Jean’s voice turned shrill at the mention of Sonia. Toby was nearing the stairway when he heard her, sensing the disgust in her words. He narrowed his eyes as he halted at the stairway. Then, he turned around to Jean.
Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the sulky look on his face. Attempting to explain herself, she muttered, "Toby... I..."
"Mom, as I have told you before, I won't force you to like Sonia. After all, everyone has their own preference.
However, please don’t make it evident in front of me because it upsets me. She is my girl, and I am not going to let anyone look down on her. Not even you. Do you understand?" He gave her a stern glare.
Jean lowered her head and replied sheepishly, "I understand."
"Of course, you understand, but your actions show otherwise," Toby remarked. "There is no blood feud between the two of you. What good is it for you to despise her so much?"
Jean's lips parted, but she quickly forced them back together. She couldn’t say anything back to him. Of course, Jean knew that picking on Sonia would be foolish. It was just that she had been embarrassed by Sonia publicly several times. She had lost all respect, and all she wanted was to be respected as an older person. Because of that, she held a grudge in her heart. That was why she hated Sonia. Therefore, every time she saw or mentioned Sonia, she subconsciously became spiteful.
When Toby saw Jean’s silence, he realized the topic had come to an end. He rubbed his temple and sighed as he said, "Anyway, please keep the promise that you will not pick on her anymore."
"I held my promise. I didn't do anything to her physically. I just wanted to say something," Jean mumbled. If she wanted to take action against Sonia, she would have done so already. She wouldn't have been holding back if it weren't for Toby.
What’s more, she had not forgotten what Toby had said before. If she took action against Sonia, he would choose Sonia over her and send her away to the other properties of the Fuller Family. In fact, it implied a disguised expulsion from the Fuller Family. She certainly wouldn’t want to rock the boat and go against Sonia unnecessarily.
"Don’t even say anything bad about her." Toby had no idea what was going through Jean’s head, but he couldn’t care less. "I adore her so much that I can’t even raise my voice to her. That is why I will not tolerate others speaking ill of her. Regardless, you can ignore her, as she will not be living with you," he added.
Jean wasn’t happy to hear that, but all she could do was nod. In the end, Toby was satisfied by her response and proceeded upstairs.
After he went upstairs, Jean stood there for a long moment. Then, she stomped her feet with annoyance on her face before returning to the couch. Before long, Toby came down with a jewelry box in his hand.
She immediately got up from the couch and strode to him as she saw the jewelry box. " lbby, what jewelry have you chosen for her?" she asked with curiosity.
"A sapphire jewelry set," Toby added as he opened and showed her the jewelry box.
Jean couldn't take her eyes off the sapphire jewelry set. In wonderment, she reached her hand out as she couldn’t resist touching them. As soon as Toby realized her intention, he immediately closed the box, stopping her from gazing and feeling the jewelry.
There is no way I will give the jewelry that was touched by others to my Little Leaf. Not to mention that the person who wants to touch it is someone she dislikes.
Jean had not anticipated Toby closing the box so quickly. Her expression froze for a while before she could react. Soon, she asked incredulously, "Why did you close the box, Toby?"
He did not respond to her question. "It’s getting late. I should go now," he said as he put the box away and prepared to leave.
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