Chapter 500


    All of theizens made a joke out of the situation once they found out about the truth. ‘This is epic!


    I can’t believe this was what actually happened. The picture was a total lie!’ onemented.


    ‘Who were the ones who said that Toby and Lily are the most romantic and loving couple? Show


    yourselves now!’ another one added.


    I knew it! Although Lily’s from a wealthy family, her family is on the verge of bankruptcy. She’s


    always showing off on her social media profile, and she acts just like an upstart. She doesn’t have


    any substance at all! The almighty president of Fuller Group and the head of the Fuller Family


    would have better taste than this! He’d never date a woman like her,’ onement read.


    Sonia subconsciously nodded as she read theizen sments. That’s right.


    That’s exactly how I feel about the situation. If Toby really fell for Lily, then it just shows that he has


    no taste. Fortunately, he still has his standards. Sonia let out a small smile at that thought. All the


    worry and concern she had for the news articles and photos had wholly disappeared after she


    watched the video that Fuller Group posted on their social media ount.


    However, she realized something odd about the situation. I texted Toby to ask about the picture


    earlier, and Fuller Group posted a video to rify the situation just a while after that. It can’t be a


    coincidence, right? Sonia pressed her red lips together and contemted for a moment before she


    rejected her own hypothesis. Perhaps it’s just a coincidence. Toby didn’t see my message, so he


    couldn’t have done anything about it.


    Sonia was still deep in thought when her phone began to ring. She turned her head to nce at her


    phone, and she let go of her mouse to pick the call up when she saw that it was a call from Charles.


    “Charles,” she greeted.


    “Darling.” Charles’ voice sounded glum on the other end of the line.


    “What is it?” Sonia tilted her head in confusion.


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    “It’s Toby!” Charles grabbed his hair and tugged on it frustratedly. “I was overjoyed when the news


    of his and Lily’s engagement first surfaced on the Inte. I was all prepared to buy them gifts, and I


    had already nned out my speech for them during their engagement. I was hoping that they would


    stay in love and grow old together. I can’t believe Toby announced that the news was fake before I


    even managed to get them a gift! Ugh! I’m so annoyed!”


    Technically speaking, Charles and Toby were love rivals—that exined why Charles wanted Toby


    to go off with another girl. If Toby gets engaged, then he won’t mess with my darling anymore! Toby


    might have imed to let go of my darling, but how am I supposed to know if he’s lying? The only


    way for me to be sure is for Toby to be with another girl. But look at how things have turned out!


    Hah! Charles sneered to himself.


    Sonia had an uneasy feeling as she listened to Charles, and she frowned slightly. “What’s there to


    be annoyed about? Their rtionship wasn’t even genuine to begin with, so it’s only right for him to


    clear things up, right? Would you prefer the public to spread rumors about you all the time?”


    “Well, of course not. But this is different,” Charles muttered as he scratched the back of his head.


    Sonia scoffed. “How is it different?”


    “Well, it’s obviously because... Wait, darling!” Charles seemed to realize something halfway through


    his sentence, and his expression turned serious.


    “Darling, I just realized something. You seem to be really happy about the fact that Toby stepped


    forward to dispel the rumors surrounding his engagement. On top of that, you’re also siding him—


    you immediately went against my words


    when I talked about Toby. Darling, you—”


    “I don’t care about Toby!” Before Charles could finish his sentence, Sonia interrupted him. Her heart


    skipped a beat when she realized what Charles was trying to say. However, her words only made


    Charles’ expression turn gloomier than before. He let out a long sigh as he felt a heavy feeling


    weighing down on him. “Darling, I didn’t mention anything about your care for Toby, yet you


    interrupted me to say that you don’t care about him. Don’t you think your actions are going against


    your words here?” Charles tried his best to make his tone sound neutral.


    Sonia froze for a moment before she realized what had happened. I overreacted earlier. I feel like


    I’m guilty of something. Her pupils shrank when she started to catch on. Even her grip on the phone


    felt rather unsteady as her hands were shaking. A mixture of disbelief and confusion filled her gaze.


    What’s going on? Do I have anything to hide? She bit her bottom lip and remained silent for a few


    moments. Her answer surfaced in her mind after a while, and she parted her red lips to speak, but


    no words came out of her mouth. Moreover, her gut feeling told her that she wasn’t supposed to


    reveal the answer that she had deep within her heart. If she put her answer into words, she knew


    that her whole life would turn upside down.


    When Charles realized how silent Sonia was on the other end of the call, he knew that he couldn’t


    lie to himself for much longer. I can’t tell myself that she doesn’t care about Toby anymore. The truth


    is that she cares for him. Maybe she has fallen in love with him again! Otherwise, she wouldn’t have


    started an argument once she heard me talking about Toby. A bitter smile spread across Charles’


    face as he thought about the situation. I can’t believe I lost to Toby again. I can’t do anything but


    watch as Sonia falls for him once more.


    “Hah... How useless.” Charles leaned against his chair and raised an arm to cover his eyes. His lips


    were slightly parted as he let out a bitter sigh.


    “Are you talking about me, Charles?” Sonia knitted her brows.


    “No. I’m talking about myself.” His voice was filled with self-contempt.m useless, aren’t I? I’m the


    one who has known Sonia for the longest, and I’m the one she spends the most time with. I’m also


    the one who fell in love with her first. Logically speaking, I should be the one who gets to be with


    her. Yet, I’ve been so weak and cowardly all along— I’ve never dared to confess to her or show her


    my true feelings. Because of this, I have to watch her fall in love twice, both with the same man.


    Charles had never felt so much hatred for himself.


    Mom’s right, he thought. I am a useless man who doesn’t know how to fight for the things that I


    want. I’m just a worthless guy who hands his lover over to another man! Charles let out a sneer at


    that thought. His bloodshot eyes were glistening with droplets of tears as he removed his arm from


    his eyes. He forced a smile and spoke in a rather bitter tone. “Alright, darling. I have other matters


    to handle. I’ll end the call now.”


    He ended the call immediately after finishing his sentence. It was hard for him toe to terms with


    the fact that his lover had just fallen in love with the same man again, so he needed some time to


    calm himself down.


    On the other end of the line, Sonia stared at her mobile phone and squeezed her brows together.


    “Charles...” she whispered. She had no idea what Charles was going through, but she could sense


    that he wasn’t in a good ce emotionally. He sounded angry, self-critical, and exasperated... He


    sounded really emotional. The Charles that I know is extremely lively—it’s almost like he has


    neverending amounts of energy. But he sounded so pessimistic earlier... I’m worried for him.


    At that thought, Sonia got to her feet and put her coat on before she walked out of her office. She


    was nning to visit Charles’ office to check if he was alright.


    Meanwhile, both Vincent and Lily were scrolling through Fuller Group’s official Facebook page in the


    McRae Residence. Their faces had turned as white as a sheet after they saw the rification post


    and the video that Fuller Group had posted online. “What do we do now, Dad?” Lily clenched her


    fists and held onto her skirt as she spoke in a shaky voice. “President Fuller didn’t just clear the


    rumors about our engagement, but he even managed to get rid of the rumors surrounding our


    pictures. If this goes on, do you think he might find out about our—"


    “Calm down!” Vincent raised his hand to interrupt his daughter. “I’m sure he’ll never find out about


    our little scheme. He probably just thinks that some paparazzi snapped a picture of you guys, and


    he probably thinks that’s how the rumors surfaced. After all, no normal person would suspect that


    someone is plotting against them behind their back. It’s no surprise that the paparazzi would snap


    pictures of Toby since he’s so famous.”