Sonia’s Guilt
Toby’s heart skipped a beat when he captured the sly look that flashed past Sonia’s eyes. However, he
remained calm and acted as if nothing happened. “What else?”
“Mrs. Lane also asked me whether you were nice to me. If you’re not…” She smirked.
Meanwhile, Toby’s grip on the cup that he was holding tightened a little. “What will happen if I’m not
nice?”
Noticing that his grip tightened, Sonia pursed her lips into a smile. “Kick you out of Lane Residence, of
course. She also recommended that I break up with you.”
Upon hearing that, Toby’s facial expression darkened immediately.
Although he knew that Grace only meant that only if he wasn’t nice to Sonia, he was still upset to hear
those words as it sounded ominous. How could he feel happy hearing that after all the effort he had
exercised to get Sonia back again?
“What about you? How did you reply to her?” Toby asked gloomily with his lips pursed.
Nevertheless, Sonia burst into giggles when she noticed his upset expression. “Of course I said yes.
Mrs. Lane would have rushed over if I said no.”
Immediately, the uneasiness that Toby was feeling dispersed into nothing. I knew she wouldn’t
disappoint me.
“Don’t worry. I can tell whether you’ve been nice to me or not, and I won’t lie to frame you.” Sonia
grabbed her cup and took a sip of water while Toby hummed in acknowledgment with a smile on his
face. “I know.”
“What time are we heading over tonight? I need to inform Mrs. Lane about it,” she placed her cup down
and asked.
At this moment, Toby glanced at his wristwatch and pondered for a moment before answering, “About
7.00PM, I guess. I need to head back to the old manor to talk to Grandma first as I need to clarify
something with her.”
His eyes narrowed before his facial expression darkened.
He wanted to know if Rose knew from the start that he had been raised by his mother as Connor’s
replacement.
Noticing the change in Toby’s facial expression, Sonia opened her lips and looked like she wanted to
say something.
However, she chose to not say it in the end and closed her mouth. Whatever. It’s better if I don’t ask
him about it since he didn’t mention why he wants to meet Grandma. If he didn’t tell me about it, he
probably doesn’t want me to know about it.
After lunch, Toby cuddled Sonia for a while before he pressed her against the couch and started
peppering her with kisses until she zoned out while staring at the ceiling. Then, he chuckled with
satisfaction and left.
Hearing the footsteps of the man walking away, Sonia didn’t bother getting up to send him off.
Why should I even send him off when I don’t have any energy left after those kisses? It’s already good
enough for him that I didn’t scold him. How dare he use the excuse of feeling upset for being a
replacement to get me to console him after I wash the dishes! How dare he press me against the couch
and take advantage of me?! What a shameless man!
She looked away from the ceiling and touched her red and swollen lips. Just then, there was an
embarrassed look on her face.
Sonia placed her arms against the couch behind her to prop herself up before turning to look at the
entryway.
There was no one there, and it was obvious that Toby already left.
Sonia looked away before she returned to the room to pack her stuff. It was time to head to Paradigm
Co.
Initially, she planned to head over early in the morning, but she couldn’t do so because of Connor.
Now that it was already afternoon, she couldn’t delay it anymore and had to head to Paradigm Co.
If she didn’t go again, her absence would be marked for the second day in a row. The higher
executives would surely criticize her as she was the president now.
Sighing, Sonia changed into a new set of outfit from the closet and did her makeup before heading out
with her handbag.
After a day and a half’s break from the company, she couldn’t help but feel like it had been a lifetime
ago since she last stepped foot at Paradigm Co.
Shaking her head and smiling, Sonia returned the greetings of her employees and headed into the
elevator. Then, she went up to the highest floor and entered her office.
After entering the office and placing her handbag down, someone knocked at her door before she
could even sit down.
Sonia took her seat and said to the person outside of her office, “Come in.”
Subsequently, the knocking on the door stopped. Immediately, the door was opened and a figure in a
black business suit entered the room.
It was Daphne.
At that moment, Daphne looked completely like a different person. She had cut her hair to a length that
was below her ears and changed out of her usual high heels into flats. Even her pair of glasses had
been changed.
Although the glasses’ frame was still black, it was way smaller than the previous one.
An odd look appeared on Sonia’s face when she saw Daphne’s change of appearance. “Miss Daphne,
why did you return to work so soon? Are you not going to take a break for a few more days? Also,
your…” She pointed at Daphne’s hair.
In response, Daphne placed the documents onto Sonia’s desk before replying with a smile, “I feel much
better after resting for two days, so I figured that it was time to come back to work. Since I’m used to
working with high intensity, I might find it hard to adapt back to work if I take a break for too long. As for
my hair…”
She ran her fingers through her hair. “One of my friends told me that my hairstyle last time was too old-
fashioned, so she took me to a hair salon to change my hairstyle since she noticed that I’ve been in a
bad mood recently. She claims that my mood will be lifted with a new hairstyle. Still, it’s my first time
cutting my hair so short, so I’m not sure if it looks nice.”
“It looks good.” Sonia quickly nodded. “It’s really nice and suits you very well. Your friend really has an
eye for good hairstyles.”
She complimented Daphne with a thumbs up.
Upon hearing that, Daphne seemed somewhat embarrassed as her face flushed. “Thank you for
complimenting me, Chairman Reed.”
“It’s not a compliment. It’s true that you look good like this. In fact, you look better now. Looks like you
really did adjust your mindset during your two days at home.”
“Yeah.” Daphne nodded. “Since President Lane doesn’t know that I fell pregnant, I won’t tell him about
it, and I’ll go through the abortion myself. After that, I’ll act like nothing ever happened. About President
Lane’s attitude toward me, I’ve already accepted the fact that feelings can’t be forced, and I won’t
dream of him having any feelings toward me anymore. I’m choosing to move on and see him as my
university friend and ex-boss. If that’s the case, I probably won’t feel as sad when he treats me badly,
wouldn’t I?”
When Sonia heard her words, a forceful smile appeared on her face. However, Sonia felt her heart
aching when she looked at Daphne. “Are you really planning to give up? Don’t you feel that it is a pity
to let go of a crush that lasted for years?”
Daphne shook her head. “I might feel that way, but what else can I do other than give up? Even if I
continue holding on, it won’t change President Lane’s perception of me. In fact, my determination might
even disgust him even more.”
Sonia was rendered speechless. It’s true that being determined isn’t necessarily rewarding as Daphne
didn’t manage to get Charles to fall in love with her. However, isn’t it the same for Charles on my side?
She sighed before staring at Daphne apologetically. “Maybe I shouldn’t have encouraged you to pursue
Charles in the first place.
Daphne had liked Charles ever since they studied in university together, and her crush on him
remained hidden until a few months ago, so Sonia encouraged Daphne to pursue Charles after finding
out about her feelings.
Then, Daphne gained courage because of her encouragement, which led to what happened today.
All of this is my fault!
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