Chapter 997

Chapter 997 Sonia Doing It Personally

Sonia rubbed her forehead as she closed her eyes. “You have thought about it, and so have I. I’m very concerned about this, so I’m not planning to mortgage this building.”

“That’s good.” Charles nodded, but his concerns remained. “What are you going to mortgage with if it’s not Paradigm Co.’s building?”

As Sonia opened her eyes, she uttered, “The Reed Residence.”

He was slightly taken aback. “Are you planning to give—”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “That’s right.”

“But it’s the house your mother left behind. Are you… sure about it?” Charles looked at her.

Sonia tucked her hair behind her ears. “To be honest, I didn’t want to do it at first, but after giving it some thought, I don’t think there’s anything to be sad about parting with. It’s the house my mother left behind. I spent my childhood there, and my memories are also tarnished by rats.”

Charles noticed that she had narrowed her eyes in disdain and quickly knew what she meant. As he sighed, his heart ached. “Jessica and Sandra.”

“Yeah.” She gripped the pen tighter. “You are correct. It’s them. That house is supposed to be a cozy home for me, my mother, and my father. Ultimately, the space was filled with their vile atmosphere, which had ruined it. Because of this, I moved out to the Bayside Residence. I no longer feel anything that makes me think of my mother. I detest the Reed Residence now that it is solely filled with memories of their worst kind.”

“You have a valid point.” He sipped the water in front of him. “If I were you, I would have felt the same way. Because the house is an eyesore, I would have put it up for sale a long time ago. I’m impressed that you’ve kept the house for years.”

Sonia’s lips twitched. “It’s because that’s the house my mother bought before she passed away. And this is where she lived and where we previously stayed. Nothing else. Now that I think about it, I think my opinion was wrong because Mom might not want to keep it. After all, it is already tainted.”

“There’s no doubt about it.” He nodded and looked at her. “You’re her daughter, and she loved you so much that she gave you the house before she left. I’m sure she wasn’t expecting Jessica and Sandra to show up after that. In that same house, they bullied you and poisoned your father! So, what makes her want to keep it? Sonia, I agree with your decision. It’s not the same place it used to be. That way, you can also forget about the unpleasant memories.”

“Yeah,” she responded gently.

“Oh, have you had the house appraised?” Charles was keen to know.

Sonia sipped her coffee before responding, “Yes, I’ve contacted an appraiser a couple of days ago. Although it is an old building, its location, like this one, is very strategic. When she purchased this house, my mother used Grandpa’s connections to invite the most famous master to view the property. There should not be a significant price difference compared to new homes. It should be worth at least 1 billion.” She raised a finger.

He let out a chuckle. “Great. That will be more than necessary to solve the problem. Have you set up an appointment with the bank?”

“Yeah, I have. I will submit a loan application this afternoon.” She placed her cup down.

“I’ll accompany you. Instead of just one person going there, it would be better for two people to go.” Charles checked his watch.

Sonia shrugged her shoulders. “I’m fine with it, but I heard from your mother that Lane Corporation is going through a transition. Shouldn’t you be busy then? Do you have the time?”

“It is nearly completed. I could even celebrate the new year.” He was beaming with a broad grin.

“Okay. Let’s go together.” There was no reason for Sonia to refuse. Suddenly, she thought of something as she looked at him. “Charles, my assistant, informed me that Asher has stopped you downstairs. What exactly is going on? Why did he stop you?”

When Charles heard that, he frowned and slammed his cup onto the table with a grumble. “I’m not sure what’s wrong with the old git. As soon as he saw me, he pulled me into his office and told me something strange. I didn’t understand him at first, but I soon realized he was trying to create tension between us.”

“Creating tension between us?” Her expression changed from surprise to one of gloom in an instant.

He concurred. “Yeah, but I just walked away and ignored him.”

She didn’t say anything, and her frown deepened because she couldn’t understand why Asher was acting this way. Charles was not employed by Paradigm Co.; he was merely in the higher management with that title and played no role in management or production. Therefore, his existence posed no threat to Asher.

But why is Asher attempting to sever our relationships? What is he planning?

“Is there something on your mind, Sonia?” Charles waved his hand in her direction.

Sonia regained her composure and smiled as she shook her head. “Nothing. I’m just curious as to why he’s doing it.”

He sulked. “Don’t fret. This old git cannot endure our presence, likewise for us. No matter what he does, we will ultimately fight each other. Since we are rivals, there is no point in considering what he is doing. Simply confront him when the time is right.”

She grinned. “You are right. Although your language is somewhat harsh, you make a good point. When the circumstances are set, there is no need to overthink the process. Instead, we should concentrate on the results. You are more positive than I am. I’d get irritated from overthinking.”

“See? I am brilliant.” Charles arched an eyebrow at her in amusement.

Sonia smiled and lowered her head, feeling more at ease. It looked like their relationship was back to how it was before. Today was the Charles that she remembered, so it would be for the best if everything remained this way.

On the other side, Toby came out of a dark room with an aloof face and Tom had the same expression.

“President Fuller, here’s a handkerchief.” Tom handed a wet handkerchief, whose footsteps came to a halt before he turned to take it. After wiping his hands, Toby continued walking.

At the same time, Tom was wiping his hands and said in disgust, “That old git is so stubborn. He didn’t say anything until we had to use the pliers. We overestimated him. But, President Fuller, you could have let us pull out his teeth. Why did you do it on your own?”

Toby, who was walking in front and threw the filthy handkerchief and stomped on it, reacted bitterly, “When it comes to my lover, I’ll do it myself.”

Tom was speechless when he heard the word lover because he felt a knot in his throat and wanted to smack himself in the face.