Ch. 1201..1210

Chapter 1201 Relic in Hands

When Sonia heard Toby say that the matter was being solved, she nodded while being at ease. “That’s good to hear,” she said.

At this moment, Toby squinted his eyes and commented, “We have been guessing it wrong all along.” “Huh?” Sonia was confused when she heard his words. Hence, she asked, “Which guess was it?”

“The relic,” he replied as he pursed his lips. “In the beginning, we thought Connor was talking about photos or videos as relics. However, after I met him in the afternoon and heard what he had to say, it seemed that the relic wasn’t what we expected it to be. It’s actually something else.”

Hearing his words, she sat straight up in shock and exclaimed, “Something else? Can you be specific?”

However, Toby shook his head and admitted, “I don’t know since Connor did not reveal it. However, one thing we know for sure is that it isn’t anything we’ve guessed.”

“It’s better that way.” Sonia leaned back against her seat as she spoke. “If it isn’t those things, we won’t have to worry about the possibility of it being exposed.”

Listening to her words, he hummed in agreement and said, “Despite that, it still makes me upset because I feel like I was being tricked.”

Toby had a point, though. After all, he and Sonia had no choice but to accept Connor’s condition, which was to release Anya, as they thought it was some kind of photo or video. However, since they had discovered it wasn’t, it would be an unfair treaty for them if they released Anya. Thus, it was true to say that Connor had tricked them.

As Sonia thought about it, she sighed and said, “It is indeed upsetting how Connor used our care to protect your mom’s reputation. After all, we would have seen through his lies rather than being lured into thinking such things by him if it weren’t for it.”

“That’s why I’m going to remember this and make him pay the price later on,” he said sinisterly as his face was grim.

“You should,” she responded while nodding her head.

Just as they were talking, Toby’s phone rang in his pocket. Then, he glanced at Sonia, who was sitting by the passenger seat and said, “Come and help me answer the phone. I’m preoccupied.”

However, Sonia didn’t agree to help him immediately and asked him while looking at him, “What if it is someone from the company wanting to speak to you about business?”

“Even so, that’s fine. After all, you are not an outsider. So, pick it up and put it on speaker,” Toby replied.

“Okay.” Sonia hummed in response and reached out her hand into his pocket to grab his phone. When she saw the caller ID, she put the phone in front of him and quickly took it back after a glance. After all, Toby was driving. Hence, he would only be able to look at it for a short time.

“It’s Tom,” said Sonia.

Listening to her words, Toby lifted his chin slightly and said, “Answer it. It must be about the relic.”

When Sonia heard his words, she didn’t dare to delay further and quickly answered the call. “Hello?”

On the other end of the phone, Tom was startled momentarily when he heard her voice, but he quickly regained his composure. “Miss Reed, is President Fuller with you?”

Maybe President Fuller isn’t beside her. Otherwise, why would Miss Reed answer the phone? Tom thought. However, just as he had this assumption, Sonia shattered it.

“Yes, he is driving,” Sonia replied while looking at Toby. Then, she put the call on speaker.

Listening to her words, Tom twitched his lips and said, “Okay.”

I looked too much into it and assumed that President Fuller is not around. How can I forget? They would be arm-to-arm with each other whenever they are together. How can President Fuller not be around Miss Reed’s side? Moreover, there isn’t a rule saying that she can only help President Fuller pick up the phone if she isn’t by his side. Hence, she can answer the call for him even if he is around. After all, what if it’s because President Fuller is too lazy to answer the call? Hmm… It looks like I have to think outside the box, or else I will be eating crow again. I shouldn’t just assume things, especially when it comes to them, Tom thought while rubbing his chin.

On the other end of the phone, Sonia didn’t know what he was thinking and placed the phone by the gear, saying, “President Fuller is just beside me, Tom. Since I have put you on speaker, you can say anything you want to him. He will hear you.”224148

Listening to her words, Tom snapped out of his trance and said gratefully, “Okay. Thank you, Miss Reed.”

“You are welcome,” Sonia replied with a smile.

Although they both couldn’t see each other, a matter of etiquette was still a must.

“President Fuller, I have sent the letter of understanding to Connor, and I have the relic now.” On the other end of the phone, Tom was sitting in the car, looking at the old box that was placed in the passenger seat.

The box was small and was the size of a man’s palm. It was glowing in pitch black and had various carvings around the box. The carvings gave off a mysterious feeling and made people feel that the meaning behind them was something important.0

As a matter of fact, it was something extraordinary. Hundreds of years ago, the Johanns were also a noble family. At that moment, the country was still in a medieval state, and the ancestors of the Johanns were first-rank officials. Thus, the Johann Family had a glorious future. However, due to the fact that the Johanns had fewer people and the emergence of a new country, their family slowly began to perish.

Nonetheless, they were still superior to ordinary people. Even if the Johann Family had dwindled and others had destroyed their rules and property, many treasures were still hidden. It was after the revolution that the hidden treasures were discovered again.

One of them was this black box and the object inside. The box was made out of dalbergia odorifera, which was an expensive wood, and was even more priceless when it had been in the world for hundreds of years. The box itself was already valuable, let alone the object inside.

It’s quite a shock that Valerie would give such a valuable possession to Connor, Tom thought.

When Toby heard that the relic had been retrieved, his furrowed eyebrows relaxed in ease, and so did Sonia’s heart. God knew they were nervous when Tom said that he had sent over the letter because they feared that Connor would trick them again and they would not have the relic. Fortunately, Connor kept his promise this time.

As Toby saw the red lights, he stopped his car and finally had the chance to look at his phone. Then, he asked in a deep voice, “What is it?”

Hearing his words, Sonia was also staring at the phone, waiting for Tom’s answer.

At that moment, Tom decided to video call them. Seeing his intention, Sonia picked up the phone and placed it between her and Toby for convenience.

Tom reached over the passenger seat, grabbed the box, and leveled it toward the phone’s camera. “This is it,” he said.

Looking at the box, Sonia blinked and said, “This box looks valuable. Is it an antique?”

Toby nodded and explained, “It is made out of dalbergia odorifera. By the looks of the box, I would say it had been kept for over a hundred years. Thus, this isn’t an antique and more of a cultural relic. It is indeed somewhat valuable, but it only costs several hundred million.”

When she heard his words, she took a sharp breath and exclaimed, “Did you just say that hundreds of millions are somewhat valuable? Do you have any misunderstanding about the term somewhat valuable?”

Listening to her words, he raised his head and looked at her with confusion. “Huh?” he said. It was clear that he didn’t understand her words.

Chapter 1202 Origin of the Jade

Sonia found it absurd as she facepalmed and said, “My bad. I just realized that you might think hundreds of millions is a small amount of money since you are filthy rich. That’s why you would say that this box is only somewhat valuable.”

To him, having a few dollars is equivalent to having hundreds of millions. However, this is an enormous amount for me, she thought. Hearing her words, Toby averted his gaze and looked at the screen again. “Do you like this box?” he asked.

“No.” Sonia shook her head hastily. “Although this box is quite valuable to me, it also scares me.” “It scares you?” Toby raised his eyebrow, unsure why she would be afraid of a box.

Hence, Sonia explained to him. “This box has been in the world for quite some time, and by the looks of the carvings, it seems mysterious. Looking at it, I can’t help but recall specific scenes from horror movies. There are many antique objects like this in horror movies. It gives me an eerie feeling, so I don’t like it.”

When Toby heard her words, he laughed because he didn’t expect this to be the reason she was afraid. Only now did he know that she was scared of this.

“I was just thinking of giving it to you if you like it.” He chuckled deeply. “It looks like I can’t do that now.”

Hearing his words, Sonia quickly declined and said, “Don’t give it to me. I think I’m going to have nightmares from having it. Why don’t you just keep it?”

“I won’t give it to you if you dislike it,” said Toby as he nodded. Only then did Sonia sigh a breath of relief. Then, she looked at the box curiously and asked, “That’s great. What’s in the box, though?”

When Tom heard her words, he placed his phone on a stand. Then, he held the box with one hand and opened it with another. At that moment, the thing inside the box was revealed and exposed under the camera. It was an emerald jade without any impurities. No wonder it was being kept in such an expensive box. After all, the jade was more expensive than the box.

When Sonia saw the jade, she couldn’t help but exclaim as she covered her mouth, “It’s beautiful.”

The jade was carved into the shape of a plum, and the petals and buds of the plum were ethereal. If it weren’t an emerald green jade, it looked just like a real plum, which was mesmerizing enough.

Although Sonia had no knowledge about jade, she also knew it would be pricey. Not only that, even someone as amateur as her could tell that an expert did the carving. When such top-level carving and rare jade were combined, the price of the jade would be exorbitant. If she guessed it correctly, the jade’s price would be a few thousand million.

Unlike Sonia, who was astonished by the jade, Toby frowned when he looked at it. There was a hint of shock flashed across his eyes. “I can’t believe this is the relic,” he said.

When Sonia heard his words, she looked at him curiously and asked, “Do you recognize this jade? No, that can’t be it. This jade was given to Connor by your mother when they were dating. How would you recognize it when you hadn’t even been born yet?”

When Valerie was dating Connor, she was not married to Homer yet. Thus, Toby was not born. That meant that he shouldn’t have known about the existence of the jade. As a woman, Sonia didn’t feel that Valerie would tell Homer and Toby about something she had given to her first love.

However, Toby slowly nodded as Sonia looked at him. “I know about this,” he said.

“You do?” Sonia was shocked by his words.

When Tom heard their conversation, he was also shocked, but then he assumed that Valerie had told Toby about it.

From the looks of it, one could tell that there was a difference between a man and a woman’s mindset. While Sonia thought Valerie wouldn’t tell Toby about this, Tom assumed she would. This was the difference between a man and a woman’s way of thinking.

When Toby saw that the red lights had turned green, he started the car and drove as he spoke. “The Johann Family used to be big and ancient. In fact, its history is older than the Fullers.”

“Even older than Fuller Family?” Sonia was in disbelief. “Yes.” Toby nodded. Hearing his words, Sonia exclaimed, “I thought that the Johann Family was just a family that stayed for about tens of years. I didn’t expect it to be so ancient.”

The Johann Family was also a family from Westsanshire, but it was a low-ranked family. Right now, the Johanns could only squeeze their way to the line of a top-ranked family, but they were due to fall out from it any time.

After all, the heir of the Johann Family was a collateral branch from the Johann Family and not the same as Valerie’s family branch. Hence, the heir had nothing to do with Toby other than bloodline. The Johanns also knew that Toby would ignore them. Therefore, they didn’t ask for help even if the family would fall any time soon.

Considering this matter, Sonia felt they knew their place, but she had always thought that the Johann Family was the same as the Fuller Family, which started from Valerie’s grandfather. Never did she expect that the Johann Family’s history was longer than the Fullers.

“The current Johann Family isn’t the same branch of the family as it used to be. That’s why many past events of the family have been buried deep down and were unknown. Thus, it’s normal if you don’t know about it,” Toby explained softly.

Hearing his words, Sonia nodded and said, “So, what’s going on with that jade?”

After turning the steering wheel, Toby said, “The ancestors of the Johanns were first-rank officials, but they were corrupted and had taken money from the citizens. When the dynasty perished, the Johanns hoarded many treasures from the palace. At that time, the Johann Family was the strongest out there.

However, everything has an end. After some time, the generations of the Johann Family became ordinary. They couldn’t earn back their money other than spending it, which was why their family had become a middle-rank family after about three generations. Even half of the possessions that their ancestors hoarded had been spent.”

When Sonia heard his words, she sighed and said, “I guess it’s true that a big family company would not be able to stand being spent if the generations are not hard-working enough.”

Toby didn’t comment on her opinion and continued, “During that decade, the Johanns became the most impacted family, and their properties were being snatched. However, some of them were smart enough to secretly hide a part of their possessions, which became the startup of the Johann Family.

This jade is one of the possessions that had been hidden. Due to its cost, the heir of the Johann Family, which was also my grandfather, didn’t sell the jade and gave it to my mother.

As the representative of the Johanns, my grandfather was an ambitious man. He tried to turn the family into what it used to be, so he kept the rule of having a token representing that family member. I know this because my grandfather told me about it.”

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“I see.” Sonia raised her chin in realization. I knew it. There’s no way he would’ve known about the jade’s origin from his mother, she thought.

On the other end of the phone, realization struck Tom when he heard Toby’s words. It looks like I have guessed it wrong again, he thought.

At this moment, Sonia suddenly remembered something and looked at Toby. “I remember that Toby Fuller wasn’t always your actual name, right?” she asked.

Chapter 1203 Cold Blooded Woman

Listening to her words, Toby nodded and said, “It was Zonny Hohann, which is also the short form of my name on Messenger. I’ve told you about that before.”

Sonia hummed in response and said, “I remember. You told me that you had followed your mother’s surname. You only changed your name after that.”

“Before my father met my stepmom, he had always been in love with my mother. Moreover, since my mother is the only daughter that my grandfather had, my father intended to have two kids with her. One of their kids would be named after my mother’s surname and be the heir of the Johann Family to prevent the family from being in the hands of the collateral branch.

Vice versa, the other will be named after my father’s surname and be the heir of the Fuller Family. That was why I was named John Johann when I was born. At that time, my father didn’t know that she did not intend to have another child with him,” Toby explained.

“I know what you mean. It’s the best your mother can do to give birth to a child for the Fuller Family when she always loved Connor.” Sonia sighed.

As a woman, she understood what Valerie was thinking. After all, she was at her limits when she bore the child of a man she didn’t love. So, how would she want another child?

“That’s right.” Toby nodded as he agreed with Sonia’s words. “To be honest, they made an agreement when they were married. When my mother had given birth to the Fuller Family’s heir, my father would let her have her freedom. However, he loved her unconditionally back then.

Even if he couldn’t agree with it when he heard her words, it was hard for him to be mad at her simultaneously. Hence, he could only endure it and accept my mother’s agreement. Nevertheless, he had his motives too.

After all, my mother only said to leave once she had given an heir to the Fullers, but she didn’t specify how many children. So, my father took this as an opportunity and told her that the first child would be named after the Johanns and not the Fullers.”

Hearing his words, Sonia rubbed her chin and said aloud of Homer’s intention, “Your father dragged the time. He did it on purpose to make her stay longer.”

Toby nodded and said, “You’re right. It was true that my father had such a plan. As long as my mother’s first child wasn’t part of the Fullers, he would then have a reason to make her give birth to another one. That way, he could make her stay by his side and at the Fullers for a long time.

Moreover, he would also have the time to bond their relationship. It was a good plan since he felt the relationship was bonded by spending time together. Even if my mother was in love with Connor, they couldn’t see each other much as one was in Seafield while the other was in Westsanshire.

Plus, the technology back then was not developed. So, my father thought she would love him and forget about Connor as time passed. In the end, perhaps she would love him.”

“Unfortunately, your father’s plan didn’t make it. He didn’t think things through and underestimated the feelings that your mother had for Connor.” As Sonia spoke, she looked at Toby dishearteningly.

However, Toby was expressionless and said, “You’re right. My father didn’t overthink it. He just thought she would give up on Connor and love him if given enough time. However, my mother was not a fool either. Although she had seen through my father’s plan, she didn’t expose him and waited until she was pregnant with me through IVF.

After giving birth to me, she listened to my father and named me after the Johanns. At that moment, my father was delighted when he saw that my mother was not reluctant to do so. He thought that she was starting to have feelings for him and was willing to stay by his side. Little did he know what my mother was thinking.”

“I could guess it. Ever since the beginning, your mother did not intend to let you be the heir of the Johann Family and did not intend to have another child. So, she didn’t care who you were named after, right?” Sonia looked at Toby as she spoke.

While listening to her words, Toby didn’t look at her and was focused on the road ahead. All he did was hum slightly and say, “Exactly. My mother’s thought was that she would only give birth to me regardless of which surname I was named after.

In the end, I could still be the heir of the Fuller Family and the Johann Family, connecting both families. After all, she didn’t care about the Johanns’ future. To her, nothing was more important than her love for Connor.” As Toby spoke, a hint of mockery flashed across his face.

When Sonia saw it, she sighed deeply in her head and thought, Valerie was hopelessly in love. She’s the most hopeless romantic woman I have ever seen in my life. Although Sonia knew that she was also kind of a hopelessly romantic person when she couldn’t forget about Toby for the past six years, she was not as hopeless as Valerie.

After all, she became aware of her condition and made a stop to it, reducing her losses. However, Valerie was the opposite. She was madly in love with Connor and killed herself in the end. She was a pitiful woman but hateful at the same time.

Valerie was a suitable partner and a loyal simp to Connor. However, she was never a good wife or mother to Homer and Toby. Even if she indeed loved Toby, she treated him as a replacement for Connor in her own comfort, which meant that her maternal love was impure.

“In the end, it’s good that your father is not in love with your mother anymore. Otherwise, if this went on, your father would’ve been another copy of her.” Sonia flipped her hair and sighed softly.

It was fortunate that Homer had realization struck upon him in the end, and he fell in love with Jean. Otherwise, he would also have killed himself if he had fallen for her deeply and seen that Valerie had left.

At that moment, Toby gripped the steering wheel tightly and said deeply, “My father loved my mother deeply from the start. Ever since I was born, and she didn’t refuse to name me after her family, my father really thought that she had feelings for him. However, as my mother slowly recovered, she became cold toward my father and was unwilling to sleep with him, insisting that they sleep in separate rooms.

It was then my father realized that she had never loved or accepted him, even if they had a child. At that moment, something in my father snapped. Not only did he act cold toward her, his behavior also changed drastically.

He became a man of few words and was gloomy, which was different from what he used to be—a talkative and positive man. At the same time, he started to smoke and drink. He never did such things before, and he always made himself pass out.”

When Sonia heard his words, she opened her mouth slightly and said, “It… It must have been a heartbroken sight for Grandma to watch, right? To see her son in such a state…”

“Yes, Grandma was indeed devastated. After all, her son, whom she had poured her heart out and cared for many years, had changed drastically. As a mother, she was the one who took it the worst.

Although I was young then, I could still remember seeing my father getting drunk while Grandma wept in tears,” Toby said as he frowned. Looking at him, Sonia asked, “What about your mother?”

When Toby heard her words, he pursed his lips into a thin line. “My mother? She did nothing. My father was just a man that she didn’t love. So, she wouldn’t have cared for him no matter what he became. As long as it did not stop her from leaving and affect her life, she did not care.”

“All of a sudden, I feel like she is too cold-blooded.” Sonia sighed.224150

Chapter 1204 What Are You Going to Do With It?

No matter what, Homer would always be Valerie’s husband. Even if she didn’t love him, the least she could do was care for him. Moreover, Homer was in this state because of her. Hence, she had half of the responsibility for this. However, Valerie didn’t do anything, which was cold-blooded.

“She is indeed a cold-blooded woman. Sometimes, I wonder if I got it from her when I act cold toward others.” As Toby spoke, he curled his lips in mockery.

Listening to his words, Sonia put her hand on his arm and gently squeezed it, saying, “Don’t have that kind of thought. You and your mother are not the same. Even if both of you are mother and son, you are an individual. So, don’t be affected by her.”

As Toby heard her words, he took the opportunity and turned to look at her softly. “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”

When Sonia heard his words, she hummed and retrieved her hand. Otherwise, she would have prevented him from driving.

On the other end of the phone, Tom was silent throughout, listening to their whole conversation. When he heard Toby’s unheard past, he sighed deeply.

President Fuller has such a tragic childhood. Old Mrs. Fuller had put a lot of effort into him to prevent him from being inadequate when he had been between his parents, watching them torment each other, Tom thought.

“In the end, how did your father fall in love with Jean?” Sonia asked.

She wished to know this, especially when Jean was a vulgar woman. She wondered how Homer, a nobleman, fell in love with her. Moreover, she couldn’t pinpoint why Homer was willing to accept the family’s punishment in order to marry her. It wasn’t that she wanted to disgrace Jean, who was also a woman like her. It was just that Jean was a person that both men and women hated. That was why everyone was shocked when Homer fell in love with her, and they all wanted to know why.

“I don’t know why my father fell in love with my stepmom. At that moment, I was living with Grandma at the old manor and rarely went back to the Fuller Residence,” said Toby.

Hearing his words, Sonia nodded in understanding and said, “I’m sure Grandma found out that your mother was making you into the smaller version of Connor. Thus, she needed to get you out of the house. Other than that, it would affect your mental and physical health to live with your parents when they were in such a state.”

Listening to her words, Toby smiled and said, “You guessed it right. This was why Grandma took me back to the old manor and raised me herself. At the same time, she was intentionally preventing me from contacting my parents. At that time, my father had met Jean and became a couple. They didn’t hide it from my mother, which you probably know why. After all, she wanted him to find someone new so she could be free. When I found out about this, my father was punished by marrying Jean.”

“So that was what happened.” Sonia looked in front with sorrow. “Didn’t you say anything when you knew that your father had given you a stepmom?”

“Why would I?” Toby chuckled deeply. “It wasn’t my business as to who he wanted to marry. As his son, it was not my place to ask him or intervene.”

“Even so, you were just around the age of ten. Weren’t you scared that Jean would abuse you? After all, you were the reason that was stopping her son from becoming the heir of the Fuller Family,” said Sonia.

When Toby heard her words, his smile deepened as he said, “I won’t deny the fact that there are many people like Jean in this society, but I’m not concerned about it. First and foremost, Grandma was in charge of the Fuller Family back then, and my father was just an entitled president. When my father was an alcoholic, Grandma was worried about him handling the family. She continued being in charge, which my father didn’t have any objection to. That’s why I was not worried if Jean was a terrible stepmom and would abuse me when I had grandma behind my back supporting me. Secondly, although I was young, I was not to be messed with. If Jean ever tried to hurt me, I had my ways, and even my father couldn’t have stopped me. Fortunately, Jean wasn’t that kind of person. Although she was a fool and rude, she wasn’t a bad person. When my mother died, she gave me maternal love. Although she did it because she felt guilty that my mother had died, she still gave me love.”

Listening to his words, Sonia huffed and said, “I know that she wasn’t a bad person. That’s why I didn’t do anything terrible to her and just taught her a few lessons. With my personality, I would have taken vengeance on her for all those things she did to me. Even if you stopped me, I still wouldn’t have let her off the hook.”

When Toby heard her words, he raised his eyebrow and smiled. “Sorry, my bad.”

“It’s good that you know you are wrong.” Sonia huffed again.

Seeing her reaction, Toby couldn’t help but smile even wider. “I always know and keep that in mind. Don’t worry, I will be extra good to you as an apology for her doings.”

Although Sonia glared at him when she heard his words, her heart still felt warm and happy.

“Alright, we have gone too far. Let’s discuss this jade,” said Sonia as she pointed at the screen.

Hearing her words, Tom raised the box higher, ensuring that Sonia could point at the jade in the box more accurately.

“I remember you saying that your grandfather made this jade specifically to prove if someone was a Johann. It is a token to prove your identity. Since you used to be a Johann, everyone will think that you will be the next heir of the Johann Family. In that case, this jade should be in your hands, right?”

“Yes.” Toby nodded. “This is also why grandfather told me about the jade. Back then, he didn’t know that my mother had given the jade to Connor as a love token and thought it was still in her possession. When I was six, my grandfather visited my mother and me at Seafield. When he saw that my mother had not given me the jade, he urged her to give it to me, but she said that she had lost it, which almost made grandfather faint from anger. To calm him down, I asked about the jade, and my grandfather told me about it. That was why I recognized the jade as soon as I saw it. It was also then that I knew that my mother had lied. She didn’t lose the jade but had given it to Connor instead.” There was a hint of hatred as Toby looked at the jade.

When Sonia saw the emotion in his eyes and heard his words, she didn’t know what to say other than a sigh. She was fed up with Valerie’s hopelessly romantic state when Valerie had given Connor such an essential thing as a love token. It was fortunate that Connor was rich and hadn’t sold the jade.

After all, they wouldn’t have been able to find the jade if Connor was a poor man. If that happened, the jade would long be in a collector’s possession, and they would never be able to find it again.

“Don’t overthink it. Why don’t we try to look on the bright side? At least the jade is now back in your hands.” Sonia looked at Toby and comforted him. “Don’t hate the jade when you realize it has been by Connor’s side for a long time. After all, this jade was given to you by your grandfather and not your mother. Think about your grandfather, and you won’t hate the jade.”

On the other side of the phone, Tom also nodded hastily, agreeing with Sonia’s words.

As Toby looked at the jade and back to Sonia, who was staring at him and encouraging him, he nodded slightly and said, “I won’t have any grudges toward this jade, but I won’t be keeping it either.”

When Sonia heard his words, she wasn’t even surprised. Even if Toby had nothing against it, he would still feel nauseous thinking about it. Thus, she didn’t feel anything wrong with his words.

“What are you going to do with it, though?” Sonia pointed at the jade and asked.

Hearing her words, Tom was also curious. He looked at Toby and asked, “Yeah, President Fuller. What are you going to do about this?”

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Chapter 1205 Grayson Had a Swollen Lips0

After pondering for a few seconds, Toby made his final decision and said, “I’ll give it to Emily.”

“Emily?” Sonia was stunned when she heard his words. Then, a woman’s face flashed across her mind, and she slapped her thigh in realization. “Is Emily the woman who danced with you at the banquet a few months ago? The one who is tall and looks like a foreigner,” she asked.0

“Yes.” Toby nodded. “Her grandfather is my grandfather’s brother. Hence, their family is on good terms with my grandfather. When I was young, Emily took great care of me, so we both have a pretty good relationship. However, she stayed abroad as her mother was a foreigner. When my grandfather died, their family left and stayed with her mother. They only return when there are matters that they need to attend here.”

Listening to his words, Sonia understood what he meant. “I see… It’s also best if Emily has the jade since she is also from the Johann Family. With that, the jade will be in the righteous hand of the Johanns again.”

“That’s exactly how I plan it to be.” Toby nodded and looked at the phone that she was holding. “Tom, find time to talk to Emily about this and send the jade to her. I believe that Old Mr. Johann would be happy if he knew about this.”

Old Mr. Johann was the younger brother of Toby’s grandfather. He had stayed abroad for a long time and never came back. Thus, he and Toby weren’t exactly close, and they only knew about each other’s existence.

“Yes, President Fuller.” Tom nodded and obliged. Then, he closed the box and put it on the passenger seat.

At the same time, Toby raised one of his hands and rubbed his temples. “Is there anything else?” he asked faintly.

Initially, Tom was going to end the conversation, but he couldn’t help but laugh when he remembered something. “There’s another thing I must say. We were just saying that Mr. Lore had gone to the hospital to check his mouth early in the morning. I heard that his lips are severely swollen. At the very least, he wouldn’t be able to open his mouth widely and eat for a few days. He can only stay in the hospital and take nutrient solutions.”

“Is that so? Good job.” As Toby spoke, he smiled while a hint of satisfaction flashed across his eyes.

When Sonia heard their conversation, she suddenly realized something and squinted her eyes as she looked at Toby. “Judging by the meaning of your conversation, don’t tell me that you guys have done something to Mr. Lore?”

“Yes.” Toby did not intend to hide it and admitted it straightforwardly, indicating that they had indeed done something to Grayson.

Seeing his reaction, Sonia inhaled sharply and said, “You guys actually did it. I heard Tom say that Mr. Lore’s lips were swollen. Did you guys hire someone to slap him?”

“Bingo, Miss Reed. You are such a smart person for guessing it correctly right away.” On the other end of the phone, Tom gave Sonia a thumbs up and praised her without hesitation.

Hearing his words, Sonia twitched her lips and said, “Did you really do it?”

However, Toby didn’t reply to her and raised his chin as he spoke. “He was being rude to you. It is only fair for him to be taught a lesson for having such a foul mouth. After this, he would learn to speak on the proper occasion.” As he spoke, his expression was gloomy.

“That’s right, Miss Reed.” Tom nodded hastily and said, “You also know how awful his words were when you kicked him out of Paradigm Co., so how could President Fuller possibly hold back when he saw the video your employee posted online? When he saw the clip, he immediately asked me to tell them to teach him a lesson. I felt that he wouldn’t regret his decision if I simply punished him. Since he has a foul mouth, I asked someone to slap him, which it’s the origin of his misdoings. Other than feeling pain, he will understand why he was being beaten. With that, I believe that he will feel humiliated.”

When Sonia heard Tom’s explanation, she looked at Toby and felt fuzzy inside. “So you guys taught him a lesson because he caused me trouble at Paradigm Co. yesterday. Thank you, Toby,” said Sonia as she smiled, feeling touched.

Again, Toby reached out and ruffled her hair. Although he didn’t utter a word, his movements had once again told Sonia that he would not let her be wronged. Those who deceived her would be hearing from him.

When Toby retrieved his hand, Sonia rubbed her cheeks to calm herself down. After regaining her composure, she looked at Tom and asked, “Tom, do you have any pictures of Mr. Lore? I want to see how swollen his lips are.”

Hearing her words, Tom shook his head and said, “I’m sorry, Miss Reed. I don’t have any pictures of him now, but if you want to, I can ask someone to take it from the hospital’s surveillance camera and send it to you.”

“That’ll do. Thank you.” Sonia smiled and thanked him.

“You’re welcome, Miss Reed. It’s not a big deal.” Then, he looked at Toby, who was driving the car. “President Fuller, there isn’t anything left to say. However, I will go to the police station to prove that the letter of understanding had your approval,” he said.

After listening to his words, Toby hummed in response and said, “Go ahead.”

With that, the video call ended. When Sonia put the phone down, she said, “Did you ask your men to hide their identities when they beat him up? If not, won’t the Lore Family know that it was you who did it?”

“I didn’t do it in secret. I assume they already know it was me who had done it,” Toby replied while driving.

Hearing his words, Sonia sighed and said, “If that’s the case, your relationship with them can’t be fixed.”

“I wasn’t planning on easing our relationship. Secondly, I am telling them that I insisted on not fixing our relationship with this method,” Toby said softly.

Toby was faithful to his words. Before Grayson caused trouble for Sonia, he wanted to ignore the Lores. Now that he had hurt Grayson, he indicated that he didn’t want to ease up the tension in their relationship.

“Even still, I don’t think they will be willing to accept the truth. Even if you had beaten them, they would hate me more than you. After all, I am the reason Grayson got beaten up. Thus, they will still treat you fairly, wanting to fix the relationship. Otherwise, why didn’t they call and interrogate you when you had hurt someone from their family? They aren’t the ones to be quiet about it.” As Sonia spoke, she looked at Toby with a smile.

At that moment, Toby curled his lips in mockery and said, “Let them do whatever they want. Everything they do will be useless if I stand by my words. Also, ignore their thoughts about you. I won’t let them hurt you.”

Hearing his words, Sonia smiled and said, “I trust you.”

Soon, they arrived at Bayside Residence. After parking his car, Toby unfastened his seatbelt and left the car, walking to Sonia’s side of the vehicle. Then, he opened the door and reached out his hand to her. When Sonia saw it, she smiled and placed her hand in his. As Toby grabbed her hand, he caressed her hand gently before helping her out of the car. His actions were so gentlemanly.

After Sonia got out of the car, Toby didn’t release her hand immediately. Instead, he lowered his head and gently kissed the back of her hand. At that moment, those parking their cars nearby saw his actions. Immediately, it caused cheers and excitement among them.

Seeing that the neighbors were teasing them, Sonia felt awkward and embarrassed. Then, she quickly eyed Toby, urging him to let go of her. However, Toby didn’t feel the need to be embarrassed. Why would he be embarrassed, though? He didn’t even squirm when they were seen kissing, let alone that he only kissed her hand. So, he was still holding her hand tightly as he gave her a faint smile.

At that moment, one of the residents closest to them came out of his car. Then, he smiled and greeted Toby, saying, “When I heard that President Fuller was staying here, I was still skeptical about it. However, I know that it is true now since you are here. It’s a pleasure meeting you, President Fuller.”

Chapter 1205 Grayson Had a Swollen Lips

After pondering for a few seconds, Toby made his final decision and said, “I’ll give it to Emily.”

“Yes, President Fuller.” Tom nodded and obliged. Then, he closed the box and put it on the passenger seat.

At the same time, Toby raised one of his hands and rubbed his temples. “Is there anything else?” he asked faintly.

“Is that so? Good job.” As Toby spoke, he smiled while a hint of satisfaction flashed across his eyes.224152

“Yes.” Toby did not intend to hide it and admitted it straightforwardly, indicating that they had indeed done something to Grayson.

Seeing his reaction, Sonia inhaled sharply and said, “You guys actually did it. I heard Tom say that Mr. Lore’s lips were swollen. Did you guys hire someone to slap him?”

“Bingo, Miss Reed. You are such a smart person for guessing it correctly right away.” On the other end of the phone, Tom gave Sonia a thumbs up and praised her without hesitation.

Hearing his words, Sonia twitched her lips and said, “Did you really do it?”0

“That’ll do. Thank you.” Sonia smiled and thanked him.

After listening to his words, Toby hummed in response and said, “Go ahead.”

“I didn’t do it in secret. I assume they already know it was me who had done it,” Toby replied while driving.

Hearing his words, Sonia sighed and said, “If that’s the case, your relationship with them can’t be fixed.”

“I wasn’t planning on easing our relationship. Secondly, I am telling them that I insisted on not fixing our relationship with this method,” Toby said softly.

Hearing his words, Sonia smiled and said, “I trust you.”

Chapter 1207 Own Scheme

The fact proved that it was right for Francis to pluck up his courage to fight for it; he really succeeded. He had successfully gotten to know Toby and became associated with him.

As long as Toby recognized his research results, he would definitely have a bright future ahead of him.

The more he thought about it, the more excited he was, and his heart pounded even faster.

At first, he was a little worried and afraid that he wouldn’t get to know Toby and might even be disliked by him.

After all, Toby was with Sonia at that time. If he suddenly spoke, he would disturb the two of them.

In fact, that was the case as well. Toby didn’t like him at that time, and he had no intention of jumping into a conversation with him either.

Sonia was the one who helped him out and spoke for him. Only then did Toby let it go and was ready to leave with Sonia.

At that, Francis saw that Toby was extra gentle toward Sonia, and his eyes while looking at her were extremely affectionate.

From there, he realized that perhaps talking to Toby would not work. Sonia was the true path he should be taking.

Maybe if he praised Sonia and complimented them about their relationship, it would make Toby happy, and he might be willing to talk to him.

At that thought, he went straight into action. After he complimented Sonia, he actually succeeded; Toby was willing to give him a chance.

This was the reason why, at some point, courage was not the only thing a person needed. One would also need to be discerning.

As long as the person was able to act quickly according to the circumstances, there would be no need for him to be afraid that he wouldn’t succeed.

At this moment, Francis was extremely grateful to his parents for teaching him to be discerning since he was young. Otherwise, he might not have achieved what he wanted.

This also made him understand how much Toby loved Sonia. He loved her so much that he would be happy to provide an opportunity for people to move their way up after they gave her some compliments.

Miss Reed is really my lucky star. He smiled happily.

When the other business owners saw him like this, they felt envious and jealous.

Countless people wanted to associate themselves with Toby, and they were one of them too. However, they didn’t dare do so. They knew that even if they went up to Toby, he would ignore them as well.

In fact, when Francis went up to Toby blindly at first, Toby couldn’t care less about him as well.

At that time, they were still laughing at Francis for overestimating himself. He’s actually trying to associate with a big shot like President Fuller, eh?

As such, they were extremely joyful when they saw Toby not talking to Francis.

This was how a person’s mind worked. They knew very well that they wouldn’t be able to associate with a big shot, but they would still be jealous and resent those people who were willing to pluck up their courage to try to associate even when they knew the result very well.

All this while, they thought that their starting lines were all the same, but all of a sudden, they realized that that was not true. At least a small portion of people among them had the courage that the others didn’t have.

They were fine with people having a worse life than them, or people who lived the same good life as them, but they couldn’t accept a person among them who suddenly surpassed the rest and had a better life than them.

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This was definitely describing Francis. He had successfully associated with Toby, which meant that his status between them was going to be distant in the future. He was going to work his way up to a higher level, but they would still be staying in the same position.

This person was no doubt a traitor among them.

At first, they didn’t know that Francis would successfully associate with Toby. They were thinking about having a good laugh at this man for overestimating himself after Toby left. Yet, who would have expected this result?

Francis successfully connected with Toby, and they couldn’t laugh at him anymore. What if he searched for them for trouble if he was able to climb up to a place where they could only look up to see him in the future?

So, not only could they not laugh, but they still needed to bite the bullet and congratulate him. This was no doubt tough for them, but they had no other choice but to do so.0

In the end, Francis heard congratulatory messages one after another in the next few minutes.

Some of the congratulatory messages sounded jealous, while others were genuinely happy for him. However, there were more unwilling and insincere, jealous congratulatory messages.0

When receiving these messages full of jealousy, Francis just smiled without being bothered by them. Go ahead and be jealous as much as you want. Those who do not make others envious of them are merely mediocre. They being jealous of me means that I’m better than them!

On the other hand, in the elevator, Sonia suddenly chuckled as she linked arms with Toby.

Hearing that, he turned around to look at her before saying gently, “Why are you laughing?”

“I’m laughing at you,” she replied to him with a smile as he raised her head to look at him.

Toby raised his brows. “Laughing at me? Is there anything on my face?”

“No, that’s not it.” She shook her head. “I’m laughing at your attitude just now. I can tell that you didn’t want to be bothered by that person at first, but after he complimented me, you changed your mind right away and gave him a chance to talk to you. Fickling so quickly is not like you. That’s why I find it funny.”

As he fondled her soft hand, he chuckled. “I didn’t want to act like that too, but that man is really discerning. He could tell that going straight at me wouldn’t work, so he changed his mind right away and went for you instead. You also know that you’re the most important person to me. Of course, I’ll be happy if someone praises you and wishes us well in our relationship. Once I feel good, I’d be willing to give this person a chance. After all, he’s saying things I love to hear.”

At this moment, Sonia glared at him coquettishly and felt hilarious inside. “People praising me a little makes you so happy that you ignore your principles. Aren’t you afraid that people will say that you’re a fatuous president who doesn’t know what he’s doing because he’s charmed by a coquette?”

“Do you think I will be afraid?” Toby looked at her affectionately.

From his gaze, she could see his affection. So, she shook her head with a flushed face. “You’re not that kind of person who’d be afraid of anything.”

“That’s right, so we don’t need to care about what others think. As for the man just now, the reason why I’m willing to give him a chance is not only because he knew what to say. There are other reasons too.” His expression turned much more serious at this moment.

“Really? What’s the reason?” She blinked a few times.

“His startup is a web company, just like the Lore Family’s. Their network system is just the same as any other network system on the market, and there’s nothing special about it. The reason they can still be at the top of the industry is that my family is supporting them from behind,” Toby explained.

When Sonia heard that, she suddenly understood something. “Are you thinking about supporting Mr. McCray to replace the Lore Family?”

At this moment, he raised his chin obscurely. “The Lore Family’s network system is mediocre, anyway. If that’s the case, when there’s a better network system, why not choose to support the better one? After all, I’m a businessman, not a philanthropist. Throughout the years of supporting the Lore Family, Fuller Group didn’t earn anything, but we’ve given them a lot. Before I parted ways with them, I didn’t care about the money I invested. Now, since I’ve broken off with them, I won’t let my money flow outside without any benefits. Instead, why not support another web company to replace them? At least I can earn a little something.”

“That’s true.” Sonia smiled.

If the Lore Family knew about this, they would be crying right now.

“Also, I’m actually quite interested in the network system the person has invented. If I invest in him now and take some of the shares, I can earn much more if he succeeds in the future. I’m a businessman, and profits always come first. Since I’ve met someone who can earn money for me and is interested in finding an investor, plus the fact that I’m interested in letting him earn for me, I wouldn’t let him go.” A smile tugged on his lips as a scheming gaze flashed in his eyes.

Chapter 1208 Frivolous Man

Sonia smiled. “You’re really a benefit-first businessman. I’m really bad at it when compared to you.”

As Toby stroked her hair, he comforted her. “You’ve just taken the first step. When you stay in the industry longer and become a veteran in business, you’ll be like this too, but it’s not a bad thing. Don’t think that it’s bad. After all, we’re businessmen, so we should do what a businessman would do. Also, even if I was scheming that man just now, wasn’t he doing the same thing to me too? He even used you to do so.”

“I know, but you look as though you like what he plotted against you just now.” She lifted her head and looked at him with a nonchalant smile.224154

At the same time, a smile tugged on his lips. “That’s true. I like what he did. After all, he was praising you, so I’m happy to throw myself into plots like that.”

“Hmph! How loquacious.” The sweet smile on her face couldn’t be hidden.

Before long, the elevator reached their floor, and both of them left the elevator to return to the condominium.

After Sonia changed her shoes, she hung her handbag on the side and looked at the man who was still bending down and changing his shoes. “You should shower first. I’ll make broth for you,” she said.

When Toby heard the word ‘broth’, his heart missed a beat, but after he made his mind clear that this broth was not the same broth as that, he took a deep breath to suppress the disgusted feeling before nodding gently. “Okay, I’ll go shower first then. I’ll fill the tub for you later.”0

“Okay,” she answered him before grabbing the apron and heading into the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Toby stood at the same place and watched her go in. Only after that did he turn around and head in the opposite direction.

In the kitchen, Sonia opened the refrigerator and took out the beef short ribs that she asked her assistant to send over yesterday. After taking out some dried mushrooms, she washed her hands and started to work on the broth.

Grace was very considerate, for all the ribs that she sent over were all cut into pieces. It might be because she considered the fact that Sonia didn’t have any tools to cut the ribs here. This made it easier for Sonia to make the broth.

After she washed the ribs, she put them in a pot and covered them up before heating the pot on medium heat. Then, she soaked the dry mushrooms in hot water and clapped her hands as she had completed the first stage of making the broth.

When the mushrooms were about done soaking, she put them in the pot and boiled them with the ribs. After three hours, the broth would be done.

Sonia had only put the bone in the water for a while, but she could already smell a faint aroma. When the broth is done later, I’m sure it’s going to be super nice.

She went nearer to the pot and inhaled deeply before putting on a satisfied smile. After that, she took out the apron around her waist and was ready to leave the kitchen to wait for the broth to boil.

However, just as she turned around, she bumped into a hard wall of skin.

The wall was wet, hot, and even had a fresh minty scent, making it smell good.

After Sonia lifted her head, her eyes met Toby’s handsome face and his dark eyes. All of a sudden, she said irritably, “Why did you walk without making any sound and suddenly appear behind me? You scared me! ”

It turned out that the wall of skin just now was Toby’s chest.

When Toby heard her accusation, he pressed his lips together innocently. “I made noise when I walked. You’re the one who was too focused and didn’t hear it. I didn’t dare call your name either. I was scared that you’d be shocked and get burned, after all.” His tone was a little sulky.

After Sonia saw that, she swallowed the words that she thought of to scold him and was embarrassed to say anything as well.

After all, seeing him act like this made her relent at once. All the tough words that she thought of couldn’t come out of her throat all of a sudden.

This b*stard… I’m really in the palm of his hand. He knows my weaknesses, so he purposely gives me that look, making me lose. Sigh… Sonia felt resigned, but at the same time, she found it hilarious as well.

At this moment, Toby suddenly put his hand on her forehead. “Did it hurt from just now?”

She shook her head. “No. Although your chest is a little firm, it is still human skin. How painful can it be? Did I hurt you, though?” She lifted her head and looked at him with her eyes full of concern.

Toby shook his head with a smile. “No.”

“Good, but…” Sonia narrowed her eyes as she looked at his exposed chest, and the corners of her mouth were twitching. “Toby, can’t you wear your nightgown properly? I purposely bought this for you. It’s a normal nightgown that won’t expose your chest. Why did you tie the belt so loosely, exposing your chest? What are you trying to do? Even though the heater is on and it isn’t particularly cold, it is still winter. Aren’t you afraid that you’ll catch a cold?”

Hearing that, he lowered his head to look at his chest, and a devilish gaze flashed in his eyes. With an evil smile, he replied, “I won’t catch a cold. As to why I’m wearing it like this, can’t you tell?”

“Tell what?” She raised her head and looked into his eyes. Just then, she caught sight of the passion and amorousness in his eyes.

At this moment, her heart started pounding faster. What is this b*stard trying to do? Why is he looking at me like that?

Sonia took a step back subconsciously and had the urge to run away.

At the same time, when Toby noticed her actions, he reached out his hand and wrapped his arm around her waist right away, embracing her. With a low and husky voice, he said, “I’m wearing it like this to show you. It’s a service to you.”

I knew it! After she heard what he said, these three words popped into her mind. She knew that this was what his gaze meant.

Sigh, this b*stard gets horny anytime and anywhere, trying to seduce me and wanting me to sleep with him. Is that all on his mind when he has some private time? She stared at him and suspected it.

She used both her arms to prop on his shoulders as she leaned her upper body backward, attempting to distance herself from him.

She had no choice because he had his arm wrapped around her waist and she wasn’t strong enough to push him away. As such, she could only use this way to distance herself from him.

“No one wants your service. Be serious, Toby.” Sonia turned her head to the side, trying not to look at him.

Meanwhile, Toby chuckled softly when he saw her face flushing; even her ears were red.

His chuckle sounded deep and erotic, just like the sound of a viola. It was a feast to the ears, making her feel like her body had been struck by lightning.

“How am I not serious? I’m always serious.” Toby looked her in the eyes. “I’m very serious.”

Hearing that, Sonia rolled her eyes. “What? You’re serious? Do you call this serious? Deliberately wearing your robe like this to… to…”

“To?” he asked as an evil gaze flashed in his eyes.

How could she say that he was seducing her? If she said that, he would definitely ask her if she had been seduced. How am I going to answer by then?

If she answered no, would he be crazier and think of other ways to seduce her?

What if she answered yes? Would he take this advantage to take things to the next level?

There’s no correct answer at all. At this thought, she closed her eyes in frustration. “Nothing. Let go of me, Toby. I want to go take a shower already.”

Just now, when she was making the broth, her shirt was stained with some oil. She needed to change her shirt and shower as soon as possible; otherwise, she would find it unbearable. Somehow, she felt very uncomfortable when her shirt was dirty.

However, he wouldn’t be Toby Fuller if he was so obedient; he was still hugging Sonia tightly around her waist. He lowered his head and touched her forehead with his before asking in his deep voice, “You still haven’t answered me yet. To what?”

She pushed him away. “Why do you want to know so badly? Also, I’ve already forgotten what I wanted to say just now, so don’t ask me anymore. You won’t get the answer you want.”

No matter what, she was not going to tell him.

Yet, Toby saw through her and sighed with sadness. How I wish she can be a little more straightforward and just tell me what’s on her mind.

He smiled resignedly and said, “Okay, I won’t ask you anymore. I’ll let go if you want me to, but you need to answer me first. Do you not like what I’m doing?”

Chapter 1209 Tacit

“I don’t like it,” Sonia replied to Toby without any hesitation, but that was not what was on her mind. I don’t like it? How can I not like it?!

Men liked women’s beauty, but in fact, women liked men’s bodies too. Men favored women’s breasts and waists, while women favored men’s chests and abs.

Sonia was just an ordinary woman, after all. Of course, she was not an exception to this principle—she liked the chests and abs of men too.

It was especially so for Toby’s. They were so perfect, so she liked them even more.

Everytime when they were having intimate moments, her hands would touch his chest and abs habitually. In fact, it felt smooth to touch.

However, even though she liked it, she couldn’t admit it in front of him. Otherwise, he would be overly proud.

When Toby heard Sonia answering his question so quickly, the smile on his face froze for a second. She doesn’t like it? How is that possible?! She always likes to touch my chest and abs. I can tell that she’s very satisfied with them.

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For that, everytime after he showered, he would widen his nightgown a little to seduce her on purpose.

Yet, she was telling him that she didn’t like it now.

This can’t be it. She’s definitely lying! He pressed his lips together and stared at her. He asked her once more in his deep voice, “Do you really not like it?”

“Yes.” Sonia nodded hastily.

Hearing that, Toby pressed his lips together even tighter.0

Pfft. Is she still not admitting to it? Don’t think that I can’t see the guilt in your eyes. Never mind, I have many other ways to make you like it. Not now, but later after dinner, in the room, on the bed. I’ll make you say that you love it with your mouth.

At this thought, his eyes sparkled, and he let go of Sonia. “Okay, I’ll let you go if you don’t like it. It seems like I haven’t trained my body well enough. Wait until I train my figure better.” I’ll have a good training session tonight.0

As he was thinking about that, he looked down and hid the gaze in his eyes, not wanting her to find out.

In fact, she didn’t see anything strange about him, but after she heard what he said, she was completely stunned.

What’s going on? Does he know what he is talking about? He really said to let me go if I don’t like it?! H-How is that possible?! This b*stard really said such a thing?

Her gaze at Toby was filled with disbelief, and her expression showed her shock as well since he was not a person who would give up easily.

Previously, he would show off his charms in front of her like a peacock and ask her if she liked it. If her answer was not what he wanted, he would never give up. He would try everything he could to make her change her answer until he heard one that he was happy with.

In fact, Sonia thought that this time would be the same as well, so she had already prepared herself mentally. She wanted to see how he was going to force her to change her answer, but he didn’t follow the script!

He really let it go just like that?! Is this really him?

Sonia stared at Toby and was lost in her thoughts for quite some time. Her gaze at him was as if she were looking at a stranger.

Seeing that, Toby flicked her forehead gently. “Why are you daydreaming? Aren’t you going to shower? Go ahead. I’ve already filled the tub for you.”

“Y-You’re not going to force me?” she asked blankly after parting her red lips.

Hearing that, he raised his brows. “Force you to do what?”

Subconsciously, she told him everything on her mind just now.

After he heard that, he went closer to her. “Hmm? So you’re saying that you were looking forward to me doing so? I can satisfy you if you want.” After saying that, he lowered his head, wanting to kiss her.

At this moment, Sonia widened her eyes and pushed him away before running to the entrance of the kitchen with a flushed face.

When she ran out of the kitchen, only then did her actions come to a halt. Then, she turned around to look at him. “No one’s looking forward to anything. Don’t talk gibberish. I’m not looking forward to it. I just felt that this isn’t anything like you. I thought you’re not someone who would give up so easily. That’s why I felt strange.”

At this moment, his eyes sparkled. It was out of his expectation that she would be this cautious.

When Sonia saw that Toby wasn’t talking, she narrowed her gorgeous eyes. “Toby, are you having some wicked ideas?”

“No.” With a serious face, he quickly shook his head.

“Really?” She side-glanced at him, showing that she didn’t really believe him.

However, he nodded with a serious face. “Really. You’re overthinking things. Go shower already. The water is turning cold.”

He waved his hand, hastening her to quickly leave and stop asking. Otherwise, if he exposed himself later, he would be the one suffering the loss tonight. So, it was best for him to quickly brush her off.

After looking at him suspiciously, she still didn’t find anything strange with his expression, so she couldn’t help but question herself. Am I really overthinking things?

She pouted and pushed her doubt back to the back of her mind before saying, “Okay, then. I’ll go take a shower, but you need to pay attention to the broth. Don’t let it overflow.”

“Okay, don’t worry. Just go.” Toby nodded.

He knew how to cook. In fact, he could cook many dishes better than her, so she could pass him these jobs without any worry.

That was why when she heard him ask her to go without any worry, she didn’t say anything more. She turned around and returned to the bedroom to take a shower.

After she left, Toby opened the lid of the pot.

As soon as she took the lid off, he was welcomed with a strong aroma and a faint fishy smell.

He took a step back and waited until the water vapor dissipated. Only then did he go closer to the pot again and took a soup ladle to stir the broth in the pot. Then, he scooped up the ribs to take a closer look.

After he looked closely, he chuckled resignedly.

“Silly girl. She really thought she could deceive me, huh?” he said softly.

If he hadn’t learned to look before this, he might be deceived by her and believe that this was pork short ribs. After all, he didn’t know the difference between a pork bone and a beef bone.

However, he had already learned to cook many dishes, and there were many of them that used beef or beef bones as ingredients, so naturally, from first glance, he could tell that the bone in the pot was definitely not a pork bone, but a beef bone instead.

Also, he smelt a fishy smell just now. The fishy smell of pork ribs would not be as strong as that of beef ones.

Even if he didn’t look, he’d be able to tell later when she served the soup to him even if she purposefully removed the bones from the broth. He could tell it from the smell and taste of it.

Wasn’t she being rather silly?

Toby put the soup ladle back and covered the pot before washing his hands and leaving the kitchen.

He could roughly guess the reason why Sonia wanted to hide the fact that this was beef short ribs. It must be because of that bowl of broth he drank in the morning in the Fuller Residence.224156

That broth traumatized him, and it was made from a cow’s part. So, she was worried that if he knew that this broth was made from a part of a cow, he would recall the fear of being dominated by the broth in the morning. That was why she purposely lied to him and said that this was pork bone.

This silly girl really thinks that I’m that weak.

Although the morning broth had traumatized him, he would not be afraid of other parts of cows. Thus, Sonia’s worry was quite unnecessary.

However, it was her kindness to consider so much for him. Naturally, he wouldn’t disappoint her. Since she said that this is pork short ribs, I’ll take it as it is. As long as she has peace of mind.

Toby chuckled and sat on a couch before taking out his phone.0

As soon as he took out his phone, the screen lit up with a message from Tom.

Chapter 1210 Grayson’s Photo

Toby crossed his legs elegantly as he put one of his arms sluggishly on the backrest of the couch. With his other hand holding the phone, he tapped open Tom’s message unhurriedly.

The content was simple with just one sentence. ‘President Fuller, this is the photo that Miss Reed wants to see. I’ve sent it to you. Please forward it to her.’

It had a ‘thank you’ sticker at the end, and above the sticker and text were two photos. As he studied the photos, he saw that they were photos of Grayson seeking medical treatment from a doctor in a hospital.

In the photos, Grayson’s mouth was seriously swollen as though they were two sausages. On top of that, he had a furious expression, which made him look extremely hilarious.

Seeing that, Toby knitted his brows together and closed the photo in slight disgust. After that, he tapped on the forward button and sent it to Sonia.

At this moment, Sonia’s phone was on the tea table in the living room, which was just in front of Toby.

After he sent them over, her phone vibrated right away, and the screen lit up as well.

When he saw that, only then did he turn off his phone and throw it onto the tea table. Then, he picked up the remote control to turn on the television and watched the news of the day.

At the same time, at the Lore Residence, Grayson was sitting on a couch as well. He had a well-folded towel in his hand and was using it to ice his mouth. He kept groaning in pain as he was doing that.

Amelia, who was sitting beside him, felt so bad for her husband when she saw him like this. Her eyes were red, and teardrops were rolling down her cheeks. “How are you feeling, honey? Does it hurt a lot?”

When Grayson heard that, he glared at her irritably. “What do you think? Will I groan like this if it’s not painful?”

Since his mouth was very swollen and he was in a lot of pain, he couldn’t part his mouth as he wished. So, he was slurring his words, which sounded quite hilarious.

After Amelia was scolded by Grayson, not only did she not feel sulky, she felt worse for him as more tears streamed down her face. “How can Toby be like this? How can he hit you like this? After all, you’re older than him. He’s really outrageous, treating you so mercilessly.”

Grayson nodded his head in agreement as his eyes were filled with resentment. “I know, right? I didn’t know that he’d hit me so hard. He dared to treat me like this just for a woman? This is such a humiliation to me!”

Since he was born, other than being beaten by his father when he was young, no one else had dared to lay a hand on him. Even when the Lore Family’s status last time was nothing like it was now, no one dared to hit him either.

Yet, Toby actually asked people to lay their hands on him and even slapped him silly. It was already far from just physical punishment, but more like humiliation. If this got out, how was he going to continue to stay in the circle in the future? How was he going to meet anyone?

At this moment, Amelia took over Grayson’s towel, which was pressed against his mouth. When she saw that the ice in the towel had already melted, she added some ice cubes into it while crying and folded it back confidently before gently putting it back on his lips.

Probably because the ice was newly added, the towel was much colder than it was earlier. As soon as it touched his mouth, he was shocked by the cold at once, and his body trembled a little.

This tremble made his swollen mouth rub against the towel. It hurt him so much that he jumped up and threw the towel at Amelia furiously. With an exasperated face, he bellowed, “What are you doing?! Can’t you be a little more careful? Do you think that I’m still not hurt enough, huh?”

Although her back was in pain from his actions, she didn’t dare resent him and wasn’t willing to do so either. She quickly picked up the towel and stood up before apologizing to him with her face covered in guilt. “I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t do it on purpose. Are you okay? Let me see…”

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She reached out her hand to check him out, but he swatted her hand away in annoyance.

Slap. The back of her hand was red from Grayson’s slap.

Amelia’s annoyance started to grow deeper. She lowered her head and kept quiet as her resentment for Sonia grew inside her.

From her perspective, if it wasn’t for Sonia, her husband wouldn’t treat her this way.

If Sonia didn’t appear within Toby’s sight and didn’t use those dirty tricks to threaten him to get back with her, he would’ve already been Lynette’s. Their Lore Family and the Fuller Family would have the best relationship as in-laws. It would be nothing like now—Lynette couldn’t be in love and was depressed every day while the Lore Family was at the edge of bankruptcy because of Sonia, which made her husband vent his frustration and dissatisfaction out on her.0

This is all Sonia’s fault. Amelia squeezed the towel in her hand as she thought about that with her face twisted with resentment.

Just then, two different sounds of footsteps resonated from the stairs in the house, along with a gravelly voice complaining, “What are you two shouting about?”0

As soon as Grayson and Amelia heard Harry’s voice, their expressions turned serious, and they turned around in synchronization.

At this moment, Lynette was holding Harry on his arm with a lovable expression as he came down the stairs with a darkened face.

“Dad.” Grayson and Amelia quickly greeted Harry.

After Harry and Lynette came down the stairs, they walked slowly to the opposite side of the married couple and sat across from them.

The couple turned their bodies along with the two’s movements. In the end, they sat down after seeing Harry and Lynette do so.

“Dad, why have you come down?” Grayson asked with a wry smile on his swollen lips.

On the other hand, Amelia poured a cup of tea quietly at the side. “Have some tea, Dad.”

After Harry took over the teacup that she handed him and took a sip, only then did he scoff and say, “You two were so loud downstairs that I could hear you from upstairs. How can I not come down to see what is going on? Now, tell me. What were you two talking about?”

“Yeah, you guys were so loud down here that Grandpa and I couldn’t discuss things at ease. We thought that something happened to you two, so we rushed down to find out what happened.” Lynette pouted her mouth and looked at her parents across from her with a worried expression.

However, if they took a closer look, they would be able to see that other than her words and expression, which were showing her worry to them, her eyes were actually showing none. What was in her eyes was actually dissatisfaction. Especially after seeing Grayson’s lips and Amelia’s rubber-stamped expression, she secretly despised them deep down.

Although her parents pampered her and loved her so much that they could even give her the moon, she still looked down on them secretly.

The father that she wanted was a strong and fearless figure, and the mother she wished for was an elegant and gentle one. They were nothing like this couple in front of her; an idiotic father who would only embarrass her and a timid mother whom she was embarrassed to talk about. Having them as her parents was the biggest failure of her life.

Of course, even when that was what Lynette thought, she wouldn’t show it on her face. After all, she still needed her parents’ unconditional love for her, and she needed them to fight on the front lines for her so she could hide in the back and plan. She wouldn’t need to do anything with her own hands.

If she showed her dislike toward them, they would feel bothered even when they still treated her well. If that happened, when she wanted them to do something for her, they would consider many things first and not agree with her right away.

Grayson and Amelia knew nothing about what was in Lynette’s mind and thought that she was genuinely worried about them. They were so touched, and it warmed their hearts.

“Nothing happened. You’re just being paranoid, baby. Nothing happened to me and your mom. We just argued a little. Don’t worry about it,” Grayson said as he looked at Lynette and smiled stupidly.

Amelia quickly nodded as well and replied gently, “Yeah, Lynette. Your dad’s right. We’re fine.”

“That’s good to hear. Grandpa and I can finally let our guard down.” Lynette patted her chest and breathed out from her mouth, looking as though she was finally relaxed.

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