lamented as the smile on her face faded slightly. “So is life. Toby hadn’t gotten out of the hypnosis then, and he didn’t know that the person he really loved was Sonny. Sonny was also so disappointed in him that she no longer loved him. Even though she accidentally conceived, there was no way she would want to keep that child in that situation.”

Rose didn’t know that the child Sonia was pregnant with was aborted because Sonia had been poisoned by Carl.

The elderly woman really thought that Sonia had aborted the baby at her own discretion.

Even though she never once blamed Sonia for it and even understood why Sonia did it, Rose still couldn’t help thinking it was a pity.

If the child had been born, Rose might actually be able to see the fourth generation of the Fuller Family before she herself passed on.

She could have described to her husband about the child’s appearance when she arrived in the afterworld.

But just like she said, so was life.

It was a pity that an old lady like her might be fated to never see what she wanted to see.

“It is all that damn Tina Gray’s fault. Young Master Toby and Miss Reed wouldn’t have to go through all those hardships if it wasn’t for her. They might even have several children by now,” Mary spat angrily.

Hearing that, Rose lightly patted Mary on the back of her hands and forced a smile. “Alright, alright. Let’s not talk about this. Tell the chef to cook soup for the two of them so that they can have some right after they wake up.”

“Aye, I am going to inform the chef now.” Mary nodded. “Please sit here for a moment, Old Mrs. Fuller. I will be back in a jiffy.”

Rose proceeded to wave her away and teased, “Go on. This is my own house. Don’t tell me you don’t feel safe about letting me sit by myself in my house.”

“How can I not worry? I am just…”

Worried that your body has been getting weaker with age. What if you fall down after I leave?

Mary parted her lips, but she didn’t say the words she was going to tell Rose.

It was too heart-wrenching for her.

However, Rose and Mary had been each other’s companion for decades now. They could easily tell what each other was thinking with just a look.

Even if Mary didn’t finish her sentence, Rose still figured out what she had in mind. Quietly sighing, she reassured Mary, “Okay, okay. Off you go.”

Mary looked at her with a worried gaze for a moment, but she finally nodded and left.

She walked away with wide strides, and it didn’t take long before her walk turned into a jog.

Not knowing how to feel about the sight, Rose muttered softly, “Oh, Mary…”

“Old Mrs. Fuller.” Just as she was chuckling to herself, another servant approached her.

Rose then turned toward the servant when she heard the servant call out to her. “What’s the matter?” she asked.

“Old Mrs. Fuller, Madam White is here.” The servant was standing outside the gazebo in the garden reporting to Rose, in which Rose immediately pulled a frown. “What is she doing here?”

“Madam White didn’t elaborate on that.” The servant shook her head. “But she said that she came for you, Old Mrs. Fuller. She seems to have something to talk to you about.”

Rose pouted in disdain. “Got it. Let her come here.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The servant then turned around and left.

Rose’s mood instantly turned right then.

She had lived a long life where there were a lot of people she disliked, and somehow Jean was the only one that she hated to the point of not wanting to speak to her.

Of course, her ‘hatred’ wasn’t the conventional kind of hatred. It was more like Rose had a distaste for Jean.

After all, Jean was her in-law no matter what. Furthermore, Jean wasn’t a third-party that got in between Rose’s son and her previous daughter-in-law in the real sense.

In other words, Rose didn’t hate Jean. She merely found it disdainful how the latter was a vulgar, idiotic, and snobbish woman.

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It wasn’t as though Rose didn’t try to teach Jean to become a true noble and wealthy lady back when Jean had just entered the Fuller household.

Somehow, Rose, who had led a smooth-sailing life, first had a taste of failure when she tried to deal with Jean.

It was all Jean’s fault for being someone who was better kept hidden than shown to the public.

Not only that, she was also a blockhead who was completely impossible to teach.

Rose could swear that she had hired more than 10 teachers in order to train and change Jean so that she would leave her vulgarity and bad habits behind.0

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For some reason, none of those teachers could teach Jean into becoming a proper human being. It was astoundingly perplexing to Rose how someone as bone-headed as Jean existed.

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Chapter 1164 Meeting Jean Again.

It was probably because Rose saw clearly how Jean was impossible to teach as time went by that she eventually gave up on the idea of ​​​​disciplining and teaching Jean well into behaving like a real wealthy lady.

Rose would be able to put up with anything else as long as Jean didn’t cause trouble and make the Fuller Family a joke. However, even this small wish of hers couldn’t be fulfilled.

A person with a personality like Jean’s was destined to never stay put peacefully. Sure enough, Rose would occasionally hear all kinds of news about how Jean was making trouble or a joke out of herself outside, or how she was spending a lot of money on nonsense, and so on.

All in all, Rose’s health had probably deteriorated because of the constant headache she had from Jean’s antics in the past 10 years. It was also because of this that her dislike for Jean continued to grow.

Rose couldn’t understand how a species as rare as Jean existed on the surface of earth. And it was exactly this woman who had caught the fancy of Rose’s son.

Right when Rose was still deep in her thoughts, she heard a burst of hurried footsteps before Jean’s voice came from behind, sounding as if she was trying to butter up Rose. “Good morning, Mother.”

Rose’s face was dark when she turned around. She was suddenly extremely upset when she saw how chubby Jean was. “You seemed to have put on a lot of weight,” she commented as her eyes scrutinized Jean.

Indeed, Jean did put on a lot of weight. The last time Rose and Jean met was about two months ago. Even though Jean had always been on the heavier side, at least she could still completely open her eyes then. This time, however, the most she could do was bring her eyes to half their size.

Rose could see how ridiculously chubbier Jean was in just a matter of two months. Putting her weight aside, what the heck is up with her outfit?! Rose grumbled to herself.

Jean was chubby from head to toe, and yet she was wearing tight-fitting clothes that put her layers of fat on full display. It was as if she was afraid that people couldn’t see how meaty she was.

Again, putting the form-fitting clothes aside, what in the world is that horrendous color combination she has on?!

Jean had a total of at least six or seven colors from head to toe, and she paired her outfit with a mink coat.

It was a wonder how she could wear something so painful to look at in the public.

Oblivious to the disdain and complaints Rose had about her, Jean let out a bashful smile when she heard Rose comment about how she had gotten plumper. “It is… just a minor weight gain.”

“Minor?!” Rose was stunned by her shamelessness. “Look at the meat on your face. It jiggles when you speak. I fear I won’t be able to even see your eyes if you keep putting on weight!”

“Surely you are exaggerating, Mother?” Jean lowered her head to look at herself.

She admitted that she has indeed gained weight recently, but she won’t get that fat!

Anyway, Jean had faith that she wouldn’t put on that much weight.

“Fine, if you say so. I can’t tell you what to do anyway. Do as you please. Just don’t whine about how you regret your life choices in the end when you have high blood sugar, or high lipids or high blood pressure. And don’t go looking for Toby. Don’t think I don’t know how he has been urging you to lose weight and go for check-ups regularly with the medical team and weight loss team he arranged for you. You, on the other hand, are going against his words behind his back. You actually dismissed everyone after he moved out of the Fuller Residence since he can’t keep an eye on you!” Rose huffed coldly.

Upon hearing that, Jean lowered her head out of guilt. “I… I didn’t want to do that either. After all, Toby did that because he is filial. But Mother, if only you knew that kind of weight loss plan those demons customized for me! They really do try their absolute best to keep any food that has taste out of my meals! My energy was depleted after I ate that for three days. Also, the medical team kept making me do yoga every day, so much so that my bones were almost bent! That was why I—”

“Enough.” Rose impatiently waved to cut her off. “You always have a reason. It is your body after all. Why should an old lady like me who is going to die anytime now care if you don’t even care about your own body? I would rather you tell me about what is up with your outfit today. Is this what your fashion coordinator put together for you?”

Rose was curious to see who it was that was so irresponsible to coordinate such an ugly combination of clothes together.

She was going to have that person fired straight away after she knew who it was.

Jean would be nothing but a joke to the public if people were to see her clothes.

Rose even had suspicions that the fashion coordinator was a spy for someone else.

In a way, this daughter-in-law of hers was the target of envy of many women within the circle. After all, Jean, who married into the Fuller Family with that background of hers and had a filial stepson, was considered a winner in life.

Therefore, Rose had always known that there were many younger women within the circle who harassed Jean both openly and behind her back throughout all these years.

Jean’s existence caused an emotional imbalance within these juniors, as they thought that even daughters of wealthy families like that couldn’t compete with a vulgar, poor woman.

That was why it was possible that it was those juniors who had arranged the fashion coordinator for Jean to deliberately make the woman wear ugly clothes so that she would be the butt of the joke.

Jean touched the mink vest on her shoulders, but she didn’t seem to understand what Rose meant. Thinking that Rose was complimenting her outfit today, she giggled cheerfully. “This wasn’t done by a fashion coordinator. I did this myself. It is pretty nice, don’t you think so, Mother?”

Rose was about to faint from the blood that rushed to her head. “You did this yourself?” she repeated.

“Mhm!” Jean still hadn’t noticed the severity of the issue as she straightened her chubby body, a proud expression appearing on her face.

Rose could only hear the buzzing in her ears at this point.199272

Fine, she sighed. I unfairly judged those juniors with my own wicked eyes.

They are much kinder than I imagined them to be. They didn’t plant a spy this time.

Jean is probably the one who is a spy of the Fuller Family.

Seeing how Rose suddenly fell silent and brought a hand up to hold her forehead in discomfort, Jean quickly stepped forward and panickedly asked, “Mother? What’s wrong?”

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Even though Jean didn’t like her mother-in-law very much, Rose had never treated her ill, and would always leave her be. Despite not liking her, Jean was still willing to care about Rose.0

“Don’t come over!” As though she had seen a ghost, Rose quickly stretched out a hand to stop her when she saw Jean walk toward her.

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Jean subconsciously stopped in her tracks upon hearing that. “What is the matter?”

“Your outfit. It is hard on the eyes. You are a little too close, so step back. My eyes hurt.” Rose disdainfully waved her off.

Jean then dropped her head to look at her clothes before her expression turned gloomy.

My outfit looks great, though. Why would it be hard on the eyes?

Even though she was unhappy, she still obediently took a few steps back.

They were in the old manor now. She wouldn’t be able to prove herself innocent if something were to happen to Rose.

Rose finally heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Jean obediently back off. She then frowned and asked in a solemn voice, “Who said you can match this outfit yourself? It is fine if you wear it, but you are wearing it outside of home! Are you not satisfied yet with how much of a joke you have made out of the Fuller name?”

Jean immediately got upset after hearing those words. “What is wrong with my outfit, Mother? What is so funny about this? I look amazing! Also, I am Mrs. Fuller, after all. Who would dare joke about me?”

“Who would dare joke about you, you say?” Rose sneered. “Let me tell you—there are way too many who have laughed at you. They only don’t do it in your face because of your status. They talk about everything behind your back. As for your outfit, how is that ‘amazing’?! It is so ugly it will break the ugliness meter if there was one. And what are you thinking by coordinating your outfit yourself when you have a fashion coordinator?”

Chapter 1165 Speak for the Lore Family

Rose’s hand was shaking as she pointed at Jean angrily. Jean, on the other hand, was still indignant about Rose’s comment. She thought her outfit today looked absolutely ravishing.

However, much to her disappointment, Rose actually thought that it was an outfit so much of an eyesore it was bad enough to embarrass the Fuller name. Just like that, her pride and confidence were shattered in that instant. Rose could already guess what Jean was thinking when she fell quiet.

Massaging her temples to soothe her headache, Rose muttered, “Alright, enough of this. I don’t care what you think about this outfit. After you go back, you had better change out of this outfit immediately. You are not allowed to wear it ever again, let alone match your outfit by yourself. Don’t bite off more than you can chew if you don’t have the skills.

How shameless of you! Jean, I am saying it now, but if I find out that you secretly match your own clothes and make a fool out of yourself in public, don’t blame me for giving you corporal punishment the Fuller way. Do you hear me?!”

Corporal punishment? Jean opened her eyes in disbelief. She could only open her eyes halfway at first, and it was probably because of the fright she had upon hearing Rose’s words that her eyes actually opened all the way.

However, it was precisely because they were fully opened that the fat on her face tensed up, making it look as though her facial features had shifted. Pairing her face with her outfit, she was the epitome of an eyesore.

Seeing this, Rose looked away in disgust. “Jean White, did you hear what I said?” “I-I heard you,” Jean stammered as her body trembled. She knew that Rose was not the kind of person who liked to joke around.

Even though Jean hadn’t personally experienced the corporal punishment, she had seen how Homer had been caned in order to marry her. She had also seen how Toby was caned because of Sonia.

Having the skin split open was the lightest injury they had. She could even lose her life if she wasn’t strong enough to put up with it. With her life on the line, Jean could only listen to Rose as she wasn’t brave enough to go against her.

Rose’s expression only returned to normal when Jean listened to her. “That is good. Also, go back to Fuller Residence right away after you leave. You are not allowed to wander around. If you dare let anyone see your outfit, just you wait and see what happens.”

“I wouldn’t dare do that!” Jean immediately blurted out while shaking her head. “Hmph. That is that, then. Now what is the reason you came here for me? You don’t usually come for months. It must be something important for you to come now, huh?”

Upon hearing that, Jean let out an embarrassed giggle before she walked toward Rose and sat down in front of her. “Mother, the thing is, the Lore Family called right after I woke up this morning.”

“What did you say?” Rose frowned as she came to a pause in the midst of drinking her tea. “The Logans?”

Failing to notice how Rose’s expression gradually became cold, Jean swiftly answered, “Yup. Amelia Lestrange from the Lore Family.”

Amelia Lestrange was Lynette’s mother’s full name. Rose scoffed when she heard those words. “Did Mrs. Lore call you to have you plead for Toby’s mercy on their behalf?”

Jean immediately spotted a surprised look on her face. “How did you know that, Mother?” “How can I not know?” Rose heavily placed the teacup on the stone table, the solemnity making Jean shudder.

Staring at Jean with a deep gaze, Rose continued, “The Internet was abuzz with the news the day before yesterday. The daughter of the Lore Family deliberately created a scandal about Sonny to make Toby misunderstand Sonny and break up with her so that she herself had the chance to get together with Toby.

Even though Toby and Sonny resolved this issue quickly, the impact is still there. Based on Toby’s feelings for Sonny, there is no way he could tolerate anyone who treated her this way. As expected, he immediately chose to break ties with the Lore Family, but the Lore Family have always depended on our family and Toby to survive.

I am sure even someone as dumb as you can guess what would happen to the Lore Family if Toby parted ways with them. Of course they would try their best to recover their relationship with Toby. Since they can’t get through to Toby, they want to start with the people around instead. I was the first person they came to.”

“What?!” Jean exclaimed in shock. “I wasn’t the first one they contacted? I am the second one?” “No, you are not even the second one,” Rose threw out. Jean’s face quickly froze. “Huh? I am not even the second one?”

Seeing Rose nonchalantly raise her chin, Jean had a feeling of impending doom as she blinked her pea-sized eyes. “Mother, who is the second person, then?”

It can’t be that woman, can it?”

Gulping, she unwillingly made a guess. Rose looked at her with a half smile. “Don’t you already know the answer? Why are you asking me that?”

“It is Sonia Reed, isn’t it?!” Jean sucked in a cold mouthful of air. “Mm,” Rose replied. “That is right. Sonny was the second person.” With that, Jean was so enraged her chubby cheeks almost turned green. Oh, I am so, so mad! The Lore Family actually contacted Sonia Reed?!

I have nothing to say if they looked for Mother. After all, she is Toby’s grandmother. She is the one with the highest authority in the Fuller Family. It makes sense for them to contact Mother. But why Sonia Reed of all people?!

It was fine that the Lore Family contacted Sonia, but they actually contacted Sonia right under Jean’s nose! That could only mean one thing—to the Lore Family, Jean, the legal wife of one of the Fullers’, wasn’t even on the same level as the woman who wasn’t even officially a part of the family.

The Lore Family was blatantly humiliating Jean!

Rose, on the other hand, was in a great mood when she saw how Jean’s face had twisted from anger. “What is wrong? You’re mad?”

Jean had her fists clenched when she spat, “Of course I am mad! The Lore Family have gone overboard. They think I am below Sonia Reed!”

“You are indeed less important to Toby than Sonny is to him. Didn’t you already know that?” As Rose kept rubbing salt on Jean’s wound, the younger woman stomped angrily and cried, “Mother!”

“Gosh, stop calling me that. You scurrying here means that you have promised the Lore Family to beg for Toby’s mercy, no?” Rose glanced at her with cold eyes.

Seeing Rose’s gaze immediately made Jean lower her head as shame washed over her. “Um…”

“Since they can make you agree to make this trip with a single phone call, it must mean that the Lore Family are very important to you. If you treat them with such importance, you shouldn’t get angry about how they treat you. After all, you did ask for it,” Rose mocked.

Jean looked as though she was uncomfortable with Rose’s words. “The Lore Family is important to me because they are the family of Toby’s teacher. I wouldn’t have agreed otherwise. I just never thought that they would treat me this way despite how much I respect them. They didn’t even contact me first before contacting Sonia. I am not even as important as an outsider like Sonia is to them.”

Jean wouldn’t have agreed in the first place if she had known that the Lore Family would behave this way.

As Rose looked at Jean blowing her top, the former didn’t sympathize with her, and even thought that Jean deserved it. “You reap what you sow. The Lore Family had only taken your enthusiasm to help them all this while for granted. Do you see the consequences of your actions now?”

When Jean didn’t utter a reply, Rose huffed again. “Also, Sonny isn’t an outsider. She is the future wife of the head of the household. She is higher than you in terms of status and identity. This is a fact that you can’t deny. And another thing—I advise you not to try anything with Sonny again. You have to know that you and your son’s survival will be dependent on Toby and Sonny. You should be trying to get on Sonny’s good side instead if you want a good life. Treat her well, and she will let go of what you did to her for the sake of your care for Toby in the past. She will also take good care of you. But if you keep trying to butt heads with her, I assure you that you won’t be living that cozy a life for the remaining time you have. You could also get your son in trouble. Do you understand me?”

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Chapter 1166 Finally Behaving Herself

The one person Jean cared about most was her youngest son. The moment she heard that Sonia might treat her son badly in the future, Jean immediately became anxious as she slapped the table and barked, “How dare she?! I am Toby’s mother. She will be criticized behind her back if she dares try anything with me or Tyler!”

Rose looked at her with a sneer. “You are not Toby’s birth mother. You are only the stepmother. You did take care of him and love him as a mother should, but you have never shown Sonny you cared about her. Why would she treat you well like you are her mother? Imagine yourself in her shoes. Would you get along with your mother-in-law if she made your life a living hell for six years?” “Of course I won’t—”

As Jean suddenly came to realization halfway through her words, she suddenly became speechless as she flushed red out of embarrassment. She even felt the burning pain on her cheeks.

Seeing her reaction brought a glint of joy to Rose’s eyes before the older woman added, “See? If you can’t forgive someone who has been bullying you, what gives you the right to hope for her forgiveness? I won’t look into how you treated her in the past. She probably doesn’t want to bring that up again since you treat Toby well, so you can relax and forget about that.

Toby and Sonny will definitely take care of you even when you are old as long as you stay out of trouble and don’t interfere in their affairs. Tyler can also live comfortably for the rest of his life being supported by his brother and sister-in-law. However, if you still stay so blind to everything and keep trying to go against Sonny, I am afraid you having regrets is the last thing you should be concerned about. ”

“Mother.” Jean lowered her head. “Will Sonia really do as you say and won’t make my life hard?”

“Sonny isn’t narrow-minded like you are,” Rose mocked. “Don’t worry. I will make it clear to her. Anyway, as long as you stay put, live your life honestly, act like a person your position should and correct your attitude, Sonny won’t hold any grudges toward you. She will only treat you like a stranger.

It is not like you and her can truly live harmoniously like a family with the history between the two of you. The best relationship for you both would be to stay strangers; you will neither be too close or distant. This is also my last piece of advice for you as your mother-in-law. Don’t blame me for not reminding you in the future if you don’t listen.”

Jean didn’t reply after hearing that. Even though she was a bit dull-witted, she wasn’t really an idiot. Even she knew that she could never compare to Sonia in terms of importance to Toby.

Toby had also once mentioned that he would choose Sonia if something were to happen between Sonia and Jean. That alone was enough proof that Jean couldn’t even begin to compete with Sonia.

Moreover, Tyler had no talent for business. Only a small part of Homer’s property went to Tyler after Homer’s death, whereas most of it belonged to Toby.

After all, that portion was already intended for Toby before Jean got married to Homer. She couldn’t ask for more on Tyler’s behalf even if she wanted to.

In other words, Tyler did have to rely on Toby to live.

It just so happened that Toby only cared about Sonia. She would definitely say a thing or two to Toby if Jean were to continue picking on her.

As fellow women, Jean knew how powerful rumors could be for men.

She couldn’t help but worry that Sonia would utter nonsense to Toby and chase Tyler out of the Fuller Residence.

With how much Toby adored Sonia, it wouldn’t come as a surprise that he would do exactly that.

Jean couldn’t even begin to imagine how terrible Tyler’s life would be if he were kicked out of the house.

Simply put, Jean had to swallow her pride, and not have any opinion or be biased against Sonia.

Because if Jean didn’t do as she was supposed to, she and Tyler were doomed to live a miserable life ahead.

Jean’s eyes gradually turned red as she thought about this. Despite how reluctant and upset this was making her, she had no choice but to surrender to fate.

“I understand, Mother. I won’t pick on Sonia anymore.” She squeezed her fists, and after doing that a few times, she finally unclenched her hands. “Toby did say that they will move out of the Fuller Residence and live elsewhere. That is probably for the best. It is not like I want to see her. The sight of her hovering around will only piss me off.”

Rose could tell that Jean was putting up a tough front by uttering those words because she refused to admit defeat to Sonia. As such, she believed that Jean deserved to suffer this way because she wanted to hang on to her pride.

However, Rose could understand Jean’s feelings at this moment.

After all, she was forced to accept someone she didn’t like.

But in order to maintain her dignity, she had no choice but to scavenge for whatever pride she could find elsewhere.

Still, Rose was going to turn a blind eye as long as Jean listened to her, and did as she was told.

“Alright. Now that you know you can’t do anything to Sonny anymore, you have to do what you promised. I don’t want you to obediently say yes now, just to go back on your word later. Sonny is no longer the girl who wouldn’t make a peep despite being harassed by you. I dare say that she will slap you in return immediately after you bully her. She wouldn’t care that you are Toby’s mother. She wouldn’t care as long as it is not her mother. And don’t think that Toby will blame her for doing that. Sonny has a clear head now. She can break up with Toby the moment he treats her badly.”

Hearing that made Jean open her eyes wide in shock. “Really?! She… would actually leave Toby?”

“Do I look like I am joking?” Rose gave her a contemptuous look. “I don’t have the time to joke around with you. Everything I am saying is the truth. Anyhow, whatever happens to Toby and Sonny in the future is their own responsibility. Don’t stick your nose into their business. You are not allowed to intervene, let alone appear in front of them for no reason. Take this issue with the Lore Family for example. You shouldn’t have agreed to help them when it is between the children and the Lore Family. What are you doing, coming all the way here to interfere? Aren’t you worried Sonny is going to pick a bone with you for helping the Lore Family beg for mercy?”

After all, Jean choosing to do this was equivalent to her picking to stand on the Lore Family’s side.

It would be weirder if Sonia was happy about it.

Jean shrank back. “I only did it because Mr. Lore was Toby’s teacher. And considering how close the two families are, surely there is no overnight grudge. And—”

“And they happened to give you a present that you liked, which was why you were so eager to say yes to them?” Rose suggested, seemingly having seen through her.

Jean’s jaw immediately fell to the floor as she gaped at Rose in shock. “How did you know that, Mother?”

“I knew it.” Rose’s expression dimmed before she snorted coldly. “How could I not know the kind of person you are? You don’t do things that don’t benefit you. You wouldn’t have agreed so easily if the Lore Family only gave a call to ask for your help, so they have definitely given you a present. In addition, the Lore Family didn’t give Sonny and I any presents when they came to us. They would be really stupid if they still hadn’t learned their lesson after we kicked them out. That is why they would definitely give you a gift when they contacted you. See how you are here after you got their present? But you are somewhat smart for coming here to get me to persuade Toby instead of you going directly to him. Otherwise, I can guarantee that he will be very disappointed in you.”

Jean let out a giggle then. “It is because the Lore Family told me that Toby was angry at them when they called me. And since he was angry, I knew it wouldn’t work if I went to him. And that was why I came to you, Mother. He can get angry at his stepmother, but he definitely will not get angry at you.”

“You can be clever at times, huh?” Rose commented while looking at her.

Chapter 1167 I Won’t Let You Suffer

Jean’s meaty face had pride written all over it as she boasted, “It has been so many years, after all. It is only expected that I learn things such as watching others’ every mood and emotion.”“Not bad. Keep it up.” Rose finally stopped showing disdain for a second there. Jean, on the other hand, immediately let out a touched expression when she heard Rose’s words of approval.

“Mother, this is the first time in so many years that you have complimented me!” She was so overwhelmed she could shed tears right this instant.

As Rose looked at the woman, the tiny bit of satisfaction that arose disappeared in a puff of smoke, and she quickly resumed feeling disgusted by Jean. “How was I supposed to compliment you after you did all those stupid things in the past? Enough, now. Stop crying. You look horrible. You already looked bad to begin with, and now you are only making it worse.”

Hearing that, Jean sniffled a few times and immediately stopped her sobs.

It was only then that Rose continued, “Do you know why Toby is so angry at the Lore Family this time? He kept quiet even though he has always known how much the Lore Family have gained and caused trouble in his name because Mr. Lore was his teacher. Take a guess why he has completely lost his temper and cut ties with the Lore Family because of a single rumor.”

“Isn’t he trying to even the score on Sonia’s behalf?” Jean grumbled, her lips pursed. Rose nodded at that. “That is only one of the reasons. The main reason Toby is so angry with the Lore Family is because they bullied his lover, and they wanted to ruin his relationship with Sonny. They have crossed his limits.

After all, Sonny was the treasure that Toby had to pursue with great difficulty. Now that the Lore Family want to take his treasure away from him again, it is to be expected that he would get angry and decide to cut off his relationship with the Lore Family. And you, as Toby’s stepmother, are supposed to be on Toby and Sonny’s side. But you chose to speak on behalf of the Lore Family. What do you think Toby will do to you if he finds out about this?”

Rose’s cold gaze then drifted over, only to see how pale Jean had suddenly gotten. What will Toby do to me? Jean mused.

I don’t know! After all, she hadn’t thought about it. However, there was a small voice inside her that told her that whatever Toby was going to do, it wasn’t going to be something good.

As she pondered over it, she was suddenly riddled with panic, and she quickly grabbed Rose’s sleeve to beg for mercy. “Mother, I understand now. I didn’t think things would get so bad. I was just… just… Mother, please, don’t tell Toby about this. I beg of you. I am dead if you tell him…”199274

Jean started crying again as she spoke. However, it was tears of fear that came out this time. The only similarity was how ugly she looked still. Seeing this, Rose couldn’t help but shift her gaze away again. “Alright, stop crying. When did I say I will tell Toby?”

Jean’s sadness swiftly turned into joy when she heard those words. “You won’t tell Toby, will you, Mother? Haha! Thank you, Mother! You are the best. I… I am so happy.”

Rose felt utterly exhausted looking at Jean’s ugly mug crying and laughing at the same time. “I choose to not tell Toby because you are nice to him, but know that I won’t forgive you if you try anything with him in the future even if you are the woman Homer loved.”

“Thank you, Mother.” When Jean heard Homer’s name, the expression on her face finally returned to normal, and she gave her thanks more sincerely.

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Rose waved her hand. “No more next time. Don’t promise people you would do things for them just because they reward you with a little something. You are lucky you were thoughtful enough this time to not go to Toby directly, and came to me instead. You would be doomed otherwise. Also, don’t interfere, especially when it comes to Toby and Sonny’s business. There are things you can’t stick your nose into. Your interference might make things worse, and make the children hate you. Do you understand me?”0

Jean nodded like a chick pecking at grains of rice when she heard that. “Understood. I really, really won’t bother myself with anything from now on no matter what. I will close myself off and live my life. I won’t ask anyone about anything too much.”

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“Now that is better. Alright, then. You can go if there is nothing else. This old lady needs to rest,” Rose chased her off while she tiredly massaged her temples.

“Okay, Mother.” Jean stood up. “I will be leaving now. I will go back and teach Amelia Lestrange a lesson for almost getting me in trouble.”

After saying that, she stormed out of the gazebo, looking like she was going to fight someone.

Seeing this, Rose could only resignedly shake her head and let Jean do as she willed. The elderly woman had no intention of stopping Jean.

It was obvious that Rose was supportive of Jean’s wanting to rush over to the Lore Family’ to pick a bone with them.

The Lore Family were truly disgusting people. She should probably let someone as wicked as Jean go teach them a lesson so that they knew that the Fuller Family was their master who was merely protecting the Lore Family. The Fullers did not, by any means, become the Lore Family’ slaves just because they had their backs long enough.

Rose lowered her cold, fatigued eyes to look at the teacup in her hands.

On the other hand, Jean had scurried all the way to the entrance of the old manor.

She was still walking when she bumped into two people holding each other’s hands while walking in her direction.

Her eyes widened in disbelief when she saw the duo.

Toby and Sonia?

As Jean subconsciously stopped in her tracks, she stared at the couple with a shocked gaze.

They were still some distance away from her as they happily chatted while holding hands. They hadn’t noticed Jean at this point.

With their beautiful looks, the couple looked like a match made in heaven, appearance-wise.

Even if Jean didn’t like Sonia, she had to admit that the latter and Toby looked perfect standing together at this exact moment.

However, this wasn’t as important as the reason they were here at the old manor.

As she was still deep in her thoughts, the couple had already reached her from the opposite side.

Toby was the first one to notice Jean standing there. His eyes had a hint of surprise when he saw her.

He knew that Jean avoided coming to the old manor like it was the plague because of how much she feared Rose.

That was why he didn’t think he would see Jean at the old manor now.

His odd reaction didn’t go unnoticed by the woman beside him.

“What’s the matter?” Sonia asked before following his gaze.

The smile on her face gradually disappeared when she saw Jean standing not too far away. Even Sonia’s great mood this morning seemed to have gone down the drain now.

It wasn’t like she could help it. Anyone would be in a bad mood if they saw someone they didn’t want to see so early in the morning.

Naturally, Toby noticed Sonia’s reaction.

He proceeded to gently tuck her hair behind her ear as he reassured her in a soft voice, “Don’t be scared. I’m here. I won’t let anyone wrong you.”

His words made her smile. “Alrighty. I will be leaving it to you, then. If I feel upset in any way, you will be sleeping in the living room the whole of next month.”

Toby’s eyes immediately narrowed. Sleep in the living room?

I can’t let that happen!

To him, being told to sleep in the living room was way worse than the worst punishments in the history of mankind.

In order to not sleep in the living room, he had to make sure he protected Sonia so well that no harm befell her.

Thinking of this, Toby took Sonia’s hand and walked to Jean before he automatically stood in front of Sonia, completely blocking her behind him.

He knew that Jean didn’t like Sonia. Even though Jean wouldn’t dare do anything to Sonia with him here, Toby couldn’t guarantee that Jean wouldn’t roll her eyes or express her dislike for Sonia in some other way.

Just rolling her eyes was a form of bullying as well.

And so, even though Sonia might not allow herself to be harassed, Toby still covered her behind him so that Jean wouldn’t have the chance to bully Sonia even in the slightest.

It was his responsibility as a man to protect her. He couldn’t not do anything just because she had the means to protect herself.

Because if he stayed idle, could he even still call himself a man?

Chapter 1168 Directly Ignored

Jean felt her jealousy and rage bubble up when she saw Toby shielding Sonia behind him in such an overprotective way. She was jealous about the fact that even she, Toby’s own mother, had never been protected like this by him.

And she was angry about the way Toby reacted. Jean hadn’t even done anything to Sonia and yet, Toby already was acting as though Jean was going to lay her hands on Sonia. His distrust for his own mother truly hurt Jean. As she thought about this, her gaze on Toby suddenly turned resentful.

Toby didn’t know what Jean was upset about, and he had a small frown when he asked, “Why did you come to the old manor, Mom? When did you get here?”

“I have only gotten here a while ago,” she grumbled. “I came to see your Grandma. I am leaving now.” “Grandma?” He raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

It wasn’t as though he didn’t know the kind of person Jean was. Even though she wasn’t unfilial, she definitely didn’t like Rose all that much. After all, Rose didn’t like Jean a lot either.

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Because of that, Jean wouldn’t usually drop by to pay Rose a visit if she didn’t need to. Why would she voluntarily come anyway if she was going to get nitpicked whenever she came here?

It was obvious that Jean was now here for Rose because of something. However, Toby didn’t pry into it since Jean wasn’t bringing it up herself. “Alright. Be safe on the road.” Holding Sonia’s hand, Toby guided Sonia aside to make way for Jean.

Jean only hummed in reply before she lowered her head and walked past the couple. Right from the start, Jean hadn’t spared Sonia even one glance—it was as though she thought Sonia wouldn’t notice.

Indeed, she did this intentionally. Jean might have promised Rose that she wouldn’t go against Sonia anymore and she wouldn’t treat her badly, but Jean didn’t say that she would pretend like she was fine with Sonia when they met.

No matter what, Toby’s stepmother was still his mother and elder. As long as she didn’t go against Sonia or give her an attitude, Jean simply ignoring Sonia couldn’t count as her trying to pick a fight with the younger woman.0

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It wasn’t like they could point out Jean’s mistake and tell her that she was wrong. After all, the women had never gotten along in the first place. Them ignoring each other was probably the best way they could coexist without getting into fights.

Furthermore, Sonia would be the one who was narrow-minded and petty if she was mad at Jean for ignoring her. The only person they could blame then was Sonia. That’s right. Sonia is the one to blame.0

The more Jean thought about it, the straighter her gait became. Even Sonia could tell how haughty Jean was at this moment even without looking at her face and just seeing her from behind.

She just didn’t know what Jean was feeling so proud about. However, Sonia wasn’t interested to know about that. Instead, she was more curious about Jean’s earlier attitude.

She looked away before continuing ahead with Toby. “Did you see your stepmother’s reaction earlier?” she asked as she walked. “Sure did.” He nodded truthfully with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

“I thought that she would complain about me when she saw me. After all, she has always wanted to argue with me over something whenever we met in the past. I thought that it would be the same this time as well. But instead of doing that, she pretended not to see me and just left,” she commented with her arm hooked around his.

He nodded in agreement at her words. “It was pretty surprising.” Toby was aware of how much his stepmother hated the sight of Sonia, and he also knew that the two would quarrel every time they met.

Of course, Jean was always the one who started the arguments, and Sonia was merely defending herself. However, them having fights was an undeniable truth.

He had protected Sonia behind him because he, too, expected Jean to react the same way this time. He wanted to get the women out of each other’s sight to prevent them from starting something again.

To the couple’s surprise, not only did Jean not have the slightest intention to quarrel, she had left right after having a brief conversation with him.

Her sudden change was truly surprising even to Toby.

“This might be better. I never wanted to argue with her and make things awkward by being between you and her. It is great that she is finally realizing this.” Sonia smiled.

However, Toby still had his lips pursed as he protested, “But she still intentionally ignored you. That was rude.”

“It is nothing.” She shrugged. “I could kill to have her ignore me like she did. Because other than that, she would always bare her fangs and glare at me, or chew my head off for some reason. Compared to that, I would rather have her treat me like I am thin air. It is not like I want to talk to her anyway.”

As Sonia spoke, she suddenly lifted her chin and peered at him tentatively. “Do you think that I am mean to you mother?”

The man patted her on the head and smiled helplessly. “Of course not. I have never thought about wanting you and her to get along well. Some people are born to never be on good terms with one another. This is actually great. It is better to ignore and stay out of each other’s way than kicking up a fuss every time you meet.”

“Now that’s better.” Sonia shifted her gaze away and let out a smile again. “I am quitting as your girlfriend if you think I am wrong for doing this.”

The man looked at her tenderly and murmured, “Did you forget what I said? Between you and her, I will unhesitantly choose you. Why would I think it is bad for you to think this way?”

Hearing that, Sonia tightened her hold around his arm before slightly tilting her head to the right to rest it on his shoulder. She conveyed to him through body language that she was happy to hear his words.

Toby looked at how affectionately clingy she was being, and he couldn’t help the overflowing tenderness that appeared in his eyes.

Rose and Mary were sitting in the gazebo when they saw the couple walking toward them from afar.

The moment Mary saw them, she pointed at the couple and commented, “Look, Old Mrs. Fuller. Young Master Toby and Miss Reed’s relationship has been getting better. They are even sticking to each other when they walk.”

“Indeed.” Rose’s face was full of smiles as well. “Just look at how lovey-dovey Sonny is toward Toby. He is so happy I feel embarrassed looking at him.”

“Young Master Toby is beaming.” Mary giggled with her hand over her mouth.

Rose then gently flicked the bubbles floating on the surface of her tea with the teacup’s lid and took a sip of tea. She seemed rather impatient as she mused, “It seems like it won’t be long before we hear good news from them.”

“If Young Master Toby and Miss Reed are going to keep sticking to each other like that, they surely will have a child before long.” Mary nodded in agreement.

“Mary.” Rose put down her teacup. “Tell the servants to bring the food and soups here. Now that the children are awake, we should quickly feed them so they don’t starve.”

“Alright, I’ll be back soon.” Mary left the gazebo after replying to her instruction.

She had just walked out of the building when she came across Toby and Sonia.

Sonia quickly came to a stop before she smilingly greeted Mary. “Good morning, Madam Mary.”

Toby, too, gave a small nod in acknowledgement.

Mary had a half smile on her face when she greeted them in return. “Good morning, Young Master Toby and Miss Reed. Please head into the gazebo where Old Mrs. Fuller is resting in. I am on my way to have your breakfast brought out. You must be tired after that tiring night you both spent together.”

After saying that, Mary walked past them with a teasing smile on her face, leaving behind a flushed Sonia and a thick-skinned Toby who had his eyebrows slightly raised.

Sonia was no fool, so of course she immediately knew what Mary meant.

A tiring night, she said.

The only reason she would say that was clearly because she knew what the couple did together last night.

Even though Sonia had mentally prepared herself for Rose and Mary’s teasing after she woke up this morning, she didn’t think Mary would come to her at full force the moment they met. She might have prepared herself, but this was enough to make her so embarrassed and awkward she didn’t want to see anyone else.

As her embarrassment took over her, she couldn’t help releasing her hold on Toby’s arm and lowering her head. With her face covered in both palms, her red ears were proof of how mortified she was now.

Chapter 1169 Mary’s Teasing

When he saw her behaving in such a way, he couldn’t help but ask, “What happened?” Sonia immediately pursed her lips, which were covered, when she heard that. What happened?

How dare this jerk ask what happened! After receiving no response from her, he reached out his hand and grabbed her wrist, attempting to move her hand away from her face. “Why are you covering your face? It’s difficult to breathe that way. Put down your hands and stop covering yourself.”

Sonia, on the other hand, refused. Her hands remained covering her face as she struggled to keep Toby’s hand from removing them. However, her strength could not be compared to his.

Hence, he could easily take her hands away, revealing her face, which was as red as if blood was about to spill out the next second. Toby blinked when he saw that. He felt like he was looking at a freshly washed apple with water droplets on it, making him drool.

It was a pity that they were in an inappropriate location, where Rose, who was sitting in a pavilion not far behind, could clearly see what was going on here.

Otherwise, he would certainly hold her face and kiss her passionately. After all, such an opportunity was rare. A tinge of regret flashed through Toby’s eyes as a light sigh escaped his thin lips.

Such a pity. Then he released her hands, stroked her warm cheeks, and inquired, “Why are you blushing? What happened?” Sonia glared at him when she heard that. “What happened, you ask? Didn’t you hear what Mary said earlier?”

Toby realized immediately why she was blushing the moment she said this. “That’s nothing. Everyone knows about it anyway; there is nothing to be shy about,” he said with a laugh.

He had initially thought that there was something serious causing Sonia to blush to this extent, but it turned out that it was just due to Mary’s teasing. Toby was even startled at first, thinking she was sick.

“Of course, there’s nothing to be shy about for you; you’ve always had a thick skin. However, I don’t!” She sneered and glared at him.

To that, he simply caressed her head and responded, “Okay, you’re right. I have thick skin. But what happened happened, and you have to face it. You can’t be shy all the time. What if Grandma teases you later as well? Are you going to be shy and blush once more?”

Sonia pursed her lips and said nothing in response, but she knew what Toby said was true. But still, she was certain that would be the case later. Regardless of who teased her about it, she would be embarrassed.

If Rose teased her over the same thing later, Sonia would still act the same way. But even if that would be the case, she knew she had to face it. She couldn’t possibly leave without greeting Rose simply for the sake of avoiding the awkwardness.199286

That would be really rude. With this in her mind, Sonia took a deep, long breath to calm herself down before taking Toby’s hand and forcing a smile at him. “Let us not think about it. I have to see Grandma, whether she teases me or not, so there’s no point in worrying about it now. Let’s go see her right now.”

Following her words, Sonia tugged Toby along and led him to the pavilion. Her stiff back figure, rigid steps, and forced, stiff smile all revealed that Sonia wasn’t willing to see Rose. Instead, the former appeared to be under a threat from someone.

Toby was amused by her demeanor. Seeing her behaving in this manner, he teasingly tickled her palm. That itched her. At this instant, all her mind was so focused on what he did that she couldn’t think about how to deal with Rose’s teasing later.

“What are you doing?” A dissatisfied Sonia stiffened her fingers and looked at him. When he noticed she wasn’t nervous anymore and her eyes filled with her dissatisfaction and complaints for him, he couldn’t help but find her amusing.

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Such an ungrateful girl. I’m doing this for you! Toby purposefully tickled Sonia to divert her attention in order to relieve her nervousness, and to stop her from imagining something serious was set to happen later.0

But she responded in such an unappreciative manner, glaring at him fiercely without even a second’s hesitation.

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Well, what could he do? He was the one who spoiled her.

He could only suffer by himself now.

Despite his pitiful feelings, Toby’s eyes were filled with pampering and loving tenderness. Smilingly, he shook his head and murmured, “I’m sorry. That was unintentional. Perhaps you could tickle me back?”

Sonia merely snorted at that. “I’m not that petty to seek revenge.”

She then turned around and continued leading him inside with his hand in hers.

Soon, both of them walked into the pavilion.

Sonia heaved a deep breath, braced herself, and greeted Rose. “Grandma.”

Instead of looking at Rose when she greeted the older woman, Sonia lowered her gaze.

She was afraid of seeing an expression like Mary’s that she had seen earlier outside the pavilion.

That would be extremely awkward for Sonia.

Rose, on the other hand, couldn’t stop smiling when she saw Toby and Sonia still holding hands even though they were standing in front of her. “Finally, you both are here. What were you talking about outside earlier that you took so long to come in?”

Hearing that Rose did not tease Toby and her, Sonia was relieved.

Then, Toby pulled Sonia to sit right in front of his grandmother. “Nothing much. We were just whispering sweet nothings to each other. Don’t get into it, Grandma.”

“Fine. Since it’s between you two, I won’t ask anymore,” Rose responded straightforwardly.

Her gaze was then drawn to Sonia’s face, which was still slightly red. When Rose saw that, she broke out in a profound smile.

Just as she was about to say something, Toby clenched his fist and casually let out a light cough.

Rose looked at him as he raised his gaze.

They then both looked each other in the eye, as if communicating through their gazes.

A few seconds later, the elderly was the first to retract her gaze. She then turned to Sonia and smiled subtly.

Since her grandson had openly reminded her, she decided not to make fun of Sonia.

Otherwise, if Sonia was so embarrassed that she fled after being teased, it would be all Rose’s fault.

“By the way, Grandma, I saw Mom leaving the old manor on my way here with Little Leaf.” Toby abruptly changed the subject of the conversation and brought up Jean.

That stunned Rose for a moment. “You bumped into Jean?”

“Yes.” Toby raised his head, stood up and took the teapot to pour some tea for Sonia and himself.

He then handed to Sonia one of the cups he’d poured the tea into and continued, “Why did she come look for you here?”

Instead of answering his question, Rose countered, “Didn’t you ask her?”

Sonia, who was sitting by the side, was relieved of her nervousness when she saw Toby and Rose talking about Jean. As she relaxed her tense body, the redness on her face faded. She then took the cup of tea that Toby served her and began to sip it quietly while listening to the conversation between the grandmother and grandson.

They were discussing Jean, and Sonia was not interested in getting involved.

“I asked, but she didn’t say anything. She left after saying hi to me,” Toby casually replied.

Rose nodded at that. “It’s nothing, actually. What other reason could she have for looking for an old woman like me? She simply wants me to persuade Tyler to devote more time to his studies after returning to the country and less time to basketball. I patronized her and sent her away.”

Since Rose had promised Jean to keep her reason for coming from Toby, the elderly woman would abide by her promise.

After all, Jean treated Toby genuinely. Rose did not want to see them drifting apart just because of the Logan Family. It wasn’t worth it.

Chapter 1170 The Nourishing Soup

“Is that so?” Toby studied Rose’s expression intensely for a while. He had a feeling that she wasn’t telling him the whole story, and was hiding the truth from him.

However, he wouldn’t force her to speak if she wasn’t feeling about it, as long as his stepmother wasn’t coming over to the old manor for a matter regarding him and Sonia.

“By the way, Sonny.” Recalling something all of a sudden, Rose turned her head and looked at Sonia. Sonia, who was enjoying the tea, immediately raised her head and asked, “What is it, Grandma?”

Her heart began to hammer inside her chest. No way! Please tell me that I’m imagining things. I thought I’m safe! Should I watch out for the incoming tease?

As Sonia waited anxiously for Rose’s words, the elderly woman continued, “I suppose you and Toby have seen Jean on her way out of the manor. Did she create any difficulty for you?”

Listening to Rose asking such a question instead of what she had in her mind, Sonia let out a sigh and smiled in relief. “Don’t worry, Grandma. She did nothing. Besides, Toby even stood in front of me to protect me in case she would cause trouble. However, she didn’t try anything this time. Instead, she ignored me and talked to him for a moment before she left hastily.”

“I see. That’s good.” Rose nodded as she was relieved to hear such an answer. It seems like my idiotic daughter-in-law finally listened to my advice this time. Patting Toby’s shoulder, Sonia added, “Maybe she decided to back off after she saw his bravery to defend me.”

Rose cast her a relieved smile. “He’s your significant other, so he has the responsibility and obligation to keep you safe. If he can’t even protect you, he has no right to be with you. Even if you’re reluctant to break up with him, I’ll force you, or else he’ll become a burden to you.”

Toby sighed as the tingling pain in his temples aggravated. “Grandma, I’m your grandson, after all. Am I really that incompetent in your eyes?”

“It’s just an example.” She cast him an expressionless look. He sighed in defeat and no longer protested.

Sonia seldom saw Toby in such a discouraging situation, and it caused her to giggle out at his embarrassment. Even though she covered her mouth, her muffled laughter could still be heard.

Seeing her experiencing a joyful moment, Toby’s expression softened and he showed a hint of happiness as he indulged her at the moment.

The interaction between the young ones didn’t go unnoticed by Rose.

She was pleased and was rest assured after seeing them having a close relationship.

For now, she could finally stop worrying about the matter of their relationship.

She held a firm belief that even after she passed away in the future, these young ones would always remain by each other’s side.

“Madam.” At that moment, Mary returned with the servants behind her, who were carrying various foods on the trays.

Rose snapped out of her thoughts and waved them over. “Come here.”

Mary nodded before she ordered the servants to go into the pavilion and placed the dishes on the stone table.

There was plenty of food on the table, and the smell was already making the onlookers drool.

Sonia was already craving food at the moment, so the various foods managed to trigger a reaction in her when she saw them, as almost everyone could hear her stomach growling.

Embarrassed by the honest reaction of her body, she immediately covered her belly as her cheeks flushed, and she attempted to apologize. “I—”

Rose chuckled. “You must be hungry. They’re just in time to serve us food. Go on. Don’t starve yourself.”

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“She’s right, Miss Reed.” Mary handed over the silverware to Sonia with a smile.

Blushing, Sonia took them and whispered quietly. “Grandma, I’m sorry about you having to see me in such a state. I didn’t expect my stomach would suddenly make a sound.”

Rose waved away her worries happily. “There’s no need to feel bad. It’s something common when you’re hungry. Enough with the apology and begin the meal instead. Toby, serve Sonny some food.”

“I will.” Toby used the serving spoon to grab some food and put them on Sonia’s plate before he spoke gently. “Let’s eat.”

She hummed a response and nodded before she grabbed the silverware and began her lunch.0

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Toby, who was also hungry, joined her too.

Sitting in front of them, the two elderly women watched them eat with a look full of affection. At the same time, they would seize the opportunity to serve the food to the couple themselves and urge them to eat more.0

Sonia and Toby were both uninterested and reluctant to dismiss their kind gesture. Thus, they ate everything the two women served on their plates.

At one moment, Sonia suddenly recalled something. She looked at Rose and asked, “Grandma, are you not eating?”

Rose only shook her head. “I had breakfast and It’s still early for me to have lunch. But you hadn’t, so these are specially prepared for you. I’m happy to watch you on the side.”

“Don’t worry, Miss Reed. You must’ve missed the fact that Madam is following a strict schedule to have her meals every day for the good of her body. Madam usually won’t eat unless it’s within the fixed time,” Mary added.

Sonia nodded in understanding and had given up the thought of suggesting Rose join them for food, otherwise her consideration would eventually do more harm than good.

And so, Sonia stopped worrying about the others as she enjoyed the brunch with Toby.

After the meal, the servants cleared up the stone table. Following that, Sonia watched Mary pick up a tray from another servant’s hands.

There were two bowls on the tray, but she couldn’t see their content from her seat. Judging from the steam and the aroma, she assumed it was soup.

Sonia had the chance to see what inside the bowls were after Mary put the tray on the cleaned stone table. It was none other than soup, and was even a soup to nourish the body.

She could see a drumstick in one of the bowls, combined with various herbs. As for the other bowl, she couldn’t tell its contents from its dark surface and lack of ingredients, other than assuming it was some kind of herbal soup.

However, the aroma of the soup was telling her a different answer. Thus, Sonia guessed it was a soup intended to nourish the body like the other one.

However, the bowl of soup had an odd smell and it wasn’t particularly pleasant. As such, Sonia wondered what the ingredients were that made up the soup.

These two bowls of soup must be for Grandma and Madam Mary. After all, they should take care of their health as they’re aging.

Sonia wasn’t the only one who had the thought, as even Toby thought so. The idea of the two bowls of nourishing soup was made especially for him and Sonia never occurred to him for once.

The idea only popped into his mind that the soup was for them when Mary put the bowls in front of him and Sonia respectively.

It wouldn’t be a problem if the soup were for both of them. However, the difference between the two bowls of soup was troubling Toby.

Sonia’s serving was a chicken broth made with various ingredients. Moreover, she had a drumstick all to herself, which she could eat after she finished the soup. Meanwhile, Toby only had a bowl of soup, and he couldn’t see anything else inside. Besides, the soup was giving off an odd smell, and he couldn’t help but doubt whether it was edible.

Toby’s expression sank at the discrimination.

Staring at the bowl in front of her in surprise, Sonia took a while to come back to her senses before she looked at Rose and Mary for an answer. “Are these for us?”

Rose and Mary nodded at them with kind smiles.

“That’s right. Miss Reed. These soups are made for you and Young Master Toby.” Mary elaborated.

Sonia could feel a twitch on the corner of her lips. “Is that so? Thank you, Grandma and Madam Mary. I thought these are for you instead of us. However, we’re satiated after the meal.”

She had a full stomach and didn’t feel like she could drink the soup. Moreover, there was a drumstick too.

Waving away the younger woman’s worries, Rose added in dismissal, “It’s fine. You can take it slow. Don’t worry about rushing it.”

Sonia grimaced at the older woman’s gesture. “Grandma, can we not drink this?”