Chapter 1259

Chapter 1259 Crossed the Line

Sonia couldn’t move one bit, so she stopped. “What is it?” She looked at him in puzzlement. Toby stood up and took the bag from the table before he gave it to her.

“What is this?” She took the bag, wondering what was in it. She saw Tom holding this when he came in earlier, and she had wanted to know why he had this bag since just now. Oh, so it’s for me. Wonder what’s inside, she thought to herself.

Once she took the bag, Toby let go of her hand and replied, “Juice.” “Juice?” She blinked in surprise. “A mix of grape and pomegranate,” he said.

Slack-jawed, she opened the bag and saw a bottle of purplish-red juice. When she reached out for the juice, she found out that it was warm. A smile tugged her lips as she responded, “I see. But why give it to me? I’m not in the mood for juice.”

He put his hands in his pockets and said, “I have to tell you one thing. The lady comes from a family of vintners. She’s a drinker, a mighty one at that. And she’s a certified sommelier. She can drink anything and doesn’t get drunk, no matter how much she drinks. If you want to get to know her, you’re gonna have to drink. But there’s no way you can out-drink her.”

Sonia froze upon hearing that. There’s no way I can out-drink her. How can you out-drink someone who can’t get drunk? Yeah, sure, that’s probably an exaggeration, but it’s a testament to her resistance to alcohol. If I can’t drink as much as she does, I’d fall before she would.

“And you’ll have to drink before you get to talk business with her. She’ll only talk to those whom she deems worthy. If you don’t make the cut, she’ll send you away,” he added.

Her lips twitched. “I can’t believe you never told me that.” She held her forehead in exasperation, but she couldn’t fault Toby for not telling her about that information. It was her responsibility to find out the quirks of her potential client, but all she found out was the brand of clothes she liked. So, Sonia custom-made a dress from the same brand, thinking it would build some rapport between her and the host’s wife. However, after knowing the lady’s quirk, she had a feeling she could only have a chance to make small talk with the lady even if she was wearing that dress. If she refused to drink, she would never have the chance to talk business.

“I didn’t recall back then.” He shrugged. “I don’t like to attend such events, so I’ve only seen her a couple of times. I’m not acquainted with her, so I only know her stuff based on rumors.” Toby would have brought it up earlier if he had remembered, but he was only reminded of it right now.

“I see.” She nodded in acknowledgment. She believed him. Then, she looked at the juice in her bag. “So, how did you remember her quirk anyway?”

“Remember the glass of water you took? I noticed it was cold and worried it might upset your stomach, so I told Tom to bring some hot water here. It was then I remembered this trait of hers, so I told him to change it into this juice,” he explained.

Oh, I get it now. “So, you told Tom to buy me this because it looks like wine. You’re telling me to use this to get close to the lady, aren’t you?”

He didn’t answer that. “You can’t drink, but you must. This is the best idea I can come up with.”

He’s so sweet and considerate. She felt her heart melt, and love welled in her eyes. “Thank you, Toby.”

He caressed her head gently.

Sonia looked at the juice again. She was touched that Toby went this far for her, but she couldn’t help but worry. “Will this work, though? She’s a sommelier, so she probably has a great nose. I bet she’d be annoyed if she found out this is juice instead of wine.”

“Don’t worry. I got it covered. I told Tom to prepare a batch of glasses laden with the smell of wine. Just pour this into one of those glasses.” He pointed at the juice in her hands.

Her lips twitched. “I can’t believe you came up with that idea. This is cheating.” She was amused.

He raised his chin and said, “Well, as long as it works. I can’t just let you drink now, can I? You have a low tolerance to alcohol, after all.”

Sonia sighed. “You’re right. I guess I have to take the plunge. But how should I know which glasses are tampered with?”

“Don’t worry. Tom has someone to help you out. He’ll show up when you approach the lady, and you just give him the juice. He’ll pour it into those glasses and keep an eye on you. Once you finish one glass, he’ll show up again and give you another one.” Toby smiled.

She took a deep breath. “You’ve planned everything out, huh? I don’t even need to worry about anything.”

“Of course. I’m your man, after all. My job is to make sure you have nothing to worry about. All you have to do is focus on your work.” He then held his elbow up. “Now, we may go, milady.”

Oh, he’s such a gentleman. Let’s tease him a little. Sonia held his arm and craned her neck like a swan. “Let’s go, Tobes.”

Toby froze at the nickname she had come up for him. Wait a minute. Why is she calling me that? That’s a name usually given to a pet. Is she now calling me a pet? I can’t believe that! And here I am, treating her like a queen, but she treats me like her pet instead.

She was amused and felt like laughing when she noticed the annoyed look on his face, but she held her laughter in. She pretended she didn’t see anything and asked, “What’s wrong, Tobes?”

His lips twitched slightly at the use of the nickname again. She’s still calling me Tobes. So, she thinks I’m a pet. He knew she was doing it out of jest, but it still made him annoyed. Okay, you think I’m a pet? I’ll show you what a pet can do.

He would make her realize some jokes should not be taken too far, especially when calling him an animal. And mistakes come with punishment. Something glinted in his eyes as he smirked. “Let’s go, milady.” He held her hand and headed for the entrance.

Sonia noticed the smirk, and her heart sank. I have a bad feeling about this. He’s mad, isn’t he? Did I go too far? She reflected on herself and realized she did go a bit too far with her joke. No wonder he’s smiling so creepily. I bet he’s coming up with a plan to get back at me. That’s the only reason he’s smiling. Gosh, what have I gotten myself into?