Toby didn’t budge, so Sonia couldn’t close the door. Out of anger, she tried to shove him away, but she forgot that one of her legs lacked the strength to stand. Therefore, not only did she fail to shove Toby away, but she lost her balance and fell backward.
Toby’s pupil contracted with fear when he witnessed that. Even though he reached out in an attempt to hold her, he was a second too slow, so he missed her arm. Not only did he fail to hold her, but he ended up falling down alongside her.
There was a loud thud when Sonia fell down on the carpet in the foyer with both of Toby’s arms propped beside her shoulders. He was kneeling on one knee as his figure loomed over her body.
Both of them were stunned when they locked eyes. Sonia didn’t foresee such an outcome, so she was blushing while her heart raced. Her look of chagrin caused Toby’s eyes to darken as he recalled the night when she was drunk.
That night, she was as enchanting and alluring as a fairy. The thought made Toby’s body heat up as he gulped, while his gaze was fixed on her lips that were slightly parted when he lowered his head to look downward.
At that moment, Sonia spoke indifferently. “Have you had enough? Can you get up now?”
Toby was jolted awake. When he realized what he was about to do, he tensed up, his lips forming a grim line. “I’m sorry.”
After he got up, he reached out to give her a hand, but she didn’t accept his help. Instead, she propped herself up with both hands on the floor. Toby’s gaze darkened as he clenched his midair fists and retracted his arm.
All of a sudden, Sonia let out a hiss, which brought a nervous expression that even Toby himself was seemingly unaware of to his face. “What’s the matter?”
Sonia glared at him furiously. “Toby Fuller, it’s all your fault! Are the Fullers my natural enemies? My ankle is hurting again after the fall just when it has finally healed enough to not bother me!” As she spoke, her eyes reddened in aggrievedness. When I’m away from Toby, I’ll do great on my own, but sh*t happens whenever I’m in his presence! This is vexing!
Toby felt his heart scrunching up when he saw Sonia on the verge of tears. However, he made sure to not let it show. “I will take responsibility for that.” With that, he bent down to carry her in his arms, bridal style.
Sonia’s eyes went wide as she looped her arms around his neck subconsciously, only to release him immediately when she felt the warmth of his skin on her palms. “Put me down!” she demanded ill-temperedly.
Ignoring her request, Toby brought her to the living room to set her down on the sofa. Then, he made a call on his phone. “Arrange for a doctor to drop by at Bayside Residence.”
Bayside Residence? Isn’t that where Miss Reed lives? For a moment, Tom was stupefied. Despite the various questions that popped up in his mind, he was smart enough to keep them to himself while taking his orders from Toby in deference.
Soon, the doctor arrived, and Toby pointed at Sonia, who was reclining on the sofa. “Check her leg.”
“Alright.” The doctor gave him a nod before walking up to Sonia.
Not wanting to limp for the rest of her life, Sonia quietly offered up her leg. After the doctor did a checkup, he opened his kit.
Standing beside them, Toby inquired, “How’s she doing?”
“She’s fine. It’s just that she sprained her ankle again when she almost made a full recovery. It means she’ll have to start the process again,” the doctor answered while fishing for some medicine that would help improve blood circulation.
Is it that serious? Toby furrowed his brows.
Sonia had a sullen look on her face. I could’ve been free from my crutches in two days! But look at me now! I’ll need to continue using them for some time. Geez! Sonia bit on her lip in frustration as her chest heaved.
After applying the ointment on Sonia’s injury, the doctor left. Then, Sonia rubbed a finger in between her brows, exhausted from the interlude. “Alright, you should leave too. You should be able to see now that all your presence brings to me is trouble. So, don’t you come to me ever again.”
With a frown, Toby was about to say something, only to be deterred by a phone call from Tina. Somehow, he didn’t feel like picking it up, especially when he was in Sonia’s presence, but he ended up taking the call nonetheless. It was because he knew Tina was insecure and would keep on calling until he picked up.
“Hey, Tina.” Toby checked on Sonia with his peripheral vision when he called Tina’s name. He just had the sudden urge to see her reaction.
All the while, Sonia was checking her nails with her head hung low. Her expression was as tranquil as ever, as if she didn’t care who he was calling. Upon realizing that, Toby felt a prick in his heart. The fact that Sonia didn’t care about the presence of another woman around him was indicative that she had finally let him go.
“Toby? Toby?” Tina called out to him through the phone.
Her calls brought Toby back to his senses. “What’s wrong?” His voice was deep.
“That’s my line. I called out to you so many times, but you didn’t respond to me.” Tina pouted indignantly.
Toby lowered his gaze to apologize coolly. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention. Is there something you need?”
“Did you forget that you should be having dinner at my house tonight?”
Startled by her question, Toby only recalled that by then. “I’m sorry. I did forget about it.”
“I knew it. That’s why I called. By the way, where are you?” Tina inquired gently.
After glancing at Sonia, Toby answered, “I’m meeting a client.”
Sonia arched her brow as she lifted her head to appraise him amusedly.
Feeling slightly uneasy under her stare, Toby cleared his throat before adding, “I’ll go home to you after I end the meeting.”
“Sure. I’ll be waiting,” Tina replied smilingly.
With a grunt, Toby hung up, while Sonia crossed her arms with a smirk on her face. “Meeting a client, huh? So I’m your client now. I never knew President Fuller could lie. How rare.”
A look of embarrassment crossed Toby’s eyes before he reverted to his usual aloofness. “I’ll be leaving now. I hope you will consider accepting the compensation that I offered.”
“There’s nothing to consider. As I said, I stand by my decision.” Sonia was impassive as she spoke. Upon hearing that, Toby pulled his lips into a thin line, seemingly wanting to say something, but he ended up leaving without a word when he noticed the distant look on Sonia’s face.
During the following days, Sonia began a series of lawsuits with Cynthia, the trolls, and the netizens. A lot of other netizens were paying close attention to the entire process, which satisfied their curiosity. Eventually, the trolls were sentenced to a few days’ detention, while the netizens were fined a sum of two hundred each.
As for Cynthia, she chose to appeal to the court during her first trial even though her lawyer had told her that her chances of winning weren’t high. At most, she could shave a few more days off her sentence, but she wouldn’t be able to absolve her crime. Yet, Cynthia insisted on appealing, which led them to the day of her second trial.
Sonia arrived at the court alongside Charles. Her leg was almost healed. Even though she couldn’t run or jump, at least she no longer needed a crutch to assist her. Right when she was about to enter the court, someone called out to her. “Miss Reed.”
Sonia stopped in her tracks to turn around alongside Charles. The person who detained her was a middle-aged woman in branded clothing and immaculate makeup. Still, neither served to cover up the sorrowful look on her face.
Sonia inquired politely, “Hello. Who might you be?”
“I’m Cynthia’s mother.” The middle-aged woman plastered a flattering smile on her face.
Upon realizing who the woman was, Sonia’s expression fell considerably. “So you’re Mrs. Stone. How can I help?”
