Chapter 503


    Guilt crept into Charles’ heart when he realized that Sonia had visited so many ces and made so


    many calls just to get to him. He lowered his head and pouted for a while before he spoke. “I’m


    sorry, darling. I...”


    “Well, tell me—what’s going on?” Sonia raised her hand to stop him as she didn’t want to hear an


    apology. Charles’ gaze flickered for a moment before he sat back down on the swing and hooked


    his arms around the metal chains. “It’s nothing much,” he uttered in a dejected tone. “I just think that


    I’m a really useless person. I’m a grown man now, but I don’t think I’m acting like one. I just wanted


    to take a stroll because I was troubled by these thoughts.”


    “Is that all?” Sonia narrowed her gaze. It was evident that she didn’t trust his words. Her suspicions


    madeplete sense—Charles had only told her part of the truth, after all. Sonia wanted to


    understand his abrupt change of emotions, yet he didn’t manage to provide her with a direct


    answer. He merely brushed her question off by saying that he was a useless man.


    But... He’s not telling me why he feels like a useless man, Sonia thought. This is giving me a


    headache, but I know that he’s not doing it on purpose. He probably has his reasons for talking in


    circles.


    Indeed, Charles avoided her gaze as he let out a casual yawn. “Of course that’s all...” His voice


    grew softer toward the end of his sentence, and he eventually lowered his head and pressed his lips


    together.


    Sonia let out a sigh before she sat down on the swing beside him. She had checked to ensure that


    the swings were clean, so she wasn’t worried about dirtying her clothes. Once she sat down, she


    held the metal chains and kicked her feet against the floor to send her swing backward. With her


    head leaning against the metal chain, she said softly, “This ce hasn’t changed at all. It’s just the


    way it used to be.”


    Charles smiled. “Of course. I’ve spent thest six years taking care of this spot just to ensure that it


    stays exactly the same. I’m sure some of the facilities here would have been ruined if I hadn’t been


    taking care of it.”


    “Why did you take such good care of this spot?” Sonia looked at the man beside her.


    “Because... This is our secret hideout, and it’s a special and meaningful ce to us. That’s why I felt


    the need to protect it,” Charles let go of the metal chains as he exined himself.


    A guilty smile formed on Sonia’s lips after she heard what Charles said. “You’re right. Well, I don’t


    think I have the right to say that it’s special to me. I nearly forgot about this ce until today.”


    Charles looked up at the sky. “I know. You stoppeding here after you got married to Toby, and


    I’ve never heard you talk about this ce after that. Eventually, I assumed that you had forgotten


    about this park entirely. It’spletely fine—this was our secret hideout when we were kids, but we


    aren’t kids anymore now, are we? We don’t need a secret hideout anymore. Anyway, you managed


    to recall this spot in the end, right?” After finishing his words, he shifted his gaze to look at Sonia.


    She giggled. “How often have you beening here in the past six years? Do youe here a


    lot?”


    “I think so.” Charles nodded. “Ie here when I’m tired or if I miss someone.”


    “If you miss someone? Who’s that someone?” Sonia asked in an inquisitive tone.


    He simply looked at her without saying anything. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked


    puzzledly.


    “It’s nothing.” Charles scoffed at himself before he turned away from her. Charles, Charles... You


    know how slow Sonia can be when it conies to romantic rtionships. If you don’t give her a direct


    exnation, she will never know that you’re in love with her— she would never even consider that


    possibility! If you think that she’ll understand your feelings when you look deep into her eyes, then


    you must be dreaming! he thought to himself.


    Charles was well aware of the situation he was in, and he knew that he was supposed to express


    his feelings to Sonia in a straightforward manner. However, the words never seem to be able to


    leave the tip of his tongue. All the fear and anxiety within him stopped him from taking action, and it


    turned him into a loser. He was destined to lose to Toby.


    Both of them lingered around the park for nearly 30 minutes. They had a few brief conversations in


    between periods of silence, but an awkward atmosphere hung in the air the whole time. Their


    interactions differed from their usual manner of interacting, and Sonia felt both exasperated and


    helpless when she realized that she couldn’t do anything to change it.


    Eventually, the skies turned dark. “It’s gettingte. Let’s go home, Charles,”


    Sonia uttered as she stood up.


    Charles took a nce at the skies. “Okay. Let’s go.” Both of them stepped out of the park to the spot


    where Sonia had parked her car. When she arrived at her car, she realized that Charles’ car was


    nowhere to be seen. “Where’s your ride?” she asked.


    “I got my assistant to send me over, and I told him to leave after that, so I don’t have a ride,” he


    uttered while shrugging.


    The corner of Sonia’s lips twitched as she shot him a re. “Well, get in, then. I’ll drive home, and


    then you can take my car back to your ce.”


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    “Let me drive you back.” Charles reached out for her keys. Sonia didn’t protest and tossed her keys


    over to him, and he unlocked the car. Beep! Both of them got in, and Charles began to drive toward


    Bayside Residence. There was some traffic on the way back, so it took nearly two hours for them to


    arrive at Sonia’s ce. It was 9.00PM by the time they got there.


    Charles stopped the car by the side of the road, and Sonia walked toward her condominium after


    she got out and waved goodbye. As Charles stared at her figure, he tightened his grip on the


    steering wheel. He seemed as if he was trying to get his emotions under control. After a few


    seconds, he loosened his grip and took a deep breath before he flung the car door open and ran


    toward the woman.


    He sprinted over to Sonia, so it only took him a few steps to reach her. Sonia could sense someone


    coming close to her, and she was just about to turn around when she felt someone grabbing her


    arm. Right after that, she felt her wrist being tugged hard. Her body was forced to turn in the


    direction of the tug, and she tripped on her own feet before falling into a soft and warm embrace.


    It’s Charles! Sonia couldn’tprehend the meaning of Charles’ actions, but she stayed still and


    allowed him to wrap his arms tightly around her. He had hugged her a little too tightly, so Sonia’s


    arms began to ache after a while. She finally returned to her senses before pushing him away


    gently. “Can you let go of me now, Charles?”


    It seemed as if Charles hadn’t heard her voice at all—he continued to hug her without loosening his


    grip. Right then, Sonia noticed that his body was shaking. She stopped trying to wriggle out of his


    arms, and she lifted a hand to pat his back instead. “What is it, Charles?” Charles remained silent


    as he buried his head into her shoulder.


    Meanwhile, Toby lowered the window of his Mercedes-Benz to fix his cold re on the man and


    woman who were tangled up in a tight hug. A dark shadow loomed over his face as he tightened his


    grip on the delicate gift box that he had prepared. The gift box was made of cardboard, but its


    original shape was no longer visible under Toby’s powerful grip—the distorted box was a reflection


    of the uneasiness and rage in Toby’s heart.


    Tom was seated in the driver’s seat, and he could see Toby’s sour expression in the rearview mirror.


    A bitter smile spread across Tom’s face when he sensed the threatening aura that surrounded


    Toby’s figure. Gosh. I hadn’t expected President Fuller and me to witness such an awful scene.


    President Fuller spent his whole afternoon trying to make a decision, and he finally decided that he


    woulde here to meet Miss Reed and fix things with her. We’ve waited for nearly four hours just


    for her toe home. I can’t believe she showed up with Charles! It’s fine if Charles just happened


    to be with her, but I can’t believe they’re hugging each other. This looks like more than just a friendly


    hug. Both of them are hugging each other so tightly, and they’ve been hugging for a while now.


    She’s patting his back, and he’s burying his head into her shoulder. This looks like the sort of hug


    that couples would give each other! Did the both of them get together ? Tom immediately spun


    around to look at his boss once that question popped into his head.


    Toby lowered his gaze to conceal the blistering storm of rage in his eyes. He rolled the window up


    and threw the gift box on the empty seat beside him before he shut his eyes. “Drive.”


    “Where should I go, President Fuller?” Tom asked.