Origin
“I did, but your phone was turned off.” He looked at her handbag, and there was a hidden bitterness in
his gaze. I called you, but your phone was turned off. Of course I feel wronged.
Sonia knew what he was thinking, and the corner of her left eye twitched. “Sorry. My phone was dead
back then. I only recharged it after I got back to my car.”
Toby chuckled, but he said nothing.
Sonia looked at him, then she tugged on his arm. “Are you angry?”
“No.” Toby turned his head away.
Sonia held her forehead. No? The word ‘angry’ is written on your face. Geez, you don’t have to get
annoyed just because my phone was dead and I missed your call. You’re really becoming more and
more of a child. She was thinking all that in her mind, but Sonia hugged his arm and apologized
anyway. “Alright, it’s my fault. I should have charged it before I left home. I won’t do it again, alright?”
Toby turned around, but he still looked slightly miffed for whatever reason it was. “Fine.”
Tom almost screamed. What is up with that? Did he just go ‘Fine, I’ll forgive you because you asked me
to?’ That’s what the lady should say. You’re the man here, but Miss Reed has to be the one to cheer
you up? Are you sure you should be doing that? Tom shivered, but it was not from the cold.
Sonia was amused by his reaction, and she shook her head. “Alright, stop acting like a child, you.” She
nudged him with her elbow.
Toby held her arm and pulled her into his embrace. She gasped in surprise and fell back down, then he
held her by her waist and stopped her from breaking free. “Just like that. Don’t move.”
Sonia wanted to sit back up, but he asked her to stay still. She knew he wanted to hug her, so she
played along. Sonia leaned against his chest and stopped moving, much to Toby’s delight.
Tom looked away calmly and pressed a button, then a divider slowly appeared between the front and
backseat. Toby looked at it, and he seemed satisfied with it. Good. You’re a smart man, Tom.
Sonia didn’t know what Toby was thinking. She leaned against his chest and fiddled with the diamond
button on his suit. “Why were you looking for me in the afternoon anyway?”
“Nothing. I was just missing you and wanted to hear your voice,” Toby looked at her and muttered.
Sonia paused for a moment and blushed, then she looked up at him. However, she couldn’t see his
face from where she was sitting. All she could see was his jaw and sexy Adam’s apple. It was bobbing
up and down as he breathed, and she wanted to touch it.
She had never touched a man’s Adam’s apple before. I wonder what it feels like. Is it soft, or is it hard?
Since Sonia was suddenly being quiet, Toby let her go and looked at her. “What is it?”
“It’s nothing.” She snapped out of it and shook her head. “I was just thinking, we were only apart for a
couple of hours, and you say you’re already missing me. Is that a lie?”
“Do you think I’ll lie to you?” Toby raised her chin.
Sonia looked into his eyes. Most people in the West would have brownish-black eyes, but Toby’s eyes
were fully obsidian. They were beautiful, but terrifyingly so. They looked like black holes, and if
someone were to stare at them, they would be sucked in. That was why few people would look Toby in
the eye, for they were scared. Sonia wasn’t scared, however. She thought his eyes were pretty, and
she raised her hand to touch them.
Toby was surprised, and he started to blink. His eyelashes brushed against her palm, and it felt ticklish.
She laughed, and he held her hand, then he nibbled on it. “Why are you laughing?” he asked hoarsely.
“It’s nothing. Your eyelashes tickled me, and I realized that they’re really long.” She looked at his
eyelashes enviously. She couldn’t believe that a man could have eyelashes that long and lustrous. He
makes me feel ashamed because my eyelashes aren’t even that pretty as a woman.
Toby noticed the envy in her eyes, though it disappeared a moment later. It didn’t escape him, however.
He chuckled. “Do you like them?”
“Yeah, of course. They’re beautiful.” She nodded.
Toby’s smile broadened. “If you like them, you can touch them whenever you want. I shall allow it.”
Sonia snorted. “You’re making it sound like a generous offer, but now that I have a closer look, your
features look more oriental than Western.” She suddenly held his face and looked closely. Wow, it’s
real. People in the West have softer faces and tend to be oval-shaped, but Toby’s face doesn’t look
soft. It looks sharp. She didn’t notice it since she never looked closely, so it surprised her.
Sonia’s surprise made Toby chuckle again. “You’re right. I have some oriental ancestors in my family
tree.”
“Huh?” Sonia gasped. “Really?”
“Yes.” Toby nodded. “My mother’s grandfather was an oriental who came to the West more than a
century ago, and he married my mother’s grandmother. They then had a son, which was my
grandfather. His last name was He, but he took on a Western surname—Herrias.”
Realization struck Sonia. “I see. Your mother’s side of the family is complex.”
Toby chuckled. “Well, my mom’s family tree is really big, so it tends to get complex.”
“I’ve never heard you talking about your mother’s father before. Hey, come to think of it, I’ve never
heard of any Herrais family in the nation.” She tilted her head to the side and thought about it. “Yep. I’ve
never heard of them.”
Toby hugged her tightly. “I did. I just never brought that last name up.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You want to hear about it?” Toby asked a question instead.
She nodded. “Of course. That’s why I asked these questions.”
“Since you want to hear it, then I shall tell you.” He smiled.
“Tell me, tell me,” she urged while shaking his arm.
Toby patted the back of her hand and told her to calm down, then he said, “I’ve said that my mother’s
grandfather was an oriental, and his last name was Herrias, right? My grandfather used that last name
instead of He.”
“Okay,” Sonia said.
Toby continued, “After my great grandfather came to the West and married my great grandmother, he
never went back. Their child inherited my great grandfather’s name, but actually, my great grandfather
was a live-in son-in-law. My great grandmother’s last name was Sandstone.”
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