Chapter 1017 Finally Thought It Through
Sonia’s eyes widened all of a sudden, and her hand subconsciously tightened around her glass. Charles’ words completely made her realize what the consequences would be if she kept doing what she wanted without considering others.
She had always just wanted to rely on herself and not on anyone else, so she never thought about what Toby would think about this. Now that Charles had mentioned it, she realized that her mindset was indeed unfair to Toby.
Indeed, with how she was now, there were many things that she couldn’t resolve on her own and needed help for. This time she had gone to Brian, but who would it be next time? If Charles didn’t say these things to her, the next time something happened, the person she would ask for help would still not be Toby.
Even if he could endure it once or twice, would he be able to bear it many times? If she skipped him every time she needed help and went to someone else, it would make him worry. When she put herself in his shoes and thought about Toby going to someone else for help without asking her, she felt unpleasant. Hence, it was true that she had not considered this and had let down Toby.
Besides, Charles was right. Since she had to ask for help anyway, why didn’t she turn to Toby? At least he wouldn’t reject her if she went to him, let alone sabotage her when certain interests were involved. He would even be considerate toward her at all times and teach her how to survive in the business world. At the same time, it wouldn’t affect their relationship. So what had she been doing all this time?
Sonia held her forehead and rubbed her temples before she turned to look at Charles and thanked him sincerely, “Charles, thank you for reminding me. If it weren’t for you and Mr. Smith, I wouldn’t have thought of it, and I might not even know where I went wrong if I end up having an argument or misunderstanding with Toby.”
Seeing that she had thought it through, Charles smiled with relief. However, there was an indescribable feeling of bitterness and self-deprecation in his heart. By saying this, he undoubtedly pushed her closer to Toby and completely tied them together.
After all, she was the one he loved, so how could he feel good about pushing the woman he loved into the arms of another man? However, he just wanted her to be happy. As long as she was happy, he could endure his pain and lick his wounds alone.
Thinking that, he lifted his head and downed all of his wine in one go.
Sonia wasn’t paying much attention to what Charles was doing at the moment. She took a sip of the wine as well and looked at Brian opposite her. “Mr. Smith, do you have any other questions?”
His first question was to ask her why she went to their bank when she was in trouble instead of going to Toby. As she had already answered this question, it was naturally time to take the next step.
Brian smiled and nodded. “There’s one last question I’d like to know. Miss Reed, there aren’t any problems in your relationship with President Fuller, right?”
Sonia shook her head. “Of course not. At the very least, I don’t sense anything wrong with our relationship.”
“Glad to hear that.” Brian placed his wine glass down and reopened the folder in front of him. “Since there is nothing wrong with your relationship, our bank will agree to this loan. Please don’t take offense, Miss Reed. After all, with Paradigm Co.’s current situation, there is really no way for our bank to easily provide a loan.
Now that we’ve confirmed that there aren’t any problems with your relationship with President Fuller, it means that you have him to vouch for you. With his support, it also means that Paradigm Co. will not completely fail, and that there’ll always be a chance for you to return the loan within the specified time. In that case, our bank can confidently lend you the money you need.”
“I see.” Sonia nodded. Now, she finally understood why Brian asked about her relationship with Toby before giving her the loan and persuaded her to seek Toby’s help as much as possible.
It was because he wanted to make Toby vouch for her. It made sense—if the bank did not have a guarantee that was enough to reassure them, how could they easily lend the money to her?
If she only relied on herself, when Paradigm Co. collapsed and she wasn’t able to repay the money, Brian wouldn’t be able to account for it either. She had really walked right into his tricks.
Next to her, Charles had also understood what Brian meant, but he didn’t think there was anything wrong with Brian tricking Sonia. After all, everyone was in a different position, so they had to always put themselves first. Hence, Brian was not in the wrong. Besides, didn’t he persuade her to accept Toby’s help for her own good?
“Sonny, are you still planning to take this loan?” Charles looked at Sonia and asked, “Or are you still unwilling to ask Toby for help?”
Sonia shook her head before she nodded again. “Of course I will. If I can use the loan to get through this problem, I won’t look for Toby anymore. In the future… If anything happens in the future, I’ll consider asking him for help. Although that’s what I’m planning, he has also helped us indirectly with this loan, or it wouldn’t have been this easy either.”
Saying that, she laughed bitterly before continuing, “Although I’ve figured out that there are many things I can’t do and I was naive for thinking that I could solve it by myself, and I’m now willing to ask him for help and rely on him more, I still feel troubled about it.
I keep thinking that if I keep depending on him, I’ll be owing him something, and it makes me uncomfortable. After all, we aren’t married yet.”
Even if they were married, she would not be able to peacefully accept the fact that Toby was helping her. In any case, this was the kind of person she was—someone who didn’t like to owe others.
As long as someone helped her a little, she would always think of returning the favor to them in the future. If not, it would weigh heavily on her, and she wouldn’t be able to rest easy.
Hearing Sonia’s words, Charles didn’t know if he should cry or laugh. “Oh, Sonny, why do you worry so much? If you feel bad about letting Toby help you, or that you would owe him something, then you can just wait for a chance to return the favor in the future.”
He spread his arms.
Sonia rolled her eyes. “That’s easy for you to say. The Fuller Family’s business is so huge. Why would they need my help?”
“You don’t understand. So what if they have a huge business? There must be something that they need someone else’s help to solve. Don’t think of him as someone who is so powerful and omnipotent,” Charles said, waving his hands.
Sonia fell silent. A moment later, she suddenly thought of something and her posture straightened all of a sudden. “I have an idea. I know how I can help him in the future.”
Thinking that, Sonia got so excited her face flushed red.
At the sight of her expression, Charles blinked. “What is it?”
Sonia smiled at him. “I can’t tell you. It’s his personal business.”
Charles pouted. “So be it, then. Still, it’s good that you figured things out, so I don’t have to worry anymore. In any case, I still think the same way. If there’s something he can help you with, you have to let him help you. No one will criticize you, and they might even envy you. After all, not everyone has such a powerful person to rely on.”
Sonia shook her head in amusement, but she had already let a huge burden off her shoulders.
Just as Charles had said, as long as she could help Toby in the future, then she wouldn’t feel like she was begging him for help or that she owed him something, and it would feel like they had reached an equal exchange.
This way, she wouldn’t feel any pressure to depend on him. Moreover, she knew what Toby wanted to accomplish the most now. As long as she helped Toby achieve what he wanted the most, asking him for help would no longer be one-sided, and she would feel much better about it.
At that thought, Sonia smiled easily before she thanked Charles. “Thank you, Charles. I know what I should do now.”
