Chapter 593 Tough Decision
A wave of fear suddenly washed over Rose after she said that. Toby, on the other hand, kept mum, his complicated emotions reflected on his face.
As ridiculous as it might sound, he indeed should be feeling grateful for the fact that Tina and her family had not gone overboard with their scheme. Otherwise, they would have had to rename their empire to Triforce a long time ago. Fuller Group would probably have ceased to exist.
Seeing that her grandson had no intention of answering her, Rose looked at him with a dissatisfied look on her face as she continued saying, “Toby, we can’t just forget about this. The Fullers never let an insult go unreciprocated. The only reason Tina could afford to hire a hypnotist was because we provided her with the finances to do so. And don’t even mention the number of times Tina and her family have attempted to try something with Sonia. There’s no more reason for you to still keep them on our side.”
With each country’s common business practices, it would not be easy to lay hands on another company without breaking a law of some sort. However, Toby Fuller was a man whose influence ran so wide and deep within the industry that he would have more than one way to get rid of the Gray Family. His contribution to the country would only result in the government turning a blind eye toward his actions.
Simply put, it wasn’t impossible at all for the Fullers to demolish the Grays. What Rose did not understand was why Toby still chose not to do anything even up till this point.
Rose had never questioned Toby before, as she assumed that he, as the head of the Fullers, must have had his own reason for protecting them. But now that the cat was out of the bag, and she finally knew about Tina’s hypnosis on the Fullers, she could no longer put up with the Gray Family.
Toby knew the exact thoughts running through his grandma’s head right at the moment. He massaged the tense spot between his brows and glumly said, “I’ve thought about it before, Grandma. I, too, want to get back at them for what they did to Sonia and our family, but now’s not the right time to do that.”
When Rose heard Toby’s justification, a frown appeared on her face. “And why is that?” she asked.
He looked at her and said, “It’s because of Sonia’s identity.”
His brief reply only confused Rose more. “Sonia’s identity? What about her identity?”
“Sonia… is the daughter of the Gray couple.”
“What?” Rose was so surprised she unknowingly stood up.
Mary, who had been in the room all this time, couldn’t conceal her shock as well. “Young Master Toby, you must be joking! Young Mistress can’t possibly be their daughter.”
Obviously still flabbergasted, Rose seemed slightly shaken as she quickly reprimanded her grandson. “Toby, watch your words!”
“I’m telling the whole truth. Sonia is the Gray couple’s biological daughter that was stolen away by Henry Reed 20 years ago.” With pursed lips, he continued, “Her real name is Rina Gray.”
Upon hearing that, Mary couldn’t contain her curiosity and asked, “But didn’t Rina Gray already return to Gray Residence?”
“That one’s an imposter. She’s not the real Rina Gray—Sonia is. The imposter’s name is Taylor Carey. She’s someone Sonia and Zane found to impersonate Rina, and she was supposed to create chaos within the Gray Family before she, unfortunately, realized how wealthy they are. She’s now planning to take Sonia’s real identity because of her greed,” Toby said while massaging his forehead.
Rose finally understood the situation after hearing Toby’s explanation. With Mary’s help, she took a seat on the couch again as she asked, “So, this… Taylor Carey. She betrayed Sonia?”
“Yes, and not only that, she did all sorts of underhanded things after finding out that Sonia is the real daughter to the Gray Family. She has had Sonia knocked unconscious before. She also got rid of the birthmark on Sonia’s body that could have proven that she was Rina.”
Toby’s words made Rose silent for a long time before she eventually let out a sigh mixed with a myriad of emotions. “Who would have thought that Sonia is their biological daughter? A lot of people from our circle were aware of the incident even though the news of Rina’s kidnapping by Henry Reed was never publicly announced. Everyone thought he had drowned her after taking her away from her family. I can’t believe that he has been raising her this whole time.”
“Indeed.” Mary melancholically nodded.
All of a sudden, Mary gave a big slap to her thigh as she seemed to recall something important. She then said, “Old Mrs. Fuller, I just thought of something. Henry Reed’s wife, Mrs. Lina Reed, fell really sick when their child was a few months old 20 years ago. After that, her mental health seemed to have deteriorated when she attended events because she would keep mumbling something about missing her child. She used to bring her child everywhere, but she stopped doing that for a while around that time. That was when the servants started a rumor that she must have acted that way because her child had passed away.”
Rose nodded when she heard Mary’s words. “I’ve heard about this from you before. Henry’s father was an old comrade of my father’s during the war, which was why I paid extra attention when you told me this. I even had someone go check up on how the Reed family and Lina were doing and whether the child was really gone.”
“That’s right, and the person you sent came back with the news that Mrs. Reed had regained her health, and the child too was alive. The reason Mrs. Reed was in bad shape was that her child had fallen sick. The rumor only started because it was known that her child has had a weak body ever since birth and that it’d be hard to raise and take care of the child. There didn’t seem to be anything odd when news came back that Mrs. Reed had gotten better at the same time her child’s health had improved, but now that I think about it…” Mary said before ultimately ending her sentence without finishing her words.
Toby, who had been quietly listening, completed Mary’s thoughts instead as he squinted his eyes in concentration and said, “The child that Sonia’s mother had could really have passed away. The healthy child that you heard about must have been Sonia instead.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Mary added.
Rose let out a sigh again. “I think I get the whole picture now. Henry must have kept Sonia alive because his own child had passed away, and Lina was mentally unwell because of that.”
“That’s probably the case,” Mary said.
Rose then turned to look at Toby and said understandingly, “No wonder you haven’t done anything to the Grays despite everything that has happened. You are in love with Sonia, who is one of them. You have too much to consider before you can make a move on them.”
He could only stay silent at that.
She then asked again, “You’ve been hiding the truth of Sonia’s birth for so long. Do you not plan on letting her know?”
“Indeed,” he said while nodding. “The Reeds and Grays are old rivals. The Gray family has attempted to murder Sonia so many times; their relationship is probably beyond repair. How do you think Sonia would feel if we were to tell her that the ones who have been trying to get her killed are, in fact, her biological parents?”
Upon hearing that, Rose furrowed her eyebrows, and the look on her face gradually changed. “I wouldn’t be able to accept it if I were to find out that the one who pushed my father to death and tried to kill me was my biological father all along. I wouldn’t be able to handle it both mentally and emotionally,” Rose admitted as she put herself in Sonia’s shoes.
“You’re right. This is the exact reason I’m still keeping Sonia in the dark about this. She was taken in and given the best care by the Reed Family when she was but a young child. Despite what has transpired between the families in the past, the fact is, Sonia considers the Reed couple her real parents. She has known that Titus Gray is the reason for Henry’s death all this while. Don’t forget that all the hardships she was put through were because of the Grays. She definitely holds resentment toward the Gray Family,” Toby said solemnly as his eyes cast down.
“If I were to tell Sonia the truth behind her identity now, it would completely destroy her perception of the world. It could even lead her to start rejecting and denying herself. If she were to know that the Grays are related to her by blood, she wouldn’t have the heart to do anything to them anymore. But at the same time, she can’t just turn her back on the Reeds, who have been there for her throughout the years. I’m afraid that she would come to the conclusion that the only way for her to cut her ties with both the Reed and Gray family would be by ending her own life.”
Mary carefully listened to Toby and gave his words a thought before nodding and agreeing. “Young Master Toby is right. Young Mistress is someone who would do that.”
Rose could only let out another deep sigh. “This is a tough situation. Sonia still isn’t aware of the truth, and she holds grudges against the Gray Family, which she is related to. And yet, we can’t possibly let her harm the Gray couple lest she carries the guilt for the rest of her life. No matter the circumstances, they are, indeed, her biological parents.”
