Ch. 1191..1200

Chapter 1191 Daphne Wants to Resign

“Alright. I’ll send them over now.” After affirming with a nod, Rita took the documents and said, “Chairman Reed, please excuse me.”

Sonia waved her hand. “Go ahead. Thank you for your hard work.” “Chairman Reed, you’re too kind.” With that, Rita smiled and turned to walk out the door.

However, she suddenly thought of something and stopped in her tracks to turn back around. “Oh, right, Chairman Reed. There’s something I’m not sure whether I should say.”

“Go ahead.” Sonia slightly raised her chin to signal Rita to continue.

When Rita got her permission, she did not hesitate as she stood properly to explain, “Chairman Reed, I went to the Human Resources Department this afternoon. We, at the Secretary Department, were thinking of hiring a new assistant, so I went to the HR to ask if there were any suitable candidates.”

“Hmm. I heard about it.” Sonia nodded. “What happened next?”

She knew this was not the matter her secretary wanted to mention.

As she expected, Rita took in a breath and continued, “Later, I heard someone from the Human Resources Department mention Daphne, saying that she called them this morning to ask them to prepare a letter of resignation and mail it to her.”

“What?” Sonia’s expression changed slightly. “If I heard it correctly, you said a letter of resignation, right? Daphne asked for a letter of resignation from the HR Department?”

“Yes.” Rita nodded to confirm Sonia’s words.

Frowning, Sonia’s expression looked sullen. “Daphne wants to resign?”

“According to the current situation, it seems to be that. After I heard that, I went to ask one of the employees from HR for confirmation to make sure that the employees weren’t spreading fake news. Then, the employee told me that it was true and they did receive a call from her. According to the director of human resources, he was shocked when he heard the news and wanted to notify you but was stopped by Daphne. She said to not tell you for the time being, so I was hesitant on whether to tell you. If I told you, I would be going against Daphne’s wishes, but if I don’t tell you, I’ll feel sorry for her because this is a strange time to resign. Also, Daphne has been with you for the longest and you both have a good relationship. So, after I thought about it, I thought I should tell you because I also hope you could ask Daphne why she wanted to resign. All of us have a good relationship with her and we don’t want her to resign. Moreover…”

“Moreover, what?” Sonia looked at her.

Biting her lips, Rita looked uncertain about something.

A few seconds later, she finally persuaded herself and clenched her hands before looking at Sonia. “Chairman Reed, it’s like this. I have a suspicion. I think Daphne’s sudden resignation means something has happened to her. According to my understanding of her, she loves this job, so she wouldn’t resign without reason. She didn’t intend to resign when she was pregnant, and even after she wanted to abort the child, she still didn’t intend to leave. It was up until her surgery that she suddenly mentioned about resigning. I think something might have happened with her surgery, which caused her health to deteriorate and she couldn’t continue with this job.”

“Wait. How did you know Daphne was pregnant? And that she wanted to abort the child?” Sonia stood up in surprise and locked her gaze on Rita’s body.

Meanwhile, Rita did not hide anything and immediately answered, “I found out about it on my own. Chairman Reed, you also know that I’m married and have children, so I understand pregnancy symptoms better than the unmarried employees in our company. I noticed that Daphne had been showing symptoms of early pregnancy recently. Though once or twice could mean she was sick, once it happened more frequently, I was sure that she’s pregnant and not sick. It was until I found a slip related to abortion in Daphne’s trash can that I was certain that she was pregnant and didn’t intend on keeping the child.”

“So, that’s why.” Sonia could not help but heave a sigh of relief. Then, she sat back on her chair. “I thought someone had told you about this.”

“No, no one told me. I figured it out myself.” While shaking her head, Rita seemed to realize something and asked Sonia, “Chairman Reed, did you know about Daphne’s pregnancy?”

Sonia did not intend to reveal anything initially, but upon looking at Rita and knowing that she was in on this, she decided to not hide it anymore and nodded. “That’s right. I knew from the beginning, which was why I was so shocked. Daphne had asked me to keep it a secret, so I didn’t tell you guys anything. That’s also why I got shocked when you mentioned her pregnancy ’cause I thought someone had overheard it and sold it.

“No, I didn’t,” Rita immediately shook her hand while speaking up guiltily, “but I have told the others from the department.”

“What?” Sonia was baffled.

That made Rita feel even more guilty as she lowered her head to say, “I didn’t do it on purpose. It was on the second day where Daphne was absent from work. I was looking around her desk while muttering about whether she had gone through surgery. Then, someone from the office and her friends heard that. When they asked me about it, I couldn’t stand it anymore and told them.”

Meanwhile, Sonia felt her lips twitch as she felt resigned.

What is this situation called?

Is this blocking one side of the window while the other side is open?

Seeing that Sonia was speechless, Rita immediately praised, “But Chairman Reed, I didn’t let the others spread the news. When Daphne hid her pregnancy from us, we knew that she wanted to keep it a secret, which was why I told my friends to zip their lips. I told them that this was a secret between us and it shouldn’t be spread to the public. The others agreed, and we’re all secretaries, so we have no problem with keeping a secret.”

Hearing that, Sonia felt relieved. “That’s good, but are you sure none of them told a soul about this, and that you really did find out about this yourself?”

“I’m positive. Anyway, I didn’t hear anyone beside us mention Daphne’s pregnancy, so the others definitely did not mention this to anyone else. Otherwise, with Daphne’s identity, everyone in the building might have already found out about this,” Rita explained.

Then, Sonia nodded lightly.

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That is true.

It seems like no one has said a word.

“That’s better. Since you guys are the only ones who know about this, remember to keep it sealed. Daphne doesn’t want anyone to know about this, so we can’t disappoint her. Also, this matter concerns her privacy,” Sonia reminded Rita again.

Nodding repeatedly, Rita promised, “Don’t worry, Chairman Reed. I’ll remind them after I head back to our office and guilt-trip them so that they won’t spread that news. We can’t let anyone know about this.”

Then, Rita’s mind suddenly went blank as she remembered that besides the others in her office, there seemed to be one outsider who knew about this.0

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And that was President Lane.

However, to Daphne and Chairman Reed, President Lane isn’t an outsider, right?0

Which means it doesn’t matter if he knows about this, right?

Charles and Daphne were college classmates. Not only did they have a few dozen years of subordinate-superior relationship, but they were also friends. Thus, when something like this happened to Daphne, Charles would definitely take their relationship into account and not do anything to upset her.

It seems like I have nothing to worry about.

Chapter 1192 Can’t Get a Hold of Her

Rita nodded secretly and decided not to tell Sonia that Charles also knew about this matter. She thought there was no need to mention it.

No matter what, President Lane would never hurt Daphne.

Thinking of that, she felt more at ease and looked at Sonia. “Chairman Reed, do you think my guess about why Daphne’s resigning is right?”

“I don’t know, but there is a possibility that you’re right.” With her lips pursed, Sonia’s eyes were filled with worry for Daphne.

Sonia did not have many female friends and the only two she had were Daphne and Rebecca. However, Rebecca had gone to Westsanshire with Carl and they had not contacted each other for months.

Though Sonia did try to contact her a few times, Rebecca never picked up. Perhaps, she was caught up in her job as a bodyguard, or Carl might have transferred her away from his side and given her another assignment for which she could not freely contact other people.

After all, the last time Sonia contacted Rebecca, she mentioned that Carl still did not trust her and forbade her from being near him.

Ultimately, not being able to contact Rebecca meant Sonia had no idea of Carl’s current situation or Rebecca’s circumstances, which worried her. Still, there was no use worrying if she could not get a hold of Rebecca.

As of now, the only woman by her side with whom she could share women’s secrets was Daphne. Therefore, if something happened to her, Sonia would not be able to be at peace.

“Did you try to call Daphne when you found out she wanted to resign?” She looked at Rita and asked.

Nodding, Rita replied, “Of course, I did, but I can’t get a hold of her.”

“Was the call disconnected?”

“It’s not that.” Rita shook her head while explaining, “The call went through, but she hung up. It seems like she knows that someone will call her to ask about this, so she has no intention of picking up any calls.”

Has no intentions of picking up…

Pulling her lips into a thin line, Sonia became even more worried and certain that Daphne’s resignation was not as simple as she thought.

If she merely wanted to quit working here, why would she try to hide it and not tell anyone? Hence, Rita’s guess was correct. There was something wrong with Daphne’s decision to resign.

Now, the biggest question lay in what had happened to her.

“I understand. I’ll try to contact her later. Thank you for being so considerate, and thank you for telling me this. You did good.” Sonia decided to put aside her worries and squeezed out a smile to thank Rita.

Embarrassed, Rita waved. “Chairman Reed, you’re exaggerating. Daphne and I are like sisters, and this is what I should do. So, I’d have to trouble you for contacting Daphne. If there’s any news, I hope you can tell us because we’re also worried about her.”

“I will,” Sonia agreed.

“Alright, then. Chairman Reed, I’ll be heading out.” With a slight bow, Rita turned around and exited the office.

After Rita left, Sonia did not wait any longer and picked up her phone to call Daphne.

Fortunately, the call went through, but she was worried that what came next would be the same as what Rita had described—declining the call.

If that happened, she would not be able to reach Daphne.

So, please, God, Let Daphne pick up the call.

While tightly clutching her phone, Sonia felt uncertain.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the call…

A ghastly-looking Daphne weakly leaned against the head of the bed while holding a delicate porcelain bowl in her hand. Inside the bowl was a jet-black, unknown liquid.

She lowered her head to drink a mouthful of the liquid. The liquid was so bitter that she scrunched up her face as soon as she drank it.

It was clear that the liquid did not taste good.

After drinking a mouthful of it, she did not feel like drinking anymore, so she set down the bowl and looked toward the French window.

Before the window stood a figure, and from the height of that figure, it seemed to be a man.

However, since the man was standing under the sun, the sunlight shone down on him and covered his whole body in a layer of gold, which blurred his face and made others unable to recognize him.205020

According to the man’s figure and height, anyone could tell that his figure must be good and his appearance would not be too off either.

“President Lane.” At that moment, Daphne finally opened her mouth and called out to the person before the window.

Finally, that mysterious figure moved. He did not stand still anymore and turned around to face her.

As soon as he did so, his face finally emerged out of the sunlight and uncovered a handsome face, which belonged to none other than Charles.

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“What’s the matter?” he asked coldly as he looked at the person on the bed.0

In comparison, Charles had a different demeanor now than he usually had.

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He preferred to dress in flamboyant attire. The more colorful they were, the more he liked them; he would also give others the impression that he was a sloppy person.

Yet, that was also the truth. Wasn’t his usual impression that of a sloppy and immature person?

Those who did not understand him well would assume that he was not a reliable person, based on his appearance. Instead, they would think that he was a playboy or a rascal.

However, the Charles that was standing here not only dressed differently, but his personality also suddenly became solemn.

He was no longer wearing the flamboyant clothes that others despised but a black suit that made him look mature. Even his hair was combed neatly, which was the opposite of the messy and colorful hair he always had.

Anyway, Charles was no longer the playboy others usually saw him as but a reliable and domineering company president. The outfit he was currently wearing was very similar to Toby’s.

Truth be told, his friends and family would be shocked to see his current appearance and think that he might have been stimulated by something. Otherwise, why would he suddenly change his style?

Honestly, even Daphne was shocked when she saw him today, but she was afraid to ask him about it.

“C-Can I not drink this bowl of tonic?” Her finger pointed at the bowl as she carefully asked him.

Frowning, he did not even think about it before refusing, “No, you must.”

With a bitter expression, Daphne did not refute and raised the bowl again. Then, she endured the extreme bitterness and gulped down the liquid.

She only intended to fight for herself once, not a second time.

She knew that if she did not succeed the first time, she would not succeed no matter how many times she tried after that. Instead, she might even anger the man before her.

Since she had expected it, why would she risk it?

Meanwhile, Charles watched as Daphne obediently finished her tonic, but his eyebrows were scrunched together and his face fell.

He should be happy to see her obedient side because he did not like it when she opposed him. Yet, now that he got his wish, he did not feel any excitement. Instead, he felt an unknown sense of irritation and rage.

On the bed, Daphne could feel that Charles was not happy, so she stopped drinking her tonic and looked up at him.

She saw his dark and cold face, and the grip she had on the bowl tightened a little as she could not figure out what had happened.

Why is he mad?

I don’t think I provoked him, did I?

Although she was feeling anxious, she did not dare to ask because she was afraid that he would get even angrier after hearing her voice.

Therefore, she lowered her head, pretended like nothing happened, and continued drinking her tonic.

Seeing that his displeasure was noticed but unquestioned, Charles became even more frustrated.

Chapter 1193 Keeping the Child

He wanted to ask her, Can’t you tell that I’m angry? However, the words were right by his lips, but he could not say anything. Feeling bothered, Charles grabbed a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and took one out before lighting it between his lips.

Right before the flame touched his cigarette, he suddenly thought of something, looked toward the bed at Daphne, who was not paying attention to him, and stopped his actions. Then, he put away his lighter and put the cigarette back into the packet.

Forget it. I won’t smoke this. This cigarette isn’t nice either. I should remember to change to another brand. That’s right. I’m not smoking because this packet of cigarettes is not nice, not because of her.

Tugging his lips into a thin line, Charles felt a complicated feeling. At that moment, a caller ringtone broke the silence.

Daphne quickly finished her tonic in a few gulps and endured the bitterness in her mouth before placing the bowl down to finish the cup of water beside her. At last, she felt better only after the bitter taste in her mouth faded.

Charles could not help but reprimand her, “Isn’t it just drinking a bowl of tonic? Do you have to look so distressed?”

She opened her mouth and whispered, “But… This tonic is really bitter.”

It’s even more bitter than Americano with no sugar.

After snorting, he retorted, “How bitter can it be? You’re just finding excuses to not drink it.”

Daphne did not reply.

He’s right. I really don’t want to drink it.

“I’m only asking you to drink some tonic, not do anything else. Why do you have to look so bitter?” Charles continued to agitate her.

Biting her lips, Daphne argued, “It wasn’t intentional. I was only…”

Suddenly, she found herself reluctant to explain any further.

She realized that no matter how much she said or how reasonable she was, a person who disliked her would always find fault with it and continue to oppose her.

If that was the truth, why did she still need to argue for herself?

No matter how she explained herself, Charles would always assume she was wrong. Therefore, she did not want to argue anymore and decided to just let things run their course.

“I’m sorry. I won’t do that again. I’ll finish everything obediently and won’t make that face anymore.” While looking down, Daphne spoke self-mockingly.

Hearing her depressing words, Charles felt bothered again.

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Yet, when he saw how she was not being herself, he wanted to reprimand her, but he could not say anything. He snorted and acted impatient. “It’d be best if you did as you said. Alright, alright. Your phone is still ringing. Check it, it’s so annoying.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll look at it now.” After apologizing, she rubbed her face and reached for her phone.

Once she saw the caller ID, she was first stunned before immediately sitting up and frantically looking at Charles. “President Lane, it’s Chairman Reed.”

Charles’ pupils dilated as he asked, “Sonny?”

“Yes.” With a nod, Daphne asked, “Charles, should I answer it?”0

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Then, he pursed his lips as if he was thinking about it.

A few seconds later, he waved his hand. “Answer it, but don’t tell her anything you shouldn’t. Or else…”0

Then, a vicious light flashed across his eyes.

Seeing how the man she loved was treating her, Daphne felt as if her heart was being pierced by needles. Helpless, she did not show her emotions and merely nodded. “I understand. I won’t tell her.”

“Good.” He nodded his head in satisfaction and implied that she should answer the call.

After taking a deep breath, Daphne slid her finger across the screen and placed her phone by her ear. “Chairman Reed.”

On the other end of the call, Sonia could hear the disappointment in her voice and was immediately sure that Rita had guessed correctly. She felt her heart sink as she quickly asked, “Daphne, are you alright?”

However, Daphne did not know that Sonia was asking about her circumstances instead of her surgery.

After all, Sonia knew why she took leave. Feeling a warm feeling surge inside her, she quickly replied, “I’m doing fine.”

“Really? Did the operation go smoothly?” Sonia asked with worry.

Touching her belly, Daphne looked over to the French window and the man standing there with a complicated gaze. She then hummed a reply. “The operation… went quite well.”

“Did it?” While narrowing her eyes, Sonia was obviously not convinced. “If the operation went well, why did you hesitate earlier? Daphne, I hope that you won’t lie to me. Besides being your superior, I’m also your friend and I’m worried about you. So, please don’t lie to me. Or else, I’ll be even more worried about you.”

Daphne could hear that Sonia was indeed worried for her and felt touched.

She knew Sonia was a good person. That was why she was not jealous of her when she found out the person she liked was actually in love with her boss.

After all, Sonia was such a good person, so what right did she have to be jealous of such a wonderful woman?

Good people were never meant to be envied by others.

“Chairman Reed, thank you for being concerned for me. Don’t worry. I’m fine and the operation went well. I hesitated earlier because I thought of something unrelated to the operation. I don’t need to trick you on these matters. What’s more, didn’t you hear my voice? Don’t I sound energetic? If the operation had any complications, I would’ve been weak right now, but my voice isn’t, so it means I’m not lying.”

After Daphne’s explanation, Sonia thought she made sense.

Indeed, her voice did sound energetic. Besides sounding a little disappointed, she did not sound weak at all. More importantly, her voice sounded even more energetic than when Sonia had finished her abortion surgery.

Back when she just finished her operation, the operation also went smoothly and she needed to stay at the hospital to recuperate. On top of that, she felt very weak, but her voice did not sound as energetic as Daphne’s.

Frankly, she sounded like she never even went through a surgery.

Of course, that would be impossible since she did not deny having the surgery.

Perhaps the reason her voice sounded so lively was because of her physique.

Regardless, her words of concern earlier were all genuine.

“It’s good that your surgery went smoothly. It means your body didn’t suffer too much damage, right?” Sonia breathed a sigh of relief and felt relaxed.

Shaking her head, Daphne replied, “Of course not. My body is in good condition.”

Then, she looked down.

Of course, my body is great. I didn’t even go through with the surgery.

The second before she was pushed into the operation theater, Charles arrived just in time to stop them and he brought her here.

She did not know why Charles refused to let her abort the child and let her give birth to it instead. Either way, the reason cannot be that he likes me.

“Oh, right. Chairman Reed, why are you suddenly so concerned about my condition? Also, judging from your voice, you seem to be certain that the operation has damaged my body.” Suddenly realizing this, she quickly asked.

When Sonia heard that question, she laughed awkwardly. “I was guessing because I heard that you’re going to resign.”

Daphne’s face paled. “Chairman Reed… How did you know? I remember I didn’t tell you about this, and the colleagues from the human resources department…”

“The colleagues from the HR department also promised to keep it a secret, right?”

Knowing what Daphne was about to say, Sonia finished the sentence for her.

As a result, Daphne fell silent.

Chapter 1194 Reason For Resigning

Letting out a sigh, Sonia explained, “It wasn’t them. Rita just happened to go there and overheard this matter, so she told me.”

“So, that’s how you found out.” Daphne understood the situation. It turns out it was Rita who told her. What a coincidence.

It seems like even the heavens didn’t want me to hide this from Chairman Reed. Otherwise, why would Rita just happen to appear at the HR department at that moment?

“So, it’s true that you’re resigning?” Sonia asked with pursed lips. Then, Daphne replied with a hum and replied, “Yes.”

After getting the confirmation from Daphne, Sonia felt her heart sink. “Why? There should be a reason, right? I don’t believe you’ve thought about this for a very long time. Whether it’s me or Rita, we didn’t hear any news about you wanting to resign before you took your leave, nor did we see any signs of you wanting to leave. So, when you took leave and suddenly mentioned you wanted to resign, we all didn’t believe you’d do so easily. Then, we guessed that maybe your body condition was weakened by the operation, so you wouldn’t want to continue with work. But now, I’m certain that your operation went well, and your body condition is still good. So, can you tell me why you wanna resign?”

Hearing Sonia’s words, Daphne sighed and could not help but admire Sonia’s keen insight. She even guessed that I resigned on a whim and not because I had thought about it before.

Chairman Reed is indeed a very intelligent person. “Daphne?” When Sonia did not hear Daphne’s response, she called out to her. Coming back to her senses, Daphne replied, “Yes, Chairman Reed. I’m still here.”

“Since you’re still there, then tell me. Why do you want to resign? Daphne, you know that I admire your talent and I’m already used to you being my secretary, so if you don’t have a suitable reason, I won’t approve of your resignation. Understand?” Sonia stated.205022

Daphne bit her lips and felt bitter. “I understand.”

Actually, she did not want to resign. But…

She gazed over at Charles again and her eyes were filled with all sorts of complicated emotions. It was Charles who ordered her to resign, so she could not defy him.

Not knowing what Daphne was looking at and thinking about, she massaged the middle of her eyebrows and persuaded, “Since you understand, you must give me a reasonable explanation. After all, I have to know what you’re going through. Don’t worry. If you’re facing any difficulties, you can tell me and I’ll help you solve it as best as I can. Even if I can’t help you, I can get Toby to help. There are no difficulties that can’t be solved, so there’s no need to resign.”

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“Chairman Reed, nothing happened.” Daphne barely managed to squeeze out a smile.0

In order not to let Sonia hear anything suspicious, Daphne tried her best to calm down her emotions and make her voice sound normal. “I decided to resign because I want to take some time to further my career abroad.”

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“Further your career abroad?” Sonia was shocked. “But I didn’t hear you mention this before.”

Looking down to hide the emotions in her eyes, Daphne explained, “I didn’t have such thoughts before, even until I decided to take my leave. I only thought of this yesterday.”

“Oh? Yesterday?” Sonia asked.

“Yes.” The hand on her phone tightened as Daphne continued to lie.

There was no other way because once a lie was made, she had to use several other lies to make up for it.

Otherwise, she would get exposed.

“Yesterday, when I finished my operation, I saw a recruitment notice from a foreign country on the Internet. The position being recruited matches my major, and throughout the two years, I have been thinking about taking examinations for different professions, but I don’t have any experience working abroad, so my application keeps getting rejected. At first, I thought I should forget it, but when I saw that recruitment notice, I was tempted to try again. Then, I wrote a thesis last night and sent it with my resume and it was quickly accepted. The company there has decided to hire me, so I decided to resign and enter that company to further my career for a year. After a year, I’d be able to take examinations,” Daphne explained.

However, no one saw the sarcasm on her face.

She did not know if the sarcasm was directed at Charles, who asked her to lie, or at herself.

Perhaps Daphne lied too naturally because Sonia did not seem to hear anything wrong with her words and believed her. “So, that’s the reason. I thought something had happened to your body, which made you want to resign. I feel much better knowing that it’s not related to your body condition.”

“I’m sorry, Chairman Reed,” she apologized.

Meanwhile, Sonia was completely relieved. When she heard Daphne’s apology, she smiled. “Why are you apologizing?”

“Because I didn’t tell you in advance that I want to change jobs and waited until I got the offer to tell you. This is a taboo in the workplace and I—”

“Alright. You don’t have to blame yourself.” Sonia waved her hands. “I don’t blame you. Instead, I’m happy for you.”

“Happy for me?” Daphne was stunned.

Sonia acknowledged her reply and continued, “Yes. Why wouldn’t I be happy for you if you want to further your career and become better? I’ve always liked watching others work hard for themselves, so I do support anyone who goes for what they want. As long as they work hard and don’t hinder or hurt others, I’ll help them however I can. More importantly, we’re friends. My friend wants to go to a further place and become more excellent, so of course, I will support you.”

“I understand what you mean. Chairman Reed, you are such a good person. It’s no wonder why so many people like you, and why I like you.”

Still, she felt sorry toward Sonia.

She lied to her because she was not going to further her career.

Instead, she was going to hide somewhere and give birth to this child.

From this moment on, she had betrayed Sonia’s trust.

Suddenly, Daphne thought of herself as a despicable person.

“Thank you for liking me, and I like you too.” After hearing Daphne’s confession, Sonia felt happy and smilingly asked, “Oh, right. When are you leaving?”

She meant when Daphne would leave abroad.

Since Daphne was not really going abroad, she could not give a confirmed time, so she could only think on the whim. “The week after. This week, I need to get my visa and other documents.”

“Wouldn’t it be too much of a rush? One week might not be enough for you to get your visa.”

“No, it wouldn’t. I have a former classmate working at the embassy there. He’ll help me rush my documents, so one week is enough.” Daphne lied again.

She had never lied, but today, in these short few minutes, she had told countless lies.

The more she lied, the more embarrassed she became.

However, Sonia did not know any of this. When she heard that Daphne had a friend over there, she felt at ease. “That’s good. So, you can submit your resignation application after you’re done and I’ll personally approve of it. If you’re willing to come back to this little company one year later, I will happily welcome you back.”

“Okay. Thank you, Chairman Reed. Thank you so much.” Daphne felt a sore sensation at her nose and her eyes felt warm too.

Smiling, Sonia said, “I won’t bother you anymore. Rest well, and I’ll send you off when you leave.”

“No need for that, Chairman Reed.” The moment Sonia said she would send her off, Daphne became anxious and hurriedly refused while shaking her head. “You don’t have to send me off. I can leave on my own.”

“Why?” Sonia could not help but blink her eyes in confusion.

Aren’t we friends?

Shouldn’t friends send each other off when one of them is leaving?

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Chapter 1195 The Strange Charles Lane

However, Daphne was anxious. Why? Of course, it’s because I don’t want to get exposed! She was not really going abroad, so how could she let Sonia send her off? If she did, would that not expose everything?

With both hands tightly holding her phone, she quickly explained, “Because I booked my flight for 11.00PM, so I don’t want to bother you at such a late hour. More importantly, President Fuller wouldn’t feel at ease with you going out at that hour.”

That makes sense. While touching her chin, Sonia asked, “But why did you book a flight for such a late hour?”

Daphne continued to lie, “I especially bought it at that hour because I can catch up on some sleep on the plane and go straight to work when I get there.”

“Oh, alright then. I won’t see you off, but you have to send me a text before you get on the plane so that I know you’ve successfully boarded. Then, I’ll feel more assured.”

Noticing that Sonia had given up the idea of sending her off, Daphne felt relieved. “Alright, Chairman Reed.”

“Alright. Then, I won’t bother you anymore. I’ll hang up now.” After looking at the time, Sonia found that it was getting late.

Daphne did not want to continue this conversation either; the more she spoke, the more she felt sorry toward Sonia.

Until the end, she was afraid that she could not stand the guilt in her heart and blurted out the truth instead. Therefore, she also felt relieved when Sonia suggested they end the call. “Okay. Goodbye, Chairman Reed.”

“Goodbye.” After hanging up, Daphne set down her phone and felt the heavy burden weighing on her heart return to its place.

Then, Charles came over and sat down beside the bed while smiling. “I didn’t expect you to be able to lie so well. You don’t even look flustered.”

Hearing the man’s sarcastic words, Daphne laughed self-deprecatingly and stated, “This is what you asked me to do. You didn’t want Chairman Reed to know you brought me here, so you asked me to resign, and since I can’t tell her the truth, I can only lie.”

“Are you putting the blame on me?” Charles asked with narrowed eyes. Turning her head away, she replied, “No. I’m blaming myself.”

Blaming myself for why I didn’t push him away. Blaming myself for why I didn’t abort this child sooner. Otherwise, all of this wouldn’t have happened.

However, she was curious about how Charles found out about her pregnancy and how he knew she wanted to abort their child. More importantly, how did he know the exact place and time of her operation and arrived there just in time to stop her?

Everything that happened made her curious.

She did not know how he found out about these things, but she was certain that it was not Sonia, who had never asked her about Charles during the phone call. So, there was no way that Sonia would know anything about Charles’ involvement and acknowledgement regarding her pregnancy and abortion.

Therefore, the mystery now lay in when and how he received such information. “What are you thinking about?” As he noticed the light flashing across her eyes, Charles could not help but ask.

Daphne avoided his gaze and answered, “Nothing.”

She had no intention of asking him how he found out. She knew she would not get an answer if she asked anyway. Of course, he wouldn’t tell me. Why should I ask? It’d probably be easier if I found it out myself sooner or later.

As Charles sensed her reluctance to let on anything, his face fell as he got to his feet. “Fine, then. It’s getting late and I have to go. You stay here, and someone will come over to take care of you. If there’s nothing important, don’t contact the outside world or try to leave. Otherwise, I don’t know what I might do. Do you understand?”

Raising her head to reveal her pale face, Daphne asked, “President Lane, are you keeping me under house arrest?”

After showing an unknown smile, he responded, “If you like it that way, I can make it possible.”

Daphne’s face became even paler.

Who would like this?

“That’s it. I’ll be leaving now. You can call me if there’s anything.” Charles raised his hand and unconsciously patted her head.

However, he then remembered that this person was Daphne and not Sonia, so his hand stopped midair and his face fell.

He could not understand, Why do I feel like patting her head?

This woman is clearly not Sonia and I have never patted any woman’s head.

But with Daphne, I suddenly have the thought of doing that.

Daphne is obviously different from Sonia.

Then, Charles retracted his hand and looked down at it for a while as his face became even darker.224139

He thought he had gone mad because he never saw Daphne as a sister, yet he wanted to pat her head. What could it be besides the possibility that he had gone mad?

Putting down his hand, he looked at her with his dark eyes as if he wanted to find a reason.

Yet, not only did he not find any clue after a while, it made him even more bothered the more he thought about it. Then, he snorted and left.

Meanwhile, Daphne watched as he left furiously and found him confusing.

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I didn’t even provoke him, so why is he suddenly so angry?0

At that moment, she found that Charles’ temper had worsened. His temper had always been good before and he would never be as emotional as he was now, making the whole situation even more confusing.

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Perhaps it was because he was looking at the person he hated, right?

Smiling bitterly, she raised her head to look at the ceiling and fell into a daze.

On the other hand, Charles left the private villa and went back to his car.

He was not in a hurry to leave, but he sat in the driver’s seat, leaned against his seat, and covered his eyes with one hand, seemingly exhausted.

In actuality, he was not tired but frustrated. The feeling that was arising within him was something he did not know how to explain. It made him feel uneasy with a sense of losing control while his intuition was telling him that this feeling would stay for a very long time, and it would only get heavier as time passed.

He also knew that he became this way because of Daphne. Otherwise, he would never behave like this when he was facing other people.

Only when he was faced with Daphne that he became unlike himself.

Under normal circumstances, he should distance himself from someone who could make him behave differently. Yet, for some reason, not only did he not do that, he even decided to keep this uncontrolled factor by his side. That was why he questioned his own sanity in the car.

As he was pondering about this, the phone in his bag rang and it interrupted the dazed episode of Charles.

He rubbed his face, not wanting to think about these bothersome things, and sat up straight before taking out his phone.

When he saw who was calling, a smile appeared on his face as he answered the call, “Sonny.”

It was a call from Sonia.

After she found out that Daphne’s situation was not like what she and Rita had thought, she felt assured.

Following her call with Daphne, she remembered Tom’s words when she left the house that afternoon and decided to phone Charles.

“Charles, are you busy?” she asked.

As he looked out the window and toward the villa, Charles’ eyes shone as he replied, “No, I’m not. What’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing. I just want to tell you that Connor was beaten up,” she said.

Surprised, he asked, “So soon? Lance is quite efficient now. He used to be a slow poke and had a slow tempo when doing what he was asked. I thought he’d take at least one to two days before proceeding with the plan, but I didn’t expect he’d get someone to beat up Connor right after I told him about it last night. It doesn’t seem like him.”

He was shocked and happy as he spoke.

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Chapter 1196 Leaving Is Also a Good Thing

Lance was one of Charles’ good friends and Charles thought he knew his friend well enough. To be able to make a slow poke act so quickly meant that he had a very important place in Lance’s heart.0

Otherwise, he would not have put in so much effort to help a friend. Therefore, how could he not be excited and happy?

As for Sonia, she did not know Lance that well and was unsure of what kind of person he was. It was not until she heard what Charles said that she finally knew. As such, she was grateful that such a slow person would be able to finish the job so quickly.

“Maybe because you’re the one who found him. That’s why he’s so quick. Of course, it might be because he had been the leader for many years and changed his gentle attitude into a fiery one.” Sonia laughed while making a guess.

Touching his chin, Charles nodded. “What you said makes sense, but no matter what, it’s good that Lance finished the job swiftly.”

“Yes. That’s why I called you. I wanna ask you to bring him a thank-you gift,” Sonia said.

“Thank-you gift?”

“Yes.”

“For Lance?”

“Who else could it be?” She shrugged. “He gave me a hand in teaching Connor a lesson, so of course, I have to give him something to thank him. I can’t just sit here and do nothing, can I? Wouldn’t that be taking things for granted? I can’t do that, so I must prepare a gift. Besides, other than thanking him, I don’t want to owe him anything either.”

While knocking his fingers on the steering wheel, Charles agreed, “You’re right. You and Lance aren’t familiar with each other, so it’s best not to owe each other anything.”

“That’s why I came to you. I need to know what he likes. Then, I can prepare the gift and have you send it over. Also, you would get a thank-you gift too,” she added.

Surprise filled his face again. “What? Me too?”

“Of course! You’re the middleman who helped me get in contact with Lance. I can’t let you do all that work for nothing, right?”

“Hehe. Then, I’ll thank you in advance.” With excitement, he rubbed his hands together and continued, “Actually, you don’t have to give me anything and I’d still be willing to help you.”

“I know, but I can’t really do nothing, knowing that you did those things willingly, can I? If I did, what kind of person would I have become? Forget about that. Tell me what Lance likes. As for you, you don’t have to say it because I know.” While rubbing her sore shoulders, Sonia urged Charles to speak.

“Alright, so I won’t tell you what I like. You can just prepare anything you see fit. As for Lance, although he’s the leader of a gang, he can be a child at heart, probably because of his background. He grew up in an orphanage, and being able to have food to eat and clothes to wear were already considered a very happy thing for him, so he never had a toy. After he grew up, he liked to buy adult Lego toys, so you can prepare a limited edition Lego set for him. He will love it,” Charles confirmed.

Nodding slowly, she replied, “Sure. I’ll buy that for him. Thank you, Charles.”

“No worries.” He waved his hand. “Is there anything else?”

“Nope, but even if there is, I don’t think you’d want to hear it.” She then leaned against her chair and propped up her head while speaking.

That aroused Charles’ interest. “Really? What’s the thing you’re so certain I won’t like to hear?”

“Daphne is leaving abroad to further her career. Do you think you’d want to hear about matters involving her?” Sonia asked tentatively.

No matter what, Daphne is going to leave the country.

I hope that Charles can put down his hatred for her.

After all, it’s not just her fault that something like that occurred.

Charles also did something wrong.

So, he can’t put all the blame on her and ignore his wrongdoings.

That is something Daphne can’t do alone.

On the other side of the phone, Charles froze when he suddenly heard Sonia mention Daphne.

He had no idea that this was actually about that woman.

It is something I don’t want to hear!

After noting that Charles kept quiet and did not speak, Sonia knew he was upset that she had mentioned Daphne, so she sighed. “Charles, did you know she’s going to leave the country?”

Although she asked that, she felt that he might not know about it.

Unexpectedly, his answer shocked her for a moment.

“I did.”

“You did?” She was shocked.224141

He replied with a hum. “She told me.”

Sonia opened her mouth, but it took her a while before she found her voice. “Daphne personally told you?”

“Yes.” He lied when he added, “She called to tell me.”

Yet, Sonia believed him. “So, that’s how you knew. I thought you still didn’t know about this.”

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As she thought about it, it made sense; despite their complicated relationship and Charles’ terrifyingly cold attitude, he was the person she liked after all.0

So, she would want to tell him that she was leaving before she actually left, right?

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Perhaps, there had been an element of probing in this matter. She was probing to see if the person she liked would ask her to stay when hearing that she was leaving.

However, Sonia thought Daphne might have been disappointed in the end.

Judging from Charles’ attitude, it did not seem like he would try to hold on to her.

“I know, but so what? She can leave if she wants to. Does she think I’ll stop her?” While leaning against the seat again, Charles turned to look at the villa. There was a sullen and complicated expression on his face that went even unnoticed by himself.

Meanwhile, Sonia rubbed her temples. “Although that’s the truth, you both still had a relationship. Do you really feel nothing after knowing that she is going to leave?”

“What feeling should I have? I don’t know her that well, so how would I have any feelings for her?” he stubbornly replied.

Feeling resigned, Sonia shook her head. “Oh, Charles. You’ve known each other for almost a decade. Now that she’s leaving the country, shouldn’t you at least send her off?”

She wanted to help Daphne fight for a chance.

She believed that Daphne would be happy if the person she liked went to see her off.

Perhaps the reason she told Charles about her departure was not only to see if he would ask her to stay, but she might also have wished he could send her off.

No matter what the outcome was, Sonia wanted to help Daphne. Yet, she soon realized that she had underestimated Charles’ coldheartedness.

As soon as he heard Sonia’s words, his eyes darkened. “No. I don’t even want to see her, let alone send her off. Alright then, Sonia. If you called to tell me these things and ask that I treat her better, then there’s no need to say anything else. I still have something to do, so I’ll hang up now.”

After saying that, he immediately ended the call without showing any mercy.

Looking at the screen on her phone, which had returned to her homepage, Sonia resignedly shrugged.

Great. My plan to help Daphne has failed.

Charles’ hatred for her is not as simple as I thought.

It seems like it’s almost impossible for those two to make up.

Maybe this is a good thing. Daphne has aborted the child and severed her last connection with Charles. It’s not a bad thing if they don’t meet each other. At least Daphne can leave without anything pulling her back.

It’s good that she’s leaving; after she goes abroad, she won’t be missing him.

Who knows? Perhaps she’ll be able to forget him sometime later and find a man she loves there?

Thinking of that, Sonia lightly sighed and put down her phone to continue with work. She busied herself until the afternoon when Toby appeared in her office. At that, she stood up smiling. “Why did you come all the way here?”

Chapter 1197 Allow Me to Teach You

Surprise filled Sonia’s eyes when she saw him. However, the man joked, “Why? Can’t I come here?”

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“Of course, you can.” She approached him, took his hand in hers, and smiled. “Whenever you come to Paradigm Co., the employees treat you better than they do to me, and I’m their chairman. Even if I told them not to let you come up here, they wouldn’t listen and would still let you in. So, do you think I can order them not to let you up here?”

“No,” he answered honestly. “Doesn’t this explain everything?” She pulled the man inside. “But I didn’t expect you to come so early. I thought you’d drop by later because you usually come here around 6.00PM, and it’s only 5.00PM now.”

That was why she was shocked when he appeared. “I just happened to finish my work earlier, so I came early. How about you? Are you done?” Toby let her pull him inside and looked at her office desk while walking.

At this moment, Sonia’s desk was a mess. Documents were everywhere, which made Toby, who was a minor neat freak, raise his eyebrows. “Are you swamped with work today?”

Otherwise, her desk would not be this messy.0

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Pulling Toby to her desk, Sonia finally let go of his hand, sighed, and explained in exhaustion, “Yes, it’s been quite a hectic day. The factory has been fully renovated, and the equipment from Kosovo has arrived and is waiting to be installed. Once that’s done, our factory can finally begin production, so I’ve been busy contacting all our business partners to discuss our contract signing. At the same time, I have to contact the other departments and prepare to apply for all kinds of permits for opening a factory. Then, there’s the matter of hiring personnel to work at the factory. Besides all of this, I still have to settle all kinds of miscellaneous documents. I’m so swamped that I don’t even have the time to arrange all these documents. I can only wait until I finish all of that to clean up this mess. Up until now, I still have some documents left to finish.”

With a bitter face, she pointed at the pile of documents that were obviously piled up at the upper right corner of the desk.0

“Is there any problem with those documents?” asked Toby.

He knew of her habits when placing things.

The books that she disliked, could not understand, or could understand but still felt doubtful about, would be habitually placed far away. Only after she finished books that she could understand would she then start on the unfinished ones and do some research on them.

According to that habit, the documents that were placed far away and left untouched should be the ones she found difficulty with, or at least documents she was not able to deal with at the moment because it required lots of research or phone-callings to the other departments.

However, if that was true, it would be time-consuming. Maybe before she even finished that pile, the easier documents would have piled up again and she would not have had time to deal with the entirety of them.

Therefore, it was clever of her to finish the easier documents and keep the harder ones aside first.

When Sonia heard Toby’s question, she massaged her temples. “There are so many problems with them. I’ve flipped through them and found that they contain a lot of professional information about this industry, but I’ve only just started to get involved in it, so there’s a lot that I don’t understand and don’t know how to deal with. I don’t want to just sign and get tricked later on, so I can only set them aside and think about them later.”

“Do you need to settle them right away?” Toby approached the pile and picked up the topmost file. “Can I take a look at this?”

He turned around to ask her.

Sonia shook her head but then nodded. “No, these aren’t expedited documents. Sure, you can take a look. They aren’t top-secret documents. My small company can’t even compare with your company’s subsidiary companies, so no matter how secretive these documents are, they are worthless to you. So, just look at them as much as you want.”

To be honest, Paradigm Co. was really nothing before Toby.

Still, his effort to ask for permission before looking at those documents touched Sonia. He did not take advantage of their relationship and took the liberty to look through those documents.

Such an effort not only showed his respect for her but also for Paradigm Co.. It also showed her that he did not belittle Paradigm Co. because it was a small company.

Although Toby did not know what Sonia was thinking, he could not help but laugh quietly when hearing her reply. “Who told you these are worthless to me? You’re here in this company, so this company is the most important in my eyes.”

The sudden confession made Sonia blush and she shyly pushed him. “Alright. Go and look at them if you want. Stop talking nonsense. We can get off work after you finish.”

“Okay.” He affectionately rubbed her head and opened one of the documents to start reading.

After looking through the first page, he slightly raised his chin to say, “These documents are indeed quite difficult for you, but that’s fine. I can teach you.”

“You’re going to teach me?” She was stunned.

Closing the file, Toby asked, “What’s the matter? Don’t you want a free tutor?”

“Of course, I do!” Sonia quickly nodded and agreed. As if she was afraid that he would regret his decision, she hurriedly tidied up her desk while looking at him with fiery eyes. “I would be stupid to reject such a capable tutor to teach me. More importantly, this tutor is free of charge.”

Looking at her cute actions, he laughed. His voice was low, yet pleasant to the ear.

Sonia thought this might be what the netizens described as an ‘eargasm’.

“So, the word ‘free’ is the most important thing, am I right?” Toby gently pinched Sonia’s cheeks while speaking.

Pouting, she said, “That’s not important. The most important thing is that you’re willing to tutor me.”

Then, she patted her office chair. “You sit here.”

“Where would you sit?” He did not immediately sit down but looked at her and asked.

He had to make sure she also had a place to sit before he did, or else, he would not feel at ease.

Of course, it’s fine if she doesn’t have a place to sit but insists that I sit down. She can sit on my lap and I can have her in my arms while tutoring her, which might be quite exciting.

As he thought of that, his eyes that were looking at her gradually darkened.

His gaze made Sonia feel goosebumps and she subconsciously tensed up while looking sideways at him. “What are you looking at me for?”

“Nothing.” He coughed.

Toby did not dare tell her he wanted her to sit on his lap.

That might cause her to flare up.

Moreover, she might really sit on his lap if he just kept his mouth shut; if he mentioned that, that would kill all chances.

Therefore, a smart person would not say their desire out loud.

Although Sonia thought he was acting strange, she could guess, judging by his gaze, that he was up to no good. However, seeing that he quickly withdrew his gaze, she did not bother to question him about what his gaze meant. She pulled the chair opposite her desk over and placed it along with her office chair before patting it. “I can sit here.”

Slightly frowning, Toby looked disdainfully at the chair she pulled over. “This chair isn’t as comfortable as mine. Let’s change seats. I’ll sit on that.”

While he spoke, he was about to switch the two chairs.

However, Sonia stopped him by tugging on his arm. “No need. You’re the teacher and you came here to teach me, so I can’t just let you contribute your knowledge and sit uncomfortably. So, you sit on my office chair and I’ll sit on this one. Moreover, I’m your student and I’m the one asking for your help. I can’t take all the benefits and let you, the person helping me, not get anything in return. That’s not how things work. So, listen to me and sit here. If you don’t agree, then don’t teach me. Also, not only this time. You also can’t tutor me on the courses I’m going to take when I take my career course as well. Otherwise, I won’t be at ease when receiving your tutoring.”

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Chapter 1198 The Teacher and the Student

Then, Toby saw her serious face as she spoke. It was then that he knew that if he did not follow what she said, she would do whatever she said because this was Sonia’s personality at its core.

Despite their current relationship, she was still unwilling to take advantage of him. “Gosh. What should I do with you?” As he shook his head resignedly, he pulled her office chair over to him and sat down. “Is this better?”

Nodding in satisfaction, Sonia said, “Yes.” After she said that, she pulled the less comfortable chair closer and sat down as well. “Toby, don’t just think that I’m being stubborn and refusing to accept your kindness. I know you want to do more things for me and want me to sit more comfortably.

I’m grateful and I accept your kind gesture, but such actions will only make me greedy. In the end, I might even take your kindness for granted and gradually forget that I should repay your kindness and do something for you too. Then, I’ll become someone who only knows how to enjoy your efforts without reciprocating.

A person like that is selfish, and someday when you mistreat me or neglect me for the slightest bit, I won’t be able to accept that and might even throw a fit. So, Toby…”

She looked up at him. “You will only pamper me too much by doing so. I think you don’t want me to become a completely different person from how I am now, right? Because that wouldn’t be me anymore.”

While gazing into her eyes for a while, Toby sighed and relaxed. “I understand. I’ll think more carefully about the consequences when considering doing something for you in the future and make a more well-rounded decision. You’re right. Overindulging someone will change them and turn them into someone they weren’t in the beginning. It’s my fault for not thinking of this.”

“Very good. Alright, let’s start our tutoring session. The earlier we finish this pile, the earlier we can go home. Then, I can make you some soup.” Sonia then brought the stack of documents over and set them in front of Toby.

Meanwhile, the man felt his eyelids twitching. “Soup?”

At that moment, the scene of him drinking soup at the old manor that afternoon reappeared in his mind and his face was full of reluctance.

“Please don’t. I’ve had enough soup for a while.” He then picked up the topmost file while expressing with a tense voice.

Even his face showed a terrified expression.

Clearly, that particular soup was so terrifying to him that it made him fear out of instinct.

It was the first time Sonia saw fear in the man before her.

In her memory, Toby was an omnipotent person; there was nothing that could scare him. It was as if he were born without such emotions and they would never appear on his face. So, she was intrigued when an emotion that should not have been on his face suddenly appeared. Of course, she also knew why he would give such an expression.

That soup appeared to have given him some sort of ‘trauma’. Thinking of that, Sonia could not help but laugh. However, that soup also gave her the same feeling as well—fear.

Yet, in comparison to Toby who drank the soup, her fear was nothing. As she thought about it, she felt more defeated than terrified.

“Don’t worry. It’s not the strange soup Grandma and Madam Mary made. It’s just a plain bone broth that Mrs. Lane specially prepared and asked me to make for you. She said it’s beneficial to your arm because it hasn’t fully recovered yet. Although it looks like everything’s good, you still can’t carry heavy things or make large movements. Since she’s aware of your condition, she went back to her parent’s house and specifically sought out the largest beef bone she could find.”

When Charles brought it to her yesterday, she did not know exactly what Grace had made for Toby or why Grace had her make it for him either.

It was not until Charles left and she was separating the gifts for Grandma that she discovered it was beef short ribs.

“Are you referring to Charles’ mother?” Toby was shocked.

Nodding, she replied, “Yes. Which other Mrs. Lane do you know besides her?”

“She went to the old manor yesterday. I know she prepared a lot of local specialties and you gave some to Grandma, but I didn’t hear about her preparing anything for me,” replied Toby.

Sonia laughed. “I forgot to tell you, but maybe because I thought I wouldn’t be bringing it back to the old manor, so I didn’t think to mention it.”

Hearing that, Toby poked her forehead as if saying, How can you forget such a thing?

“What kind of beef bone is that? Why did Mrs. Lane have to head back to her parents’ home to get them? Can’t she just tell us and let us buy them here?” Toby twirled the pen with his long, slender fingers while asking.

Could it be bones from a wild animal?

He was doubtful, as he thought that possibility might be high.

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Seeing the serious look on his face, Sonia could guess what he was thinking.

She also had such a thought before and even messaged Grace to ask her. Then, Grace told her that it was not like what she had imagined and that they were just beef bones from an actual cow.

Also, it was because the cows from Grace’s hometown were raised on grass and feed, so they were better than the cows in the city that were raised on only feed. Also, the broth made from those cows was more fragrant and had better effects. That was why Grace went all the way there to retrieve those bones instead of buying them in the city.

After finding out the truth, Sonia felt at ease. Otherwise, she would be worried that she had fallen into someone’s trap.

“Don’t worry. They’re just normal pork short ribs. Mrs. Lane didn’t want us to buy them because we couldn’t buy good ones in the city. They’re difficult to obtain not only in the city but also in farms abroad. Almost everyone in Mrs. Lane’s hometown grows medicinal herbs and it has the largest medicinal herb planting base in the country, so all of the animals there are raised on these herbs. Drinking soup made from these bones is the best for you.” Sonia’s explanation was a mix of the truth and lies.0

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The fake part was that they were pork bones and not beef bones.

She had no choice because Toby had just drunk the soup made from that part of the cow this morning, so he might not want to hear anything about cows for now.0

If he knew that she would be making bone broth from beef bones for him, he would not drink it no matter what.

Therefore, it was better if she did not mention that specific animal.

As she expected, after hearing that they were pork short ribs, he did not refuse anymore and was even feeling grateful. “Please thank Mrs. Lane for me. I’ll prepare a gift for her later.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already thanked her. As for the gift,” she cautioned, “don’t make anything too valuable, or she won’t accept it.”

Nodding in acknowledgment, he replied, “Got it.”

“Come to think of it, Mrs. Lane treats you so well. When Charles brought them over yesterday and told me about this, he looked so jealous,” Sonia joked with him.

Toby raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Really? That’s something good to hear.”

Anyway, he felt happy knowing that Charles was not happy.

Of course, Sonia knew what he was thinking, so she shook her head in defeat. “Oh, you… Alright. It’s getting dark soon, so hurry up and teach me. I need to settle these before going home.”

Toby nodded. “Come closer.”

“Okay,” she agreed as she brought her chair closer to him.

Following that, the two sat together with their heads together and immersed themselves in studying and working.

Toby was a man with a cold personality; whoever saw him would think that he was an impatient person.

Besides, he did not look like someone who would tutor others because the person he was tutoring would be trembling in fear the whole time, let alone learn anything from the session.

Sure, even if the tutee could learn something, they would have to wonder if they were learning the right things or learning fast enough because if Toby was not satisfied with them, he would expel them.

All in all, anyone facing a teacher like Toby should be feeling very stressed, right?

Chapter 1199 A Good Teacher and Student

That point was certain. Those assumptions, however, were based on the fact that those tutees were not Sonia. For Toby, Sonia was always an exception.

When facing her, he was always a gentle person. Even when his current identity was her teacher, he still taught her gently and patiently.

At first, Sonia was worried that he would think she was stupid if she could not understand what he was teaching before gradually losing his patience. After all, the man before her was not a patient person and she was very clear about that.

Therefore, she had been feeling uneasy and was listening apprehensively throughout the session because she was afraid that he would think of her as unteachable and ended up giving up the whole tutoring session altogether.

She could deal with the awkwardness, but it would be difficult for her to further her studies as she would have to find another tutor. However, she was proven wrong in the end. That was just my overthinking.

In reality, Toby was very patient with her. Whenever she failed to understand something, he would not get impatient with her. Instead, he would explain it to her repeatedly, break up the topic into subtopics, and explain everything to her until she understood. What shocked her was that he did not even show any signs of anger.

Gradually, Sonia realized that he would never think that she was stupid or be impatient with her, so the apprehension she felt slowly dissipated.

Perhaps, she felt more relaxed because those emotions had dissipated, and she even found it easier to learn those facts. She also found that after his explanation, she could understand some parts of those points she did not understand in the beginning.

After that, Toby picked up the pace and Sonia learned many new things she did not know before.224145

In conclusion, Toby was a good teacher and she could understand what he taught.

She was grateful to him.

Today’s session also made Sonia feel more at ease about the private tutoring sessions that would be happening in the next half of the year.

When she decided to further her studies and thought of taking the entrance exam half a year later, she accepted Toby’s suggestion to find a private tutor.

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Although she accepted his suggestion, she still felt uneasy about the tutoring session that was going to happen. She was not worried about Toby’s capability. On the contrary, she had never doubted his professional capabilities in this field. After all, all his doctorates were not just for show. Once she fully became his tutee, he would definitely succeed as a tutor.0

Yet, the one she was worried about was herself.

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She had never learned anything about managing a company; whatever knowledge she had now was knowledge she learned herself after managing Paradigm Co. for a few months. In other words, she was not even a qualified newbie but merely a person who knew bits and pieces about this industry and could handle a few easy documents.

As for those more difficult documents, like what Toby was currently teaching her, she would not be able to handle them on her own. She would have to consume a lot of time and ask many questions to be able to deal with them.

To put it frankly, she could not deal with them on her own, and that could be a very fatal flaw for any chairman of a company.

She got so far because she was lucky that no one had tried to deceive her. Although she had not done anything wrong with those documents, if she had, Asher would have grabbed the chance and done everything he could to suppress her.

If that had happened, her employees would not have stood by her side and spoken up for her because those documents involved a large amount of capital, and these capitals were their salaries. Therefore, they would not be able to accept a chairman who could not deal with company affairs.

It was the same for Sonia as well because she would also wonder if the company would collapse, thanks to such an unreliable leader.

She believed that many of the employees had that doubt in their minds. Even she felt that the company could still stand to this day because the heavens pitied her. Otherwise, with a leader like her managing this company, it would have been long gone.

So, she had to learn, further her studies, and become stronger and better. This was not only being responsible for herself but also for Paradigm Co. and the hundreds of thousands of employees.

Otherwise, if Paradigm Co. collapsed, what would happen to those employees who had to provide for their families and survive?

That was why she did not refuse Toby’s suggestion but was very grateful and excited instead.

After all, with someone like him as her tutor, she might even wake up smiling because this was something others could only dream of.

Moreover, his assistance would greatly increase her chances of being able to attend business school. She would not be exaggerating if she said that she had already been given the chance to be a student at that point.

Of course, in the midst of her happiness, there were hints of uneasiness.

She was afraid that if she did not know anything, then it would be difficult for her to pick up her learning pace, which would make teaching her a difficult task for Toby. Subsequently, he might think she was stupid for not understanding anything he taught her and eventually give up on her.

However, after the short session they had earlier, she found that she had been overthinking everything. She was not that stupid nor was he like what she had imagined. He did not think she was dumb or became impatient to keep teaching her.

On the contrary, he taught her very seriously, carefully, and patiently.

Regardless of the repeated explanations in the beginning, he would not get frustrated with her. Instead, he would consider if his method of teaching was wrong, then change to one that would work. After doing so, she was able to understand what he was teaching and a flash of realization would appear in his eyes.

It was as if he was certain that there was a problem with his teaching method. Ultimately, she was not afraid of letting him teach her in the future.

As she thought of that, she lightly exhaled and a smile appeared on her face.

Meanwhile, Toby was busy organizing the documents they had been dealing with earlier when he noticed her sudden smile. He raised an eyebrow and gently tapped her head while asking, “What are you thinking about? You’re smiling so happily.”

Although she did not feel any pain from the tap, she subconsciously covered the place he tapped before turning to him with a smile. “Nothing. I just think that you’re such a good teacher. I was worried I might be too dumb and you’d become frustrated.”

“Why would I?” He organized the documents into a stack by the side. “Why do you think I’ll get frustrated because you’re inexperienced?”

“It was just a thought. I couldn’t understand anything in the beginning and you had to repeat it many times before I got the gist of it. Even I think of myself as a dumb person, let alone other people.

So, not getting frustrated while teaching me already takes a lot of patience. After all, that was the situation students who were bad at studying faced back in school, and I was worried I might face the same situation, but unexpectedly, you didn’t treat me like that. So, of course, I’m smiling happily.” As she spoke, she looked up at him with eyes that were filled with gratitude.

Yes, gratitude. She was grateful that he did not treat her like her teachers had treated the weaker students at her school. Otherwise, she would have felt embarrassed and it would have made her feel like she was useless.

“Don’t worry. Even if I treat others that way, I will never treat you like that. Moreover, I think that there is no such thing as a dumb student. If students don’t understand something, it’s not because they are stupid but because the method of teaching isn’t suitable for them.

So, if someone is really stupid, it must be the teacher and not the student. The teacher can’t even find a method of teaching that suits the students, so what else could the teacher be besides being stupid?

That’s why I kept finding the problem in myself and not in you when you can’t understand what I was teaching. Therefore, you can rest assured that what you fear will never happen.” He touched her head while looking at her with his most reassuring gaze.

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Chapter 1200 Enjoy Hearing That Title

When faced with Toby’s gaze, Sonia felt reassured, so she smiled at him and nodded heavily. “I believe you, but your words made me think that if you don’t stay as the president of Fuller Group and become a teacher instead, you’d be the most likable teacher in school. Don’t you know that students adore teachers like you, who don’t find fault in them but in themselves?”

While rubbing her head, he answered, “But I don’t like being other people’s teacher. I only enjoy being your teacher and teaching you. As for the others, they are not worthy of my time!”

That made her laugh and she instinctively slapped his chest. “Double-standards.” “Don’t you like me for that?” He raised an eyebrow and fixed his gaze on her.

Blushing from his gaze, Sonia snorted. “I don’t want to be bothered with you now. Alright, it’s getting late. Since all these documents are settled, let’s go back. I’m starving.”

She touched her belly.

Of course, the man knew that she was deliberately changing the topic and did not want to answer his question.

Thus, he could only shake his head in defeat.

She’s so easily embarrassed still.

“Sure. Let’s head home first. I have something else to tell you. Then, he got up and moved his neck.

In the meantime, Sonia was also easing her aching shoulders and legs when she heard that. She immediately turned to look at him. “What do you want to tell me?”

“I had Tom prepare all the information needed for our upcoming tutoring sessions. They’re all inside my car. From today onward, I will officially become your homeschool teacher.”

“So fast?” Shocked, she continued, “Didn’t you say you needed to get that information from other schools abroad since that’d be easier for targeted teachings and I’d be able to better cope with the entrance examination? I thought it might take days to gather that information. Who would have thought you did it in one day?”

Nodding, Toby explained, “One of the assistant lecturers at that school is my former college classmate. I had him compile those documents and courier them over, so of course, it would greatly shorten the time.”

“So, that’s why.” As Sonia nodded in realization, she then looked at him with a serious expression. “Since those teaching materials have arrived, please take better care of me beginning tonight, Professor Fuller.”

Following that, she reached out her hand at him.

“Professor Fuller…” he called out that title softly.

His voice was low and sexy, which made those two words feel extra charming. It made others tingle and feel a sense of desire arise in them.

Sonia’s cheeks were already feeling warm; they began to warm up and even turn pink at this point.

While glaring at Toby, she complained, “Toby Fuller, why do you have to recite that name in this manner? Now, you’re making it sound weird.”

A teasing smile appeared on his face. “I didn’t. It was you who said it, but I have to remind you that calling a man like that is indeed a little inappropriate in some aspects.”

As for what aspect it was, those who knew would definitely understand.

This time, Sonia was indeed blushing while stomping her feet. “Why are you… If I had known it would turn out like this, I wouldn’t have called you Professor Fuller.”

This b*stard doesn’t deserve that title!

“Hey, stop.” Toby tugged on Sonia’s arm. “Since I’ve promised you, I’ll definitely teach you how to cope with the exam. As for how you address me, I really like it. Not only can I teach you the knowledge you want to know, but I can also teach you new positions.”

A new position?

Now, not only were Sonia’s cheeks blushing, but even the roots of her ears were bright red.

What positions are he talking about?

Of course, it was that thing again!

This b*stard can really render someone speechless.

Meanwhile, Sonia was as regretful as she could be. If she had known that calling Toby ‘Professor Fuller’ could cause him to think of such lewd things, she would not have done so.

This is such a pain in the *ss.

Also, whoever asked the female protagonists in those movies to address their men as professors was also a pain in the *ss.

If it had not been for those people, all of this would not have happened.

Even if it was Sonia’s clear intention to use the title ‘professor’ as a means of an actual teacher, she was now frustrated by the fact that the title had been polluted.

“That’s enough, Toby. I’ll ignore you if you continue acting like that.” Frustrated, she stepped on his feet and left a cute footprint on his leather shoes. At the same time, she also glared at him to tell him not to say any inappropriate things.

Otherwise, she would beat him up.

Following that, she raised her fist and put on her fiercest expression.

What she did not realize was that in Toby’s eyes, her current expression did not show any authority and there was only cuteness.

This is probably what they describe as ‘angry yet cuddly.’

Nodding, he tried to conceal his smile while saying, “Alright. I won’t say it anymore, but starting today, you can call me Professor Fuller whenever we’re having our sessions. I like it.”

While he was giving her pointers to cope with her examinations, he was considered a glorified purveyor of knowledge.

Of course, if she had called him Professor Fuller in bed, things would have escalated differently.

Besides all that, there was also an exciting feeling when he thought about the taboo relationship between a teacher and a student.

Toby’s eyes shone brightly while the smile on his face became larger.

Perhaps, I can try that with her tonight.

He looked at her while thinking of that.

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When Sonia met his gaze, she felt her heart skip a beat and a bad feeling suddenly rushed at her.

What’s wrong with his gaze?

Why do I feel like he wants to eat me?

While pulling her lips into a thin line, she narrowed her beautiful almond-shaped eyes and cast him a warning stare.

That guy must not be thinking about anything good.0

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Otherwise, why would he be looking at me like that?

“Toby, that’s enough. Stop looking at me like that! What do you want?” she asked while having her hands on her hips.0

Toby gulped as he tried to suppress his urge for a while to prevent himself from uttering those lewd words. “It’s nothing. Let’s go. Didn’t you say you’re hungry?”

He held his hand out to take hers.

After staying silent for a few seconds, Sonia did not refuse and allowed Toby to hold her hand.

No matter what, that b*stard’s gaze was impolite.

However, she secretly felt a little excited.

After all, it meant that he was attracted to her, which was why he was looking at her like that.

Otherwise, why would he look at her that way?

Hence, seeing that he was so attracted to her, she decided not to refuse him. What could she do if she made him sad?

With their hands intertwined, the two left Paradigm Co. together as usual and ascended the car under the employees’ envious gazes.

Once they entered the car, Toby leaned in to help Sonia with her seat belt.

Meanwhile, she inclined obediently against the seat and let him help her fasten her seat belt.

Since he liked doing it, she would let him do all he wanted.

If she rejected him, he would definitely look at her with resentment in his eyes. Then, she would feel guilty and wonder if she had really done something wrong.

Therefore, she just let him do whatever he wanted.

After all, it felt good to have someone serve her while she enjoyed herself, so why should she reject it?

After he fastened her seat belt, he sat back in the driver’s seat and wore his seat belt before driving away from Paradigm Co..

On the way home, Sonia suddenly thought of something and asked the man who was focused on the road. “Oh, right. Toby, you went to Connor this afternoon, right? How was it?”

“It’s all settled. He’ll return my mother’s belongings and I’ll agree to sign a Letter of Understanding. When I came to you, I’d already sent Tom to bring the letter over to him,” Toby said while turning the steering wheel.