Chapter 560 Two-Way Run
Toby is still waiting for me at the elevator alone right now. Besides, his legs aren’t fully healed, which means that he can’t balance himself with such a big shake of the ground. Maybe his feet have been injured again?
When she thought about this, Sonia felt worried and tried to get up from the carpeted floor. However, the ground was shaking so much that she almost fell again moments after standing up. Luckily, she managed to hold onto one side of the wall in time to balance herself. However, it was absolutely impossible for her to approach Toby while she was in these high heels without the risk of falling again.
After taking a deep breath, she kicked off her shoes without any hesitation and hurriedly rushed toward Toby’s direction while holding onto the wall. Even though she was stumbling and staggering, she did not slow down in the slightest. She had to reach Toby as soon as possible; otherwise, she wouldn’t feel at ease. Toby, you must not be in trouble!
It was a prayer that she offered from her heart.
On the other hand, Toby was leaning against the wall by the elevator to have a smoke while waiting for Sonia to return. However, what he never expected was for the earthquake to suddenly occur after he waited for a short while. If he hadn’t been leaning against the wall, he would’ve been thrown onto the ground from the impact at this moment. At once, Toby put out his cigarette and threw it into the trash can, his face tense as he walked forward. I am going to look for Sonia. I wonder whether she will be frightened now that there’s an earthquake.
The thought that Sonia might be afraid caused Toby’s expression to harden. Then, he sped up without hesitation even if it meant spraining his foot again. He only wanted to hurry to her side to assure her not to be afraid and that he would be there for her.
Soon, Toby was walking around the corner of a corridor and saw Sonia holding onto the wall as she trod toward him. When he saw her, his eyes brightened as he shouted, “Sonia!”
Sonia subconsciously stopped in her tracks after she heard the man’s voice. Then, she looked up and saw the man around the corner who also held the wall in front of her. Her eyes instantly lit up as well. “Toby!”
She didn’t think much as to why he was here. She was only aware that she had stopped panicking and was no longer in fear when she saw him. When she thought about this, she removed her hands from the wall and ran toward Toby. Even though she stumbled as the ground shook beneath her, she still didn’t stop.
However, when Toby saw this, he began to worry again. He was afraid that she would fall, so he quickly strode toward her. When he saw that Sonia was about to arrive, he opened his arms and was ready to catch her. By the time Sonia landed in his embrace, he stumbled backward and finally held onto her as they both fell to the ground. Toby was at the bottom whereas Sonia was on top of him. Luckily for him, the floor was carpeted, so he didn’t feel much pain from the fall; otherwise, he would’ve injured his head.
However, Sonia was still worried that he was hurt, so she hurriedly moved away from his arms and propped her hand on the carpet before she urgently asked while looking at him. “Toby, are you all right?”
“Yes.” Toby nodded and wanted to get up.
Then, she immediately held his arm and helped him into a sitting position, after which she sat next to him and asked again, “By the way, why did you come?”
Toby straightened his clothes before replying, “I was worried about you, so I came over to look for you.”
At that, Sonia was taken aback. “You came because you were also worried about me?”
“Also?” Toby’s ears had picked up on this word and after he raised an eyebrow, he fixed his gaze on her. “So, that means you were worried about me and came looking for me? Is that how you lost your shoes halfway?” He stared at her bare feet, his eyes dark.
When she felt the intensity of his gaze, she tried to uncomfortably shrink her toes before attempting to hide her feet under the hem of her skirt as her gaze shifted elsewhere. Then, she said, “No, that’s pure nonsense. I was afraid that my high heels would cause me to fall during the earthquake, which was why I removed them.”
He laughed lightly. “You only denied that you did not lose the shoes, but not that you came to look for me because you were worried. Sonia, does that mean you were indeed worried and so came to search for me?”
Sonia lowered her head sheepishly and didn’t speak anymore.
Next, Toby raised his hand to ruffle her hair. “That’s enough for me, Sonia. I’m very happy.”
“What’s there to be happy about? I was just worried about you.” Her red lips twitched as she muttered.
After that, he removed his hand. “Of course I’m happy. It’s because you’re worried about me, which means you care about me in your heart.”
“Not at all. Who wants to care about you?” Sonia resembled a cat whose tail had been stepped on and she glared at him with widened eyes and firmly denied that she cared for him. I don’t care about Toby.
Toby knew she wouldn’t admit it, so he shook his head with a smile and commented, “Okay, okay. You don’t care about me, okay?”
Sonia huffed and she didn’t speak—a signal that she was allowing the matter to slide.
After a long time, the tremors gradually began to lessen until calm finally returned. She looked up at the chandelier that was no longer shaking and breathed a sigh of relief. “It seems the earthquake has passed.”
He nodded slightly. “Yes.”
Then, she stood up, after which she reached for his arm to pull him up from the ground as well.
“It’s a good thing the building’s earthquake protection measures are good. Other than the scary tremors, nothing has collapsed; otherwise, we might have been…”
She couldn’t help but shiver at the thought of herself and Toby potentially being buried under the rubble. He gently tapped her forehead and said, “Do not think too much. This place is near the sea and quakes often happen on the seabed. Thus, the surrounding land would suffer from some tremors. Therefore, most buildings in this city have the most advanced earthquake prevention measures and they can withstand even the large earthquakes without collapsing. Don’t scare yourself.”
“I got it.” Sonia slapped his hand away and spoke with annoyance, “Don’t knock my head.”
While he laughed, Toby placed his hands in the pocket of his pants. “Now, where did you lose your shoes?”
“Outside the dressing room.” Sonia pointed to the direction where she came from.
He removed his hand from his pocket to hold hers. “Come, let’s get your shoes back.”
After saying that, he pulled her forward. A startled Sonia then watched him take her hand. The palm of his hand was large and warm, making her suddenly feel a little reluctant to shake it off. In fact, she didn’t shake his hand away and allowed him to lead her forward.
Soon, the two arrived outside the dressing room. Toby saw the pair of high heels that were left on the carpet from a distance. He released Sonia’s hand and headed for the shoes, which caused her to look at her empty paw before her lips pursed slightly.
According to reason, she should have been relieved when he released her hand, but she didn’t feel relief. All she felt instead was loss.
“What are you thinking about?” Toby asked as he returned with her pair of high heels and saw her staring at her hands.
When she heard that, Sonia lowered her hand and returned to her senses. After she calmed the subtle emotions in her heart, she smiled a little and said, “Nothing.”
