Chapter 413 Double Standards
“I can’t believe this…” Sonia trailed off in a quivering voice as she gripped her phone even tighter while she tried to process how things had turned out.
She had been so eager to prove Taylor was a fraud and went to such great lengths only for reality to slap her hard on the face; in spite of all that she had done, Taylor turned out to be Titus’ biological daughter!
“Could something have gone wrong during the test?” Sonia chewed on her lower lip as she asked, although she knew well that there was a slim-to-none chance that a mistake had been made.
The argument might sustain if they had only gone to one facility for the DNA test, but to have several facilities produce the same results, there was hardly any room for the possibility of a mistake.
At the other end of the phone was Zane, who shook his head. “No, two out of these facilities are under the government. Titus couldn’t even interfere with the tests, much less Taylor.” Having said this, he drew in a breath and added, “Look, Sonia, maybe Taylor really is Rina. Maybe, by some twisted fate or whatever, we have ended up reuniting Titus with his long-lost daughter.”
A speechless Sonia looked down in disappointment as her mind scrambled to understand this shocking event.
After receiving no response from her, he continued to say, “Now that Titus has the results, he’s already probably on his way over to confront you. Don’t worry, though, I’ll keep him in check.”
He realized, of course, that Titus would have easily picked a fight with him too had he not been part of the Coleman Family. That alone was the reason why Titus had hesitated and decided to back off strategically, which left him with no choice but to vent all his anger on her.
Sonia pursed her lips in thought, looking grim. “It’s okay, I’ll figure something out.” Then, she hung up the phone.
Toby took her phone. When he saw that she had ended the call, a curious look glimmered in his eyes as he asked, “What did you tell Zane?”
She rubbed her cheek in exhaustion. “He told me that the results were out and that Taylor is, surprisingly, not Hal and Greta’s daughter, but Titus and Julia’s. As it turns out, Zane and I have somehow or another managed to locate and bring home the real Rina Gray.”
After that, she let out a hollow, self-deprecating laugh—one that made Toby’s heart twist with stabbing guilt.
However, he quickly clenched his fist and buried this sense of guilt before replying gravely, “Well, what do you know…”
“Yeah.” Sonia tipped her head back and sighed wearily. “I thought something as dramatic as this would never happen in the real world.”
He parted his lips as though to say something, but at that moment, a furious and demanding knock came from the lounge door. Whoever it was seemed to be impatient and irritable like a grizzly bear.
“Open the door, Sonia! Open the damn door right now!” Titus’ voice boomed from the other side of the door after a series of frantic knocks and he was clearly in a fit of rage.
It was just like what Zane had said—Titus was here to confront her. She dug her nails into her palms and said through gritted teeth, “Help me onto the wheelchair, President Fuller. I’ll open the door.”
“You don’t have to. I’ll get the door,” Toby offered, pressing her shoulder so that she would remain seated on the sofa. After that, he rose and walked toward the door before swinging it open.
Meanwhile, Titus had thought he would be greeted by Sonia right away. He was ready to slap the test results on her face when he saw Toby looking at him impassively instead. His rage died down before his brows furrowed as he asked begrudgingly, “I didn’t think you’d be getting the door, President Fuller.” What the hell is this guy still doing here?
Toby released the doorknob, and as he towered over Titus, he looked down at the man imperiously. Then, his gaze flickered over to the stack of documents in the man’s hand. Toby narrowed his eyes as he asked, “What do you want with Sonia?”
“What do I want with her?” Titus sneered. “What else? I want to give her what she deserves after she accused Rina of pretending to be my daughter! Now that I have the results in my hand, I’m going to slap the truth on her face! I hope you won’t interfere, President Fuller, seeing as this concerns the feud my family has with Sonia.”
“Is that a threat?” Toby clarified with a raised brow.
Titus averted his piercing gaze. “No, of course not. I wouldn’t dream of threatening you, President Fuller! I have made it clear that this is my personal feud with Sonia. Since that doesn’t concern you, maybe you should—”
“And what if I insist on interfering? What will you do then?” Toby challenged impassively, cutting the man off mid-sentence.
Titus’ eyes nearly bulged out of its sockets. “President Fuller, that would be most improper of you! Why would you put your foot in somebody else’s business for no good reason? That’s almost tyrannical if I do say so myself!”
“You know what, it doesn’t matter what you say because as far as I’m concerned, my foot is already in.” Toby eyed Titus like he was merely a pest. “Don’t think I am unaware of what you plan on doing to Sonia. Let me warn you, Titus. Sonia happens to be someone I love, so I won’t just watch while you make her suffer. You’ll just have to let me interfere with this entire thing and I’ll make one thing clear—the Fuller Family will be standing behind both Sonia and Paradigm Co., so if you have any intention of striking her or the company with a deadly blow, you better think twice about it or I’ll personally deliver you to hell!”
He couldn’t let Titus and Sonia continue with this ridiculous feud; otherwise, the tension between them would only worsen and the hatred as well as vengeance would no doubt multiply. At some point, all hope for a fresh start would be as good as gone.
“You!” Titus seethed; he was so astonished by Toby’s warning that he grimaced menacingly while shuddering with rage. “Are you really going through with this, Toby?”
“Comedy is not my forte,” Toby drawled sadistically.
A lump was forming in Titus’ throat and he thought his heart had stopped as he hissed, “Sonia accused my daughter of being a fraud and tried to tear my family apart! That itself is committing a crime worthy of imprisonment, so I’m just doing my duties as a civilian if I were to send her to jail! How dare you stop me! More importantly, why didn’t you interfere when she tried to have Rina thrown into jail for assaulting her?”
Toby regarded him with the same look as one might regard an imbecile. “Why would I interfere? It’s not as if Taylor is the one I’m in love with.”
A sputtering sound escaped Titus and he looked like he could collapse there and then. He could find no rebuttal against Toby before taking a long, deep breath to calm down. Then, he spat through gritted teeth as he glowered at Toby, “So, that’s it? You’re standing by Sonia?”
“I’m not so much standing by her as I am defending her out of love.” Toby pursed his lips before elaborating, “I’m just pouring out all the love that I mistakenly had for Tina bit by bit on the person who actually deserves it, so you should think twice before messing with me, Titus. It’s not as if you can anyway. Got it?”
He had as good as told Titus that Sonia was fully under his protection and if anyone so much as tried to hurt her, he would not hesitate to draw blood.
Titus, on the other hand, was frigid. Blood rushed to his already stormy face at a time when he was at a loss for words.
He was in no position to challenge Toby, not after that warning and insidious threat. He was helpless, and so was the rest of the Gray Family against the Fullers; it wasn’t as if they had ever stood a chance even back in their heyday.
As such, Titus was forced to surrender. He glared past Toby’s shoulder at Sonia, who sat stoically in her wheelchair, and mocked, “Well played, Sonia. Looks like you have a thing for taming men. I can’t believe you actually made someone like President Fuller your lap dog, so much so that he’s willing to go against me and my entire family.”
Sonia understood that Titus was mocking her for hiding behind a powerful man who could stand up for her and defend her honor, but she maintained her indifference even as her anger deepened. In response to his words, she smirked coldly and countered, “Looks like you’re a little jealous of me, President Gray. In that case, maybe you could try to subjugate President Fuller. If you succeed by some stroke of luck, he might even become your most loyal knight and defend you against the world!”
“Sonia!” Toby frowned and snapped at her in unhappiness as he didn’t fancy the way she phrased her words.
Steam was coming out of Titus’ ears and his face turned the color of beetroot as he pointed an accusing finger at Sonia. “Y-You little—”
“What did I do? Did I say something wrong?” She tipped her head to one side, looking her most innocent as she added in a singsong voice, “I just thought you seemed rather envious of me when you said what you did, President Gray. One might even say you’re jealous. There’s nothing wrong if I offer you some kind advice, don’t you think?”
A loud thud sounded throughout the room. The man had collapsed and his body twitched like he was suffering from a seizure as he lay on the ground.
The sound of his fall had slightly shocked Sonia and she quickly asked, “What’s wrong with him, President Fuller?”
