Chapter 500 She’s Really in Love
All of the netizens made a joke out of the situation once they found out about the truth. ‘This is epic! I can’t believe this was what actually happened. The picture was a total lie!’ one commented.
‘Who were the ones who said that Toby and Lily are the most romantic and loving couple? Show yourselves now!’ another one added.
‘I knew it! Although Lily’s from a wealthy family, her family is on the verge of bankruptcy. She’s always showing off on her social media profile, and she acts just like an upstart. She doesn’t have any substance at all! The almighty president of Fuller Group and the head of the Fuller Family would have better taste than this! He’d never date a woman like her,’ one comment read.
Sonia subconsciously nodded as she read the netizen’s comments. That’s right. That’s exactly how I feel about the situation. If Toby really fell for Lily, then it just shows that he has no taste. Fortunately, he still has his standards. Sonia let out a small smile at that thought. All the worry and concern she had for the news articles and photos had wholly disappeared after she watched the video that Fuller Group posted on their social media account.
However, she realized something odd about the situation. I texted Toby to ask about the picture earlier, and Fuller Group posted a video to clarify the situation just a while after that. It can’t be a coincidence, right? Sonia pressed her red lips together and contemplated for a moment before she rejected her own hypothesis. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence. Toby didn’t see my message, so he couldn’t have done anything about it.
Sonia was still deep in thought when her phone began to ring. She turned her head to glance at her phone, and she let go of her mouse to pick the call up when she saw that it was a call from Charles. “Charles,” she greeted.
“Darling.” Charles’ voice sounded glum on the other end of the line.
“What is it?” Sonia tilted her head in confusion.
“It’s Toby!” Charles grabbed his hair and tugged on it frustratedly. “I was overjoyed when the news of his and Lily’s engagement first surfaced on the Internet. I was all prepared to buy them gifts, and I had already planned out my speech for them during their engagement. I was hoping that they would stay in love and grow old together. I can’t believe Toby announced that the news was fake before I even managed to get them a gift! Ugh! I’m so annoyed!”
Technically speaking, Charles and Toby were love rivals—that explained why Charles wanted Toby to go off with another girl. If Toby gets engaged, then he won’t mess with my darling anymore! Toby might have claimed to let go of my darling, but how am I supposed to know if he’s lying? The only way for me to be sure is for Toby to be with another girl. But look at how things have turned out! Hah! Charles sneered to himself.
Sonia had an uneasy feeling as she listened to Charles, and she frowned slightly. “What’s there to be annoyed about? Their relationship wasn’t even genuine to begin with, so it’s only right for him to clear things up, right? Would you prefer the public to spread rumors about you all the time?”
“Well, of course not. But this is different,” Charles muttered as he scratched the back of his head.
Sonia scoffed. “How is it different?”
“Well, it’s obviously because… Wait, darling!” Charles seemed to realize something halfway through his sentence, and his expression turned serious. “Darling, I just realized something. You seem to be really happy about the fact that Toby stepped forward to dispel the rumors surrounding his engagement. On top of that, you’re also siding him—you immediately went against my words when I talked about Toby. Darling, you—”
“I don’t care about Toby!” Before Charles could finish his sentence, Sonia interrupted him. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized what Charles was trying to say. However, her words only made Charles’ expression turn gloomier than before. He let out a long sigh as he felt a heavy feeling weighing down on him. “Darling, I didn’t mention anything about your care for Toby, yet you interrupted me to say that you don’t care about him. Don’t you think your actions are going against your words here?” Charles tried his best to make his tone sound neutral.
Sonia froze for a moment before she realized what had happened. I overreacted earlier. I feel like I’m guilty of something. Her pupils shrank when she started to catch on. Even her grip on the phone felt rather unsteady as her hands were shaking. A mixture of disbelief and confusion filled her gaze.
What’s going on? Do I have anything to hide? She bit her bottom lip and remained silent for a few moments. Her answer surfaced in her mind after a while, and she parted her red lips to speak, but no words came out of her mouth. Moreover, her gut feeling told her that she wasn’t supposed to reveal the answer that she had deep within her heart. If she put her answer into words, she knew that her whole life would turn upside down.
When Charles realized how silent Sonia was on the other end of the call, he knew that he couldn’t lie to himself for much longer. I can’t tell myself that she doesn’t care about Toby anymore. The truth is that she cares for him. Maybe she has fallen in love with him again! Otherwise, she wouldn’t have started an argument once she heard me talking about Toby. A bitter smile spread across Charles’ face as he thought about the situation. I can’t believe I lost to Toby again. I can’t do anything but watch as Sonia falls for him once more.
“Hah… How useless.” Charles leaned against his chair and raised an arm to cover his eyes. His lips were slightly parted as he let out a bitter sigh.
“Are you talking about me, Charles?” Sonia knitted her brows.
“No. I’m talking about myself.” His voice was filled with self-contempt. I am useless, aren’t I? I’m the one who has known Sonia for the longest, and I’m the one she spends the most time with. I’m also the one who fell in love with her first. Logically speaking, I should be the one who gets to be with her. Yet, I’ve been so weak and cowardly all along—I’ve never dared to confess to her or show her my true feelings. Because of this, I have to watch her fall in love twice, both with the same man. Charles had never felt so much hatred for himself.
Mom’s right, he thought. I am a useless man who doesn’t know how to fight for the things that I want. I’m just a worthless guy who hands his lover over to another man! Charles let out a sneer at that thought. His bloodshot eyes were glistening with droplets of tears as he removed his arm from his eyes. He forced a smile and spoke in a rather bitter tone. “Alright, darling. I have other matters to handle. I’ll end the call now.”
He ended the call immediately after finishing his sentence. It was hard for him to come to terms with the fact that his lover had just fallen in love with the same man again, so he needed some time to calm himself down.
On the other end of the line, Sonia stared at her mobile phone and squeezed her brows together. “Charles…” she whispered. She had no idea what Charles was going through, but she could sense that he wasn’t in a good place emotionally. He sounded angry, self-critical, and exasperated… He sounded really emotional. The Charles that I know is extremely lively—it’s almost like he has never-ending amounts of energy. But he sounded so pessimistic earlier… I’m worried for him.
At that thought, Sonia got to her feet and put her coat on before she walked out of her office. She was planning to visit Charles’ office to check if he was alright.
…
Meanwhile, both Vincent and Lily were scrolling through Fuller Group’s official Facebook page in the McRae Residence. Their faces had turned as white as a sheet after they saw the clarification post and the video that Fuller Group had posted online. “What do we do now, Dad?” Lily clenched her fists and held onto her skirt as she spoke in a shaky voice. “President Fuller didn’t just clear the rumors about our engagement, but he even managed to get rid of the rumors surrounding our pictures. If this goes on, do you think he might find out about our—”
“Calm down!” Vincent raised his hand to interrupt his daughter. “I’m sure he’ll never find out about our little scheme. He probably just thinks that some paparazzi snapped a picture of you guys, and he probably thinks that’s how the rumors surfaced. After all, no normal person would suspect that someone is plotting against them behind their back. It’s no surprise that the paparazzi would snap pictures of Toby since he’s so famous.”
