Chapter 945 Am I a Merchandise
After hearing Grace asking about Daphne, Sonia instantly became nervous. Initially leaning back in her chair, she adjusted her posture slightly and sat up, straightening her back. “Oh, Daphne? She’s fine.”
“Is that so? Well, good to hear that.” Grace nodded. “I happened to meet her today while I was at the hospital for a checkup. At the time, I noticed that she looked somewhat pale while holding a thick pile of papers in her hand. I thought she was seriously ill, so I asked her immediately if she was alright, but she told me that she only had some problems with her neck.”
Sonia bit her lower lip. “You mean you don’t believe that she’s got a problem with her neck?”
Grace nodded. “Of course. I’ve known that young lady for years, so I know her to a degree. She lowered her head and dared not look me in the eye when she answered my question, so it was obvious that she was lying. Since she lied without telling me what was wrong with her, I couldn’t force her to tell me the truth, so I pretended to buy her story. We then had a little chat before she made an excuse and left in a hurry, as if she feared that I’d stop her. I was wondering why she was so afraid of me at the time. It’s not like I’m a tiger that will eat her.”
“I see.” Sonia raised her chin at the revelation. Then, she asked tentatively, “In that case, Mrs. Lane, didn’t you ask those at the hospital what was wrong with Daphne after she left?”
Grace shook her head. “No, I didn’t. She didn’t want to tell me about it, so how could I ask about these things? It’ll be disrespectful toward her if I find out these things without permission.”
“Oh, I see.” Sonia patted her chest while breathing an inward sigh of relief. Luckily, Mrs. Lane is still unaware that Daphne is pregnant. Well, that’s understandable. If she knew about it, she wouldn’t have been so composed.
Suddenly, Grace asked, “Sonny, do you know about Daphne’s illness?”
Sonia’s eyes flickered as she answered guiltily, “Uh-huh. I know a little about it.”
“No wonder you were so calm when I asked you just now whether Daphne was alright. You were unruffled even when I mentioned that I met her at the hospital. So, you’ve learned about it earlier on.”
“Yeah, sort of.” Sonia gave an embarrassed smile. “She’s now my secretary, so she had to ask me for leave before going to the hospital to see a doctor.”
“That’s true. How could I forget about this?” Grace slapped her forehead. Then, she continued, “By the way, Sonny, Daphne didn’t want to tell others what kind of illness she had. I noticed that she looked very unwell at the time, so I thought she was probably seriously ill. Moreover, she left in a hurry at the time. I guess she probably couldn’t accept it and was devastated, so I’m worried that she might abandon herself to despair and refuse to receive treatment. Since you’re her boss, you have to persuade her to receive treatment.”
At Grace’s words, Sonia didn’t know whether to laugh or to frown. She never expected that Grace would misinterpret Daphne’s ‘illness’ so badly, as though the latter was suffering from an incurable disease. She couldn’t help but chuckle, but she could only hold back her laughter to avoid arousing Grace’s suspicion. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she replied, “Alright, Mrs. Lane, I’ll do that. Don’t worry.”
“That’s good. Well, I’ve got nothing else to say. You haven’t finished work yet, so I won’t keep you any longer,” Grace said after checking the time.
“Uh-huh,” Sonia mumbled. After hanging up the phone, she opened her Messenger and sent Daphne a voice message to tell her what Grace had just said.
In the large office next door, Daphne listened to Sonia’s words via the Bluetooth earpiece she was wearing. Knowing that Grace cared so much about her, she felt warm and yet conflicted inside, and her eyes moistened slightly. What a kind person Mrs. Lane is! Too bad that we’re not meant to be close.
Having listened to Sonia’s voice message, she sent Sonia a text message that read, ‘Please say thanks to Mrs. Lane for me, Chairman Reed.’ Then, she switched off her phone, put away her innermost feelings, and proceeded to bury herself in work, knowing that she couldn’t allow herself to be moved too deeply, nor could she dwell too much upon it, or she would crave for more and become even more resentful and regretful.
When Sonia saw that Daphne had only asked her to thank Grace on her behalf without mentioning anything else in her reply message, she let out a sigh and shook her head.
Then, she started working again without replying to Daphne’s message.
It was soon time to get off work. As soon as Sonia stretched after dealing with the last document, someone knocked on the door to her office. Thinking that it was one of her assistants or secretaries, she immediately sat up straight and straightened her clothes. Only then did she say in the door’s direction, “Come in.”
The knock on the door stopped. The next instant, the door was opened.
Surprisingly, the person who came in wasn’t Sonia’s assistant or secretary, but a certain man with the last name of Fuller. “Have you finished work?” he asked in a soft voice while looking at the woman behind the desk with a smile as he came in.
When she saw him, Sonia promptly stood up with a look of unconcealed surprise on her face. “Why are you here?” Soon after that, though, she recalled something, and the look of surprise on her face faded. Letting out a snort, she settled back in her chair and turned away, looking as though she didn’t want to see the man because she was angry with him.
Toby was startled upon seeing this. “I’m here to pick you up from work. What’s the matter?” He walked up to her as fast as his long legs could carry him. “Did I do something wrong that upset you?”
Still unwilling to turn to face him, Sonia let out another snort.
Toby came to her side and placed his hands on her shoulders before forcibly turning her around. “Look at me.”
Sonia was unwilling to do so, though.
He let out a soft sigh. Then, he raised her chin to force her to face him. “Come on, tell me what I’ve done. If I did something wrong, I’ll apologize to you for that, okay?” Despite saying so, he didn’t think he had done anything wrong. However, if she firmly believed that he had done something wrong, he was willing to say he was wrong and apologize to her. After all, she was his woman, so he would appease her however he wanted to, as long as she was happy.
Upon hearing his words, Sonia finally turned around and looked him in the eye. She said jealously with a snort, “Congratulations, President Fuller. Someone has taken a fancy to you and wants you to be their son-in-law—again.”
“What?” Toby was startled at first before his face fell. “That’s nonsense. Why didn’t I know about such a thing?” He had always known that many women in the upper-class circles were eying him covetously and that many families were seeking to establish a connection with him. However, ever since he threatened those in the circles many years ago, those women and families who were interested in him had never shown up before him and gotten in his way, fearing that he would pick on them in a fit of anger if they annoyed him. As a result, these people gave up on trying to become related to him over time, which was why he thought it impossible when Sonia said now that someone had taken a fancy to him and wanted him to be their son-in-law. And besides, how could he possibly be unaware of such a thing if it was true?
“I’m not talking nonsense.” Sonia threw her hands up. “Mrs. Lane told me about this, saying that the Wallaces, who are in the seafood business, have their eyes on you and want to steal you from me. How does that feel, Mr. Fuller? You must be feeling smug now that you’re a hot item.”
Seeing how she pretended to make fun of him despite her apparent jealousy, Toby was inwardly delighted. The fact that she’s jealous means that she loves me, he thought. “That’s nonsense.” He released his grip on her chin and gently tickled her nose. “Why should I feel smug? Am I a merchandise that needs their appraisal? And besides, do I have to become their son-in-law just because they want me to? They’re belittling me,” he said. As he spoke of this, his face became visibly sullen, and the air around him turned frosty.
