Toby fell silent.
He reached up to massage his temples with his fingers. “Never mind then. Can’t be helped if you can’t find it.”
If she didn’t know the identity of the thief, he couldn’t possibly force her to retrieve the bag.
“I’m so sorry for causing trouble again, Toby.” Tina bit her lip and apologized with red eyes.
Now that he saw her like this, Toby responded in the gentlest voice possible, “It’s not your fault. Don’t take it to heart.”
“That’s right, Tina. Listen to Toby,” Titus coaxed.
Julia nodded as well.
Tina smiled through her tears when she realized that everyone was comforting her. “Okay, I know.”
“Oh, yeah! Toby, do you have any idea on how to deal with Tina’s case?” Titus asked as he looked at Toby.
Toby dropped his gaze. “You’ll find out tomorrow.”
Upon sensing Toby’s reluctance to spill the beans, Titus was a little upset, but he didn’t probe further.
It was a quiet journey in which they arrived at the Gray Residence half an hour later.
Then, Titus and his family exited the vehicle.
Toby rolled down the window and looked at them. “Titus, Julia, please take care of Tina.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Julia replied with a smile as she patted Tina’s head.
Even though Titus didn’t say anything, he looked like he agreed with Julia’s words.
Toby looked at Tina again. “Rest well at home and I’ll swing by during the weekend to pick you up.”
“Okay, Toby. Have a safe journey.” She nodded.
He grunted before he turned the car around to drive away.
It was not too long after that he arrived at Fuller Group.
Tom entered the office with a complicated expression as he held a document in his hand. “President Fuller.”
“What is it?” Toby was staring at the computer screen and asked without even looking up.
Tom stood in front of Toby’s desk and took a deep breath before replying, “You asked me to investigate Miss Reed’s physical condition from the hospital and I’ve received word on it.”
Toby paused from his typing on the keyboard and raised his head to look at Tom. “What did you find out?”
“S-She’s pregnant,” Tom answered with a weird expression.
Toby’s pupils contracted as he froze in shock. After a few seconds, he managed to come around and ask in an undeniably surprised tone, “What did you just say? She’s pregnant?”
“Yes, for more than a month now.” Tom nodded. It hasn’t even been two months since Miss Reed and President Fuller filed for divorce. So, one can conclude that as soon as Miss Reed left President Fuller, she immediately hooked up with President Lane.
Toby looked down so that he could mask his emotions from prying eyes, but his heart was in turmoil. A month or so… It’s been around one month since that night I shared with Sonia, so is there a possibility that the child is mine?
His heartbeat raced as he tightened his grip on the mouse. It was obvious he was nowhere near calm at that moment.
Tom wasn’t surprised by the sight. It’s obvious that President Fuller still cares for Miss Reed. Now that he has received news that she is pregnant, he definitely wouldn’t be able to keep his cool.
While Tom pondered, Toby suddenly stood up. “Is there any way to know who the father is beforehand?”
“Yes, by removing the amniotic fluid, but it carries a high risk of miscarriage. Why do you ask, President Fuller?” Tom was curious.
Toby didn’t reply. Instead, his frown deepened.
Upon seeing his boss’ expression, Tom suddenly had a wild guess as his eyes widened. “President Fuller, are you suspecting that the child might be yours?”
Toby glanced at him before slightly nodding to confirm the man’s guess.
Tom was speechless. They even did that the day before their divorce… Color me impressed.
“Is there any other way besides taking the amniotic fluid?” Toby asked while looking at his assistant. Since removing the amniotic fluid presents great risks, I won’t let Sonia go through that.
Tom shook his head. “There’s none. Other methods would require the child to be born first.”
Toby’s thin lips formed a straight line; he was obviously expressing dissatisfaction at this piece of news.
While carefully examining Toby’s reaction, Tom asked, “President Fuller, don’t be so anxious. What if the child isn’t yours but President Lane’s?”
Upon hearing that question, Toby’s expression darkened as a heavy air hung around him.
Even though he was well aware that the child might not be his…
He still felt annoyed at the thought of the child being someone else’s.
Toby pulled at his tie and answered in a low voice, “Send someone to keep an eye on Sonia and try to investigate who fathered the child.”
“Understood.” Tom nodded in response before he turned to leave.
Toby was once again left alone in the office.
He placed a hand to his forehead and squinted his eyes as thoughts of Sonia’s pregnancy whirled around in his head, rendering him unable to focus on the work at hand.
When it was time to get off work, he finally stood up and grabbed his jacket that was hanging on the back of his chair before he walked out of the office.
Toby didn’t return to the Fuller Residence, but he drove over to Bayside Residence instead.
In truth, he wasn’t even sure why he came. By the time he finally returned to his senses, he had already arrived at the place.
After parking his car near Sonia’s apartment, Tyler remained in the car.
Instead, he rolled down the window to light up a cigarette and take a puff.
The smoke drifted upward and formed a veil over his face. As a result, the reduced visibility had given him a temporarily mysterious aura.
Boom!
A loud thunder rang in accompaniment to the lightning flashes across the sky before the strong winds started to pick up too.
Soon, huge droplets of rain pattered down and drenched the road in seconds. Some of the droplets even managed to get past the car window and landed on Toby’s shoulder.
Toby frowned and tossed the cigarette butt away before he rolled up the window. He proceeded to open the car door to head for the apartment building.
Sonia had just finished her shower and she was seated on her couch, enjoying the warm air from the heater while comfortably reading a book on energy.
The doorbell suddenly rang.
“Huh?” She turned her head around in curiosity to peek at the door. Who’s here at this hour?
Sonia closed the book and rose to her full height. Then, she walked toward the door and opened it before she raised her eyebrows in surprise. “It’s you?”
The one standing at the door was none other than Toby.
He had obviously been in the rain, for his hair was wet and gathered in clumps while his shoulder was damp as well.
His face was also slightly pale, perhaps due to the cold.
Sonia had never seen him in such a state before. For a moment, she felt nothing but surprise at the sight.
“It’s me,” Toby answered in a slightly hoarse voice. Then, he reached up to pat away the droplets of water that had settled on his shoulder.
As Sonia could hear the difference in his tone compared to his usual voice, her eyes sparkled slightly before it returned to its normal gaze. “What’s the matter? If you’re still trying to convince me to let Tina off the hook, you can leave.”
“No, I’m not here for that.” Toby bit his lip.
“Oh,” she answered suspiciously. “Why are you here then?”
Toby didn’t say anything as he lowered his gaze onto Sonia’s stomach.
It was still flat and tight; it was difficult to imagine that there was a tiny life growing inside her tummy.
A tiny life that he might have had a hand in planting.
He was strangely pleased at that thought, which caused his gaze at Sonia to deepen.
She didn’t know what he was thinking, but she knew he was behaving oddly. So, she took a step backward. “What are you looking at?”
Toby’s thin lips moved, as if about to say something, but he suddenly felt a dizzy spell overwhelm him as he staggered.
In the end, he had to hold on to the door frame for support.
Sonia also realized that something was wrong with him. His pale face had reddened and even his eyes had lost its focus.
“Hey, are you all right?” She reached out with a hand and waved it in front of Toby.
Toby slightly lowered his head, but he didn’t reply.
Sonia could hear his breathing quickening and since she thought that he was under the weather, she placed a hand on his forehead.
He froze and raised his eyes to look at her. “You—”
“You’re burning!” She interrupted with an exclamation.
