That was the first time Sonia called Toby after their divorce, so he wondered what she was up to.
“Tyler is at my place. President Fuller, please take him home.” The sight of the boy on the doormat was giving Sonia a headache.
Toby frowned. “Tyler is at your place again?”
“Yeah, and he’s not budging no matter what I do.”
“I get it. I’ll be there in a moment,” Toby replied.
Since Sonia had nothing else to tell him, she hung up directly after that. Toby glanced at the screen that had already reverted to the menu page while pulling his lips into a thin line. Then, he stood up to head out of the office. Around an hour later, he arrived in front of Sonia’s apartment unit.
“Toby?” Tyler shot up from where he sat, frightened by Toby’s arrival. “Why are you here?”
“I came to bring you home,” Toby answered solemnly after taking a look at the door behind Tyler.
With his head hung low, Tyler dared not disobey his brother. “Toby, how did you know I’m here?”
Instead of replying to Tyler’s question, Toby stepped forward to knock on the door, which opened soon after. Sonia leaned against the shoe cabinet while supporting herself with a crutch.
There was a look of concern in Toby’s eyes when he took in the state that Sonia was in; even his tone softened when he spoke. “How’s your leg doing?”
“It’s fine. At least it’s not broken,” Sonia answered nonchalantly.
Meanwhile, Tyler glanced at Sonia, and then at Toby. “You don’t seem all that surprised by her injury, Toby. Did you already know that she’s injured?”
Still ignoring Tyler, Toby watched Sonia in silence. “I’ll have someone send you some nourishing food later.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Sonia declined his offer directly.
Toby kept a straight face. “Sonia, can’t you be less stubborn?”
“Am I?” Sonia huffed an exasperated laugh. “Is not accepting your offer a show of obstinacy? What nonsense is that?”
“Like I said, you got injured in my hotel, so I’m responsible for that,” Toby explained in all seriousness.
Sonia waved her hand. “I won’t hold you accountable. All I want is to stay away from you. Besides, isn’t Tina going to be displeased by the fact that you keep coming after me? I don’t want her to plot against me again and make me end up all bruised and battered.”
“She won’t do that.” Toby frowned, feeling displeased by her accusation. Tina already promised to never repeat those same mistakes.
Sonia chuckled. “Suit yourself if you’re so certain about it. Alright, gentlemen. It’s getting late, so I would like to get some rest. You can see yourselves out.” She gestured at the exit to indicate that it was time for them to leave.
After staring at Sonia for a moment, Toby took Tyler with him, ready to leave. All of a sudden, Sonia called out to them. “Hold on.”
Toby felt joy for some reason, but he contained it well when he turned around. “Is there something else?”
Sonia pointed at Tyler. “President Fuller, please watch over your brother in the future. Make sure that he doesn’t come here to disturb my peace and give me trouble all the time.”
Discontented, Tyler shot back, “I’m not giving you trouble!”
“Oh, is that so?” Sonia tilted her head. “Do you believe that your mother will accuse me of seducing her son if I call to tell her that you’re with me?”
“I—” Tyler choked on his words while a blush crept onto his youthful and handsome face. He didn’t have a comeback for that, nor could he deny Sonia’s claims, for he knew his mother was definitely capable of that.
“So, stop coming to my place. I’ve done all I could after helping you out twice. All I wish for by this point is to cut all ties with your family. Got it?” Sonia swept a cold glance at Tyler before fixing her gaze on Toby’s face. After a few seconds, she averted her gaze without hesitation before shutting the door.
While looking at the door in front of him, all Toby could imagine was Sonia’s eyes. They used to contain feelings for him, but it was all gone; all that was left was a cold stare. It meant that she already got over him.
Upon realizing that, Toby’s heart wrenched in pain. Shouldn’t I be glad that Sonia finally let go of me? It means I will be free from the burden of her feelings, but why don’t I feel happy? Instead, my heart is aching and hollow. It’s as if I have lost something important.
Meanwhile, Tyler gulped when he noticed Toby clenching his fists. “What are you doing, Toby?” he inquired carefully. Is he feeling like punching someone to vent his anger after being treated by Sonia so harshly? This won’t do! The moment he thought of that, he tried to placate Toby. “Say, Toby—”
“Let’s go!” Toby cut him short before turning to walk toward the elevator.
Startled by his reaction, Tyler glanced at Sonia’s door before picking up the basketball and running after Toby. Behind the door, Sonia heaved a sigh of relief after seeing the two of them leave. Then, she covered the screen of the surveillance camera before retiring to her room.
The next day, Sonia was roused by a phone call. After taking the phone from the bedside table, she didn’t even check the caller ID before sticking the phone to her ear. “Hello, who is this?”
“President, Reed, it’s me!” Daphne’s bright voice came through.
Sonia opened her eyes while sitting up on her bed. “What is it?”
“I have good news. The banks called to express their consent on offering us the loans. Those that already offered a loan also agreed to stick to the schedule we agreed on for the repayment scheme.” Daphne could hardly contain her excitement.
Sonia smiled gladly. “That’s great.”
“Yeah. The banks even offered to cut the interests by 0.5% after causing us trouble last night. The representatives are already at the company. When will you arrive at the office, President Reed?”
“I’ll be there after getting myself ready for work. In the meantime, show them some hospitality.”
“Sure.” Daphne nodded.
With that, Sonia set her phone aside while heaving a sigh of relief. Since the company’s crisis is averted, Melody should also have paid for her actions. The thought of it prompted Sonia to search for related news online.
Sure enough, articles of what happened to the Stryders popped up immediately. Melody’s father was demoted, while her uncles were removed from their respective positions. Having lost half of their power, the Stryders were no longer the most prestigious family in Norfolk, for they had declined into one of the weakest ones.
Such an outcome was only possible because Matthew was still alive. If he were gone, even Melody’s father would be removed from his position as well. If that was the case, the Stryders would be kicked out of the ranks of the upper class society and become a normal family. All of that happened because of Melody, who would in turn hold a grudge against Tina.
“Haha.” Sonia laughed, apparently in a good mood.
Just as what she had expected, Melody indeed abhorred Tina. She was standing in front of Southfield Estate. Her face was contorted with rage as she held up her phone to give Tina a call. By that point, she was nothing but a shell of her former self as an arrogant young lady. All that was left within her was vicious hatred that made her pretty face look terrible.
Soon, Tina picked up her call before asking in a gentle voice, “What’s the matter, Miss Stryder?”
“Tina Gray!” Melody was seething.
Tina froze for a second before she forced a smile. “What happened, Miss Stryder?”
“How dare you even ask, Tina?” Melody yelled at her without a care for her image. “It’s all your fault! I wouldn’t be used as leverage against my family if I didn’t try to teach Sonia a lesson for your sake! Now that my family has fallen from grace, they’re all pointing fingers at me! Peter is demanding a divorce too! Are you happy now that I’ve become the target of everybody’s insults and disdain?”
