Chapter 249


    It was at that precise moment that Toby became sure of the truth: Tina was not Maple.


    After all, if she indeed was Maple, then why would she burn the letters which had brought them


    together instead of keeping them and reminiscing over them? Because she was afraid that keeping


    those letters would one day bring her lies crumbling down.


    Jean saw that Toby was trembling slightly, like he was suppressing insurmountable rage. A chill ran


    down her spine as she swallowed and asked hesitantly, “T-Toby, what’s the matter with you?”


    Toby ignored her and took out his phone to make a call.


    Before long, Tom’s groggy voice sounded from the other line as he yawned and asked,


    “President Fuller, is there something wrong?” “Come by the Fuller Residence now. I need to ask you


    something.” Having said that brusquely, Toby hung up the call without another word.


    Meanwhile, on the other end of the phone, Tom sat up in bed with a spaced-out look on his face.


    Did he just ask me to drop by the Fuller Residence?


    As his mind cleared up, he detached the phone from his ear and stared at the screen. When he saw


    that it was close to midnight, he let out a frustrated groan. For heaven’s sake, it’ste at night, and


    it’s nearly midnight! He must be insane to have asked me to go by the Fullers’ Residence! Whatever


    this is about, why couldn’t he have told me over the phone and insisted that I go over to his ce?


    Despite Tom’s resentment, he got out of bed anyway and begrudgingly began to get ready, then


    headed over to the Fuller Residence as ordered.


    At around 1.00AM, he found himself standing in Toby’s study. “What is it that you needed to ask me,


    President Fuller?” he asked with a polite smile, though he was cursing Toby over and over in his


    heart.


    As though sensing the man’s annoyance, Toby shot him a pointed look and tapped his fingers


    against his ice-cold desk. “Do you think Tina is Maple?”


    “Huh?” Tom was taken aback by this, but he quickly regained hisposure. “President Fuller, are


    you suspecting that Miss Gray is not your pen pal from all those years ago?”


    Toby nodded in affirmation.


    Tom stared at him intently for a while, and after making sure that the man was not joking, he said


    after a long pause, “To tell you the truth, President Fuller, I don’t think Tina and Maple are the same


    person at all. I’ve been by your side for all these years, and I’ve seen you exchange letters with


    Maple. From what I’ve gathered about her, she’s warm and kind, not to mention outgoing and witty,


    but Miss Gray boasts none of these qualities.”


    When he was done speaking, he peered up at Toby apprehensively, worried that he might have


    angered thetter.


    Much to his surprise, Toby did not appear furious at all but looked as if he was immersed in thought.


    Tom let out a quiet breath of relief. Thank goodness President Fuller isn’t mad at me for making


    those disparagingments about Miss


    Gray, but I wonder why he doubts her identity as Maple. He scratched his head, unable to figure out


    what Toby was thinking.


    Minutes ticked by, and Toby finally said in a cold voice, “You’re right. She has none of these


    qualities, and she has no right to assume Maple’s identity.”


    Upon hearing this, Tom felt something click in his mind. He pushed his sses up his nose bridge


    and asked, “Have you discovered something that made you doubt Miss Gray’s identity as Maple,


    President Fuller?”


    It’s no wonder then that President Fuller’s been cold and distant to Miss Gray for the past two days.


    That makes sense, seeing how he was only kind and loving to her because he believed she was


    Maple. If the opposite were true, then he would naturally grow indifferent toward her. After all, Miss


    Reed is the one he’s truly in love with.


    Toby narrowed his eyes pensively without answering Tom’s question and asked instead, “You were


    the one who collected Maple’s letters on my behalf when I was too tied up with work before, so you


    would know her postal address, right?”


    Tom nodded hastily. “I remember her address. Do you want me to drop by the ce and find out if


    Maple truly isn’t Miss Gray?”


    “Yes,” Toby replied.


    “I’ll get right on it, sir,” Tom said dutifully. “|’|| head over to Marina City right away and—wait!”


    He broke off, and his eyes widened as the sudden realization that something was off dawned upon


    him.


    Toby frowned at this. “What is it?”


    “There’s something odd going on here. President Fuller, Maple lives all the way in Marina City, but


    the Gray Residence is in Eastbourne. Both these cities are practically sixty kilometers away, and the


    Gray Family has been in Eastbourne for thest twenty years; they never once moved. It’s as clear


    as day now that Tina really isn’t Maple!”


    Toby stiffened when he heard Tom’s deduction, and his eyes widened by a fraction as he pondered


    on this new revtion. That’s right. If Tina really was Maple, then the postal address would have


    been Eastbourne and not Marina


    City.


    While Toby was deep in thought, Tom spoke up again from across the desk, “I remember you


    mentioned that Maple used to have a pet dog, President Fuller.”


    Toby’s chin jerked slightly. “Bucky.” “That’s the one. However, the Gray Family has never had any


    pet dogs. You also mentioned that Maple has a stepmother and a sister, but Mrs. Gray has always


    been the first wife. All these aside, I caught a glimpse of Tina’s handwritingst month when she got


    bored in your office and scribbled a couple of things. While she didn’t often write after she was


    discharged from the hospital, I noticed that her penmanship ispletely different to Maple’s,” Tom


    informed solemnly.


    Tom had never read any of the letters Maple wrote to Toby, but she did pen the address on the


    envelopes, which was enough to make hime to the conclusion that she had understated and


    refined handwriting. It was distinct and easy on the eyes, unlike Tina’s, which was as in as it was


    common.


    Granted, a person who had beenatose for six years would not necessarily have the best


    handwriting, having not touched pen and paper for so long. However, muscle memory would kick in


    as the body recovered, and the person’s handwriting would eventually start to look the way it had


    before. As such, it made no sense that Tina’s handwriting could have changed so drastically even


    after she had been hospitalized for six years.


    Tom felt goosebumps raised along his skin at the thought of this. “It gets stranger and stranger the


    more I think about it, President Fuller. How could we not have realized that there was something off


    when these doubts have been present all along? Besides, there were cracks in Tina’s behavior and


    stories that should have made us suspicious, so why did it take us this long to look back and


    discover this despicable charade?”


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    Toby lowered his gaze and fell silent. When Tom was speaking earlier, it was as though a veil that


    had been obscuring Toby’s sight was finally lifted. It was like the lights had shifted at that moment,


    and he could finally see the world with sharp rity.


    Indeed, how could I have missed all the cracks and inconsistencies in Tina’s stories and behavior?


    More to the point, how did Tom manage to overlook all these, too? All these questions flooded


    Toby’s mind, and he grew unsettled at how wrong everything was.


    Even as he thought this, he knew well the reason why he never saw through Tina''s pretenses—it


    was all because of that strange and mysterious force. That being said, he didn''t think Tom would be


    influenced by it as well.


    "Why are you looking at me like that, President Fuller?" Tom asked uneasily.


    Toby pursed his lips and said hoarsely, "No reason. Anyway, drop by Marina City tomorrow and find


    the real Maple." She''s the person I''m truly in love with!


    "Yes, sir!" Tom nodded. Then, seemingly remembering something, he paused and added, "So,


    about Tina..."


    A dangerous gleam shed in Toby''s eyes as he replied ominously, "I''ll take care of it. I''ll let her


    know that Maple isn''t just some mask she can put on at her own whim and fancy!"


    There was an insidious undertone to his voice that made Tom shudder. He knew at that moment


    that Tina was done for.


    But she''s definitely getting what''sing for her. She should have thought better than to pretend to


    be Maple and deceive President Fuller for the past six years.


    Dark glee rose within Tom as he adjusted his sses and turned to leave the study.


    When the door closed, Toby rose from his seat and crossed over to where the French windows to


    the side of the room, whereupon he stared out at the night scene with his brows drawn together as


    all the doubts gued him. What is that mysterious force? How did it manipte me into loving


    Tina? And what other secrets is Tina hiding?


    All these questions seemed to crack the strange rose-colored ss that had shielded Toby from


    reality. He had believed that he was fine, but what he had not expected was that he would be


    unknowingly pulled into the drowsy depths of the mysterious force.


    As soon as he thought of this, a sharp headache attacked him. For a moment, he thought he might


    have seen the light at the end of the tunnel, but that was before the dizzying halos came into his


    vision. Submitting to the inexplicable pain that overcame him, he couldn''t help but lower his head in


    hopes of finding quick relief.