Chapter 1016

Chapter 1016 Wavering Thoughts

The business world had a tolerant side, but it was also cruel. If a person wandered around in the business world without anyone to protect them, they would be eaten alive sooner or later.

As Charles’ tone was solemn, Sonia bit her lip and looked at him. After a while, she asked in an uncertain voice, “Do you really think I should rely on him?”

“It’s not about what I think.” Charles shrugged. “But, since you have this resource, why don’t you use it? I know that you don’t use it just because you can’t accept the feeling that you aren’t capable and need to depend on others to achieve something. You think that you’ll be inferior to Toby, and that your relationship with him would be imbalanced, which is why you refuse to rely on him for his help.”

Sonia was silent. Indeed, this was the biggest reason why she didn’t want to rely on Toby. In her opinion, she was the only one she could rely on in this world, and others could only help her temporarily, but not for a lifetime. If she depended on Toby with all her heart now, what would she do if they broke up one day, or if he got tired of her asking for help all the time and refused?

People who were used to relying on others would gradually lose their ability to handle things on their own. As she didn’t want to end up that way, she hated the thought of going to Toby for help at the first sign of trouble.

Similarly, another reason was because she really didn’t want to hear others refer to her as Toby’s woman instead of the chairman of Paradigm Co. whenever they brought up the company or her name.

When that happened, she always felt that she was like Toby’s accessory, and that her name was always tied to his instead of being an independent person. When others talked about her, they would always think of Toby first, not her.

Secondly, she would feel uncomfortable every time she asked Toby for help, and she truly felt worthless, as if she were inferior to him. Over time, her mental state would start to deteriorate, and she wouldn’t even be able to recognize herself. Hence, due to these various reasons, how could she be willing to ask Toby for help?

She wanted to be someone as powerful as him and could confidently stand by his side, enough to make the first thing that came to mind when anyone looked at her was that she was the chairman of Paradigm Co. who was extremely capable and able to bring the company to a new level.

She wanted to be a genius who was not inferior to Toby, and look like a match made in heaven whenever she stood next to him. She didn’t want people to ask her if she was Toby’s lover whenever they saw her and look past all of her other capabilities, making her achievements worthless compared to the title of being Toby’s lover! She absolutely didn’t want that!

Upon seeing Sonia’s furrowed brows and conflicted expression, Charles knew what she was thinking. After all, they had grown up together, and he knew her best. He could even confidently say that he understood her more than Toby.

“Sometimes, you force yourself to be too strong.” Charles sighed. “This isn’t a good thing. It’ll just make you suffer. Not relying on someone else is a good thing, and it’s great that you’re aware of this, but you never considered that you’re just a novice.

If you don’t depend on the people you can depend on and only rely on yourself, how can you solve things? If you force yourself to push through, have you considered that it would make things worse?”

Sonia’s gaze wavered as she was rendered speechless. She really hadn’t thought about it. She believed with all her heart that as long as she worked hard and held on, she would be able to solve everything.

She had completely forgotten that this was the business world, and there were many things that couldn’t be achieved with mere hard work or persistence. Behind the scenes, she needed contacts, connections, and authority.

However, she hardly had any of those things, so how could she talk about solving everything on her own? People would not give her a chance just because she was Henry’s daughter. After all, he had been dead for so many years, and the past connections he had built had long since faded away.

For example, if it weren’t because she had Toby supporting her, Brian wouldn’t have agreed to meet up with her at all. By then, her so-called request for a loan would simply be a dream, and what was waiting for her would only be Paradigm Co.’s bankruptcy, thousands of employees losing their jobs, and hundreds of millions of debts that she would have to bear. She felt horrified just by thinking about it, and she couldn’t help but shiver.

“Perhaps I’ve been too idealistic and naive,” she said with a wry smile, glancing up at Charles and Brian.

Charles added wine to her glass. “No, you weren’t. You just didn’t consider that you’re like a baby who just learned how to walk in the business world, and you don’t have the ability to solve every problem by yourself.

That’s why you need to rely on the power of others, and it isn’t a shameful thing. I’ll say it again, but you don’t have to feel burdened or that you would be inferior to Toby. In fact, I think that man would want you to rely on him all the time.”

Saying that, he curled his lips unhappily. “Besides, Sonny, have you ever thought about how Toby would feel with you refusing his help all the time? I don’t think I’d be happy if it were me.

If my girlfriend never thought of asking me for help every time she faced a problem, I wouldn’t feel good about it, and I’d think that she doesn’t love or care about me. If not, why would she rather go to someone else than ask me for help?”

Sonia’s red lips gaped open. “I… didn’t think that far.”

“So, you didn’t consider Toby’s feelings.” Charles spread his hands. “Even though I hate him, I’m still defending him. It’s clear that you’re in the wrong here, Sonny. Also, have you ever thought about it?

What if he’s always felt guilty for those six years, and he’s been trying to find a chance to make it up to you, but since you won’t let him do anything, he would feel even worse because he can’t find a way to make it up to you? In fact, you can calmly ask him for help. That way, your problems would be resolved and he could also make amends with you. Isn’t that a good thing?”

Sonia shook her head. “He’s already compensated me for the past six years by saving me all those times. In fact, he’s compensated for more than he needs to.”

“That’s different.” Charles stared at her intently. “Toby saved you because he loves you and is willing to do anything for you, even if he has to sacrifice his life. To him, he wouldn’t think that saving you a few times would make up for the harm he did to you back then. These two things can’t be compared. I’m a man, so I understand how he feels.”

“Is that so?” Sonia mumbled, lowering her gaze.

She had never thought about it that way.

Charles nodded confidently. “It definitely is. If not, you can talk to him about it. In any case, I’m saying this because I just hope that you wouldn’t burden yourself. Rely on others when you need to. You already need help to accomplish some things now, and how many people can you rely on?

Besides me and Carl, who else do you have? Besides, I understand your personality, and I know that you definitely don’t want to rely on us or let us help you all the time. If that’s the case, you need to find someone to support you, so why can’t it be Toby?

You’re already in a relationship with him, and if you have to rely on one person, but you don’t consider him, what would he think? At that time, you’ll face problems in your relationship sooner or later.”