Chapter 827 Remember to Wake Me Up
It only went to show that Toby, with Sonia’s purse slung over his shoulder, was a hilarious sight indeed, and those who were fortunate enough to witness this moment were either wide-eyed with surprise or pressing their lips together to keep from laughing.
There were even some standing a little further away from the scene who took out their phones and snapped pictures, emboldened by the distance and the low likelihood of getting caught. After that, they excitedly shared the pictures with their respective work groups.
It didn’t take long before the pictures of Toby with a woman’s purse slung around him began to circulate among the employees, and naturally, they all laughed at this comical sight.
The entire Paradigm Co. was buzzing like it was New Year’s as everyone pored over the funny pictures.
Being the chairman, Sonia was not in the employees’ various group chats, but she saw the pictures of Toby in the executive group anyway. After all, the world was never short of gossip-mongers, and it was only par for the course that something as hilarious and bombastic as this would make its way from the employees’ group text to the executives’.
As Sonia gazed at the picture of Toby walking alongside her with her purse slung over his shoulder, she couldn’t help but sputter and burst into laughter.
Next to her in the driver’s seat, Toby had already started the car and was ready to pull away from the curb when he heard her laugh. He put a hand on the steering wheel and turned to look at her in askance. “What are you laughing at?”
Sonia quickly flipped her phone screen-down on her thigh, then met his eyes. Amusement glittered in her gaze, and her cheeks were flushed. She shook her head and said in a voice that quivered with repressed laughter, “Oh, nothing, just a funny picture on the internet.”
She didn’t even consider showing him the picture, knowing that he would only sulk if he saw that he had become the joke of the day.
Toby narrowed his eyes skeptically. “A funny picture?”
“Yeah,” she replied as she deftly locked her phone.
His gaze fell upon the phone. “Show me the picture, then.”
“I’ve already turned my phone off,” Sonia said as she showed him the black screen of her phone to prove a point. Then, she quickly set it aside and changed the subject. “Okay, forget about all that, because it’s not as important as getting home so I can finally eat. I’m starving.” As she said this, she patted her stomach.
Upon hearing this, Toby naturally abandoned the subject of the funny picture and nodded as he said, “Sit tight.”
She hummed in response. “I’m all strapped in,” she declared while clutching her seatbelt.
It was only then that he released the brakes and steered the car away from the curb.
When Sonia saw that he had willingly dropped the matter of the picture and that he had his eyes on the road while he drove, she let out a sigh of relief. She subtly clicked into her phone once more and found the picture, then saved it.
A picture this hilarious could very well be the only one of its kind, and if she didn’t save it now, it would be her loss, seeing as there would be no carbon copies. She would hate to miss out on owning such a special memento.
Who knows? I might even pull it up to cheer myself up on a bad day.
At the thought of this, she carefully stored the image on her phone and set up a password for it so that Toby wouldn’t snoop around and come across it. She knew he would throw a fit for sure if he ever saw it.
After she was done setting up the password, she smiled in satisfaction and shoved her phone into her bag, then let out a small yawn.
Toby caught sight out of the corner of his eyes, so he pointed out gently, saying, “We’ll be hitting traffic soon, so it might take a while before we get home. Take a nap if you’re tired. I can wake you up when we arrive.” Sleep now so you won’t be tired later, he thought as his gaze darkened.
Oblivious to his devilish thoughts, Sonia massaged her temples and glanced at the view up ahead. He was right when he said that they would be hitting traffic soon. She could see that it would be a slow crawl from this point forward, and there was no telling how long it would take for them to get back to Bayside Residence. As such, she nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll take a nap. Remember to wake me up when we get home, and don’t try to carry me up, either. I don’t want you putting any more strain on your arm before it heals completely.”
He nodded obediently in agreement. “Got it.”
She let out another yawn and reclined her seat, then lay in a lounging position as she closed her eyes. Before long, she was fast asleep.
Toby glanced over at her side profile while she slept. He took his hand off the steering wheel and reached for her face, then caressed it softly.
As if sensing someone touching her, Sonia frowned and reached up semi-consciously to swat his hand away, and her lips parted as she mumbled, “Don’t… That tickles…”
Her voice was thick and soft with sleep, like a down feather that brushed over the edge of Toby’s ears. He stiffened and raised his hand to pinch his ear to ease the sudden, ticklish sensation, then turned to see Sonia flipping on her side. She was now facing the passenger seat window.
At the sight of this, he chuckled and let her be. He retracted his hand and elegantly unbuttoned his suit jacket, then shrugged it off. He shook it out to straighten the fabric, after which he carefully draped it over Sonia’s sleeping frame and brushed her hair away from her delicate face. It was only after that that he straightened up in his seat, refastened his seatbelt, and proceeded to drive.
There was no telling how much time had passed before they finally parked outside Bayside Residence.
It was already nightfall, and upon their arrival, Toby tenderly stirred Sonia from sleep.
She rubbed her eyes groggily and took in the confined space of the car. Registering where she was, she sat up slowly and asked, “Are we here?” She wasn’t entirely awake just yet, and her voice was still soft and hoarse from sleep.
“We are.”
Nodding, he turned on the lights in the car, and at once, the dimness inside the vehicle was replaced by a much-welcomed brightness.
Sonia peered out the windshield, and she knew that they were home when she saw that they were in the familiar parking lot. She unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to flash a smile at Toby. “I’m glad you decided to wake me up instead of carrying me up into the apartment like you usually do.”
He shrugged. “I figured you would only wake up and lecture me if I did the latter.”
She rubbed her stiff neck and said, “Good to know you’re aware of it. I couldn’t care less if your arm was perfectly fine and you insisted on carrying me up, but seeing as you’re still recovering, I wouldn’t want to live with the guilt of worsening your injury.”
“As if I would make you feel guilty if that ever happened,” he pointed out solemnly as he met her gaze.
She rolled her eyes at him. “Even if you don’t, my conscience would make sure I drown in guilt. Now, what time is it?” As she asked, she raised her arm and glanced at her watch. “Oh, it’s almost 9.00PM.” She seemed stunned by this. “I didn’t think it’d be this late. Were we stuck in traffic for long?”
He nodded. “Kind of.”
She put her arm down as realization dawned upon her. “It’s no wonder I’m starving, then. Come on, let’s get out of the car.”
Toby hummed in response and got out of the car at the same time she did.
After closing the car door, Sonia shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over her arm. When she saw him rounding the vehicle to meet her, she handed the jacket to him.
However, he pushed the jacket back to her and said, “Wear it. You’ll only catch a chill if you give it back to me now.”
“No, I won’t.” She shook her head and handed him the jacket with more insistence. “You’re the one wearing a waistcoat and shirt, so there’s a higher chance of you catching the chill than me. Put your jacket on, and no, I don’t believe that a big, strong man like you won’t catch a cold. Some women might believe it, but I’m not that gullible. Humans are susceptible to the cold weather no matter the gender, so come on, pull on the jacket,” she said with a steely edge to her voice, looking as if she would not take no for an answer.
Toby raised a brow at her and let out a low chuckle, then grabbed the jacket. “Okay, fine, I’ll wear it.”
He knew she was only worried that he would get sick, and he would much rather do as he was told than make her worry.
When Sonia saw that he had pulled on the jacket, she smiled in satisfaction and said, “Right, let’s go home now.”
