Chapter 509 Toby’s Gift
Rose stared at Toby confusedly. “What is it?”
Toby didn’t respond to her question. “Her dress is stained. I’ll bring her to change into a new evening gown,” he said instead. Rose then realized the damp stain that was making Sonia’s dress stick to her skin. “You’re right,” Rose said while nodding. “Go on and get changed. You don’t want to catch a cold.”
“Come on.” Toby gave Sonia a nod. Sonia didn’t reject his offer and simply tagged along behind him. She did wish to get changed as the damp dress wasn’t just cold against her skin; it also felt sticky and reeked of alcohol, which made her feel uncomfortable.
Both of them walked toward the lounge. Zane didn’t go after them, but stood in his spot with his wine glass in his hand as he watched the tall man and the petite woman walking next to each other. A rather glum expression formed on Zane’s face as he realized how they seemed like a perfect match. I’m sure Sonia has caught feelings for Toby again! But it doesn’t look like she’s aware of it yet. Well, it looks like I won the bet. But why don’t I feel happy at all?
Once they got to the lounge, Toby opened the door to let Sonia in. “You can go in and take a shower. I’ll bring the evening gown over.”
“Alright. Thanks,” Sonia uttered before giving him a polite smile.
“Don’t worry about it,” he replied before turning and walking off. Sonia watched him disappear from the walkway once he turned a corner before she entered the lounge and shut the door behind her. Then, she took a shower in the washroom to get rid of the alcohol stench on her body.
Toby returned while she was still showering. The moment he let himself into the lounge, he heard the sound of running water coming from the washroom. He could see a blurry shadow of Sonia’s curvy figure when he glanced at the washroom’s frosted glass door. He could tell that she was showering from the way she moved, and his gaze darkened as he gulped. “I brought you your evening gown, Sonia,” he croaked in a deep voice.
Sonia wasn’t aware of the fact that Toby could see her figure, and she continued showering while she responded to him. “Sure. Just leave it outside the washroom.”
“Okay. I’ll go out now.” Toby placed the gift box on the couch before he walked out of the lounge. He no longer looked in the direction of the washroom as one glance was already enough to make his entire body burn with desire. Toby was like any regular man—his body couldn’t remain calm when he saw his lover showering behind a frosted glass door.
If Toby didn’t walk out, and if he took another look in the direction of the washroom, he wasn’t sure what he might end up doing. So, he let himself out of the lounge.
About ten minutes later, Sonia turned the water off and wrapped herself in a towel before she got out of the washroom. The lounge was empty, and Sonia didn’t know where Toby had left the dress, so she looked around for her new outfit. Finally, she noticed a delicately-wrapped gift box on the couch. She was certain that the gift box hadn’t been there when she entered the room earlier. Is this the new outfit that Toby brought over for me?
She walked over to get a better look at the box. There was no logo on the box, so she couldn’t tell the outfit’s brand. However, the packaging of the box told her that it had to contain an evening gown within it. Sonia bent down to open the box. Inside, she found a black, spaghetti-strapped evening gown that was made of silk. The smooth fabric reflected the light in the room, and the dress itself shone like a constellation of stars in the night sky.
Sonia took the gorgeous dress out only to realize that it was exactly her size. It’s impossible for Toby to have gotten someone to buy a dress within such a short period of time. Does that mean he already bought this a long time ago? But why did he get me an evening gown? I doubt he knew that Jean was going to bump into me. That means that this dress…
“A-choo!” Sonia shuddered and let out a sneeze that disrupted her thought process. After that, she hastily got changed before walking out. The moment she opened the door to head out of the lounge, she was greeted by the heavy smell of cigarette smoke. She frowned and turned to find Toby leaning against the wall while smoking a cigarette. The smoke covered his face, making it hard for Sonia to read his expression.
He looked like he was thinking as he stood extremely still with his gaze fixed on the ground. When Sonia shut the door behind her, he heard it and looked up immediately. “Are you done?” he asked as he turned to Sonia.
“Mhmm,” she mumbled. “You’re not fully recovered yet. Why are you smoking?” she uttered in a rather critical tone.
“I’m just thinking about some stuff,” he said as he walked over to her.
She looked down at the burning cigarette between his fingers before she reached over to snatch it away from him. Then, she walked to the side of the corridor and put the cigarette out while grumbling, “You don’t need to smoke while thinking about stuff. Don’t you care about your own health?”
Toby let out a soft chuckle when he realized how she was nagging him as a wife would do to her husband. His laughter was pleasant to the ear—it came from deep within his chest.
Sonia felt her ears burning when she heard his attractive laugh. “Why are you laughing?”
“It’s nothing. I’m just happy,” he uttered while staring at her fondly.
She froze for a moment before responding in a stiff voice, “What’s there to be happy about?”
Toby didn’t answer her and simply gazed at her in her new outfit. “You look really beautiful in this dress,” he commented while casting a surprised glance at her. Toby was the one who had picked this evening gown.
The designer had sent tons of designs over to him, but this particular evening gown had caught his eye immediately. He could picture Sonia wearing it from the first time he saw it, and his imagination was spot on.
Sonia lowered her head upon hearing Toby’s praise, her ears the color of a tomato. “Well… Thanks, I guess. I think it’s the evening gown that’s pretty, not me. By the way, when did you have this gown prepared?”
“A long time ago,” he replied truthfully.
“A long time ago? What? Why?” Sonia was surprised.
“Because I want to give you the best,” he said.
Her lips trembled when she heard this. He wanted to give me the best, so he prepared this evening gown for me. If that’s the case, then why did he let me go? Why did he tell me not to show up in front of him after that? Sonia glanced at Toby’s attractive yet thin face. Her eyes turned red as she fought the urge to ask him the questions in her mind. In the end, she managed to stop herself from asking anything.
Instead, she hung her head low and clutched her dress. “You can send me the receipt for this dress after the party. I’ll pay you back.”
Toby’s expression darkened at once. He was clearly annoyed at the fact that Sonia was being so calculative with him. It’s almost like she’s terrified of being indebted to me. In the end, Toby suppressed the anger he felt as he knew that he had no right to be angry at her. I’m the reason she’s keeping her distance from me. I’m the one who pushed her away.
“We can talk about that some other day. Let’s go back for now. I’ll introduce you to a few guys who might be helpful in Paradigm Co.’s future development,” Toby uttered as he held his arm up beside her. She took a glance at it before she hooked her arm around his. “Thank you.”
Sonia couldn’t find it in her to reject Toby—she knew that she needed him in order to build connections with other well-known business partners. If she had approached those big shots on her own, they wouldn’t have taken a second glance at her.
Toby brought Sonia back to the grand hall, and he walked over to greet a few well-known people after checking on Rose. Rose was sitting on the couch at the side of the hall, happily gazing at Sonia and Toby. Right then, Mary brought Rose some food, only to realize that Rose couldn’t seem to stop smiling. “Why are you smiling, Old Mrs. Fuller?” Mary asked.
“Because of Sonia and Toby, of course! Did you realize that Sonia has changed her attitude toward Toby?” Rose pointed in Sonia’s direction as she spoke.
