Chapter 1081 Charles Likes Daphne
“Yes.” Sonia kept her phone in her bag before she casually leaned against the seat and stretched. Then, as if she were a furry cat, she curled up in the seat and responded softly, “But Charles and Daphne were university mates who later worked together for a few years.
Throughout that time, they remained purely subordinates. Daphne has never revealed her feelings for Charles, and all this while, he did not dislike her as well. It was after that incident that their relationship changed dramatically, and his attitude toward her deteriorated.”
“Perhaps Charles doesn’t truly dislike your secretary. He is simply refusing to face his feelings for Daphne. As a result, he subconsciously changed his attitude toward her, as if doing so would allow his feelings to remain hidden and undiscovered by others,” Toby said, his gaze fixed on the road ahead of him. Sonia was stunned by his words. “What do you mean?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” He came to a complete stop in front of a red light, giving him enough time to turn around and look at her. “Charles has nothing against your secretary. In fact, the opposite was true. He has feelings for her, but he is unaware of them.
He subconsciously wants to care for her without realizing that this is his love for a woman. Instead, he assumed there was something wrong with him that was caused by Daphne. That’s why his attitude toward her changed.”
Toby’s words hit Sonia like a bomb, leaving her stunned for a few moments before she regained her senses and her voice. “W-What?! Charles has feelings for Daphne, but he is unaware of it?”
Toby gave a nod. “That’s correct.” He then saw the green light was on and resumed his journey.
Sonia, on the other hand, was gripping her seatbelt tightly, her mouth wide open in shock. Her dazed expression indicated that she was still reeling from what Toby said. “How could this be possible?”
Wasn’t she the one Charles adored?
It wasn’t that she desired his love. Instead, Charles was the one who told her that he had loved her since he was a child, and that his feelings had not changed over the years.
Furthermore, he was head over heels with her previously.
And now, Toby said that Daphne, not Sonia, was the one Charles truly loved!
Sonia almost didn’t believe it.
“Why isn’t it possible?” Toby looked dashing as he steered the wheel with only one hand. “How else would you explain Charles’s concern for your secretary?”
That almost choked Sonia.
True. Charles seems to be overly concerned about Daphne. She could still recall Charles’ overreaction to Daphne earlier in the day at the office.
“He is concerned about her; you’re right on that. But does that necessarily imply he has feelings for her, no?” Sonia was skeptical.
While she spoke, Toby honked at the slow driver in front of him. “Indeed. But the thing is, he has said that he dislikes her. Would he be so concerned about her if he truly dislikes her? Will you?”
“Of course not. I don’t even want to look at the person I disliked,” she responded immediately.
At the next instant, she froze, as if her moment of realization had arrived. She straightened her back and locked her gaze on Toby, her eyes wide open. “I know what you mean now. Charles would not have reacted this way to Daphne if he truly disliked her. It means that his so-called dislike for her isn’t true.”
“Exactly. No one will ever be concerned, or even pay attention to, someone he dislikes. But Charles, despite saying that he dislikes Daphne, remains concerned about her. Obviously, his dislike isn’t genuine, but his fondness of her is. It’s similar to how a young boy likes to bully the girl that he likes. His bullying of her doesn’t mean that he dislikes her; rather, it indicates that he likes her but does not know how to express it. As a result, he could only use such an attitude to catch her attention. Charles is probably the same way.”
Sonia couldn’t help but applaud after hearing Toby’s analysis. The more he said, the more she believed what he said was true.
However, she frowned in the next few minutes. “But since when does he have feelings for her?” she questioned.
“How would I know if you didn’t even know?” Toby took advantage of the split second when he turned to cast a sidelong glance at her.
She sighed at his response. “Forget it; it’s not important. What matters is that Charles is unaware that he likes Daphne and continues to believe he loves me. Do you think I should bring it up directly with him? Perhaps when he realizes his true love is Daphne, the two of them will reconcile, and even better, they will become a couple!” Sonia said as she stroked her chin, contemplating the possibility that what she said would occur.
Toby saw right through her. He stopped her, his brows furrowed. “You should throw that idea out.”
“Why?” Sonia asked, puzzled.
He fixed his gaze in front of him, his expression solemn. “The reason Charles doesn’t realize his feelings is because he subconsciously doesn’t want to admit that he is no longer faithful to you. However, he also realizes that when his emotions are affected by Daphne every time; that is why he purposefully treated her badly, thinking that by doing so, his emotions would return to normal and he would no longer be affected by her. Do you think he’d accept it if you told him now that he’s affected by Daphne because he loves her? Would he then think that your secretary asked you to tell him that on purpose?”
Sonia opened her mouth in response to Toby’s words, but she was unable to refute anything.
Then, he went on, “He’d undoubtedly believe Daphne was the one who persuaded you to tell him that they should get together. All of his annoyance and frustration will be directed and vented toward her as a result.”
“Could things really get that serious?” Sonia went pale as she heard that.
“Of course it will.” Toby nodded assertively. “As I’ve said, his ignorance of his feelings is due to his refusal to admit that he now loves someone else. If you point it out to him, instead of being surprised, he will get angry instead, thinking that you and your secretary are conspiring to deceive him. While he may not do anything to you, I can’t say for sure that he won’t do anything to Daphne.”
“What should I do, then?” Sonia was anxious. “Do I just pretend to be ignorant and leave them alone?”
“Yes. Just don’t get involved,” Toby agreed. “Directly pointing it out to him will only make matters worse. Therefore, it will be better for you to pretend to be unaware and wait for Charles to realize it himself.
In this way, he would be more willing to accept his true feelings, because time may have passed before he realizes it, and they may have been through a lot of things together during that time, resulting in his attitude toward her may have changed by then. It would be easier for him to accept that he has feelings for her at that point.”
Sonia did not respond to Toby’s words. She lowered her head, pondering whether what he said was plausible. After much thought, she concluded that Toby’s consideration was valid and even thoughtful in all aspects.
“Perhaps you’re right.” She felt relieved and nodded. “Fine. I’ll just pretend I don’t know anything.” “Good move,” Toby said, raising his chin.
Sonia, on the other hand, squinted and looked at him with suspicion. “When did you become an expert in relationships? Even I had no idea Charles had feelings for Daphne, but you did! You even considered the possible outcomes if I mentioned it to Charles. This is not at all like you! Pray tell, what causes you to act this way?”
