Chapter 93 What Counts as Hate
When Maya said it, her tone was full of excitement.
“I won’t…” Toby almost instinctively tried to refuse.
But before he even finished the sentence, Maya had already lunged at him, arms wrapping around his waist, her fluffy head rubbing against him.
Toby was shocked.
His entire body went soft without control and sank back into the sofa. He instinctively held her, even the words of protest from earlier fading away.
Alfred, watching this scene, tilted his head and leaned closer out of curiosity.
He didn’t actually want a hug.
He just didn’t understand why their relationship suddenly improved. It made no scientific sense at all.
Seeing Alfred poke his head in like a small animal, Toby simply pulled him in as well.
The two children didn’t struggle at all, and they were unusually obedient.
Left and right, both sides full of warmth, Toby thought for a moment.
Is this heaven?
Did I pick a good day to die or something?
“Since you hugged me, can I buy books now, Toby?” the child in his arms tried to bring it up again.
“No.” His voice was flat.
Maya scoffed, “I hate you!”
“Mm.”
Toby looked at her puffed-up cheeks and instead smiled slightly. In a calm tone completely opposite to her tantrum, he said clearly, “But I don’t hate you anymore.”
Maya froze. Her puffed cheeks deflated like a punctured balloon. She sounded confused as she said, “Huh?”
Hate her?
Toby hummed lightly, as if confirming it again. After saying it, the calm feeling in his chest slowly expanded.
He hadn’t been pretending.
He really did hate her before.
He had even, at one point, genuinely wanted to kill her.
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“Oh, so you really did hate me before.” Maya was immediately distracted by that sentence, temporarily forgetting the book issue. She puffed her cheeks again in childish indignation. “That’s so mean. I’ve never hated you before.
“You even pointed a real gun at me and tried to kill me, and I didn’t even hate you!”
She lifted her head proudly, as if presenting evidence of her generosity.
“Then thank you for your forgiveness,” Toby said, his black eyes curving faintly, something subtle flickering within them. “But you’re allowed to hate me too.
“That’s your right.”
Hate wasn’t necessarily bad.
To Toby, love and hate were both extremely scarce emotions.
Limited resources that had to be carefully allocated.
Except for family, he kept everyone at a distance, often even cruelly so.
He was stingy with positive emotions.
But once someone was placed into the category of “important” in his mind, he would give everything.
“If you’re being so generous and not hating me…” Toby smiled slightly. “Then just like me instead.” Maya bit her lip. “Why does not hating you mean I have to like you?”
What kind of crazy logic was that?
“I’m actually very good to people I like,” Toby said lightly. “And I’m useful.” He gave a soft hum of amusement. “In the future, there will be times when you need me.”
“No.” Maya shook her head confidently, looking up at him. “I would never need you. It’ll be you begging me to come find you.”
She spoke as if she had already seen through everything.
People like him were easy to read-always acting smug, but actually already surrendering completely. Only their mouths were stubborn.
Toby didn’t get angry when Maya exposed him. Instead, he lowered his gaze slightly. He was unusually calm, even gentle.
It felt like today was a good day.
For someone who normally exploded at the slightest provocation, his emotions were unnaturally steady.
That “I don’t hate you anymore” wasn’t just for her. It sounded more like something he had said to himself as permission.
He really is strange, Maya thought.
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Chapter 93 What Counts as Hate
“If you’re not going to beg me,” Toby said quietly after a pause, voice soft like a sigh, “then I’ll beg you instead. Please behave a little, okay? I’m not asking you to be a lady, but just don’t read those kinds of books. anymore.”
He leaned back into the sofa, tone drifting into something almost tired.
Thinking about those strange books made his head hurt.
Raising a younger sister was so difficult.
Why did she learn bad things when he wasn’t paying attention?
Why exactly?
He was like an unreasonable parent, blaming everything except the child herself-school, classmates,
teachers.
Anything but her.
“Stay away from those weird people at school,” the boy said flatly, his tone gradually sharpening. “They’ll corrupt you.”
“What weird people?” Maya immediately frowned. “I don’t even have friends at school. Where would I get weird people?
“And all of this is your fault, bro!”
“Yes,” Alfred added immediately, catching the keyword. “It’s all your fault.”
Toby rolled his eyes. “Me?”
He felt extremely wronged at this moment.
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This Time, Ill Be the Villains Favorite Daughter
