Chapter 531 Black Forest Cake
Sonia then flipped open a document and started burying herself in work. Later that afternoon, she told Charles that she was going to meet up with Toby to return him the jewelry, so she got into her car and left Paradigm Co. for the Fuller Group.
It was already 1.00 PM by the time she arrived, and she stepped right through the entrance before she saw Tom walking in her direction. “Hello, Miss Reed.”
“Hi, Tom,” Sonia replied with a smile.
“President Fuller sent me to take you to the office.” Tom stood aside, extending his arm to show her the way.
“How did he know I’m here?” Sonia appeared to be surprised. Although she did mention she was going to drop by in the afternoon earlier that morning, she didn’t tell Toby the exact time. Therefore, she had no idea how Toby came to know that she had arrived and ordered Tom to collect her.
Tom adjusted his glasses and explained, “Oh, President Fuller mentioned that you’d be coming in the afternoon, so I was told to wait for you here.”
“I see.” Sonia nodded in confusion. “Then, you must have been waiting for a long time.” Flattered by Toby’s decision to have Tom wait for her so early, she reckoned his sincerity deserved her appreciation.
“Well, not really. I just came down here about ten minutes ago. Anyway, Miss Reed, let’s get going, shall we?” Tom asked, to which Sonia responded with an affirmative hum. “Yes, please.”
Both of them then made their way to the elevator that was meant for Toby to use. As they passed by the lobby, their presence drew the attention of the crowd around them. Some who knew Sonia didn’t seem to be surprised about her arrival, considering the partnership between the Fuller Group and Paradigm Co. Thus, they believed Sonia was probably there to discuss some business with Toby. However, those who didn’t know her were seen with their mouths wide agape as they began to gossip in murmurs.
After all, since Tom was Toby’s personal assistant, they didn’t think he would send him to receive a random visitor unless it was someone important to him. Otherwise, he would have sent his secretary or some other assistant to receive the visitor. At that moment, they all couldn’t help but wonder who Sonia was and why Toby had to get Tom to personally receive her. Who is she? Why does Mr. Brown have to personally receive her?
In the meantime, Sonia could sense the strange eyes on her from everybody else, but nonetheless, she appeared to be indifferent toward their dramatic reactions, as she didn’t even bother to look at them. To her, she couldn’t care less about their judgment and opinions, since they were not going to do her any harm anyway.
I can’t control what people think about me, so they can look at me however they want.
One minute later, both of them arrived at Toby’s office, whereupon Tom opened the door and invited her in with his arm stretching out. “Please come in, Miss Reed.”
“Thank you.” Sonia expressed her gratitude politely and stepped into the office, only to see no signs of Toby. She then stopped in her tracks and looked back at Tom. “Where is President Fuller?”
“President Fuller is currently in the middle of a meeting right now, but he’ll be here in a few moments. So, please take a seat while waiting for him. Can I get you a little something to drink?” Tom showed Sonia the way to the couch.
Sonia sat down on the couch. “I’m fine with anything, so why don’t you make the call? I’m not fussy anyway.”
“I’ll make some tea, perhaps. Please bear with me for a moment, Miss Reed,” Tom said.
“Sure.” Sonia nodded.
As soon as Tom excused himself, Sonia put her purse down on the table in front of her and reached for her cell phone in it. Then, she saw a notification popping up on her phone screen, catching her attention. “The Stryder Family is under investigation?” Sonia immediately sat up straight and opened up the notification to view it, only to realize it was a news report about the Stryder Family’s detention.
When Sonia learned that the authority had launched an investigation on the properties the Stryder Family owned, she curled her lips and sneered. Deep down, she didn’t feel surprised about the news at all, knowing that the Stryder Family would soon have what was coming to them.
Ever since Melody was arrested, it was only a matter of time that the police would publish the news across Seafield, especially after her confession about being Tina’s accomplice and the murderer responsible for the death of Peter’s first love. After all, Melody was from the Stryder Family, which was highly respected and revered by society.
Therefore, when the prestigious family’s black sheep was found to be a murderer who took an innocent life and obstructed justice by assisting a criminal’s escape, the Stryders inevitably became the center of the spotlight throughout the entire nation. For that, the law enforcement unit was pressured to run a thorough investigation on the Stryder Family.
After all, Melody’s wrongful actions reflected her upbringing in the Stryder Family, putting her other family members in a bad light. Therefore, the authority had no choice but to involve Melody’s family in the investigation in order to appease the public’s wrath.
Thanks to Melody’s previous interference with Seafield’s political affairs, the Stryder Family still struggled with the repercussions that followed her selfish act. However, things only took a turn for the worse when Melody’s unlawful actions doomed the Stryder Family’s future and sealed its fate. Thus, Sonia believed that Melody’s parents must have regretted having a daughter like her.
“Am I seeing a smile on your face? What are you reading?” Toby opened the door and walked into his office with Tom, who was holding a tray in his hands, just when Sonia was skimming through the comment section of the news.
Sonia put away her phone and looked up. “I was just reading a news report about the Stryder Family. They’re currently under a criminal investigation.”
Toby jutted his chin. “Oh, so that was what put a smile on your face, but I guess that’s something that calls for a celebration.”
“You knew?” Sonia looked at the man.
“Yeah. For a while now, I guess.” Toby walked closer to the lady and sat down opposite her.
“Miss Reed, here is your black tea and Black Forest cake. I hope it’s to your liking.” Tom moved to the coffee table to serve Sonia what was on the tray.
“Thank you.” Sonia nodded.
“You’re welcome. Actually, it was President Fuller who told me to prepare it. So, if you want to thank someone, thank him.” Tom placed a cup of coffee in front of Toby.
“Did you prepare all this for me?” Sonia gazed at Toby with a surprised look on his face.
With an affirmative hum, Toby replied, “I know you have a sweet tooth, so I sent someone to buy some.”
In the meantime, Tom let out a sigh on the inside because he previously didn’t know that the cake was meant for Sonia. A month ago, Toby suddenly ordered someone to prepare a luxury cake in the refrigerator without any specific request about its type. While Tom initially thought that Toby had cravings for cakes, he quickly dismissed that thought because he had never seen Toby eating one.
Therefore, he quietly observed his superior with confusion, unable to understand why he would have someone prepare a cake and throw it away before he left work, only to repeat the same process the next day.
As time went on, Tom wondered whether Toby was out of his mind until one day, about a month ago, when he overheard his boss talking. It was then that he realized Sonia had a sweet tooth and that the cake was meant for her.
Miss Reed may or may not come often, but President Fuller still prepares the cake every day, rain or shine, so that he won’t miss his chance to let her taste it when she really visits. Thus, I must say that I’m impressed by his tenacity.
On the other hand, Sonia, who had no idea about the cake’s origin, only fixed her eyes on the cake with complicated emotions on the inside.
At the same time, Toby noticed her silent stare and guessed she didn’t like it, so he asked with a tense look on his face, “Don’t you like the cake?”
“No.” Sonia shook her head. “I’m just a little flattered. Thanks.”
“No big deal. It’s just a piece of cake anyway. In fact, whoever receives you elsewhere would probably do the same thing as I do, so there is no need to be so tense,” Toby replied despite his fear that Sonia wouldn’t want to eat the cake just because he was the one who prepared it.
“No, I’m not tense. Like you said, it’s just a piece of cake, so I’m totally cool.” Sonia smiled.
Initially nervous, Toby soon heaved a sigh of relief and curled his lips upward. “Good to know that. Why don’t you take a bite and tell me how it tastes?”
