Due to the aftermath of her binge drinking, Sonia woke up in the morning with a slight headache and massaged her temples while leaning against the headboard. As she did so, her blanket slid off her body and she could feel the cold air on her skin. She lowered her head and realized that she was merely clad in a camisole. What’s going on?!
She was about to fling the blanket off her to get off from bed when she caught sight of a man next to her pillow from the corner of her eyes; he was currently topless and sound asleep. The hair on his forehead was slightly tousled and he had handsome facial features. At that moment, her eyes widened in disbelief to the point where she was completely speechless. She had recalled that she was drinking excessively the previous night to the point where she was tipsy, but she somehow remembered hearing Toby’s inaudible voice in the background. Did I simply grab a guy off the streets and sleep with him after being so triggered last night?
As soon as she realized that she’d slept with a random guy, she couldn’t even bear to cast another look at the guy next to her. Then, she collected her clothes from the chair and dressed up. She was just about to get some money from her purse when she realized that her bag was nowhere to be found despite her searching high and low for it.
Sonia grabbed hold of a notepad and was about to leave her phone number on it when she realized that there was already a string of numbers on it. Perhaps that guy must have left his number because he was worried that I would flee the scene if I woke up earlier. Subsequently, she tore off that particular piece of paper on the notepad and left in a hurry.
About half an hour later, Sonia caught a cab to work after she freshened up with a shower at home. However, she still hadn’t fully regained her composure as she was experiencing the shocking after-effects from her fling last night.
“President Reed’s here!”
Sonia had just alighted from the cab and she didn’t even manage to steady herself when a bunch of reporters rushed toward her from all corners to surround her. There were multiple flashes of light directed at her face.
“President Reed, who’s the man in the audio recording?”
“That voice doesn’t sound like that model, Carl! Could you provide an explanation?!”
“President Reed, are you here to work at Paradigm Co. or to exploit your identity as the vice-president to pursue other guys?!”
Sonia was speechless as the stinging questions from the reporters were aimed at her like repeated explosions.
Although she was unaware of the audio recording that the reporters referred to, she quickly regained full composure and hid every sign of abnormality from them. At the same time, she shoved her way through the crowd in an attempt to leave the place.
“Excuse me, please give way.”
“President Reed, why are you evading our questions? Do you have a guilty conscience?” One of the reporters interrogated, “It’s been speculated that you and President Fuller had a divorce because of the indiscretions of your private life.”
“GAY”
It was after a moment of silence that Charles forced his way through the crowd and wrapped his arms around Sonia in a protective stance before he rebuked, “You mentioned that it’s a speculation, so how can that be true?! I’ve heard rumors that you prefer the same gender, is that so?!”
Upon hearing Charles’ rebuttal, the reporter’s face turned ashen.
Meanwhile, Charles rolled his eyes at them before he pushed aside all the microphones thrust in front of him while replying, “That male voice in the recording was mine. If you don’t believe my words, feel free to get a comparison done on my voice to determine the truth.”
“Sonia is my girlfriend and we’re currently in a relationship; she wanted to keep a low profile and refused to reveal our relationship in public. As for your mention of her being in a relationship with Carl, that’s utter rubbish! We’re close friends with Carl, so what’s wrong with having a dinner date with a friend?!”
“Furthermore, my girlfriend and President Fuller have amicably ended their marriage. As for infidelity…” Charlies snorted with laughter. “Why don’t you guys ask President Fuller what he means by showing so much concern to another woman at the hospital every single day before he is legally married to her?”
“Well, that’s all. I’ve said everything I have to say, so please leave!” He shoved the reporters aside and pushed his way out of the circle.
“My girlfriend is quite timid, so don’t frighten her! You won’t be able to get any sensational news from her. I heard that President Fuller is about to remarry, so perhaps you guys should pursue that news instead. It should be easier to get your monetary reward from there.”
Meanwhile, Sonia remained silent.
Charles shoved and kicked the reporters with his limbs. Soon, he managed to break free from the crowd with her in tow before they entered Paradigm Co.
Sonia turned around to glance at the reporters still waiting outside and she flashed a thumbs-up at him. “That was such a great job there! You’ve proved your worth today and all the meals you have had at my house since you were young were not in vain after all.” After the divorce, I would have been in deep trouble if it hadn’t been for Charles’ help.
“We’ve been buddies for twenty years. Don’t tell me this is the first time you have realized my capabilities?!” Charles snorted as he steered her toward the elevator with his arms around her. After pressing the button to the intended floor, he regarded her from top to bottom intently. “You didn’t come home after leaving last night. Where did you go without even bringing your bag?” He interrogated, “Did you go out and have a fling with some random stranger?”
It was only after hearing his words that she recalled the shock from this morning’s scene and she suddenly had a guilty conscience.
“I was feeling unwell last night, but I noticed that you guys were having fun so I left earlier without disrupting you guys.” Sonia lied without a change in demeanor and changed the topic soon after that. “What did the reporters mean by an audio recording?”
Charles furrowed his brow as he took out his cell phone while scolding under his breath, “Someone installed this in the room last night.” Then, he clicked on the recording and played it for her.
The audio recording was taken in the room last night during the moment when he had teasingly provoked Sonia. In the end, she had ended up explaining the situation to Rebecca, but some parts of the recording had been intentionally edited to include explicit noises of men and women. It would have elicited a strong response in those who heard the recording.
“That person is rather dedicated to ruining my reputation by going through so much effort to edit the recording!” Sonia sneered. “Can you figure out who the culprit is by going through the security cameras?”
“I can’t seem to figure that out. It’s arduous.” Charles shook his head with a sigh. “There were a few waiters who entered the room last night, but I don’t know which one of them made the move. I’ve interrogated each of them with no conclusive outcome from that.”
Sonia was well aware of the complexity of the situation and her face subsequently turned quite solemn. However, she had a clear suspect in mind as to who the mastermind of this situation was—Tina.
Sonia had recently undergone the divorce proceedings with Toby. Moreover, she didn’t have that many acquaintances in her current social circle and she couldn’t recall offending anyone at all.
Tina was the only one who seemed to be at odds with her. Besides, Charles had also rudely humiliated Tina in the room last night, which gave Tina the motive to take revenge against her. However, there was no concrete evidence to prove that Tina was the one behind all this.
While Sonia was lost in her thoughts, he kept a close eye on her and didn’t miss the look on her face. He shrewdly sensed that something was wrong. “Be honest: did you have a casual fling last night?!”
“I told you I didn’t!” She rolled her eyes at him and tried hard to keep calm. “I wouldn’t be able to find someone as handsome as you anyway!”
Charles was momentarily stunned by her words. Then, he studied her from top to bottom while stroking his chin and clicking his tongue. “I’m quite keen to provide you comfort with my flesh but then again, Sonia, you’re emaciated and just not my type. I prefer someone more voluptuous with huge breasts and a perky butt.”
Meanwhile, Sonia was completely at a loss for words.
She strode out immediately as soon as the elevator doors opened. “Go back to your office if you have nothing else to do! I don’t need your help!”
“Babe, you’re so heartless.” He trailed after her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
“If it wasn’t for me earlier, you would have been thrown off your feet by the questions from the reporters! Now that you have no use for me, are you just going to discard me like that?! You’re my girlfriend! Even if there was a crisis at my office, you would still take priority over that!”
Daphne had just placed some documents in Sonia’s office and she walked out in time to catch Charles’ words. Upon noticing his arms around Sonia, a shocked Daphne almost fell into speechlessness when she saw his affectionate manner toward Sonia. “President Reed, the two of you… Are the two of you in a relationship?”
