Chapter 709 Pauline’s Masterpiece
Sonia held the swaddle up to take a better look. The outer layer of the swaddle wasn’t just a plain, silky surface, but there were a number of patterns embroidered on it as well. The embroidery was compact, and it made the graphics look like they were real. Such handiwork wasn’t something that could be completed with a machine—it was obvious that this was entirely human-made. The delicate embroidery and the smooth silk told Sonia that this swaddle certainly cost a lot. Furthermore, even the baby’s clothing felt like a high-quality product in her hands. Despite having a yellow stain from the years of being in storage, the baby’s outfit felt soft and smooth in her hands, and she could tell that it was an expensive piece of clothing.
“Why did you keep all of this in the safety deposit box, Dad?” Sonia’s face was filled with confusion as she lowered the swaddle. Toby took a look at the swaddle. His eyes lit up for a brief moment when he saw the patterns on it. “I’m guessing you wore this when you were a child. You probably wore it when you first met the Reed Family, which was why your dad kept it safe for you. It’s a meaningful item, after all.”
“How would you know that I was wearing this when I first entered the Reed Family?” Sonia gave Toby a puzzled look as she held onto the swaddle. He responded with his gaze lowered. “It was just a guess. If Henry bought it for you after you got into the Reed Family, he wouldn’t have had to keep it for you since you would have tons of clothes by then. However, if this was what you were wearing before you arrived at the Reed Residence, then perhaps he held onto it as a keepsake. When someone sees this in the future, they might recall how you looked when you first came to the Reed Family,” Toby replied.
“I guess that does sound possible.” Sonia nodded thoughtfully. Toby pressed his lips together without making any further comments. He hadn’t just made a random guess—he said that she had worn the swaddle and the baby’s clothes when she first met the Reed Family because he noticed the embroidery on the swaddle.
Pauline Gray was once famous for her embroidery skills, and she had even been one of the elders in the embroidery organization in the past. There were tons of people who loved her products. However, for some reason, she made an official announcement about 30 years ago to tell everyone that she was stopping her embroidering work. The public had been disappointed by such news.
Yet, four years after that announcement, Pauline went against her own words to start embroidering again. She picked the needle up on the day that Julia found out she was pregnant. Back then, Pauline did an interview where she highlighted that she wasn’t embroidering for anyone else, but she only wanted to make a swaddle for the future grandchild she was expecting. That grandchild turned out to be Sonia.
Henry stole Sonia from the Grays a short while after Sonia was born, so it was likely that Sonia was wrapped in that very swaddle when that happened. However, Toby was shocked to see that Henry had kept the swaddle for so long. Sonia had no idea what was in Toby’s mind, so she simply folded the swaddle while speaking. “If your guess was right, and I was wearing this swaddle before entering the Reed Family, then it seems like my biological family was doing pretty well. They seem like a rich bunch.”
“They are rich indeed,” Toby muttered.
Sonia looked up to stare at him. “Why does it sound as if you know who my biological parents are?”
His eyes glinted for a moment before he let out a laugh. “How could that be possible? I just said so because of this.” He pointed at the swaddle in her hands. Sonia didn’t actually suspect that Toby knew something about her family, so she simply placed the swaddle back into the box as she spoke. “Well, it doesn’t matter if they’re rich. I belong in the Reed Family, and I’ll always be a part of the Reeds.”
“Are you planning to keep this swaddle, then?” Toby asked as he looked at her.
She shut the lid of the box. “Of course. Since Dad put it in here, I’m sure he wanted it as a keepsake. If that’s the case, then I have to keep it safe with me. I’ll keep this at home from now on.”
“Yeah. Don’t bring it out—you don’t want others to see it.” Toby narrowed his eyes as he gave her a reminder. She can’t let anyone from the Gray Family, or anyone who may recognize Pauline’s embroidery, see this swaddle. Otherwise, someone will surely find out about her true identity. Pauline’s embroidery skills are superior and she has her own unique style, so all of her products are easily identifiable. Anyone who has seen her work would be able to tell if a piece of art was made by her. From what I know, at least 6 out of 10 older ladies in the circle would be able to recognize her work, he thought.
Sonia was utterly amused by the man’s serious expression. “What are you talking about? This is a secret, so why would I bring it out for no reason? Do I look like I’m going to show everyone my childhood outfits?”
Toby chuckled upon hearing her words. “You’re right. I was overthinking the situation.”
“Why would you say you were overthinking?” Sonia blinked a few times. “I just realized that you’re acting oddly, especially when you saw the swaddle. You…”
“No. You’re the one who’s overthinking now.” Before Sonia had a chance to finish speaking, he smoothed out her frown to interrupt her. He was worried that she might start getting suspicious if they proceeded with the topic. Fortunately, Sonia forgot about the odd feeling she had after Toby interrupted her, and she stopped questioning him after that.
Soon enough, they arrived at Paradigm Co.. Before the car turned toward the entrance, Sonia could already see groups of reporters surrounding the building. The reporters had been chased away by the security and captured by the police when they last gathered in front of the office, so they learned their lesson and kept away from the front entrance this time. Instead, they parked a few feet away from the front entrance so that they wouldn’t block the company staff from going in and out. That way, they also gave the security one less reason to chase them off.
“Miss Reed.” Tom turned around to look at Sonia after he saw the sight in front of him. “Should I drive into the basement, or…”
“You can just stop at the front entrance. You don’t have to go to the basement—I’m sure there will be reporters there as well. Since the reporters are everywhere, I might as well confront them in a more direct manner,” Sonia replied.
Then, Tom turned to look at Toby. Toby lifted his head a little. “Just follow her orders. Her orders are my orders from now on.”
“Okay.” Tom wore a smile on his face, but deep down, he was rolling his eyes. Tsk tsk tsk. They haven’t even remarried each other, and he’s already so severely in love with her. I wonder who guided President Fuller through his development of manhood. I never want to be like him when I get a girlfriend in the future. Never! Tom swore to himself as he slowly steered the car over to the front entrance of Paradigm Co. before stopping at the public parking area.
Toby’s car was easily recognized by the public. It wasn’t just the exclusive look of his pricey car, but it was also his special car plate number that made it hard for others to miss it. Seafield was a large place, yet Toby was the only one with this type of car plate. Once the public saw his car plate number, they could immediately name the owner of the car. So, when one reporter noticed Toby’s car, all of the reporters quickly caught up with the first reporter’s realization.
At first, the reporters were shocked to see Fuller Group’s president’s car showing up in that area, but they quickly realized that Toby had gotten back together with Sonia. President Fuller must be here to see Miss Reed! the reporters thought. On top of that, their sources had told them that Sonia hadn’t shown up at Paradigm Co. yet today. Considering that Toby had just arrived, they figured that it was highly possible for Sonia to be in his car.
The reporters’ eyes lit up when they realized what was going on. They had only hoped to bump into Sonia today, and they didn’t expect to be able to successfully meet Toby as well. If both of them were indeed in the car, wouldn’t that be the perfect opportunity for the reporters to interview them?
Therefore, the group of reporters hastily abandoned their initial positions before charging toward Toby’s car. Soon enough, they formed a barrier around Toby’s car, making it hard for the vehicle to even move.
