“No, I’m not going with you.” Cynthia backed away while shaking her head.
Sternly, the police added, “We will be forced to arrest you if you won’t come with us, which will result in having one more charge pressed against you.”
Frightened by the declaration, Cynthia put the phone back to her ear. “Tina, the police have come to arrest me. Help me! Please help me!”
However, no response came from the other end. Cynthia checked the phone, only to realize that the call had already ended. At that moment, she fell into utter despair, collapsing onto the floor stupefied. The policemen exchanged glances before reaching out to carry Cynthia away.
“Hello, Miss Reed.” After getting into the police car, the policeman who showed his ID earlier contacted Sonia. “We already arrested the suspect.”
“Got it. Thank you.” Sonia expressed her gratitude smilingly before cutting the call.
Charles put a cup of coffee down in front of her. “Who is it?”
“The police.” Sonia sipped on her coffee.
Charles was hit with a realization. “Is it about Cynthia’s arrest?”
Sonia nodded. “Yup.”
Upon hearing that, Charles laughed gloatingly. “From what I gathered, Cynthia’s father has been hoping that she could marry into a rich family. I suppose that wish will never come true with how things are now. Her arrest will also affect Stone Incorporated’s image, so Chairman Stone must be abhorring her.”
“You’re right.” Sonia chuckled.
Then, a knock came from the office door before Daphne popped her head inside. “President Reed, a lawyer named Martin Holmes would like to meet you.”
“A lawyer?” Sonia arched her brow before turning to face Charles. “Did you hire him?”
Charles shook his head. “Why would I hire one when I have no reason to?”
“He claims to be from Fuller Group’s legal department,” Daphne explained.
“Fuller Group?” Charles narrowed his eyes. “Darling, he’s Toby’s employee. Could it be that what you said during the press conference offended him, and he’s now going to sue you?”
Sonia pulled her lips into a thin line. “We’ll find out as soon as we meet him. Let him in.”
“Okay.” Daphne nodded.
A minute later, the lawyer, Martin, came in before greeting both Sonia and Charles with a nod. “Good day, President Reed, President Lane.”
“Mr. Holmes, please have a seat.” Sonia gestured at him.
Martin thanked her before pulling out the chair across from her to sit down on it, while Charles poured him a cup of tea. After thanking Charles, he started to explain the reason for his visit. “President Reed, you must be aware that President Fuller sent me.”
“Does he want to sue me?” Sonia leaned backward with her gaze fixed on him.
Martin shook his head smilingly. “That’s not it. I came under his orders to redistribute the property between you after divorce.”
“Property settlement?” Charles cried out in surprise.
Sonia was also startled by what she heard. Meanwhile, Martin took out a document from his briefcase. “President Reed, this is the settlement that President Fuller drafted, which includes five villas, two apartment units, five cars, as well as two hundred million worth of alimony. Please take a look.” He passed the document over to her with both hands.
But Sonia didn’t take it.
Even so, Martin put the document down on the table, unaffected by her coldness. When he pushed the document across the table to her, Charles was the one who picked it up in her stead.
As he flipped through the document, Charles smirked. “How dare Toby even present us with this bit? Shouldn’t he have given Sonia half of his property? What about his company shares? Shouldn’t Sonia be entitled to half of that too?”
When Martin heard that, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. “You must be kidding, President Lane. Both President Reed and President Fuller signed a prenuptial agreement before their marriage, so President Reed isn’t entitled to the shares.”
Having signed the agreement, the fact that Toby was willing to offer that much was generous enough of him. Charles was also aware of it, so he pouted before shutting his mouth.
On the other hand, Sonia took the document while studying Martin. “Tell me something, Mr. Holmes. Why did President Fuller decide to offer me these all of a sudden?” Back when they divorced, she already made it clear that she wanted nothing from him. Therefore, she wondered what Toby was up to by offering all this to her a month after their divorce.
Martin was expecting the question, so he pushed his glasses up and answered, “Allow me to explain. The reason President Fuller gave you the cold shoulder during your marriage was because he assumed that you had forced yourself on him despite knowing the fact that he’s Tina’s boyfriend back then. However, after the press conference today, he came to understand that he misunderstood you, so he would like to offer you some compensation.”
“Hah! Nice try.” Charles rolled his eyes. “Compensation? After all the things he did to hurt her and trample her heart, compensation isn’t going to do sh*t to heal her broken heart. Besides, from what I can see, this isn’t even compensation. He’s just trying to salvage his name.”
“What do you mean by that?” Martin looked at Charles.
While crossing his arms, Charles added, “My darling already announced to the public the Fullers’ treatment of her throughout the years, so everybody knows now that he’s a scum. The only reason he sent you is to try to salvage what’s left of his public image.”
“Um…” Martin’s lips quivered. “President Lane, I don’t think President Fuller intended for it to be like that.”
“No matter what his intentions are, you can take everything back with you, Mr. Holmes. I want nothing to do with them. Back when I filed for divorce, I already made the decision to not ask for a single coin from him. I stand by my decision.” Sonia pushed the document back to Martin.
Martin seemed a little conflicted. “Please give this a bit more consideration, President Reed. President Fuller just wants to compensate you.”
“That won’t be necessary. I don’t need his compensation.” Sonia remained unfazed, so Martin had no choice but to leave in resignation.
After he left, Charles sat down on the chair that he was sitting on. “Darling, are you sure you won’t regret turning this down?”
“Why would I?” Sonia retorted calmly before picking up one of the company documents to read it.
Charles shrugged. When he was about to say something, his phone rang with a call from his assistant. “Darling, I need to leave to tend to company affairs. Call me if you need anything.” He made a gesture to indicate a phone call.
Sonia nodded at him. “Sure. Safe trips.”
Charles left after grunting in response, while Sonia lowered her head to continue reading through her documents. By afternoon, her driver sent her back to Bayside Residence. The doorbell rang when she was having dinner, so she went to open the door on her crutches.
When the door swung open, Toby was standing on the other side. Sonia was startled for a moment when she saw him. Then, she pulled her lips into a thin line, ready to close the door. Without warning, Toby reached out to block the door. “I need to tell you something.”
“I don’t think there’s anything more to say between us. Please leave, President Fuller. The people will come up with another story if they see you entering my apartment,” Sonia mocked.
With a frown, Toby reassured her, “That won’t happen. I already checked our surroundings. Nobody knows I’m here.”
“Oh? So you’re proud of your achievements?” A mirthless smile tugged on Sonia’s lips, her gaze on him chilly.
Toby felt his heart wrenching painfully. She really doesn’t love me anymore. Or else, she wouldn’t be so distant. She’s also looking at me the way I used to look at her. “Why don’t you want the property?” Toby’s lips quivered when he raised the question.
Knowing what he meant, Sonia shot back, “Why would I want it?”
“Those are compensation from me to you. I owe you for what I did to you during the past few years.” Toby watched her with an apologetic look.
Sonia sneered at him. “Didn’t Mr. Holmes tell you that I don’t need your compensation? Since I want to cut ties with you, I won’t take anything from you. I was also at fault for being on the receiving end of your poor treatment, so you don’t have to apologize. Alright, you can leave now, President Fuller.”
