Deliberately Nurtured This Way
“It’s not funny at all!” Toby refuted Sonia with a stormy expression.
Sonia’s smile froze on her face. “You… you’re upset?”
She saw how grim he looked, and it was obvious that he was angry.
Toby reached out and cupped Sonia’s face with both of his hands. “I am angry. In fact, I’m furious. Do
you have any idea why?”
Sonia blinked in bewilderment. She did not respond since she obviously had no idea why.
Toby sighed. “I’m angry because you made a fool out of Connor right to his face. Did you think about
what would’ve happened if you had infuriated him, and he decided to do something to you right there
and then? What would happen to you if he did that?”
“I… I know it was careless of me.” Sonia finally figured out why Toby was angry. He was worried that
she might have gotten hurt.
She took his hands off her face. “Actually, as soon as I did that, I realized how reckless I had been
and regretted it. I was also worried that he might do something to me, but luckily, he had his
apprehensions and did not do anything to me.”
“You should be thankful that he had his apprehensions. If he had nothing to be wary of, then you
probably wouldn’t be here right now, but with Tim Lancaster.” Toby still had a deep frown on his face.
Sonia grabbed his arm and tried to appease him. “Okay, okay, don’t be angry anymore. I’ve realized
my mistake, and I won’t do it again.”
Toby felt helpless after taking a look at Sonia, who was blinking at him with a pitiful expression. He
massaged his temples and said, “So long as you don’t do it again.”
“I definitely won’t,” Sonia quickly promised.
Toby flicked her on the forehead. “Did Connor say anything after he changed his tune?”
“He told me to not make a decision so hastily, and that he was giving me two more days to
reconsider. He said I might change my mind,” Sonia replied.
Toby’s eyes narrowed. “Change your mind?”
“Yeah, that’s what he said. He looked like he was absolutely certain that I would change my mind
after thinking about it for two more days.”
Toby’s lips formed a thin line. “This means he’s got a hold against you, or else he would not have said
such a thing.”
“I think so too.” Sonia toyed with Toby’s hands as she asked in puzzlement, “But I don’t know what he
would have that he could use to threaten me.”
As soon as she returned to the apartment, she had begun to ponder about this, but she still could not
think of anything. This was why she was certain that Connor had nothing on her.
Toby glanced at her. “Since you can’t think of anything, then let’s not dwell on it. In two days’ time,
we’ll find out what he’s up to.”
“Yeah.” Sonia nodded. “I thought so too.”
“When the time comes, I’ll go with you to meet with him,” Toby decided.
Naturally, Sonia did not object. She would be quite nervous if she met Connor alone, but if Toby came
with her, then she would feel a lot more reassured. In any case, Connor did not say that she could not
bring someone with her.
“Did he say anything else?” Toby asked again.
Sonia shook her head. “No. He only said these things to me, but…”
She looked up at him in contemplation.
Toby realized that she had something to say that concerned him.
“Just say it,” Toby urged her while stroking her luscious hair.
Sonia took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll say it. Before he brought up the possibility of me forgiving Anya,
he mentioned that he didn’t come here just for Anya. He came to visit an old friend as well. Even
though he didn’t say who it was, I’m quite certain that he was talking about your mother.”
All at once, Toby’s expression darkened, and the air around him became a little stifling.
Sonia could feel it too, so she hurriedly grabbed his hand. “Toby, you…”
She tried to say something, but Toby interrupted her. “I’m fine.”
His voice was hoarse and full of disdain as he said, “He’s here to visit my mother? Hah. He betrayed
her, but he’s still shameless enough to come and see her. It’s been over thirty years. He never came
to see her when she was alive, and even after she died, he didn’t come to visit her grave either.
What’s the point of coming now? How much more insincere can he be?”
Sonia nodded in agreement.
She thought the same as well. Connor came running after over thirty years of absolute silence, so no
one would feel moved by his deep devotion. In fact, it would only make them feel disdainful. If Connor
really cared about Toby’s mother, then he would have come to Seafield to visit her, or at least visited
her grave when she died. If he did any of that, then Sonia would still be able to admit that he had
some decency in him.
But now, it was only her sense of dignity that stopped her from spitting on him.
“By the way, Toby, did you know?” All of a sudden, a thought occurred to Sonia and she gave Toby’s
thigh a light smack.
Toby felt a tinge of numbness in his thigh, and he cocked his eyebrows. “What is it?”
Sonia quickly summarized, “When I pictured Connor Salzburg, I always thought he would be this
hulking man with a menacing look in his eyes, but surprisingly, he actually looks like a scholarly
gentleman with a pleasant demeanor. He wore a white suit and carried a walking cane around with
him, and he looked like a distinguished professor. He was the complete opposite of what I had
expected.”
“I know. I’ve seen his picture before.” Toby had no reaction when he heard Sonia’s description. He
was well-aware of Connor’s appearance.
It only made sense, since Connor was who Toby suspected to have killed his father, and even if he
had not, Connor was still his mother’s ex-lover. It stood to reason that Toby would have some
understanding of Connor.
However, what Sonia was referring to was not Connor’s physical appearance, but his aura and
personality.
She bit her lip and asked tentatively, “Toby, do you remember what you used to be like? I’m talking
about the old you, before you were hypnotized.”
Toby narrowed his eyes. “Why are you asking me about this?”
Sonia averted her eyes. “Don’t ask me about it first. Just hurry up and answer me.”
She flapped his arm to hurry him.
She was acting cute toward him, and Toby had a weakness for that, so he dutifully responded to her
question. “Gentle?”
“What else?” Sonia continued urging him.
Toby chuckled. “Jolly. I would always have a smile on my face.”
This was how she had described him in the past, so he copied her words. In reality, he could not
recall what he had been like before. Thanks to the hypnosis, his memory of his past self was rather
fuzzy. He became the person that he was now because of the hypnosis, and there was no way for
him to return to his old personality.
Sonia sighed. “You’re right. The old you was indeed like that, but I’m curious to know—did someone
shape that old personality of yours?”
“My mother,” Toby replied at once. “My father and grandmother only paid attention to my education
and my moral character, but they never had a hand in shaping my personality. They believed that
each person had their own personality, and as long as I was an upright citizen, then I would be fine
no matter what my personality was like. My mother, on the other hand, had a different mindset, and
she influenced a large part of my old personality. She wanted to have a son with a gentle personality.
Since she was my mother, and since she was not trying to influence me in a negative way, I did not
go against her wishes.”
Toby was not very concerned about his personality, as he only cared about having a mind of his own.
He did not think that his way of thinking clashed with his personality. He was a clear-headed person,
so even if there was a mismatch between his thoughts and personality, it still would not affect his
decision-making.
Therefore, as he grew up, he continued to mold himself in accordance to his mother’s wishes, and
even during the ten-year period after his mother’s death, he still remained the same. It was only after
the hypnosis that he developed a new personality that was cold and distant, and when that
happened, the old Toby Fuller with a gentle personality was gone.
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