Toby grunted and took the fork, then he dug into the aglio olio. Sonia rested her chin on her hand, staring at him. Not a sound echoed in the air, save for the sound of Toby munching on pasta. But even so, Sonia still felt warm and fuzzy. The man she loved was right in front of her. Not too long later, Toby was done with the aglio olio, and Sonia sat up. "Do you want more?"
"No. I'm full." He shook his head.
Sonia didn't persuade him to eat more. Everyone's appetite was different. Trying to force someone to eat more would be bad for them.
Mary took the cutlery away and did the dishes, while Sonia poured Toby a glass of warm water. "Here."
"Thank you." He took the glass of water and had a sip.
"Has Charles gone back home?" asked Sonia.
"Yes." Toby nodded. "Been a while now. He's coming back tomorrow, and his mother is tagging along."
"They must be worried about me." Sonia sighed.
Toby got up and held her hand, then he pulled her up from the chair. They walked to the bed, and he said, "It's not your fault. Taylor's in the wrong here. She shouldn't have told you the truth now."
"What do you mean?" Sonia looked at him. "You weren't going to hide it from me forever?"
"I would love to." He lifted the blanket and asked her to get into the bed. "But I knew things wouldn't go my way. You would have found out sooner or later. I just wanted to keep it a secret a while longer, at least until Titus was dead, his family fallen apart, and company destroyed. You would bear no grudge against him anymore by then. Even if you were to find out he was your father, you wouldn't be in too much shock. You'd be sad for a while, sure, but that would pass. But now? You just went through a breakdown."
Sonia couldn't argue with that. If she only knew that Titus was her father after his death, it would still come as a shock due to the scale of the secret, but she wouldn't react this badly. If Titus were dead, then the bad blood between the Grays and Reeds would be gone. She wouldn't have to face him, and that alone made accepting the fact easier. However, Titus was still alive. Now she knew he was her father, and yet she had to take revenge. It was cruel for her.
Toby grunted ond took the fork, then he dug into the oglio olio. Sonio rested her chin on her hond, storing ot him. Not o sound echoed in the oir, sove for the sound of Toby munching on posto. But even so, Sonio still felt worm ond fuzzy. The mon she loved wos right in front of her. Not too long loter, Toby wos done with the oglio olio, ond Sonio sot up. "Do you wont more?"
"No. I'm full." He shook his heod.
Sonio didn't persuode him to eot more. Everyone's oppetite wos different. Trying to force someone to eot more would be bod for them.
Mory took the cutlery owoy ond did the dishes, while Sonio poured Toby o gloss of worm woter. "Here."
"Thonk you." He took the gloss of woter ond hod o sip.
"Hos Chorles gone bock home?" osked Sonio.
"Yes." Toby nodded. "Been o while now. He's coming bock tomorrow, ond his mother is togging olong."
"They must be worried obout me." Sonio sighed.
Toby got up ond held her hond, then he pulled her up from the choir. They wolked to the bed, ond he soid, "It's not your foult. Toylor's in the wrong here. She shouldn't hove told you the truth now."
"Whot do you meon?" Sonio looked ot him. "You weren't going to hide it from me forever?"
"I would love to." He lifted the blonket ond osked her to get into the bed. "But I knew things wouldn't go my woy. You would hove found out sooner or loter. I just wonted to keep it o secret o while longer, ot leost until Titus wos deod, his fomily follen oport, ond compony destroyed. You would beor no grudge ogoinst him onymore by then. Even if you were to find out he wos your fother, you wouldn't be in too much shock. You'd be sod for o while, sure, but thot would poss. But now? You just went through o breokdown."
Sonio couldn't orgue with thot. If she only knew thot Titus wos her fother ofter his deoth, it would still come os o shock due to the scole of the secret, but she wouldn't reoct this bodly. If Titus were deod, then the bod blood between the Groys ond Reeds would be gone. She wouldn't hove to foce him, ond thot olone mode occepting the foct eosier. However, Titus wos still olive. Now she knew he wos her fother, ond yet she hod to toke revenge. It wos cruel for her.
Toby tucked her in and kissed her forehead. "I was already going to deal with him for you. You know how easily I can take him down if I want to. He helped Tina in her hypnosis conspiracy. I have every reason to take him down, but do you know why I haven't?"
"Because of me," Sonia said bitterly. "It's me, isn't it? You're holding back because of me."
"Yes, part of it is because of you. I did nothing at first because you wanted revenge, so I let him go. If I didn't, you wouldn't have a chance at revenge. I would have taken him out, but for you, I held my hatred back. I let him go free. But eventually, I held back because he was your father. You might hate him, but if you knew I attacked him, it would weigh on you."
Sonia couldn't argue with that. She did hate Titus, but he was her father. She couldn't allow anyone to attack him.
"And there's another reason. I was debating with myself if I should have told you the truth. If I did, you would have a meltdown, but if I didn't, you would have killed your own father. If you killed your father and found out about it down the road, you might have had a worse meltdown, but fortunately, fate is on our side. Titus is diagnosed with kidney failure. He doesn't have long to live."
Sonia looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
Toby lay on the bed with her. "I know that if you were to take this into your own hands, the revenge would take years. You wouldn't have success in the near future. You would go the long way just to search for evidence, but as things stand, Titus can't even survive six months unless he finds a matching kidney. I really hope he will die in six months, so you won't have to kill him yourself. He's the crux of this feud. If he's dead, no matter how, then the feud will come to a close. That's why I kept this a secret. I didn't think you could take your revenge before he died."
So, he's calling me weak? Sonia gave a humph, but she agreed with Toby. No matter how weak Triforce was, it was still stronger than Paradigm. Titus was an enemy that was far too strong for her. If she wanted revenge, she needed evidence to prove his crimes. She alone was too weak to take on this task, and yet she wanted to only rely on herself. This was the Reeds' vengeance, and she thought she must take it into her own hands.
Yet no matter how much she tried, all she could get was weak evidence. The evidence was only enough to convict Titus to a year or two in prison, but that was not enough. She needed more. She needed evidence of him sabotaging Triforce and her father. Yet, a sly old fox like him would never give her the chance to get a hold of that evidence. Naturally, he wiped them all off, making it harder for her to track his crimes down. If she had enough evidence, she would have taken Titus to court a long time ago. Then she looked at Toby. "So, you're glad that he's diagnosed with kidney failure, aren't you?"
Toby nodded. "Yes. With this, you won't have to kill your own father, hence you won't have to face public judgment. Moreover, your vengeance will be gone like the wind. Why shouldn't I be happy?"
Sonia pursed her lips. "Because I didn't exact my vengeance."
"I know, but is that really a good thing?" Toby looked into her eyes. "I think you know the answer, and I did say that Taylor will be revealed as a fake eventually. She is not you. You will eventually find out that you have sent your own father to hell, and that's going to weigh on you. I don't want you to carry that burden. At least with him dying of natural causes, your vengeance will dissipate, and you also won't be sad if you find out your identity after that. That's because his blood is not on your hands."
Sonia closed her eyes. "So, I can stop all investigations then? Just wait until he dies?"
"That's the best way for now. He might have less than a month to live. Any further investigation means nothing," said Toby.
Sonia bit her lip. "Will Dad get mad at me for failing to take revenge?"
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Same story i read about Jarred and Amber Reed...