The Complexity of Men
Toby was right.
Sonia took the call. “What is it, Charles?”
“The portrait’s done, babe,” Charles said solemnly.
Sonia sat up straighter. “Really? Who’s the culprit?” She couldn’t see, so there was no point in sending
her the portrait. Besides, she knew Charles must have looked into the culprit’s identity the moment the
portrait was done, so it was easier asking him for the answer.
“You know her too. It’s Rina, the Grays’ daughter,” Charles answered more somberly than ever.
Sonia’s eyes widened. “Impossible!” she answered reflexively. Taylor? That’s impossible! That’s the spy
Zane and I hired!
“Why? Do you know her, babe?” Charles frowned in suspicion.
Sonia answered, “Yes. I’m sorry for keeping this a secret, but Rina isn’t the Grays’ daughter. She’s a
woman called Taylor. She’s a spy Zane and I hired to keep an eye on the Grays.”
“What?” Charles raised his voice. “You kept this thing a secret from me? That’s huge!”
“Sorry, Charles.” Sonia stared at the ground, embarrassed. She didn’t divulge it to Charles because
she didn’t see the need to. After all, this was a grudge between her, the Colemans, and the Grays. It
had nothing to do with the Lanes, so she didn’t want to drag them into this. Besides, the fewer people
who knew about it, the better. That would keep the chances of exposing Taylor to a minimum.
After Sonia apologized, Charles calmed down and thought about the reasons she kept it a secret. He
could understand her stance, but it still made him uneasy, since he felt alienated. In the end, he pursed
his lips. “Forget it. I can understand why you kept this a secret, but babe, the culprit really is R… I
mean Taylor. I let Alice see the portrait. She didn’t admit it, but her expression told me everything I
needed to know. Your spy betrayed you.”
Sonia gripped her phone tightly, apparently still in shock. “Impossible…”
“Not impossible. Let me guess. She comes from a poor, misogynistic family, doesn’t she?” Charles
asked.
“Yes.”
“Of course she’d betray you.” Charles sighed. “You and Zane overlooked something important—human
greed. Think about it. You hired someone who grew up poor to act as a rich family’s daughter. Once
she has a taste of that kind of wealth, there’s no way she can stay loyal to you.”
“That’s…” Sonia didn’t want to believe it, but Charles was right. Taylor had a taste of unimaginable
wealth, and she didn’t want to let it go. However, that wouldn’t be easy, since there were two people
who would get in her way. Me and Zane. That reason was enough for Taylor to turn her back on them.
Ah, so that’s why Alice said I’m a threat to the culprit. After all, I can expose her true identity, and that’s
a big threat. No wonder she attacked me, but why did she want to get rid of my birthmark? What does
this have to do with her? That’s still a mystery. Sonia pursed her lips.
Charles continued, “I had no idea Taylor was your spy. I thought she was really Rina and she attacked
you to avenge Tina, but it turns out she only did it so she can stay as Rina forever. We must get her,
babe.”
“I know.” Sonia stared at the ground. I’ve been far too kind, and far too naive. She thought Taylor was
weak and could be easily controlled, but she never thought Taylor was just putting on an act. To make
things worse, she had fooled Sonia and Zane, and now she had become a threat.
Sonia touched her bandage and blinked, her eyes glinting with murder. We can’t undo our decision, but
we can cut our losses. Taylor must go. “Charles, keep an eye on her, and don’t let her know we found
out she’s the culprit. I’ll handle it once I get back,” Sonia said coldly.
Charles nodded. “Okay. Don’t worry about it.”
“Good. See you later. The show’s beginning.” Sonia put her phone down and handed it to Rebecca.
Rebecca looked at her. “What happened, miss?”
“It’s nothing.” Sonia shook her head. “Let’s watch the show.”
Rebecca didn’t press her and shifted her attention to the runway.
Toby saw the whole thing, and he fell into his own thoughts.
Tom asked, “Sir, how will Miss Reed handle Taylor?”
Toby pursed his lips. “Not sure. We should keep an eye on it.”
He then went to the waiting room.
Tom asked, “Aren’t you watching, sir?”
“It’s just a bunch of guys walking down a runway. Do you think those guys are better than me?” Toby
glanced at Tom coldly.
Tom coughed. “No.” Well, the boss is better than those models in terms of looks and figure. The models
lose out when it comes to looks. Even the celebrities can’t compare. Carl’s the only contender, but the
boss is more mature than he is. None of them is a match for the boss.
Toby nodded satisfactorily and entered the waiting room.
At the same time, the show was already halfway done.
Rebecca was reading through the list, then her eyes shone. “Carl’s next, miss.”
Sonia perked up. “Good. Finally.”
“I’ll turn the camera on. It’ll take too long otherwise.” Rebecca turned her phone’s camera on and aimed
it at the runway.
It was then that a slender man slowly walked down the runway.
Rebecca held the phone with one hand and shook Sonia’s shoulder with another. “Carl’s here, miss!”
“Yes, yes. Stop shaking me.” Sonia was swaying and feeling dizzy from all the shaking.
After Rebecca took her hands off, Sonia sat up straighter and faced the runway. She couldn’t see, but it
didn’t stop her. At least she had to show some support.
Carl was walking down the runway indifferently. He looked like he didn’t care, but actually, he was
scanning the audience for Sonia. When he saw her waving at her with a smile, his eyes shone with
delight. She’s really here!
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda