Chapter 476 Giving Her the Cold Shoulder
I bet President Fuller believes that it’s best to let Miss Reed, considering he only has three years left to live. He’s even distancing himself from her.
He’s worried that the proximity between them might affect her adversely. What if she falls for him again as time grows? If the president passed away later, she’d be left in pain.
Losing a loved one is devastating, let alone a rekindled love.
Tom believed that was the worry Toby had in mind, which drove him to start distancing himself from Sonia.
“Okay, President Fuller. Got it. I’ll deal with the discharge procedure soon.” Tom agreed to his request with a sigh.
Toby waved at him. “Go.”
“Right.” Tom turned around and left the room.
On the same night, Toby got discharged from the hospital and stayed at an apartment downtown, where he would undergo his recovery before returning to the Fuller Residence.
However, Sonia was kept in the dark about all his plans.
The next morning, Sonia visited him at the hospital with the soup she had made. Yet she was shocked to find another patient instead of Toby in the room. She stood rooted to the spot in disbelief.
What’s going on? Where is Toby?
“Miss!” Sonia stopped the nurse who was passing by with a cart and asked her, “May I check with you the whereabouts of the patient in this room?”
The nurse shot her a puzzled look. “Isn’t he in there right now?”
“No, I wasn’t referring to him. I mean Toby Fuller,” Sonia frowned and replied.
The nurse had a sudden realization and answered, “Mr. Fuller was discharged last night.”
“What? He left the hospital?” Sonia was shaken to the core.
The nurse nodded. “Yes, he left the hospital at midnight.”
“At midnight!” Sonia bit her lip anxiously.
That means he got discharged right after we ran into each other at the restaurant.
“Miss, why did he want to be discharged? He hasn’t fully recovered from his injury, has he?” She held on to the nurse and interrogated her.
The nurse shook her head. “I don’t know the reason behind it. Yes, he has not fully recovered to be discharged, but home recovery is an option. That’s why we approved his request.”
“Ah, I see.” Knowing that she had run into a dead-end, Sonia forced a smile and let go of the nurse.
Once the nurse’s arm was freed, she pushed the cart forward and went about her day.
Sonia looked at the name tag on the door that was no longer displaying Toby’s name. She pursed her red lips before walking to the elevator.
At the garden outside the patient ward building, she took a seat on a bench and made a call to Toby.
He did not pick up instantly like before. It took him a while before he took her call.
His chilly voice came from the other end. “What’s the matter?”
Sensing the coldness in his tone, she felt rather uneasy.
What’s wrong with him? Why the sudden cold shoulder?
They seemed to have traveled back to six years ago when he had treated her coldly. She couldn’t help but frown at his attitude. “President Fuller, are you discharged from the hospital?”
“Yes.” He nodded.
She placed the thermal container aside and questioned, “Why? Why didn’t you inform me before you left?”
“That’s my business. Why should I tell you about it?” he shot back sternly.
That almost made her choke, but she carried on, “Yes, that is your business, but I am responsible for you too. I am the reason you’re in this condition now. I told you before that I’d take care of you until you recover. That’s why you should have informed me when you left the hospital. How else am I going to look after you?”
“There’s no need for that.”
“What?” She was startled.
He lowered his eyes, his emotions hidden away as he responded in a hoarse voice, “I said you don’t have to look after me in the future. I don’t need your care anymore.” With that, he hung up on her.
Aggrieved, Sonia stared at her phone.
What did he mean by that? The sudden cold shoulder and the refusal of my care… Did I offend him in some way?
She pressed her fingers against her palm and started to search her memory to find any chances of her offending Toby in the past two days. After a round of searching, she confirmed she had not gotten on his bad side in any way.
Instead, Toby started keeping a distance from her since last night.
Perhaps, his attitude change was triggered by the sight of me having dinner with Zane. No, that doesn’t sound right at all. No matter how petty Toby is, he won’t act out in such a manner.
After all, Toby had witnessed Sonia’s close friendships with Carl and Charles before, and he was never affected. There must be other reasons.
Nevertheless, her resolution to repay his kindness could not be deterred. He could treat her with coldness and impatience, for she wouldn’t be bothered.
She was only bothered when he tried to stop her from repaying his kindness. She had no intention of receiving his help time after time without showing gratitude.
Looking at the thermal container, Sonia took a deep breath and stood up. She planned to leave the hospital for the Fuller Group building. Right when she walked to the garden’s exit with the container, she came to a halt after hearing a familiar voice.
Is that… Mrs. Gray?
Sonia reflexively slowed down and tiptoed as she turned to the right. Indeed, she found Julia standing behind a pot of flowers.
Julia had her back against Sonia and was talking on the phone.
“Please, Professor Sanders. Could you help us to ask around? Please help to look for a suitable kidney for my husband. He fainted from pain again today. If this keeps happening, I think it wouldn’t be long until he has to be permanently warded.” Julia sniffed and sobbed with a pleading tone.
Sonia raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Ah, I understand now. Mrs. Gray is pleading with a professor to look for a suitable kidney for Titus.
Soon, Sonia heard Julia’s voice again, but there was some excitement in between her sobs. “That’s great! Thank you, Professor Sanders. Sure, sure, I will wait patiently.”
Sonia narrowed her eyes. Oh? Did the professor agree to find him a kidney? Looks like he has a wide network. I wonder who Professor Sanders is.
On the other hand, Julia was visibly relieved after getting Professor Sanders’s promise to contact some of the organ banks that she had no access to. She tucked away her phone, wiped her eyes, and turned around with a smile.
Her smile froze when she noticed Sonia standing opposite her.
Soon, something occurred to Julia, and her expression fell. She glared at Sonia and barked, “Were you eavesdropping?”
Sonia shrugged. “No, I did not. You were speaking too loudly. It was hard not to overhear your conversation.”
Julia’s pupils wavered in agitation. “Did you really hear me talking? What did you overhear?”
Sonia’s gaze flickered as she answered with a polite smile, “What else could I have overheard? I got here not long ago. I only heard you thanking some Professor Sanders and saying that you’d wait patiently.”
“For real?” Julia clutched her phone tightly, shooting a suspicious stare at Sonia. That was her final sentence in the conversation. If that snippet was what Sonia had overheard, it should not bring her any issue.
However, Julia was not one to trust Sonia easily. I don’t think Sonia is telling the truth. She might have heard more of the conversation.
“Why would I lie to you? What do I even get from lying?” Sonia rolled her eyes at Julia.
Julia stared at her for a while. After ascertaining that Sonia did not appear lying, she took Sonia’s word and felt relieved.
Glad she did not overhear the rest of our conversation.
If Sonia had overheard the rest of the conversation, she would have guessed that Titus had kidney issues and needed a transplant.
At that time, Sonia might pounce on the opportunity to obstruct the kidney donation, and Titus would truly be done for.
“Well, I really hope that you did not lie to me. If I find out that you’ve lied to me, I will not let you off the hook,” Julia threatened her while pointing at her nose.
