Ch. 71..80

This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr Chapter 71

The person outside banged on the door as if Sonia was their enemy. She could even hear the doorframe shaking from her bedroom, as if whoever on the other side of the door might barge in at any moment.

Grumpily, Sonia lifted her blankets and tidied her hair nonchalantly before slipping into her slippers, ready to leave the comfort of her room to check on the commotion that the person was causing outside her house. Before heading to the foyer, she got a sharpened knife from the kitchen. Upon getting there, she heard a conversation outside her door.

“Mom, what are you doing? Stop it!” Vexed, Tyler grabbed Jean’s arm to stop her from banging the door.

Jean gazed at him furiously. “Why are you stopping me? Unhand me! I’m going to teach this b*tch a lesson!”

“This is between your daughter-in—no, between Sonia and Tina. Why are you meddling in their business?” Tyler’s youthful face was scrunched up.

Huffing, Jean retorted, “Why can’t I meddle? Tina is my future daughter-in-law. Shouldn’t I, as Tina’s mother-in-law, stand up for my daughter-in-law when she was bullied?” With that, she cast Tyler’s hand away to resume banging on the door. All the while, she continued to yell, “Sonia, you b*tch! Do you lack the courage to face the consequences after bullying Tina? Open up! I know you’re in there! Open the door—”

Before Jean could finish her sentence, the door in front of her swung open. Jean’s hand missed its intended target, so she toppled forward as she lost her balance. When Sonia saw the huge lump that was Jean’s figure falling her way, she released the doorknob and backed away in disgust.

Thump! Jean wailed as her overweight body flopped on the floor face down in front of Sonia. The sight of it stunned Tyler, who was still standing outside.33945

All the while, a smile tugged on Sonia’s lips as she lowered her head to take in Jean’s condition. “Wow, I’m surprised that you greeted me with a bow as soon as we saw each other. You’re being overly polite, Madam White. Come on, let me help you up.”

“Get away from me! I don’t need your help!” Seeing red, Jean swatted Sonia’s hand away ill-temperedly. She never expected herself to make a fool out of herself like that in front of Sonia.

Unaffected by Jean’s attitude, Sonia smiled as she straightened her body. “Okay, then. You can get up on your own.”

Jean snorted as she tried to help herself up with both arms on the floor. However, she had a hard time doing so due to her obese figure, which prompted Sonia to huff a laugh. Jean questioned begrudgingly, “What are you laughing at?”

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“It’s nothing.” Sonia waved her hand dismissively. “I just recalled having seen a toad on television last night. It flipped over after falling from a high place, but it couldn’t roll itself over because it’s too fat. I laughed because it was pretty amusing.”0

“H-How dare you compare me to a toad?” Jean was trembling while pointing a finger at Sonia.

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With a shrug, Sonia explained innocently, “That’s not what I mean. I was talking about the toad, not you. Please don’t compare yourself to it. Rather, is it because you felt like one?” She watched Jean smilingly.

Even though Jean was fuming, she didn’t have a good comeback for that. I would be admitting that I’m a toad if I say anything! Therefore, she turned away, ignoring Sonia. Upon noticing that her son was still spacing out instead of helping her, she got all riled up. “Why are you still standing there? Come over and help me!”

“Oh.” Tyler snapped back to his senses before stepping into the foyer to help Jean get back on her feet.

“You’ve got some strength, boy,” Sonia praised.

Delighted, Tyler raised his chin unwittingly. “Hmph! Of course! I’m a man after all!” I’ve got to have some strength in me!

At the side, Sonia shook her head after sweeping a glance at him, particularly focusing on his crotch. “You don’t look so on the surface.”

“D-Do you have no shame?!” When Tyler noticed where Sonia was staring at, his innocent and handsome face turned a shade of red before he closed his legs together while pointing at her in exasperation.

On the other hand, Jean was also infuriated, so she raised her hand to give Sonia a slap. “B*tch! I’ll turn a blind eye to the fact that you seduced other men, but you’re not going to seduce my son! This will teach you a lesson!”

“Hey, watch out!” Tyler’s heart skipped a beat. He didn’t expect things to take such a turn, so he dropped his embarrassment to warn Sonia to get out of the way.

Astonished, Sonia glanced at Tyler, taken aback by the worry that was evident on his face. Immediately, a smile bloomed on her face. I see my efforts to help this brat weren’t in vain. At least he knows to warn me. I suppose he’s not too bad.

Instead of ducking like Tyler said, Sonia raised her left hand, allowing the knife that she was hiding in her sleeve to slide into her grip. She placed the knife next to her left cheek with the blade protruding in the air with an intimidating gleam.

Jean’s expression changed drastically as soon as she noticed that. She managed to stop her hand two centimeters away from the blade, which saved her from slashing her hand on the blade.

“Y-You have a knife with you?!” Tyler’s jaw dropped in disbelief, while Jean stared at the blade in shock.

Sonia removed the knife before plucking at the tip of the blade with her finger. There was a smile on her face as she spoke. “You were banging on the door so loudly that I assumed that a robbery was taking place. Considering that, isn’t it normal to bring a knife with me for self-defense?”

Tyler grunted a few times before falling silent. Meanwhile, Sonia turned her attention to Jean, who was still terrified. “From what I heard, you came to find me because I bullied Tina?”

Upon hearing that, Jean flipped a switch. The fearful look on her face melted away to give way to a savage expression. “Isn’t that the case though? You had that rascal kidnap Tina, which led to her hospitalization. You—”

“Do you have proof?” Sonia cut her short impassively. So I was right. They are suspecting that I am the mastermind.

“Why would I need proof when Tina already told me what you did?” Jean smirked while crossing her arms.

With a calm gaze, Sonia stared right back at her. “Of course. If you fail to present any evidence, I can consider this defamation. I can always call the police to report you.”

“Go on, then.” Jean rolled her eyes in disdain.

After staring at Jean for a few seconds, Sonia took out her phone from her pocket.

“Are you serious?” Jean’s face paled. I was assuming that it’s a threat, but she is serious about it!

Meanwhile, Sonia was studying Jean, as if she was looking at an idiot. “Did you think I was kidding?” As she spoke, the call connected. She put the phone to her ear. “Hello, is this the police? I would like to report someone for—”

Before Sonia could finish her sentence, Jean snatched her phone away and then smashed it on the floor. It shattered into pieces with a loud thud. There was a smug grin on Jean’s face. “Let’s see what you can do now.”

Sonia glanced at her phone with a solemn look. After a while, she stated aloofly, “Things are far from over even if you smashed my phone. You must’ve forgotten where you are right now.”

After all, Sonia lived in Bayside Residence, which was a well-known high-end residence in Seafield. Top-notch security measures were put in place, so alarms were installed all over the house. Incidentally, there was one on the shoe rack, on which Sonia pressed without hesitation. As soon as she did, a siren went off, which was audible throughout the entire hallway.

“What’s going on?” Startled, Jean glared at Sonia. “What have you done?”

This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr Chapter 72

“You’ll know what’s going on soon enough.” Sonia smirked.

A while later, footsteps could be heard coming from the elevator. Within a few seconds, four uniformed security guards arrived before the three of them. Tyler realized things had gotten out of hand with the turn of events. As he scanned his surroundings, he backed out of the space to make a call on his phone.

Sonia knew who he was calling when she noted his reaction, but she didn’t stop him. Instead, she explained the situation to the security guards while pointing at Jean. “She was banging on my door early in the morning with a nasty attitude, posing a threat to my personal safety. Other than that, she even smashed my phone, which constitutes property damage. I want her detained and sent off to the police station.”

Upon hearing that, Jean began hurling insults at Sonia. “How dare you filthy b*tch—”

“She even continues insulting me at this moment. I demand that you seize her immediately!” Sonia cut Jean off.

“Yes, Miss Reed.” The security guards took their orders to seize Jean and dragged her toward the elevator.

“Mom!” At a loss, Tyler looked at his phone, which had yet to be connected to the recipient, and then to his mother, who was being taken away by the security guards.

At the same time, Jean couldn’t escape the death grip of the security guards, so she could only turn her head around to glare at Sonia viciously while throwing around various profanities. Sonia could hardly imagine that a rich woman was capable of such vulgar words. Ding. The elevator doors closed with a chime. Finally, Jean’s yelling vanished from the corridor.

On the other hand, Tyler hung up the unanswered call as he glowered at Sonia. “Why did you do that?”

“What have I done?” Sonia lulled as she leaned against the door frame.

Tyler gripped his phone tightly. “You had the security guards take my mother away.”

“Didn’t she bring that upon herself though?” Sonia crossed her arms. “As I mentioned, your mother’s actions threatened my personal safety. That alone suffices as a reason for me to summon the security guards to take her away, even more so when she crossed the line further by smashing my phone and insulting me.”

Then, Sonia pointed at Tyler’s ears. “You heard how she insulted me with vile words. Is it wrong that I want her arrested? You would’ve done the same if you were in my shoes.”

“I…” Tyler was rendered speechless by her words, which caused him to lower his head. Yeah. I wouldn’t let things slide that easily if I am insulted. In fact, I would beat the crap out of whoever that insults me until that person could no longer utter a word.

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Upon noticing Tyler’s crestfallen expression, Sonia smirked. “Tyler, don’t judge when you yourself are incapable of turning the other cheek.”

Tyler’s face flushed as he was overcome by emotions. “I wasn’t!”

However, Sonia closed the door, for she couldn’t be bothered to respond.

“Hey!” Just when Tyler was about to call out to Sonia, the phone in his hand rang. When he lowered his head to check on it, he saw that it was Toby who was calling, so he picked up immediately. “Toby, why did you only pick up now?”

“Have you run out of money?” Despite how uneasy Tyler sounded, Toby merely made a dispassionate inquiry while leaving his phone on the table with the speaker turned on, still focused on reading through the reports on the computer screen in front of him.0

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Tyler frowned in dismay. “That’s not the case. Why would you assume I’m calling to ask for money?”

“Are you not?”0

Silence befell as Tyler choked on his own words. After checking the door to Sonia’s house, he took a deep breath. “Alright, it’s true that I used to call you to ask for money, but it’s different this time. Sh*t had hit the fan.”

“What’s so urgent?”

“Mom got arrested.”

“What?” Toby narrowed his eyes before pressing for answers solemnly, “What exactly happened?”

Tyler dared not keep anything from Toby, so he recounted the incident in full detail. “That’s about it. After that, Sonia ordered the security guards to bring Mom away.”

Feeling the pulse in between his brows, Toby soothed it by pressing a finger on it. While suppressing his anger, he went on, “Understood. I’ll head to the police station now. By the way, is she alright?”

“She?” Tyler was startled. “Who do you mean?”

Toby pulled his lips into a grim line. “Sonia.”

“Oh, she’s alright. Why do you ask?” Tyler was curious.

Toby’s gaze flickered for a second. “It’s nothing. You told me that Mom had assaulted Sonia. I asked because if Sonia is injured, we will need a memorandum of understanding from her to bail Mom.”

“I see.” Shaking his head, Tyler didn’t doubt Toby’s words. “Don’t you worry, Toby. Sonia’s alright. Mom didn’t hit her.”

“That’s a relief.” Not even Toby was able to name a reason for feeling relieved. After hanging up, he stood to retrieve his black woolen coat on the coat rack beside him before marching out of the office in strides.

Because Jean didn’t injure anybody, Toby was able to bail her relatively easily, but not without first paying a hefty fine. Tyler waited outside, and his eyes lit up as he greeted them when they got out of the police station. “Mom, Toby! You’re finally back!”

Jean’s face contorted with anger as she complained, “Hmph! That b*tch had the audacity to call the cops on me. It’s frustrating how much shame she brought upon me! I’ll make sure to teach her a lesson next time!”

That b*tch? Toby’s face fell while he emitted a suffocating aura. So that’s how she addresses Sonia. Moreover, she’s already used to it, so she must have been using that word often. I never knew about this.

Anger simmered within Toby as he looked at Jean in dismay. “Mom, haven’t I told you to not pester Sonia? Why wouldn’t you listen? And you!” He glanced at Tyler morosely. “Why didn’t you stop Mom?”

Tyler pouted in aggrievedness. “I tried to, Toby, but it didn’t work. After Mom knew Tina’s kidnapping had to do with your wife—I mean Sonia, she insisted on going after Sonia. There was nothing I could do.”

“I was merely feeling sorry for Tina.” Jean was still feeling indignant over what happened. “Tina told me this morning that it was Sonia’s suitor who kidnapped her, so that b*tch must be the one who orchestrated the incident.”

The more Jean slandered Sonia, the more somber Toby looked. “It’s true that the one who kidnapped Tina was Sonia’s suitor, but Sonia wasn’t the mastermind.” He knew instinctively that Sonia had nothing to do with it.

Tyler also agreed with a nod. “I think so too.”

Frustrated, Jean pulled on Tyler’s ears. “Who are you siding with, Tyler Fuller? Why are you standing up for that b*tch?”

Even Toby glanced at Tyler out of surprise, for he was aware of how Tyler had initially treated Sonia. He never expected Tyler’s attitude to have a one-eighty.

“Ouch, Mom! Let go! Let me go!” Tyler was hissing in agony as he nearly hopped around in pain.

Ultimately, Jean didn’t want to hurt her son, so she released him. “Hmph, this will teach you to not speak up for that b*tch! Don’t you forget that Tina is your sister-in-law! You’re only allowed to side with her. Got it?”

With a pout, Tyler rubbed his ears as he grumbled, “Got it.”

“Alright, Mom. I’ll send the both of you back home.” Toby pinched the area between his brows before opening the car door. After sending Jean and Tyler back to Fuller Residence, he drove away.

While on his way, he pondered about the situation for some time before finally deciding to give Sonia a call, which would be his first ever call to her after their divorce. After the call got quickly picked up, a gentle voice came through. “Who is this?”

This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr Chapter 73

Toby furrowed his brows. Did she delete my number?

When Sonia noticed that the caller wasn’t speaking, she tilted her head in confusion, ready to hang up. It wasn’t until then that the caller responded. A man’s deep and melodious voice came through. “It’s me.”

Sonia’s pupils contracted, and she stopped writing. When she checked the screen of her phone, and as soon as she saw the familiar string of numbers, she pulled her lips into a thin line. It really is him!

Even after their divorce and having deleted all of Toby’s contact details, she could recognize his phone number at first glance. After taking a deep breath, she ignored the sourness within her by putting on a poker face as she spoke. “Do you need something from me, President Fuller?”

Toby’s face fell as soon as he noticed the coldness in Sonia’s tone. She was being so gentle when she didn’t recognize me, but she flipped when she did. Suppressing the feelings of dismay within him, he pulled his lips into a thin line. “I would like to apologize to you.”

Sonia leaned back after tossing her pen away. “Apologize? Did you do something that warrants an apology?”

“It’s my mother. Sorry for giving you trouble.” Toby hung his head low, his tone apologetic.

A derisive smile bloomed on Sonia’s face. “I see. You sure have a lot on your plate. Not only do you need to apologize in place of your fiancée, but your mother too. Will you need to apologize for your brother next time?”

Toby swore sternly, “This won’t happen again.”

“I’m not so sure about that. I know just how capable your family is of wreaking havoc, especially your mother.” Sonia rolled her eyes as soon as she mentioned Jean. “President Fuller, can I ask you a question? It’s been on my mind for a long time.”

Toby pressed on the Bluetooth earphone on his ear, looking skeptical. “What is it?”

“Are you really your mother’s son?” Sonia rested her cheek on one hand. Despite Jean’s lavish outfit, she was a typical shrew who had a crude and mean attitude. Sonia could hardly imagine someone like her raising a son like Toby.

Toby’s gaze flickered for a moment. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.” Sonia shrugged.

Toby turned the steering wheel. “Yes, I am.”

Seriously? Sonia heaved a disappointed sigh. I bet Toby had undergone a mutation. With that, she picked up her pen again. “Alright, President Fuller, I have nothing else to ask. Let’s end the call here. By the way, keep watch over your mother. Make sure that she doesn’t come barking at my door again without reason.”

Barking at her door? A grim look crept onto Toby’s face. “Sonia, can’t you be less harsh?”

“Harsh?” Sonia chuckled. “President Fuller, are you expecting me to be nice to you and your family? Why don’t you reflect on your treatment of me during the past six years? Why should I be nice to you? Who do you think you are anyway?”

With that, she cut the call. Upon hearing the beep in the earphone, Toby knew the call had ended. He freed a hand from the steering wheel to rub it in between his brows.

‘Why don’t you reflect on your treatment of me during the past six years?’ Her words replayed in Toby’s mind incessantly. His heart felt as if a boulder was pressing on it heavily, because he couldn’t deny the fact that the Fullers had indeed mistreated her.

When Toby was still lamenting about the situation, he arrived at the hospital. After parking his car, he sat in it for some time before heading to the ward. In a VIP ward, Tina was watching TV while Julia was peeling an apple by her bed.

Upon hearing a knock on the door, Julia raised her head to trace the source of the sound before a smile lit up on her face. “Tina, look who’s here!”

When Tina turned to check on the door, she saw Toby coming from outside. Enraptured, her eyes reddened. “Toby…” She lifted her blanket to launch herself into his arms.33947

Toby had just arrived by her bed, so he was able to catch her. While caressing her hair, he asked, “Why are you crying?”

“I missed you.” Tina buried her face in his chest.

Toby held a gentle look in his eyes. “Well, here I am.”

Upon noticing the closeness between them, Julia set the cut apple aside before standing up from the chair cheerfully. “Toby, you came just in time. Keep Tina company while I go check on her condition with the doctors.”

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“Sure.” Toby nodded. After Julia left, he touched Tina’s forehead to check her temperature. Sensing that her fever had broken, he was feeling relieved. “Do you still feel unwell anywhere?” he inquired in kind after removing his hand.0

Tina pouted in aggrievedness. “Yeah. My head is still dizzy.”

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“Get some more rest.” Toby fluffed up the pillow to let her lie on it.

However, she shook her head. “I no longer feel like sleeping. I just need your company.”

Toby sat down by the bed without protesting. After that, Tina latched herself to his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. “Toby, your mother came to visit me this morning. After knowing that my kidnap had to do with Miss Reed, she insisted on settling scores with Miss Reed. I couldn’t stop her no matter what I did.”

“I know.”

“You do?” Tina raised her head to look at Toby’s immaculate profile. “Did your mother do anything to Miss Reed?”

Do anything to Sonia? Toby lowered his gaze. Although Mom assaulted her, she ended up having Mom arrested while she came out of it unscathed. The thought of it brought a smile to his face, as well as a gentle gaze in his eyes that not even he had noticed.

Aware of the reason behind Toby’s smile, Tina was alarmed when she saw that. While clenching her fists, she questioned, “Toby, why are you smiling?”

He didn’t only smile as soon as Sonia was mentioned, but his expression looks so loving. No, I need to get rid of Sonia as soon as possible. He will fall for her if things continue like this. Although Toby was unaware of his own feelings, Tina was acutely aware that Sonia had made an impression on him.

Smile? Toby’s gaze dimmed as he reverted to his usual aloof expression while turning to look at Tina. “It’s nothing. I just thought of something interesting.”

“I see.” Tina forced a smile, but deep down, she was still shrouded in darkness.

At that moment, Julia returned. “Tina, the doctors told me you can be discharged by tomorrow.”

“That’s great! I don’t want to stay here for any longer! I’ve been hospitalized for six years, and I’m already bored of it,” Tina declared happily.

Toby rubbed her hair, his gesture intimate. When Julia saw that, she asked abruptly, “Toby, have you uncovered the identity of Fox Eyes?”

Upon hearing that, Tina’s smile melted away into a terrified look. “Toby—”

Pulling her into his arms, Toby patted her on the back before consoling her gently, “Don’t be scared.”

Julia was regretting that she brought up the question. “Ah, I’m sorry, Tina. I didn’t do it on purpose. You—”

“I’m alright, Mom.” With tear-filled eyes, Tina shook her head. “I deserve this. If I hadn’t hurt Miss Reed due to my own insecurities, she wouldn’t have hired someone to kidnap me. It’s all my fault.”

“Don’t say that.” Julia started crying. “It’s all because Sonia is being vicious. You might have hurt her, but we already compensated for the incident. She’s abominable for doing this to you even after accepting our apology!”

Tina hung her head low as she continued to sob, seemingly unable to grasp why Sonia would do that to her. Meanwhile, Toby wore a frown. “Mrs. Gray, Tina, Sonia has nothing to do with the kidnapping. Fox Eyes kidnapped Tina of his own accord. Sonia didn’t order him to do that.”

“Toby, are you standing up for Sonia?” Julia watched him in disbelief.

This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr Chapter 74

Toby shook his head. “I wasn’t trying to stand up for her. I was merely stating the truth.”

“But—” Julia sounded unconvinced.

However, Tina tugged on her sleeve while putting up a tough front. “It’s fine, Mom. I suppose Miss Reed isn’t a suspect if Toby doesn’t think so.”

Toby frowned at Tina’s statement. Even though he could sense that something was off, he couldn’t put a finger on it. At the side, Julia glared at him in anger, having caught on to the underlying implications in Tina’s statement.

Tina already told us that she heard the kidnapper mention that it was Sonia who ordered Fox Eyes to seek revenge against Tina. Yet, he had the audacity to hurt Tina by standing up for Sonia. Tina even ended up defending him!

All of a sudden, someone knocked on the door of the ward. It was Tom standing at the doorway. “President Fuller.”

“What is it?” Toby opened his mouth to speak.

After glancing at Tina, Tom said, “Investigations on Carl Lee have yielded results.”

Toby narrowed his eyes. “Wait for me outside.”

“Yes, sir.” Tom left after receiving his instructions.

After that, Toby removed his arm from Tina’s grasp. “I need to leave for a moment, Tina.”

Tina nodded smilingly. “Okay.”

Toby helped her lie down before tucking her in bed. Then, he left the ward. After the door closed behind him, he looked at Tom, who handed him a document. “President Fuller, these are documents detailing Carl’s biography. He’s an orphan who grew up in Jordain County. He only started going to school in his teenage years after Miss Reed and her father became his sponsor. Upon reaching adulthood, he was scouted into the fashion industry as a model because of his outstanding appearance. Considering the above, he’s not Fox Eyes.”

“Is he really not?” Toby frowned.

Tom gave him a nod. “Yeah. I already inquired President Gray, who had met Fox Eyes twice. According to his description, Fox Eyes is a top hacker. Carl was never involved in such endeavors. Besides, he’s currently attending a photoshoot on a snow mountain, and has caught a cold, whereas Fox Eyes doesn’t have a cold. Therefore, we’re certain that Carl isn’t Fox Eyes. So what should we do now, President Fuller?” Tom looked at Toby.

After brooding over the situation for a bit, Toby pulled his lips into a thin line before giving instructions. “Investigate Sonia’s connections. Fox Eyes must be someone she knows. Find out everything about those people.”

“Got it!” Tom nodded.

“President Fuller.” A reserved voice rang behind them. When Toby turned around, he saw Cynthia and Melody walking toward them with flowers in their hands.

“President Fuller, is Tina in there?” Cynthia couldn’t make eye contact with men, so she hung her head low while explaining timidly, “We heard Tina fell ill, so we came to visit her.”

“She’s in the ward.” Toby pointed at the door.

“Thank you, President Fuller.” Elated, Cynthia turned her head to face Melody. “Miss Stryder, let’s go inside.”

“Sure.” Melody raised her chin arrogantly when she appraised Toby while Cynthia stepped forward to knock on the door.

Back when they were in the private room, she didn’t get a good look at him. Now that she could, she determined that he was an outstanding man. His appearance alone was so gorgeous that not even her husband, Peter, could possibly compare to. Thoughts of the man who wanted to divorce her dampened her spirits as she averted her gaze.

“Miss Stryder, Tina is inviting us to go in.” Having opened the door, Cynthia was waving at Melody.

“Coming,” Melody answered. After nodding at Toby, she joined Cynthia in strides.

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“Let’s go.” Toby tucked the documents that he was holding into Tom’s arms before marching toward the elevator.

Tom followed closely behind Toby. “President Fuller, are you not going to keep Miss Gray company?”

“No, I won’t. She’ll be fine with her friends,” Toby replied nonchalantly before sending Tina a text to inform her of his departure.

When Tina saw the text, she bit her bottom lip, feeling somewhat troubled. She then replied, ‘Alright.’

“What’s wrong, Tina?” Noting Tina’s displeasure, Cynthia inquired after putting the flowers aside.0

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Tina smiled as she tucked her phone away. “I’m fine. Thanks for visiting me.”

“It’s nothing. We’re friends after all.” Cynthia waved her hand to dismiss Tina’s concern.0

Meanwhile, Melody was sitting on the chair by the bed with her legs elegantly crossed. “I heard you were kidnapped. What happened?”

Even though the news wasn’t made public, the Grays didn’t keep the fact that Tina was hospitalized a secret. Therefore, their associates knew about it, and could easily find out about the reason behind that if they investigated.

Upon hearing that, Cynthia’s jaw dropped. “You were kidnapped, Tina? Who’s behind it?”

Tina teared up, but she forced a smile. “It’s Miss Reed’s suitor. Because I accidentally injured her, so her suitor avenged her by kidnapping me.”

“What? This is outrageous! How dare he kidnap you when you didn’t do it on purpose?” Cynthia’s face flushed with anger as she got all self-righteous.

A wistful smile spread across Tina’s face. “It might be because he thought I must have injured Miss Reed deliberately, so…” She trailed off by that point.

Cynthia’s chest heaved with rage. “Hmph! I bet Sonia had a hand in this! She might even be the one who instigated her suitor to do it!”

“That’s not the case. Toby said Miss Reed has nothing to do with this.” Tina waved her hand immediately, seemingly fearing that her friends might misunderstand Sonia.

Caressing her chin, Melody muttered, “How could he be so sure?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he asked Miss Reed,” Tina replied in dejection after shaking her head.

With her hands on her waist, Cynthia shot back, “President Fuller must’ve been deceived by Sonia. Tina, we can’t let things slide like this.”

“But…” Tina bit on her lip while pretending to feel conflicted.

The sight of it made Cynthia feel sorry for her. “You don’t need to hesitate. Not only did Sonia bully you, but she even had someone kidnap you. She must be capable of even more atrocities. Thus, we need to teach her a lesson so that she knows we aren’t pushovers.”

“I can do that,” Melody volunteered aloofly.

Tina looked at her. “What are you planning to do, Miss Stryder?”

Melody flicked her red nails. “From what I gather, Paradigm Co. has been trying to get a loan from banks. I can pull some strings to stop the cash flow from the banks. Without the capital injection from banks, Paradigm Co. won’t be able to carry on with its operations.”

As she spoke, she took out her phone to call the presidents of multiple banks. While Cynthia watched in awe, an almost imperceptible smile tugged on Tina’s lips when she witnessed this.

Meanwhile, Daphne hurried into Sonia’s office in Paradigm Co. “President Reed, I’ve got bad news. Something just happened.”

“What is it?” Sonia raised her head from behind a stack of documents.

“I got a few calls from the banks. All of them claimed that our company doesn’t meet the conditions for their loans, so they refused to lend us any money. A few other banks that already offered us a loan even urged us to return the money, citing an error made during the auditing process,” Daphne reported.

“What?” Sonia’s expression changed drastically as she seized the pen in her grip. “How did it come to this?”

“I don’t know either. Seeing that so many banks are acting up together all of a sudden, I bet someone must be trying to give us a hard time,” Daphne surmised as she stared at Sonia.

Almost immediately, a name popped up in Sonia’s mind. “Titus Gray!”

“You mean Triforce Enterprise is behind this?”

Sonia narrowed her eyes. “I can’t think of anybody else other than them.” If Titus is behind this, it must either be because of that plot of land, or because of Tina. It surely has to do with either of these.

“What should we do now, President Reed?” Daphne asked.

This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr Chapter 75

Sonia pondered for a few seconds. “For now, go negotiate with the presidents of these banks and see if they’re willing to change their minds. Also, use that as an opportunity to get a grasp on whether Titus is the one pulling the strings.”

“Okay,” Daphne answered. Seemingly having thought of something, she asked, “Should I report this to President Lane?”

“No.” Sonia shook her head. “Charles will be busy running his own company. I don’t want to bother him.”

“Alright.”

After Daphne left, Rebecca from the finance department came. “President Reed, what’s going on? I got a few calls from multiple banks. They’re urging us to repay our loans immediately. Haven’t we just gotten them? Why are they telling us to pay when it’s not even time yet?” Rebecca questioned as she walked up to Sonia’s desk.

Sonia pinched the bridge of her nose. “Can’t you see that we’re being targeted?”

“By who?” Rebecca slammed her palm on the desk.

A chilly glint fleeted across Sonia’s gaze. “I suspect Titus is behind this, but I have no evidence yet.”

“That will have to wait. We need to prioritize solving the crisis regarding our capital. The main funds that are supporting the operation of Paradigm Co. consist of the loans from those banks. The company will fall into bankruptcy the moment we return the money to the banks.” Rebecca sounded irritated.33949

Sonia pulled her lips into a thin line. Of course I’m aware of the graveness of the situation.

“President Reed.” A knock came from the door again.

When Sonia glanced in its direction, she saw Daphne standing there while shaking her head regretfully. “I already tried negotiating with the banks. Those that have yet to offer a loan refused to do that no matter how I tried to convince them, whereas those that already loaned us money were adamant about us repaying our loans. What should we do, President Reed?”

Sonia clenched her fist before raising yet another question. “Did they tell you if Titus is behind this?”

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“Nope. I did ask, but none of them gave a clear response. It was as if they were fearing something,” Daphne replied.0

“These are national banks. As the presidents of these banks, they have no reason to fear the owner of a private company.” Rebecca furrowed her brows.

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Sonia narrowed her eyes. “Unless it’s not Titus, but a government official who ordered them to do so.”

“President Reed, have you somehow offended any government officials?” Rebecca questioned solemnly.

At a loss, Sonia shook her head. “I have no idea.” She had to deal with an official from a relevant department because of the plot of land. However, she didn’t recall ever offending that official.

“Forget about it. We’ll think about that later. President Reed, we need to solve the crisis regarding our funding right now,” Rebecca reminded.

Sonia shut her eyes in exhaustion. “Daphne, contact the presidents of the banks that already lent us the loans. Tell them I will buy them a meal at Universal Hotel.” I’ll have to give up on the banks that have yet to offer us a loan. However, I need to convince those that already offered us their loans to change their minds, or else Paradigm Co. will be done for.

“Sure.” Daphne nodded.

Then, Sonia glanced at Rebecca. “Arrange the documents for the loans and come with me.”

“Okay,” Rebecca answered.

An hour later, they arrived at Universal Hotel. Belonging to Fuller Group, it was the only seven-star hotel in Seafield. The simplest meal there could easily cost a normal family a year’s worth of their income, not to mention that Sonia had booked a private room to treat the presidents to a lavish meal that consisted of exquisite culinaries.

Since Sonia had shown her sincerity by providing the presidents with such deluxe treatment, they knew they had to at least disclose something to her. Therefore, they finally told her that the person who was targeting her was a Stryder.

“President Reed, from what I gather, there’s only one prestigious family with that surname, and it’s the Stryder Family in Norfolk,” Rebecca whispered into Sonia’s ear while leaning close to her.

Sonia tightened her grip on her wine glass with a morose look on her pretty face. “It’s Melody Stryder.” Although she didn’t have a feud with the Stryders, she did have a minor disagreement with Melody before.

“I knew it. But why is she doing this? Could it be because of what happened when you were playing cards last time?” Rebecca surmised.

Sonia took a sip out of her wine, her face devoid of expression. “Perhaps.”

“Isn’t she being a little too petty if that is the case?” Rebecca smirked. “Besides, Melody is poking her nose where she is unwelcomed. How dare she, the daughter of a prestigious family in Norfolk, interfere with affairs in Seafield? President Reed, I’ll go make a call.”

“Yeah.” Sonia agreed to it with a nod.

After getting up and leaving the room, Rebecca found a quiet spot to make a call.

“Say whatever you need to say!” A gruff voice came through the line.

Rebecca rolled her eyes. “Old man, I heard that the higher-ups intend to have the Hayes Family crack down on the Stryders because of how cocky they have been as of late. However, they never got to take action because they haven’t gotten a suitable excuse to do so. Is this true?”

“Why do you ask?” The man seemed impatient.

“So I guess the rumors are true.” Rebecca lit a cigarette that she retrieved from her pocket to puff on it. “I called to bring you some good news, of course. Matthew Stryder’s granddaughter, Melody Stryder, is currently in Seafield, and had used her family’s influence to interfere with the operations of the banks in Seafield in an attempt to give my boss a hard time. What about you crack down on the Stryders using this as an excuse?”

The man’s eyes lit up. “This is good news indeed. Not even Matthew was allowed to interfere with the politics in other regions back when he was still the head of the family. His granddaughter sure has some guts to break the taboo.”

“She sure does. She’s also stupid enough to give us something that could be used as leverage against her family,” Rebecca mocked after puffing out some smoke.

The last time when they were playing cards, Melody had offended her once, so she used the info she had of the Stryders to give them some trouble. This time around, Melody basically dug her own grave by getting her entire family into trouble. Rebecca couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of it.

Meanwhile, the man frowned. “What are you laughing at, you damned brat? How’s progress with the search for the young master?”

The smile on Rebecca’s face faded as she roared, “How dare you even mention that? You told me that the young master had spent some time in Jordain County, but I found nothing when I got there! How am I supposed to make any progress?”

The man choked on his words. “Alright, stop yelling at me. Just make sure to find the young master as soon as possible. The old master doesn’t have much time left.”

“I get it,” Rebecca replied reluctantly. After ending the call, she snubbed the cigarette and headed back to the private room.

While nearing the entrance, she saw the presidents of the banks coming out from within the room. Sonia saw them off from behind with a smile on her face. However, Rebecca noticed that her smile seemed forced, and there was a hint of melancholy to it.

“President Reed.” Rebecca spoke after the others left. “How did the negotiations go?”

Sonia wheeled around to sit down on the chair in the room. “I failed. They refuse to continue with the loan. However, I did get a three-day concession, during which Paradigm Co. is supposed to repay all of its loans.”

“Three days…” Rebecca smiled. “That works!”

“What do you mean?” Sonia gazed at her in confusion.

Rebecca answered merrily, “Don’t you worry, President Reed. I can guarantee that the banks will stop collecting debt from you after three days, and those that have yet to offer the company a loan will approve of it, because the Stryders will soon be in big trouble.”

Upon noticing the cheerful look on Rebecca’s face, Sonia had a realization. “You pulled some strings, didn’t you?”

Rebecca merely smiled without saying anything.

Still, Sonia was certain that she had to be someone prominent. The phone call she went out to make earlier must be the key to everything. Upon reaching that conclusion, Sonia stood to bow at Rebecca.

Taken aback by Sonia’s sudden gesture, Rebecca got up. “What are you doing, President Reed?”

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Sonia smiled as she stood up. “Thank you, Rebecca. If it weren’t for your help, I wouldn’t know what to do.”

Paradigm Co. needed at least a billion in order to operate at any given time. She wouldn’t know where to amass the necessary funds if the banks insisted that she should repay the loans. Therefore, she was grateful that Rebecca had settled the problem for her.

Upon hearing that, Rebecca waved her hand. “You don’t have to thank me, President Reed. I’m your employee, so it’s only natural that I should help relieve you of your burdens.”

Sonia let out a chuckle as warmth coursed through her heart. Then, Rebecca’s lips moved, for she was about to say something, but her phone rang right at that moment. She picked up the call with a serious expression after checking her phone. “Hello?”

“Miss Harper, we found another place that the young master might have spent time at. Would you like to visit the place?”0

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“Sure. I’ll buy an air ticket right away.” After hanging up, Rebecca glanced at Sonia. “President Reed, I have to apply for a leave again. I have an important errand…”

“Go on.” Sonia chuckled before speaking. “I’ll be waiting to buy you a meal after you come back.”0

“Thank you, President Reed. I will be taking my leave after arranging for a driver to pick you up.” With that, Rebecca tucked her phone away and left the room.

Meanwhile, Sonia took her cutlery and continued with her meal. When she figured that the driver that Rebecca had arranged for her should have arrived, she paid for the bill to get ready to return to her company.

Right when she stepped out of the room, the door across from her room opened to reveal Toby and Tom walking out from within. Both of them were startled when they saw Sonia, and the same could be said of her, for she wasn’t expecting to see them there.

“President Fuller.” Sonia was the first to break the silence by greeting Toby a little apathetically, while Toby nodded in response to that.

Tom pushed his glasses up before smiling at Sonia. “Miss Reed.”

“Hello, Tom.” Sonia returned the gesture.

All the while, Toby furrowed his brows, uncomfortable with their exchange. She would smile at Tom, but she always greets me with a poker face. He emitted a chilly aura that caused Tom to shiver before subconsciously putting distance between them.

Since Sonia had no intentions to speak to either of them, she left for the elevator after greeting them. Toby also marched forward. Then, they waited for the elevator in silence. None of them spoke, so the atmosphere between them was depressing.

Tom felt pressured when he glanced at Toby, who was on his left, and then at Sonia, who was on his right. Why must they bump into each other? Tom rubbed his temple to soothe his headache.

A chime indicated that the elevator had arrived. Sonia entered first, with Toby and Tom following behind. Upon entering the elevator, Tom made a conscious choice to stand in a corner and diminish his presence.

After the elevator doors were closed, they started to descend through the floors. Suddenly, the lights on the ceiling flickered a few times, and noises of electricity zapping could be heard.

Tom raised his head while he gulped. “Will the elevator be alright?” He sounded uncertain.

As soon as he said that, the elevator shook violently. Sonia let out a shriek as her face paled due to fright. Because she was wearing heels, she couldn’t keep her balance when the elevator rocked. Not only did her body sway around, but she even sprained her ankle. She could even hear the sounds of her bone dislocating.

Sonia was getting cold sweat, while her face contorted with pain. Right when she was about to topple over, an arm looped itself around her waist from behind her, and that made her freeze in place. “What are you doing?” Her voice was hoarse from the ordeal.

Immediately, Toby pulled her into his arms so that her back was against his chest. “Don’t move. Lean against me and stand still,” he ordered in all seriousness. Seeing that Sonia tried to pry his arm away from her waist out of reluctance, he spoke once again with a voice filled with authority. “Do as I say if you don’t want to twist your other ankle.”

That made Sonia pause her movements. He knows that I sprained my ankle! She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but she stopped trying to wrench herself free from his protective embrace. Instead, she leaned against him docilely, for she didn’t want to have to go to work in a wheelchair in the case that she did twist both of her ankles.

The shaking went on for around two minutes before everything finally died down, and the elevator was able to reach the ground floor smoothly. When the sunlight filtered in the moment the doors opened, Sonia could feel her hanging heart finally settling down in her ribcage as relief washed over her.

Meanwhile, Tom tidied his clothes and marched out of the elevator in the lead to hold the door for them so that it wouldn’t close on the other two people. When Sonia lowered her head to check on Toby’s arm on her waist with a complicated look, she inquired calmly, “Can you release me now, Mr. Fuller?”

“Sorry.” Toby removed his hand.

After Sonia regained her footing by supporting herself on the wall of the elevator, she shook her head. “You don’t have to apologize to me. I should be the one to thank you for helping me just now.”

“It’s nothing.” Toby’s gaze dimmed when he noticed the distressed look on Sonia’s pale face. Then, his gaze travelled downward to her swollen ankle. His heart tightened at the sight of it. “Your ankle…”

Sonia looked downward to check on it before trying to move her ankle a little. As soon as she did so, an excruciating pain shot up from her ankle and then spread throughout her entire body. She grunted as beads of sweat formed on the surface of her skin. Even though her breathing picked up, she feigned nonchalance as she smiled. “My ankle’s alright.”

You call that alright? Toby’s lips were pulled into a thin line when he noted the beads of sweat on her forehead. After that, he bent down to carry her in his arms bridal style before stepping out of the elevator.

On the other hand, Sonia was dumbfounded. When she snapped back to her senses, she started to struggle. “Toby Fuller, what are you doing? Put me down now!”

“Don’t move, or you might fall off my arms!” Toby reminded her with a frown on his face.

Either due to anger or shame, Sonia’s face turned a shade of scarlet while her body was all stiff. “Then you should put me down.”

“Can you walk if I do that?” Toby swept a glance at her leg.

Although Sonia choked on her own words, she quickly regained her composure and let out a huff. “It’s none of your business.”

“This hotel is part of Fuller Group. As the boss, I am responsible since you got injured here,” Toby replied.

Behind them, Tom could hardly calm down as he gazed at their backs. He already noticed back when they were in the elevator that Toby was also having a hard time balancing himself, but he tried his best to protect Sonia nonetheless. When Toby came to know that Sonia had sprained her ankle, he even had a worried look on his face.

From what I saw, I think President Fuller has feelings for Miss Reed. Tom was pondering about the situation when he heard Toby calling out to him. Putting away his thoughts, he then walked toward the lounge area in the lobby. “President Fuller.”

“Get us some ice packs,” Toby instructed.

With a nod, Tom obeyed his instructions, and the ice packs arrived shortly. Toby sat down after taking them, and then bent down to pick up Sonia’s injured leg to place it on his own lap. Just when he was about to remove her heels, she pressed on his hand. “President Fuller, I can do this on my own.”

Sonia wasn’t sure what he was up to for treating her so nicely all of a sudden, nor did she plan to find out the reason. If he had done that way back, she would probably be moved to tears, but that wouldn’t happen now. After all, her heart had gone cold with apathy, so she wouldn’t feel anything just because he decided to be nice to her.

Therefore, Sonia removed her leg from Toby’s lap before taking off her heels to put the ice packs on her ankle to ease the pain. Toby pulled his lips into a thin line when he noticed her actions, slightly irritated by her reluctance to comply with him. Although he knew he didn’t like it when she deliberately tried to distance herself from him, he couldn’t place a finger on the reason.

“President Reed, I have come to fetch you!” All of a sudden, a familiar voice came through from somewhere nearby.

This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr Chapter 77

When Sonia and Toby looked up, they saw Zane walking toward them while twirling the car keys on his fingers. Toby narrowed his eyes as he glanced at Zane and Sonia with a frown on his face. Why would she get Zane to fetch her? Since when has their relationship progressed this far?

On the other hand, Zane was surprised to see Toby. “Why are you here with President Reed, Toby? Are you two on a date?” He pointed at the two of them teasingly.

After setting the ice pack aside, Sonia rolled her eyes at him. “Stop spouting nonsense. I came for a business negotiation and just happened to bump into President Fuller.”33951

“Is that so?” Zane caressed his chin in disbelief. Seeing that Toby said nothing to affirm or deny the claim, Zane pouted, bored by the uneventful exchange. Then, he was startled when he saw Sonia’s swollen ankle. “President Reed, what happened to your leg?”

“I sprained my ankle,” Sonia replied casually while putting her heels back on.

Zane tutted. “The sprain looks quite severe. You must have hurt your bones.”

“So, your next mission will be sending me to the hospital.” Sonia raised her head to look at him.

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Zane acted as if he were Sonia’s underling. “Yes, boss!”0

Sonia also got into character when she reached her hand out to him. “What are you waiting for then? Come help me up.”

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“Okey-dokey!” Zane stepped forth to help Sonia up from the sofa.

All the while, Toby had a glum look on his face as he watched their interaction. When Zane rested his hand on Sonia’s waist, the aura Toby emitted was so cold that it could have easily frozen someone over. However, neither Sonia nor Zane noticed Toby’s abnormal attitude.

Having sprained her ankle, Sonia could hardly stand. Any slight contact with the ground would cause excruciating pain, so she wasn’t in the mood to take in her surroundings. At the side, Zane was supporting her carefully to prevent her from falling over, so he wasn’t paying attention to anything else either. They didn’t even bid Toby goodbye as they made their way to the lobby entrance.

Just like that, Toby saw them off with a grim look in his eyes and hardened expression on his impassive face. “Investigate if the incident in the elevator was an accident or if it was deliberately targeted at us.” Toby gave his orders in a merciless tone after standing up.

Following Fuller Group’s development over the past few years, they did seize benefits that used to belong to other companies. Therefore, it was possible that his competitors would try to deal with him using underhanded tactics.

“Understood.” Tom began the investigation right away after giving a curt reply. Soon, he came back with the results of his investigation. “President Fuller, I’ve finished investigating the incident. It was an accident. A problem was found with the operation of the elevator this morning, but the manager didn’t stop it, nor did he inform the technicians to service it, which led to what we experienced in the elevator.”

By that point, Tom was also feeling terrified when he recalled the incident. They were fortunate enough in that the elevator ended up reaching the ground floor safely. Otherwise, he dared not imagine what would have happened.

“Bold of him to do that.” Toby clenched his fists with a sullen look on his face. “Inform the HR department in headquarters to hire another manager. Also, stop the elevator right away for service.”

“Understood.” Tom nodded.

Something flashed across Toby’s eyes before he added, “Other than that, find out what happened between Sonia and Zane.” Even though Sonia and Zane had known each other prior to that, they were never close to each other. In fact, they were almost strangers to each other. However, their relationship had improved drastically over time to the point that they could joke around with each other. Toby would never believe that there was nothing between them.

When Tom noticed the look of jealousy that fleeted across Toby’s gaze, he knew Toby must have been jealous of Sonia and Zane’s relationship. Despite knowing that, Tom dared not say it out loud, so he could only take his orders while pretending that he knew nothing. “Got it.”

Meanwhile, Zane helped Sonia get into the hospital and had her registered. On the other hand, Tina and a group of people came along while enjoying a conversation among themselves. It wasn’t Tina, but her good friend, Cynthia, who was the first to notice Sonia.

Cynthia tugged on Tina’s sleeve before pointing at the registrar. “Look, Tina. Isn’t that Sonia and Mr. Coleman? Why are they together?”

The smile on Tina’s face faded when she looked in the direction where Cynthia was pointing at. Although her gaze dimmed, she maintained a gentle tone of voice as she spoke. “Indeed. It is Miss Reed and Mr. Coleman. By the way, I think Miss Reed is injured.”

Tina’s gaze traveled downward before stopping on Sonia’s leg, where an angry swell was evident. “Miss Stryder, did you do this as well?” Tina glanced at Melody, who was on her other side.

Melody also swept a glance at Sonia’s ankle before she shook her head arrogantly. “It wasn’t me.”

“That’s odd,” Tina mumbled.

Cynthia added, “Tina, they’re turning over here.”

When Tina cast a glance in their direction again, she met Sonia’s gaze, which caused the latter to chuckle.

Zane lowered his head to look at Sonia. “Why are you laughing?”

“I’m laughing at how small the world seems to be. I bumped into Toby at the hotel, and now I meet Tina in the hospital. What luck,” Sonia replied.

When Zane saw Tina and the others coming at them, he seemed to be anticipating a show. “They’re coming for you.”

Aware that he was gloating, Sonia glowered at him right. Then, Tina and her gang stopped in front of her. With a smile, Tina greeted Sonia. “What a coincidence, Miss Reed, Mr. Coleman.”

“Indeed.” Sonia nodded calmly, but her mind was occupied; most of her attention was on Melody, who was beside Tina.

After Tina checked on Sonia and Zane, an odd glint fleeted across her eyes before disappearing. Then, she asked with feigned curiosity, “Why are you with Mr. Coleman, Miss Reed? Won’t Mr. Lane be angry at you if he knows about it?”

Zane arched his brow. She’s setting out to sow discord into Sonia’s relationship with Charles.

On the other hand, Sonia combed her hair to the back of her ear, seemingly without the panic that she was expected to show when someone found her with another man. Instead, she replied nonchalantly, “Why would he be angry at me? I have so many suitors, so he will only better himself so nobody will snatch me away from him. He has no time to be angry.”

Tina’s face froze before she let out a dry chuckle. “You have a good sense of humor, Miss Reed.”

On the contrary, Cynthia rolled her eyes. “That’s not even humor. She’s just being a shameless arse by cheating on her own boyfriend.”

“What is it? Are you jealous?” Sonia watched Cynthia smilingly. “Does the fact that I have a dozen suitors, but you have none, not sit well with you?”

“T-That’s not it!” Cynthia’s face turned a scarlet hue.

A smile tugged on Sonia’s lips. “Oh, really? You don’t need to be ashamed to admit the truth. After all, it’s normal that you would feel jealous toward someone beautiful and popular like me when you’re an ugly duckling that no man wants. I won’t mock you.”

“You—” Frustrated, Cynthia was on the verge of tears, but she had to admit to herself that she was indeed feeling jealous.

At the side, Zane was amused when he saw Sonia silencing Tina and her gang with a few words. I wonder if Toby is aware that his ex-wife has such a sharp tongue.

“Miss Reed.” Tina pulled Cynthia behind her. “Judging from what you said, you’re saying that Mr. Coleman is your suitor, no?”

“Tell her. Are you courting me?” Sonia elbowed Zane. In a voice that was only audible between them, she warned, “I will make your life hell if you dare mess this up.”

Zane’s lips twitched. He wanted no part in that, for he preferred to simply enjoy the show from the audience seats. Yet, he had to step in despite the headache that the situation gave him since the women around him had already dragged him into the mess. “Of course I am!” Compared to Sonia, he disliked Tina even more, so he decided he should side with Sonia.

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This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr Chapter 78

Tina’s eyes went wide in disbelief. He admitted to it. Is he really courting Sonia?

Other than Tina, Melody and Cynthia were also stupefied. In fact, Melody was staring at Zane like she was staring at an idiot. Both of them hailed from prestigious families, so Melody looked down on him for falling for a woman who had once divorced. He’s bringing shame upon all of the upper class society!0

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“Mr. Coleman, are you sure you should be doing this? Miss Reed is…” Tina bit her lip as if there was something about Sonia that she should refrain from commenting about.

Sonia let out a snort of incredulity. “Go on, Miss Gray. What is it that you want to say about me? Are you trying to convey to Zane that I have committed certain atrocities by trailing off mid-sentence as if you’re trying to hide something?”0

Tina panicked, as she never thought Sonia would expose her intentions directly, which caught her off guard. Therefore, she shook her head while explaining herself, “No, that’s not what I mean. It’s just that Miss Reed is Toby’s ex-wife, and you’re Toby’s friend, so isn’t it a bad idea to go after Miss Reed?”

“Nope. I think it’s a nice idea,” Zane refuted with a smile. “Although Sonia is Toby’s ex-wife, they’re already divorced, so it’s just normal that I would pursue her.”

“But—” Tina seemed to have something else to say.

However, Sonia cut her off. “Is my popularity that much of an eyesore?”

“No, I wasn’t—”

“If that’s not the case, you have no reason to stop Zane from pursuing me. If you think Zane shouldn’t be courting his friend’s ex, don’t forget that you and I used to be coursemates in uni. According to that line of thinking, aren’t you in the wrong for going after my ex?” Sonia wore a half-smirk while observing Tina.

Right away, Tina fell silent as the expression on her face changed drastically. What could I tell her anyway? No matter how I retort, I will only be humiliating myself.

“I guess Miss Gray has nothing to add. Let’s go,” Sonia told Zane.

Zane nodded while gazing at Sonia with a smirk on his face. It’s obvious that Tina is trying to play the victim. Toby is the only one who’s too blind to see that. Heck, he even thinks she is kind and innocent. I don’t understand why he would see Tina with such rose-colored glasses.

Right before they could leave, Melody detained them. “Hold on.”

Sonia narrowed her eyes. “Do you need something, Miss Stryder?”

Both Tina and Cynthia also looked at Melody, who had her arms crossed. With an arrogant look on her face, she demanded, “Are you not going to apologize to Tina?”

“Why should I apologize?” Sonia met Melody’s gaze.

Melody snorted. “You had your suitor kidnap Tina, which led to her being hospitalized. Shouldn’t you apologize considering what you have done?”

“What? Did you have someone kidnap Tina?” Zane was practically shrieking.

Upon hearing that, Sonia rolled her eyes at him. “Do you think that’s possible?”

“I think you might just do that.” Zane nodded in all seriousness.

Sonia’s lips quivered. “Get lost!” With a shrug, Zane fell silent. It wasn’t until then that Sonia returned her gaze to Tina and Melody. “Why would you accuse me of having someone kidnap Tina?”

“Tina told us she heard the kidnapper saying that you’re the mastermind,” Melody replied.

Sonia smiled. “So you believed in what Tina said, and in order to restore justice, you had the banks cut off Paradigm Co.’s funds. Am I right?”

Initially, Sonia thought Melody only did that because of what happened when they played cards previously. However, she dismissed the conjecture as soon as she saw Melody walking beside Tina, and switched to thinking that Melody’s actions might be because of Tina’s kidnapping. Now that Melody brought it up, Sonia was certain that that was the case.

A look of surprise fleeted across Melody’s gaze. “You knew?” Tina and Cynthia also had a similar reaction.

When Sonia saw their expressions, she smirked. “Anything that we do is bound to come to light eventually.”

Soon, Melody regained her composure. “Your knowledge of this makes no difference. Paradigm Co. will be done for anyway.”

“Is that so?” Sonia tilted her head. “Miss Stryder, you stepped in to teach me a lesson for Miss Gray’s sake. I’m touched by your friendship. However, I don’t think Paradigm Co. is anywhere near its end, Miss Stryder. On the contrary, it is your family that will be facing its doom.”

Melody’s pupils shrunk, but she quickly collected herself. “Are you kidding me, Miss Reed?”

“She must be kidding. That’s just how a clown like her is. Considering the Stryders’ status, she couldn’t possibly have predicted their downfall.” Cynthia sneered at Sonia’s words.

Similarly, Tina looked at Sonia disapprovingly. “Miss Reed, you need to check your facts.”

“I don’t think she’s making things up,” Zane interjected out of the blue while gazing at Sonia with a meaningful look. After all, the certainty in her tone made him realize that she might have proof to back her claims. Something might actually happen to the Stryders. I just don’t know how Sonia knows about this.

“Zane, do you believe in what she said?” Melody pointed at Sonia while glancing at Zane with a discontented look.

Just when Zane was about to explain, Sonia took over the conversation. “You’ll soon get to know if I’m telling the truth. I pray that you will be able to maintain your friendship with Tina by then.” With that, she smiled derisively before signalling Zane to take her away. After all the talking, her leg was in so much pain that it was almost numb.

Tina and her gang didn’t stop Sonia and Zane from leaving. At the side, Melody was deep in thought with her head hung low. Meanwhile, Cynthia latched herself onto Tina’s arm while watching the two of them leave. “Tch. Despite how serious she sounded, nobody’s going to believe in her.”

“Alright, stop that. Miss Reed might be too angry after what happened to her company, so—”

Before Tina could finish her sentence, the ringtone of a phone cut her short. Somehow, Melody was feeling uneasy the moment she heard her phone ring. She took out her phone, and her heart sank as soon as she saw the caller ID. “Mom, why are you calling me?”

“Where are you, Melody? Are you still in Seafield?” A woman’s anxious voice came through the line.

Melody was feeling increasingly uneasy. “Yeah. What is it?”

“How dare you even ask?” The woman on the other side of the line burst into tears. Her voice sounded accusatory as she cried, “You got us into big trouble. We received a report stating that one of the Stryders had interfered with another city’s political affairs. Your father was taken away by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and your uncles are being suspended from their duties.”

“What?” Melody’s expression changed drastically while her limbs turned ice-cold. As her mind was filled with what Sonia told her, her body began to tremble. It’s true. Calamity has befallen the Stryders!

“I’m warning you, Melody. If the Stryders end up falling from grace, we won’t be acknowledging you as our daughter anymore.” With that, the woman cut the call, leaving Melody holding her phone with a blank expression while spacing out.

Tina and Cynthia exchanged a glance. With a look of concern, Tina asked gently, “What’s the matter, Miss Stryder?”

Upon hearing Tina’s voice, Melody snapped back to her senses. When she realized that such calamity only befell the Stryders because she helped to teach Sonia a lesson, she blamed everything on Tina. She had a malignant look on her face as she snapped, “Tina Gray, you’d better hope that the Stryder Family will come out unscathed! Otherwise, I will never forgive you!”

After that, Melody shoved Tina out of her way to leave the hospital immediately. She had to hurry back to Norfolk to apologize to her family, or else she would be done for.

“Tina, what should we do? It’s just as Sonia said—calamity has befallen the Stryders,” Cynthia said, sounding deeply troubled by the turn of events. Instead of replying to Cynthia, Tina rubbed her aching shoulder while biting her lip with her head hung low in an attempt to cover up the panic and uneasiness in her eyes.

This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr Chapter 79

How should I know what to do? If I had known about it, I wouldn’t be so nervous right now. How did Sonia know that something would happen to the Stryders? Tina bit her lower lip, her eyes dark as she glanced in the direction where Sonia left.

Meanwhile, Sonia arrived at the surgical department with Zane’s help. The doctor in the department was surprised to see her. “Didn’t you just come to change the dressing on your head last night? Why are you here again?”33953

Sonia didn’t expect the doctor to recognize her, so she cleared her throat awkwardly. “I came to have my leg checked this time.”

“Your leg?” The doctor bent down and looked around the corner of the table toward her feet. Upon seeing her swollen ankle, he shook his head sympathetically. “Miss, you are really having a streak of bad luck. You sprained your ankle when the injury on your head has yet to heal. You’d better go get an exorcism.”

“Pfft!” Unable to contain himself, Zane burst into laughter.

Sonia was already blushing because of what the doctor said, and when she heard Zane’s laughter, she was even more furious. Therefore, she elbowed him squarely in the waist. “Shut up!”

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“Ouch!” Zane clutched his waist in pain, his face contorting with agony. “Woman, you hit hard!”0

“You deserved it for laughing at me.” Sonia glared at him coldly.

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With a pout, Zane muttered, “Fine, fine! I won’t laugh at you anymore.”

Sonia only let him off the hook after letting out a huff. While the doctor helped Sonia relocate the joint in her ankle and applied some medicine on it, Zane was busy finding out what happened to the Stryders.

When he learned that the current head of the Stryder Family was taken away by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, while other members of the Stryder Family were also being investigated, he turned his head slightly to check out Sonia in astonishment. It’s odd that she caught wind of what would happen to the Stryders when even I didn’t foresee that.

Having overheard Zane’s phone call, Sonia knew exactly why he was staring at her like that. A smile tugged on her lips as she spoke. “You’d like to know how I knew something would happen to the Stryders, right?”

“Yeah.” Zane nodded rapidly. “Tell me about it.”

“Nope!” Sonia rejected his request smilingly.

For a moment, Zane choked on his own words before leaning in with a cheeky smile on his face. “Don’t be like that when I helped you out during your confrontation with Tina and her gang earlier.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“So tell me. What exactly happened?”

Upon realizing that Zane was indeed curious about what happened, Sonia stopped teasing him and gave a summary of the incident. “Wasn’t Tina kidnapped? It seems like the kidnapper was one of my suitors. Therefore, Tina was convinced that I was the one who orchestrated the incident to avenge myself for this.” Sonia pointed at the bandage on her head. “Meanwhile, Melody used her status as the daughter of the Stryders to get several major banks in Seafield to reject my loan application in order to seek revenge against me in Tina’s stead.”

“Hold on. You’re saying that Melody used her status…” Zane’s eyes widened in shock.

Sonia nodded. “Yup.”

It took some time for Zane to collect himself before letting out a wry chuckle. “I see. Interfering with political affairs in other cities is generally a taboo among government officials. Not even her father dared to do that, but she did it nonetheless. Her father must be utterly vexed when he knew his daughter dragged him into such a huge hole filled with crap.” His comical description elicited from Sonia a laugh, which made Zane stare at her. “Were you the one who reported it?”

Sonia shook her head. “Nope. One of my employees with a prestigious background did that.”

“An employee with a prestigious background?” A look of amazement fleeted across Zane’s gaze. “You sure got lucky there.”

Sonia chuckled nonchalantly. “Yeah. I do have luck on my side.” Even though she encountered many problems ever since taking over Paradigm Co., she managed to maneuver herself out of situations with the help of the people around her. Charles, Rebecca, Zane, and Z-H were all dear to her because of that. She found herself fortunate to have met them.

“With the Stryders down, Melody will definitely hold a grudge against Tina. I bet Tina will be having a hard time from now on. After all, Melody is one hell of a madwoman,” Zane commented smilingly without even disguising the gloating look on his face.

A smile tugged on Sonia’s lips as she remained silent. Tina, having a hard time? I don’t think so. With Toby at her side, she will be well protected.

By that point, the doctor already finished bandaging Sonia up. He even gave her two crutches. Thus, she turned down Zane’s offer to support her, opting to get out of the hospital alone on the crutches. When she reached the parking lot, she saw a familiar face. It was none other than Julia, who was talking to the driver.

Julia stopped talking the moment she noticed someone watching her. When she turned around with a thermos in her hand, the elegant smile on her face faded away into a look of indifference. Her eyes were full of disdain as soon as she saw Sonia.

Already used to being on the receiving end of such looks, Sonia didn’t lose her temper. Instead, she continued heading toward her car while supporting herself using the crutches. When she brushed past Julia, she caught a glimpse of the necklace that the latter was wearing around her neck.

The vintage necklace had lost its luster, which indicated that it was probably an antique from many years ago. It was surprising that the matriarch of the Grays would wear such an unfashionable necklace. However, what caught Sonia’s attention was the familiarity of the necklace. She had seen it somewhere, but she couldn’t recall the circumstances under which she saw it.

Without giving it much thought, Sonia got into the car. It was Zane who greeted Julia after that, whom Julia smiled at before asking, “Do you share a good relationship with her?”

Zane knew whom Julia was referring to, so he glanced at Sonia’s car. “She’s alright. You seem to have something to tell me by asking that question.”

“Pardon me for being direct, but you should stay away from her, Mr. Coleman. She’s an evil woman who would only bring about misfortune to the people around her.” Julia could hardly hide her disdain as she spoke.

A smile tugged on Zane’s lips. “An evil woman? I don’t think that’s the case. What led you to that conclusion?”

“Isn’t the incident with Tina self-explanatory?” Julia frowned.

Zane spread his hands. “But from what I gathered, Sonia played no part in that. Even if she did, Tina was the one who dealt the first blow, so Sonia merely did that in retaliation to Tina’s actions. I suppose Tina is the more evil of the two.”

“You—” Julia was so angered that her face darkened instantaneously. Then, she snorted and said, “I’m only offering you advice because you’re Toby’s friend. It’s fine if you’re not taking it. I pray that you won’t regret it in the future.”

With a smile on his face, Zane retorted, “It won’t matter if I regret this. Most importantly, I know Toby will.” All of a sudden, he bent down to whisper into Julia’s ear, “Although Toby is blind to your daughter’s true nature, I am not. Besides, Toby won’t be blind forever, so he will eventually find out about it. What will she do when the time comes?”

Julia fell silent while staring at Zane in terror. From her point of view, he looked like the embodiment of the devil itself with that smile plastered on his face. Her lips quivered as if she had something to say, but she ended up keeping it to herself. After tightening her grip on the thermos, she left with a pale face.

Zane touched his chin as he watched Julia flee the scene. Although the smile on his face broadened, his gaze was as chilly as ever. Since Julia was Toby’s future mother-in-law, Zane figured he should have been more courteous to her for Toby’s sake.

However, the Grays hadn’t been too nice. Even though the Grays were based in Seafield, they bypassed the Colemans and reached out to the Stryders in Norfolk. It was a humiliation to the Colemans, so he saw no reason to be nice to any of the Grays.

“What did you tell her to scare her to the point of fleeing?” Sonia inquired curiously when Zane got back into the car.

This Time, I Will Get My Divorce, Mr Chapter 80

Zane buckled up with a smile as he replied, “It’s nothing. I simply told her a horror story.”

“Do I look like someone that gullible?” Sonia stared at Zane, rendered speechless by his reply.

After starting the car, Zane wore a defeated expression as he said, “But I’m telling the truth! I can’t do anything about it if you don’t believe in me.”

“This is such a pointless conversation.” Sonia rolled her eyes before averting her gaze.

Abruptly, Zane turned to look at her. “President Reed, I just noticed that you bear some semblance to Julia.”

“Huh?” Sonia was slightly dumbfounded. “I look like her?”

“Yeah.”

“How could that be possible?” Sonia shook her head. “Stop joking!”

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“I’m not joking. This is serious. The outline of your face and eyes look exactly like her.” Zane nodded solemnly before adding, “Yeah, they look almost identical. People might believe it even if you claim that you’re her daughter.”

It wasn’t until then that Sonia was certain that Zane wasn’t kidding, which startled her. However, she soon regained her composure enough to wave her hand. “Our likeness with each other doesn’t mean much. There’re a lot of people who look alike, so this isn’t that strange.”

“I guess you’re right,” Zane answered. Neither of them took the discovery to heart, so it was soon forgotten.

After that, Sonia lowered the window to allow some cold air to blow on her face. “By the way, I have a question for you.”

“Speak.” Zane was listening to music as he drove, his body swaying to the rhythm of the music.0

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Rolling her eyes at the irresponsible driver, Sonia asked, “Do you have a friend whose Messenger’s username is Z-H?”

“What did you say?” Due to the loud music, Zane didn’t catch the question at first.0

Annoyed, Sonia pinched the space in between her brows before yelling, “Who is Z-H?”

Screech! The car came to a stop after a screeching noise that was produced by tyres sliding across the surface of the road. Both passengers were thrown forward, nearly crashing into the windshield before slamming back into their seats when their seatbelts pulled them backward.

Sonia’s face paled. It took her a moment to recover herself before she turned to face Zane. In her rage, she slapped him on the arm. “What are you doing?”

Knowing that he nearly caused an accident, Zane released the steering wheel to rub his face. “Cough, cough! I’m sorry. It was my mistake.” I wouldn’t have stepped on the brakes in shock if she hadn’t asked about Z-H though.

Sonia rubbed her temple. “Alright, you should reveal your true identity to Rebecca. I can’t afford to keep a driver like you.”

“Please don’t repudiate me just because of a single mistake I made.” Zane watched her smilingly.

Sonia let out a dry chuckle. “Drive then!”

With a shrug, Zane continued driving, but he kept on stealing glances at Sonia. “You were asking who Z-H is, right?”

“Yeah.” Sonia nodded.

Zane scanned his surroundings. “Why do you ask?”

Sonia lowered her gaze to hide the emotions in her eyes before explaining casually, “It’s nothing. He had helped me twice ever since I added him as a friend on Messenger by chance. He told me he’s your friend, so I decided to ask you since I want to know more about him.”

“I see.” Zane dared not even look at Sonia for fear that she might notice how sheepish he seemed. “Although he is a friend of mine, we aren’t that close. I don’t even know his name, since we only had a few drinks together. He has gone abroad now.”

“I see.” Sonia nodded. The fact that he had gone abroad meant she wouldn’t be seeing him, which was a relief. She was actually dreading to meet him, for she knew they would be awkward around each other since she was quite close to Zane.

Now that she knew Z-H was abroad, she figured she had nothing to worry about. Yet, she couldn’t shake a sense of dejection while she watched the scenery outside the car window in silence. Meanwhile, Zane heaved an inaudible sigh while thinking that he should go get Toby later on to get some reward from him. After all, it took him a lot to help cover up Toby’s tracks.

Half an hour later, they arrived at Bayside Residence. Sonia got out of the car to enter the building while limping on her two crutches. The moment she stepped out of the elevator, the eyes of a young boy who had been squatting in front of her apartment unit lit up as he stood up.

“You’re finally back! I’ve been waiting for a long—What happened to your leg?” The boy stared at the cast on her leg and the crutches underneath her armpits in surprise.

Instead of answering Tyler’s question, Sonia frowned while examining him. “Why are you here?”

Tyler hung his head low before muttering, “I fought with Mom. She wanted me to quit the basketball team, but I didn’t want to, so I ran away.”

With a smirk, Sonia questioned, “What does my place mean to you? Why are you always coming over to my place when you run away from home?”

“I have no other place to go,” Tyler said uncomfortably. In fact, he had no idea why he came to Sonia’s place. All he knew was that he could calm down whenever he dropped by.

“The Fullers are a prestigious family with so many estates all over the city. How could you have nowhere to go?” Sonia took out her keys. “Get out of my way. I need to open the door.”

Tyler stepped aside to make way for her to the entrance. When she unlocked the door, he stood behind her as if he would actually follow her inside at any moment. Sonia paused in her movements to turn to meet his gaze. “Are you really planning to follow me inside?”

“As I said, I have nowhere to go. Let me stay for the night.” Tyler lowered his gaze to look at her, seemingly intent on staying no matter what she did. Although he was a teenager, he had a height of more than 180 cm because he played basketball. Therefore, Sonia had to raise her head to see his face.

“You can stay here if you wish to, but I have no reason to take you in for free. It’ll cost you a hundred thousand per night.” Sonia made a gesture of counting money.

Tyler was astounded. “A hundred thousand? Why don’t you just go rob a bank?”

“What is it? Can’t you afford it? Don’t stay here if that’s the case.” Sonia spread her palms out to indicate her reluctance to compromise.

Meanwhile, Tyler’s face flushed. “Of course I can afford it! It’s just that I don’t have money with me. Can’t I just pay you next time?”

“Nope. Get lost if you can’t pay right away. I don’t allow debts. Besides, I don’t have a reason to take in my enemy’s son.” With that, Sonia opened the door to go into the house.

Upon hearing Sonia refer to him as the son of her enemy, Tyler’s face paled, but he recovered quickly to try to follow her inside. Immediately, Sonia closed the door until a crack was all that was left. “As I said, leave if you don’t have money.”

“I won’t!” Tyler glowered at her through the crack. “I know my mom did you wrong. I will pay you more money next time as compensation.”

Sonia smiled. “Nope.” Money isn’t enough to compensate for all the hurt you caused me for the past six years.

“What do you want when you’re not going to make any concessions?” Tyler stomped his foot.

Sonia stared at him. “Easy. I want you gone.”

“I won’t!” Tyler insisted on staying.

“Stay there if you don’t want to leave. I’m not good-natured enough to let you in.” With that, Sonia shut the door.

Tyler gawked at the door in front of him, seemingly finding the fact that she would shut the door in his face without hesitation somewhat unbelievable. At the same time, he was also feeling aggrieved as he slumped down on the ground while mentally complaining about Sonia’s cold-heartedness. All the while, there was a tinge of regret in the mixture of his emotions as he reflected on his treatment toward Sonia for the past six years. The more he dwelled on it, the more uncomfortable he felt.

On the other hand, Sonia didn’t leave after entering the house, for she kept watch from the surveillance system behind the door. The fact that Tyler was determined to stay was giving her a headache. Are the heavens sending him to torment me? Later on, she took out her phone to give Toby a call.

A peculiar glint crossed Toby’s eyes when he saw the caller ID. Then, he picked up the call. “Hello?”