At that moment, Tyler recalled when Toby forced him to apologize to Tina two days ago. Even though he hadn’t done anything, Toby assumed that he was in the wrong as soon as Tina cried. What happened back then was eerily similar to what was going on now.
As he was immersed in his own thoughts, he heard Toby calling out to him. “Why are you still standing there? Let’s go!”
Snapping back to his senses, Tyler jogged over with his basketball. “Where is the press?”
“Toby dismissed them,” Tina replied gently.
All the while, Tyler was staring at her with a complex look, like he was trying to see through her.
Feeling uneasy under his stare, Tina caressed her face. “Tyler, why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?”
“Nope.” Tyler averted his gaze before shaking his head.
Tina smiled. “I thought there’s something on my face.”
“Alright, let’s get into the car. There might be more of the press coming,” Toby said while holding Tina’s shoulder. With a nod, Tina grunted in agreement.
All of a sudden, Tyler blurted, “Toby, I won’t be coming with you. I’m going somewhere else.”
“Where are you going?” Toby gazed at him.
Something flashed across Tyler’s eyes. “It’s my secret. Just know that I’ll be going back late. I’m leaving now!” With that, he ran to the side of the road to leave in a cab he hailed.
While Toby was frowning, Tina watched him with a smile on her face. “Could Tyler have a crush? I saw him reading a letter that day.”
A letter? Toby arched his brow, recalling the letter he saw in Tyler’s room. Could that be a love letter?
“Toby, what are you thinking about?” Tina nudged Toby with her shoulder.
After regaining his senses, he cleared his throat. “It’s nothing. Let’s go.”
“Alright.” Tina agreed to it smilingly.
After getting into the car, Toby stared at the road ahead of them before suddenly asking, “Tina, do you have anything to do with the incident online?”
Tina tensed up a little when she heard that, but she pretended to look a little sad. “Of course not. Toby, are you suspecting me?”
Toby pulled his lips into a thin line; he didn’t actually admit to her claim, but he didn’t deny it either. “I saw the image posted on the status post. It’s a screenshot of Sonia and me while we were watching the basketball match. You told me that you were watching the livestream.” Sonia was right in the sense that Tina would do something like that out of jealousy. After all, she had a record of doing that.
Upon hearing that, Tina teared up. “Toby, how could you think of me like that? Yes. I watched the livestream, or else I wouldn’t have known that you’re hurt. However, it doesn’t mean I will do something like that. Besides, I already promised that I will never target Miss Reed anymore. I wouldn’t dare to disappoint you. What if you abandon me?” With that, she turned away to look out of the window indignantly, seemingly giving no more attention to Toby.
When Toby saw from his peripheral vision the look of chagrin on her face, he felt sorry for her, and was regretting his actions. Perhaps I am being overly suspicious of her. “Sorry, Tina. I shouldn’t have doubted you.” After parking the car by the road, Toby unbuckled his seatbelt to reach out and hug her.
While huddling close to Toby in her aggrievedness, Tina sobbed. “It’s alright. I know people will suspect me as soon as something happened to Miss Reed because of the bad blood between us. I’m already used to that.”
Upon hearing that, Toby’s heart ached for her as he patted her on the back. “No, I will never doubt you ever again.”
“Really?” Tina looked up with her eyes moist with tears.
Toby nodded. “I promise!”
It wasn’t until then that a smile bloomed on Tina’s face to replace the sorrowful expression on it. “Okay, Toby. Let’s continue driving. Stopping here will obstruct the flow of traffic. We might cause an accident.”
“Okay.” After letting her go, Toby buckled up and started the car. So it really is a misunderstanding. Considering how kind Tina is, she would never do something like that. What happened at Mt Buller Resort was a one-off situation in which she went off-track. With that in mind, Toby stopped frowning as he eliminated his doubts toward Tina. Upon noticing that, Tina hung her head low as a faint smile tugged on her lips.
Soon, they arrived at Fuller Group. Toby noticed from afar that the press were already waiting for them at the main entrance. While narrowing his eyes, he turned the car around to drive it to one of the more secluded entrances of the building before leading Tina in from there. After that, they took the elevator to the top floor.
Tom was already waiting for them at the door of the president’s office. As soon as they exited the elevator, he nodded at them. “President Fuller, Miss Gray.”
“Hello, Tom.” Tina greeted him smilingly.
Tom returned the gesture before facing Toby and said, “President Fuller, I already gave instructions to investigate the incident as per your request. I believe the results will come out soon.”
With a grunt, Toby entered the office, and Tina followed behind him. “Toby, what will you do after you uncover the person who posted that status? How are you going to deal with them?”
“It’ll depend on Sonia.” Toby pulled out his chair as he replied, “She’s the biggest victim after all.”
Tina’s face froze. What does he mean with Sonia being the biggest victim? Is the incident from six years ago fake? At that moment, her phone rang. She collected herself before retrieving her phone. When she saw the caller ID on the screen, something flashed across her eyes before she excused herself with a smile. “Toby, I need to take a call from my father.”
Toby didn’t doubt her, so he agreed with a nod. After that, Tina walked out to the balcony with her phone, and made sure to close the door behind her before picking up. “Hello, Cynthia.”
“Tina, did you see the status on social media?” Cynthia’s voice was full of excitement.
Despite the impassive look on her face, Tina asked in mock surprise, “Cynthia, don’t tell me that you did that?”
“Indeed!” Cynthia seemed so proud of herself.
While biting on her lip, Tina chastised, “Cynthia, so it really is you. How could you—”
“What is it, Tina? Should I not have done that?” Cynthia furrowed her brows in confusion.
Tina lowered her gaze. “Of course. Now that you have exposed what happened six years ago, Miss Reed is currently experiencing cyberbullying.”
“I know. That has been my aim all along. I want the public to know what kind of person she really is,” Cynthia stated nonchalantly.
Tina heaved a sigh. “You—Geez, you’re in hot water now, Cynthia. Toby is currently investigating the person who posted the status.”
Upon hearing that, Cynthia’s heart sank, but she quickly recovered from it. “Why is he investigating it? Is he thinking of helping Sonia? How could he do that when he’s your fiancé?”
“I don’t think that’s the case.” Tina shook her head. “It might be for the sake of him and myself. After all, it’s a private affair between us.”
By then, Cynthia’s expression changed, and her limbs became cold. Her voice was also trembling because of fear. “W-What should I do then?” She already posted the status, and hired trolls to hype things up so that the post would reach the top of the search list. There was no way in hell she could take all that back.
Immediately, Cynthia began regretting her rashness. She was only planning to give Sonia some trouble, but she had no idea she was exposing Toby’s private affair. When she thought of Toby’s methods in his business dealings, her face paled with shock.
Meanwhile, Tina heaved another sigh. “I don’t know what to do, Cynthia. You were being too rash.”
Cynthia gripped her phone with both of her hands, now on the verge of tears. “Tina, you have to help me! I did everything for you! You have to save me, Tina!”
